A mindful wardrobe

And the quiet spaces in life

The idea of a quiet mindful online space seems contradictory. But the thought that a Substack could be such a space popped into my head during the week. I mean, how do we quieten our minds in this busy day and age? For me, the act of creating this Substack is mindful and the act of reading others is saved up for one of my quiet moments, across the week. The ‘what’ I’m reading on here is slowly being honed to content that doesn’t fill me with the urge to consume, doesn’t add to my wish list, doesn’t make me feel inadequate, and rather than leaving me with a sense of unease, restores a sense of balance. I recently compiled my current reading list with a sustainable slant, see here:

The (s)low down

As a wellbeing champion in my workplace, I think a lot about balance and how we all need moments of quiet and calm to restore and rebuild ourselves. My late Dad wrote a piece for an online publication called Humans of Dublin, about the power of ‘quiet’:

“Most people bring their children to Disneyland and to places where there is a lot of noise, well, we bring our grandchildren into the woods. Where there is quiet and silence. We encourage them to collect different smells, we go to different trees and we smell the leaves and we smell the bark of the trees… We make a note of the differences in smells, forms and textures. This will not only sharpen up their senses but they will create and connect childhood memories to certain smells. Most people don’t use their nose enough, it’s so important because it makes the memories come back more often and much more vividly. My eyesight and my memory aren't as sharp as they used to be and I have to wear hearing aids, but my sense of smell hasn't changed a bit."

My turning over of this idea of a quiet space revealed a long-incubated intention - I want for this space to feel joyful, restful, slow, and quiet by intention. I manage my own time by only posting and engaging once a week, as a way to maintain my own mental quiet and not to intrude on yours. But I get that this is my sensibility and it may not be yours - that’s ok! We all have different appetites for consumption, creation and engagement. It’s about finding what works for you and your life, your mental health and your available time - and back to balance.

Mindful practices for your wardrobe

Keeping a wardrobe diary

So onto a mindful wardrobe. I see this as a practice, rather like meditation or yoga, and that practice makes better (not perfect). And there is no one better at this than Anna of

The Wardrobe Edit

. Anna has catalogued her entire wardrobe in Indyx and is consistent in keeping a daily diary of outfits, which act both as inspiration and as a tool for her to ‘see’ her wardrobe and to explore her personal style. About Indyx, she says “as a Virgo I feel like I was always destined to have a digital wardrobe. THIS APP WAS MADE FOR ME!!”. As an Aquarian, I started one, and was then consistently inconsistent and ran out of steam!

Keeping a wardrobe diary

However, this week, in a bid to flex my mindfulness muscles, I’m back on it. And I already love what it’s helping me to ‘see’ about my style and my lifestyle:

• I wear jeans most of the time - but I’m starting to introduce other casual trouser options, like my Levi’s Ribcage burgundy cords, Citizens of Humanity Marcelle cargos, and old Zara leopard print trousers. While this isn’t news to me, it’s good to see it laid out in front of me, and tells me where in my wardrobe to invest.

• I wear a lot of grey, green and black - these are my ‘go-to’ ‘easy to wear’ colours but I’m seeing cream, brown and burgundy creeping in, which I love.

• I don’t wear pattern - even a quick glance at my daily outfit images tells me this. While I’m not adverse, especially a leopard print bottom half, I tend to reach for texture rather than pattern to ‘liven things up’.

• My three style words fit - yes, we all know about Allison Bornstein’s three word method at this point, but keeping a wardrobe diary and looking at your own ‘findings’ is a great way to confirm or to help find your three words. I really do feel as though mine - minimal, casual and street/ feminine - actually describe what I am wearing as opposed to what my style aspirations are!

Here are the outfits that I’ve managed to diarize and record this week. If you’re not doing this already, I’d really urge you to give it a go. If I can, as a non-confirming Aquarian, you can too.

Finding your restful style activity

I recently wrote about the joy I’ve found in creating and exploring colour combinations as a way to infuse ‘expressive minimalism’ into my wardrobe, inspired by the incredible little Dictionary of Colour Combinations.

Colour me happy

Think combinations of navy, terracotta and taupe (as enacted during the summer - see below).

For me, to quieten my mind at the end of the day, I love to ‘visit’ these colour combinations within this book and I find it really soothing. It’s like a meditation in colour! I understand that this is somewhat of a niche practice, but it sets an example of finding something that soothes you and brings you quiet. It could be flicking through vintage style magazines, sketching outfits/ items that inhabit your thoughts, or

Hey Mrs. Solomon on Style

’s sleep meditation on Neelam’s IG feed (see below) - love it! Whatever it is, it’s yours and it’s worthy of your time.

What I wore all week: Seeking calm, finding color

Taking your time

We all know that it takes years to build a wardrobe with longevity so let’s take our time. I love reading about people’s decision-making processes before making a purchase. Kelly Williams advice to ‘prove it’ by creating several outfits with other items in your wardrobe is spot on:

Tip Two: Prove it

This second step is going to look different for everyone but since I use the Whering app, I upload an image of the item I’m considering and I make myself create several outfits with the other items that already exist in my closet. If the outfit that I want to make with this skirt also requires new shoes and a new shirt, it’s not a worthy purchase.

And

Chloe Mihailovich

of Neighbourhood Will I still love it in 6 months? brings that piece on longevity to life (see below).

Will I Still Want This in 6 Months?

Before making a purchase, I try to ask myself these for four questions:

• Does the item fill a wardrobe gap that no other piece does?

• Does the item fit with my lifestyle, my existing wardrobe, my style words and my colours?

• Does the item require other new items to make it work for me and within my wardrobe?

• Can I style the item in at least three ways?

Whatever the answer to these questions, and before making a purchase, I’m going to remind myself of

Reva Luft

’s straight-talking take on style consumption:

I will finish off with a reminder that you probably don’t need to buy anything. I am here to help you navigate and make better shopping decisions if you do need to fill some gaps. But chances are, you probably don’t need any thing.

Inspiration and wish list pieces

This week I’ve been feeling inspired by looks that I can only describe as ‘preppy’ - oversized blazer + slim fit jeans + loafers - and the queen of which has to be Lu Hough. This is her signature style and I love that she doesn’t deviate (much) but always makes it interesting. These looks have probably caught my eye in part to explore ways to style my new preloved G.H. Bass loafers (love, love love!) and in part to feed the yen earlier in the month for straight/ slim blue jeans. The Alex Mill Carla were a very strong contender, but I took a punt on the Citizens of Humanity Charlotte (found on vinted for a tenner!) and they are peeerfect! Straight slim-ish leg, the right length to turn up once, high waisted and a heavenly mid blue denim. I’m so pleased that I paused and rethought before spending 20 times as much.

Left to right: Pinterest, Lu Hough, Zara styling, Alex Mill Carla, little me

What am I wish listing? Well you know me, most of my wish list pieces are bags, and I’ve been pining after this one for a few months now so thought I’d make it official - meet the Casa Ayllon Casilda pouch. How high-end does this look with the ‘mariage’ of Ayllon’s renowned glassware (known for its ‘desert aunt style’ glass pendants, see Monikh for inspiration) and soft leather. Divine.

With the approach of party season, I thought I should make public my obsession with this top/ bodysuit from Tove, as seen here on Lu Hough - such an incredibly elegant look that I will be endeavoring to emulate for the festive season ahead! P.S. I’ve just found and bought this high-street version, so fingers crossed.

As always, thank you for reading and I hope that there was something helpful for you in here. Wishing you a lovely week and hoping to see you next weekend, Jenny x

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