Seven Things You Can Do Today Instead Of Buying Clothes
...here are some alternative ways to scratch the itch
Look, sometimes you’re just feeling spendy. SAME. Did I almost press purchase on a brown dress that I already have in white and literally took the tags out of TODAY?! Erm, yes, almost. But seeing as we’re midway through July and the best styling months of the year are just around the corner - AUTUMN LAYERING IMPENDING!! - I’m trying to chill a little on the buying front, so I’ve been diverting that new-in energy into spending my evenings lovingly tending to my wardrobe instead. I can attest that there is something quite therapeutic about ironing your clothing and listening to a podcast whilst the sun sets! So here are seven ways to channel itchy shopping vibes into something a little more mindful…
CLEAR UP
It’s that simple. Sometimes, even just completing this first step will be enough. It doesn’t have to be an extensive wardrobe declutter moment, which I think we always feel pressure to do. Instead, just hang everything up. Sort through your chair/floor wardrobe. Fold items neatly into your drawers. Put your washing away. It’s that simple!!! In terms of my own personal organisation, I operate primarily from two rails of clothing - one for my current selection and one for out-of-season/overflow - which I don’t necessarily feel in the mood to wear right now. Then, I sort each rail by category and colour.
GET OUT THOSE WRINKLES
I am an ironing hater. I always have been and probably always will be. HOWEVER, I have also come to the realisation that when I put my clothing on, it looks a bit like a crumpled tissue that I’ve dug out of the bin. I live in linen all summer and whilst lived-in linen is a look, it’s a look that I was taking to the extreme. So last night, I stood for almost an hour and a half and ironed and steamed every single item on my current rail. The satisfasction when I saw it all there this morning? Heavenly. It looked like a shop. Do I need to rethink my stance on ironing? I might still hate the process, but I love the result.
MAKE THREE PILES
Next on my list of things to do is to make three piles and action them relatively quickly, as these things usually end up marinating for a while in dusty corners:
PILE ONE - DRY CLEAN. Look, I ‘handwash’ (note: I mean the handwash cycle on my washing machine on a cold wash setting!) the majority of my goods. But occasionally, some things need specialist care - mainly coats, suede and delicate dresses. Separate them out and take them to the dry cleaners ASAP. It’s nice to have all your coats ready to go way ahead of winter.
PILE TWO - REPAIR. I have a few pairs of recently purchased shoes that need a non-slip sole attached. I do this for ALL my shoes; as a heavy-footed walker, it’s the only way I can make my shoes last. Plus it means I’m not slipping around the ice rink that is Victoria train station. For most pairs, I’ll take them to my local cobbler, who does it for about £18 per pair, but for anything fancy, I’ll send them off to The Seam.
PILE THREE - ALTERATIONS. I might try The Seam again for this, as I haven’t found my perfect tailor locally, and I love the idea of someone coming over to the house and being able to try on all your shoes to test the lengths of trousers and have your own space to change. It just feels like the cosy option. I have a few waistbands to alter and lengths to take up, and I know it will unlock some new favourites in my wardrobe.
CREATE A MOODBOARD
The heavy lifting of the organising is done. Sit down! Grab a cuppa and moodboard. Now, I feel like this is a whole post in itself, but here are a few things I’ve learnt from taking my moodboarding more seriously over the past year:
You don’t have to stick to finding full outfit images. Sometimes, a photo that you love the vibe of can be just as helpful. A particular cuff, interiors, a ring stack—whatever inspires you is worth saving.
I find Pinterest search terms a bit tricky—Liza did a great post on Pinterest terms she had the most success with this week—so instead, I like the ‘Rabbit Hole’ method of finding one photo I like, saving it, and then scrolling down from that photo to find related ones.
Pinterest is a great source, but I screengrab from everything I view online from TikTok, Instagram (the Instagram explore page is pretty good once you train it a bit!), Substack, brand websites, newsletters, articles, YouTube videos - the lot.
In terms of how you collate the images, there are plenty of options that people shared in the chat recently, but the most popular were Canva (the free option has enough features to sort you out with the basics), Milanote and good ol’ Word or PowerPoint.
I then like to make sure it’s easy to find, so I save it into my Notion ‘style’ template and save it to my phone, too, so I can refer to it when I need some ideas.
TIDY UP (VIRTUALLY THIS TIME)
If you’re anything like me then you have A LOT of screengrabs. For the past year I’ve just kept them in one ever-growing ‘Style Ideas’ folder on my phone, but having 100+ photos in there, not sorted in anyway, made it quite hard to find what I was looking for. So the other evening I went through and divided them out into five categories - one for each season and then an ‘Evening Style’ folder for the three nights a year when I leave the house post-7pm. Perhaps you’ve got a wishlist in your Notes app, or your Notion to clear up? Maybe a Pinterest board that’s lost it’s way? Either way a virtual tidy up can be just as impactful as a physical one. Check out Monday’s post for a look at the contents of my ‘Summer Style’ folder which is basically like having a constantly evolving moodboard.
MAKE YOUR OWN FORMULAS
If you’ve taken your organisation to the next level and done the whole digital wardrobe thing (hello fellow Type A’s!), then this is your moment!!! I spent another evening swiping through my ‘Summer Style’ folder and seeing if I could borrow certain elements and combinations, and created formulas digitially in my own wardrobe using things I already owned. I took it one level further and made them into a summer 'collection’, which then spat me out with a ready-made summer capsule, which is what you see in the photos of my tidied rail at the beginning of the post. A full circle moment! I AM SO FUN.
TRY THEM ON
An idea for us all! Digital cataloguers or not, let’s try these new formulas on. Start from scratch if that’s more your thing, or use your screengrabs, or formulas as a springboard and see where it takes you. I tried on some outfits from my summer ‘collection’ and wel,l I loved every single one. In fact I loved the white shift dress look so much that I ended up wearing it today! The important thing is to document it in some way for future reference. I find the best way is to take an outfit selfie, and then I save it into my ‘Summer Style’ photo album. Be your own inspiration!! You already own the clothing, you feel great in it, so creating some kind of customised lookbook for you is the personal style nirvana right there.
I originally thought this process could be a one day thing, but then it took me 90 minutes to iron and I realised that was wildly optimistic. So instead this is a mezze platter to nibble on. A set of style tasks for you to pick whatever is singing you to right now, so I hope it gives you some ideas of ways to tidy, set-up and organise your wardrobe so you’re in the best place you can be when it comes to getting ready in the morning. It’s ALL in the prep. Let me know what’s on your checklist?
Anna x
So instead of the dopamine hit of online shopping, you’re encouraging me to take care of the clothes I already have? Madness.
(You’re right, per usual)
Okay this was inspirational on a whole other level! I need to channel some of your organizing energy and give my closet the love it deserves. I don't know why but I am always slightly turned off by trying on my outfits in advance though. My weird brain makes it feel like that outfit is then already "used" and no fun... Do you ever get that?