Stylist Wendy Mak says women can get 1000 outfits with only 30 items of clothing in their wardrobe yet still look on trend, and save money too.
“Most people don’t believe me when I say 30 items are all you need,” reveals Wendy, author ofThe Terrific Thirty.
But she insists it can be done.
“You just need the tools to critique each purchase and decide if that item is something you will actually wear.”
Wendy says her “wardrobe happiness” philosophy and her book were prompted by clients with wardrobes full of expensive clothing that never gets worn.
“From a financial and emotional point of view, I have a philosophy of doing more with less and picking the right combination of classic and trend pieces to give you a genuinely versatile wardrobe,” she says.
Wendy says women go wrong when their wardrobe lacks balance and doesn’t have enough classic pieces or the right amount of fashion pieces.
A classic piece is “something that doesn’t have any details on it that could date the item”, Wendy explains. She suggests steering clear of studs, lace or noticeable buttons. A number of retailers, including Witchery and Zara, now have a low-cost “basics” range that can be teamed up with seasonal trends.
“Some typical problems I see are wardrobes where there aren’t enough basics or staples to match with those gorgeous statement pieces you buy, or not having enough interesting colours or accessories to give a boring wardrobe the “oomph” it needs,” she says.
The first step is to start each outfit with a classic base and work from there. Wendy’s classics include a neutral coloured bottom such as khaki cigarette pants, plus a solid coloured blouse. Then, you can start accessorising with on-trend pieces.
“When you don’t go over the top with your base clothing, you can then throw on accessories, blazers, shoes and bags that are interesting, fun and full of colour,” Wendy says.
“By doing this you can create hundreds of looks from the same pants and blouse just by changing accessories. You don’t have to buy a million pairs of pants but just a few in classic cuts and colours, and then buy cheaper, more disposable accessories to change the look.”
The next step is to be honest with yourself and, if you really aren’t going to wear it, get rid of it.
Wendy’s wardrobe wisdom is based on some simple rules, one in particular called the “friend “rule.
“Every item in your wardrobe must have a ‘friend’ to play with – basically something to wear with it,” she says.
“If you don’t have something to wear with the item in your wardrobe, it needs to go, no matter how much you’ve spent on it or how much you love it.
“It’s comes down to this – if the item in question has no ‘friend’ to match with it, you won’t wear it and so it will never come out of the wardrobe.”
Wendy says the first step to getting yourself down to 30 pieces is to eliminate any emotional attachment to your clothes. This includes the jacket you met your boyfriend in and the skinny jeans you are holding on to in case you lose a few kilos and fit back into them.
“I believe in wardrobe karma, and having items you don’t wear that hang around in your wardrobe simply because you feel bad about throwing them out is just bad wardrobe karma!” Wendy says.
“That stuff mocks you every day when you open your wardrobe! Bad wardrobe karma breeds more bad karma, so start afresh with a simplified wardrobe. You’ll be amazed how cleansing it feels once you’ve done it.”
Once you have ditched the sentimental pieces and the things you really aren’t going to wear, you can review your basics and shop for the things you really need.
Wendy says accessories are key to changing the look of your outfits. The trick is to choose accessories that are big enough and bold enough to physically change the look of an outfit.
“A small pendant on a necklace might go unnoticed on a black dress, but a statement necklace in turquoise or big green earrings won’t,” Wendy says.
“Fashion, statement pieces are guaranteed to give your same old clothes a new lease on life.”
“The best part is you can find them anywhere – from that investment piece to a $2 bauble at an op-shop.”
