My fellow Virgo friend sent me this post last week:
It’s TIME. Organisation season has arrived, baby! Back-to-school energy (finally)! You know who I wrote my biography project on when I was 12? Beyoncé. My Mum and my son are Virgos. My husband shudders when he sees me stalking around the house with a bin bag, and a skip hates to see me coming. This time of year reactivates me.
I’ve been doing a lot of travelling recently and that always leaves me feeling out of sorts, so before I tackled the big issue - my wardrobe - I went about a speedy beauty reset first. I detailed my full routine in a previous post, but whenever I want a refresh, I perform these three steps:
An everything shower. I’m cheating a bit here, because this takes up the bulk of the time and actually consists of many steps, but you already know that nothing feels better than freshly washed hair, just-shaved legs and a layer of fake tan*.
At-home manicure. I skip the every-other-week nail appointments in favour of a layer of Celisse’s Babydoll* (code ANNA15 for 15% off) - a sheer cool pink that leaves a healthy sheen on your nails. But the real secret to a good at-home mani is cuticle care: soften them with this*, trim them with these* and keep them conditioned daily*.
A quick depuffing treatment. I’ve become addicted to the ZIIP Halo*. Look, I’ve tried a lot of facial tools, but this ain’t a gadget. It delivers long-term, clinically backed results, but I see instant results every time I use it. It’s a handheld device, about the size of your palm, that combines microcurrent and nanocurrent electrical impulses to guide your face through what is essentially a workout, whilst energising your cells to produce more collagen and elastin. It syncs to an app on your phone where you can choose from 17 different guided treatments, though the 6-minute Sculpt is my favourite (and what I did above). If ever I’m feeling a bit swollen, nothing, well, sculpts me quite like it. I use it in the morning, post-cleanse, and I look a whole lot more refreshed and well-rested than I actually am. Everything feels lifted, my cheekbones more pronounced and lines softened. But the thing I didn’t expect was the change in my skin texture (that’s the nanocurrent doing its thing) - glass skin here we GO! I also love the treatment option for zapping spots, which helps to reduce inflammation. I’ve used it whenever one’s popped up, and it feels oddly satisfying (and works!). The good news is that I’ve got a code - ANNAEDIT will get you 10% off your ZIIP Halo. *Sponsored mention
So I was in a state where I was feeling myself, but I just wasn’t feeling my wardrobe. Judging from comments I’ve seen in the group chat and just floating around on Substack in general, I think there’s a lot of us in the same boat. So today we’re doing something about it. Let’s tackle the issue with some big Virgo energy. Hate everything in your wardrobe? Try this…
Do an audit. Not necessarily a clearout, if that’s not singing to you right now, but taking stock of what you already have always feels like the natural first step when you feel like you hate everything. I did a pretty epic wardrobe purge back in May, after my last session with stylist Reva Luft, which made me realise that a load of clothing I was hanging onto just wasn’t serving me. I had a ton of duplicates cluttering up my space, and too many pieces that felt like they ticked a box but were never reached for, mostly because of poor fit. In one single afternoon, I removed 50+ items from my wardrobe, and ever since, even though my options are greatly reduced, there’s a lot less noise, and it’s far easier to find what I actually want to wear.
If you have a downsizing itch you want to scratch, is there a category in your wardrobe where you own a lot but wear little? It’s a solid starting point. For me, that would probably be denim. The only rules I swear by with this are that you need to try everything on - no excuses - and during that try-on, each piece should just feel fundamentally great. Not ‘good enough’, but great. Remember, hems can be shortened, and holes can be fixed, but at its core, it should feel like something you want to wear.
Wait to sell stuff. Say you do have a pile of pieces you wish to sell or donate. Hold off. Just for a month or two. It’s just your insurance to make sure there’s nothing you miss. After my most recent closet cleanse, I waited almost three months to put everything on Vinted and in the end I rescued a fair amount. Have a pile waiting in wardrobe purgatory? Have a riffle through and see what you find. Here’s what I saved:
Arch4 Cashmere Jumper - This made its way onto my to-sell pile because despite being the most expensive jumper I have ever purchased, it sheds SO BAD. But it’s also ridiculously thick and cosy, and the colour feels really unique in my wardrobe.
LOQ Sandals - I can’t believe I ever thought I could sell these!!? They’ve been in my wardrobe for almost 10 years, and even though they aren’t a sandal I’m exactly wearing every day, they make me feel great, and that’s the test right there.
Faithfull Polka Dot Dress - This dress still has the tag in! I bought it as a wedding guest dress two years ago and haven’t been invited to a wedding since. I tried it on and realised there’s just a lot of fabric around the chest, so my seamstress is on the case and is turning it into a deep V neckline.
GANNI Callie Boots - Another longtimer in my wardrobe. I thought I’d be ok selling these and just have one pair of heeled boots, as I don’t wear them all that often. Then I started saving outfits where people were wearing western-inspired boots, so I dug them out. They are so comfortable. Think twice before you sell your comfy shoes!
Whistles Green Suede Jacket - When I posted a photo post-declutter, readers realised this was gone! That’s what a showpiece this is! The long and short of it was that I just ended up missing it too much. It’s fun, and we all know my wardrobe needs more of that.
Move things around. If you’re craving change, here’s something that’s free to do - move around your wardrobe. I realised this morning that I’ve had my wardrobe corner set up the same way since my husband built it a few years back (it’s a good ol’ IKEA number), and even though it worked, maybe there was a better way to organise? End up not liking it? Move it back. But having a rejig might help to spark ideas in a different way.
Instead of splitting my wardrobe down the middle - half that I’m currently using and half that’s out of season - I just mixed it all together and grouped tops, bottoms and jackets and coats. I thought it might help me to visually see everything I own and stop me buying things I already have. I’ll have to report back on this one, but it was a fun way to spend half an hour.
Treat it like a boutique. This might feel like a lot of preamble before, well, putting clothes on your body and trying outfits on, BUT - I do think there’s some value in treating your rails, or however you store your clothing, like your very own shop. Sogole wrote recently about curating her very own ‘front table ’, and I LOVE that. I iron all my clothing after it’s washed, before I hang it back up. I use the Indyx app almost like a stock check; it keeps me accountable for the flow of clothing in and out of my wardrobe. I tidy clothing my wardrobe corner before bed every evening. I spray the collars of my white T-shirts with stain remover before slinging them in the washing machine and find debobbing my jumpers a form of meditation. A well-cared-for wardrobe often translates into a wardrobe that’s well-loved.
NOTE: This also includes actioning any ‘piles’ that have accumulated. Visit your seamstress, drop off your dry cleaning (and your return parcels whilst you’re at it) and head down to your local cobbler’s with any shoes that need some TLC.
Maybe you moodboard? Whenever I’m feeling in a styling slump, I realise that I haven’t made a moodboard or checked in with my styling inspo pics in a while. If I spot an outfit on Substack, IG or IRL that I love, I snap a photo and then file it away in a folder on my Indyx (because I take so many, I find it best to make monthly albums). But sometimes I forget to actually use it. To check in and have a scroll and see if there’s a spark of an idea that I could tweak and adjust to make my own. Maybe it’s a piece, a combination, a silhouette, or a colour combo; sometimes it just helps to have a nudge in the right direction.
Identify the problem. What’s really stressing you out here about your wardrobe? Is it that you’ve bought too many new pieces and now things feel disjointed? Have you got a big event coming up where you feel like you have nothing to wear? Has the weather changed and you feel like your clothing hasn’t caught up? There’s always a reason. So identify it and work on it. For me, it’s that I’ve got a trip to New York coming up that coincides with NYFW, which feels very daunting style-wise. The weather has the potential to be pretty warm, but I’m kind of done with summer dressing. Whatever the problem: the best solution is to set an alarm for 30 minutes and to get to work. Here’s what I came up with:
…and if all that fails, here are some quick outfit fixes that usually help:
A good starting point is jeans and a T-shirt or a simple crewneck jumper. Funk it up with a fun shoe - think something unexpected, a colour or a print. For me, it's the most comfortable way to step out of my comfort zone (literally).
Add in some layers: tie a shirt or jumper round your waist, wear a shirt open as a jacket (a handy hack for this time of year) or layer a T-shirt or jacket over a dress to turn it into a skirt. Lean into the whole ‘third piece’ thing.
If you want to add jewellery but don’t know where to start - invest in rings. They are small fry in terms of visual space, but chunky styles can still bring impact. I’ll often skip jewellery entirely and throw on a massive ring like this*.
Shirts, although simple, can sometimes feel a bit tent-like when you put them on. Angie shared some helpful styling tricks recently on IG.
Remember the Tibi concept, Big/Slim/Skin. If something ever feels off in an outfit, this concept usually fixes it. The idea is that if you’re styling something big and oversized, pair it with something slim and fitted and make sure there’s a little skin showing; even if it’s a sliver of ankle or wrist.
…and here are 10 more ideas in this post from last autumn that still ring true - ‘10 Styling Concepts I Use on a Daily Basis’. See? You and your wardrobe really are a match made in heaven.
Thanks for being part of The Wardrobe Edit. If you like what you read, I’d truly appreciate it if you liked, shared, or left a comment - it makes all the difference.
Want more?
If you’re a brand interested in partnering on a future post, please email na@insanity.com.
What I Loved This Month: The Tote I’ve Worn Every Day, A Shoulder-Season Knit & My Sweaty Girl Armpit Routine
I love putting these posts together. I keep an ongoing list on my phone that I squirrel away and add to throughout the month, so you’re really getting the good stuff here. Although I mostly write about fashion around these parts, you get something a little more well-rounded in these monthly posts. Still a sprinkling of style, but a decent dose of beauty…
A Stylist Told Me What To Buy This Summer
I love to write a Substack debrief after a session with a personal stylist. The posts practically write themselves, and as I’m often working with stylists from overseas and having a virtual tête-à-tête early evening my time, early morning their time, it’s the one exception I give myself to working post 7 pm.
One Big Ol’ Catch-Up: Everything I’ve Worn & Ordered Recently
I’m in routine limbo. It’s almost the end of my kid’s summer holiday, and I’m ready for some big back-to-school energy in my life (literally). But at the same time I’ve found far more enjoyment in this loosey-goosey approach to work and life in general than I thought I would. I’m a Virgo;
This newsletter features affiliate links, denoted by a ‘*’ and occasionally gifted items, denoted by ‘ad - gifted’. Find out more here.
I would have been shook if you got rid of your green suede jacket. It’s a goodie that I think you’ll get lots of wear out of!
I’m a Gemini so the complete opposite 😂 but I loved this! (And the title made me laugh!)