Outfit Formulas: Why you need them and how to create them to serve you best
all the name of getting dressed quicker and confidently in your style
This newsletter is still part of my “Rediscovering my personal style journey” but last week I realized the first three steps in the process are all that's needed to find your style. So that’s become Part One. We’re now in Part Two and it’s all about what happens once you find it.
What I wanted to do before I did any kind of decluttering, reorganizing or shopping was establish my “outfit formulas”. I’m sure you’re familiar with these but in case you’re not here’s the gist. An outfit formula is a specific combination of items that makes a complete outfit that you can create over and over again. Having them in your back pocket should make getting dressed quicker and feel confident that you’ve created a great outfit. And you’ll also be able to make wiser shopping decisions.
I've noticed that really stylish women tend to wear versions of the same outfit repeatedly. While I'm not sure if this is intentional or intuitive for them, it seems to work. The use of an outfit formula allows for repetition of good style and outfits that look great on them.
For some reason I struggle with “repetition”. While I know I should be doing it, my brain wants to create new outfits every single time and I can not allow myself to re-wear a really good outfit. And it gets me into trouble because it either takes me a really long time or I end up wearing something that’s not good for me. But I’m working on it and I do believe creating my outfit formulas will help.
So how am I going about this whole thing?
Firstly, I’m writing down all my constant “activities”. Mine include: Working from home, working in public, going to the city, exploring small towns, thrifting, shopping, hanging out with friends, family events. I’m pretty much identifying all the things I do that I need to get dressed for differently. So for me, just saying “work outfit” is not specific enough because getting dressed where people don’t see me or only see my top half, is different from my going to work in a public setting (like a cafe).
So if my theory is to work, I need to create at least 8 outfit formulas. And I may create more than one formula for the most common activities like working in public. I don’t think they need to be completely different formulas. A tweak or two can be enough to differentiate “thrifting” from “shopping”.
Disclaimer: not everyone needs a different outfit for every occasion. If you want to wear the same outfit for shopping and hanging out with friends, do it! Or even, working in public and family events. Create the formulas that serve your life and your style best.
Secondly, I want to be as specific as possible while still allowing for creativity. In the past, I created formulas that would be consistent with “a blouse + jeans + flat shoe”. While that’s technically a formula, I would get caught in deciding between a striped blouse or a silk blouse or a cotton blouse or a printed blouse or a fitted blouse or an oversized blouse. Then do I wear cropped jeans or wideleg jeans or straight jeans or flared jeans? The shoe ended up being easier but only once I figured out the other two! So my point is, being more specific in the formula should make getting dressed in an outfit I like much easier.
I.E Oversized striped button up + high waist wide leg pants + pointy toe flats + novelty earring + tote bag + seasonal long coat = outfit one for working in public.
The specificity comes from the list attributes I wrote down based on my inspirations and the 3 outfit attributes determined in Step Three. Here's how the above formula breaks down:
Oversized striped button-up: I saved A LOT of stripes and one of my attributes is "at least one print." I also prefer button-ups that are on the looser side with drape and ease, like something I stole from my boyfriend.
Wide-leg pants: I noticed that the majority of the bottoms I was saving were wide-leg versus straight or skinny. I find them to be very flattering on my shape when they're high-waisted. I made this one level less specific because I can easily wear trousers or jeans with all the pieces, and either would work equally as well with all the pieces for any occasion.
Pointy-toe flats: The elegance and femininity of the shoe balance the menswear top and pants, which checks off my second attribute; two balanced aesthetics.
Novelty earring: I don't like to wear necklaces with button-up tops, so an earring is the preferred accessory. Wearing novelty earrings checks off my third attribute, something eclectic.
Tote bag: This option is mainly practical - I need a bag that fits my laptop. But I also like the casual nature of the bag to offset the more sophisticated pieces in the outfit, which fits with my second attribute.
Seasonal long coat: The last item is based on seasonality. So, if I need a coat, I'd pick one that's a longer, trench coat style echoing the styles I saved in my inspiration images.
Ok, that’s a lot of thoughts for one outfit. Although this is usually what I do for all my outfits. So by working through every detail to create a perfect formula, I don’t have to think as much anymore (yay). Now I have to do it for 7 more… check in on Sunday for the update on the rest of my formulas.
Second disclaimer: having outfit formulas does not mean you can’t wear something different from the formula for that occasion. It doesn’t negate creativity in getting dressed. But if you use them to get dressed 80-90% of the time, you’ll like your outfits 100% of the ti e and end up with more brainpower to get creative the other 10%.
Sunday Update (11/27/23):
I forgot to mention this important detail: when creating your outfit formulas, it's crucial to keep the current season in mind. For instance, now is the ideal time to develop your Winter outfits (personally, I was still in an Fall mindset and kept forgetting to incorporate a coat into my outfits). I recommend creating your outfits about a week before the weather requires you to dress differently. However, you won't have to create entirely new formulas for each season; instead, you can adjust them to coincide with the weather. This might mean removing a coat, swapping a sweater for a t-shirt, or adding a lightweight jacket.
I’m also thinking it’s a good idea to dedicate an hour or so to each formula, exploring all the possible combinations of my current wardrobe and photographing them for future reference. While putting together my outfit formulas, I noticed I was still spending some time deciding what pieces to wear. By taking the time to create the possible options in advance, I can save time and energy in the morning by referencing them. Even if I've had a late night binge-watching, for example, The Crown, I can still look good without having to think. And if I'm lucky to be well-rested, I can use the formulas as a starting point to get creative. Although I'm not obligated to stick to these formulas, they are fantastic to have on hand (btw - I’m mainly saying this to myself but for some reason I have a very hard time repeating outfits).
Aside from the occasion-based formulas mentioned earlier, I’m also developing “anytime” formulas. These formulas are ideal as they can be worn for a variety of occasions and have more flexible dress requirements. They work as a solid foundation for your wardrobe. I personally aim to create two anytime formulas per season. However, feel free to create as many or as few as you'd like.
One area that I need to focus on to improve my fashion is accessorizing. I always struggle with it and it tends to be the last thing I add to my outfit. I either give up on it entirely or just don't like what I've picked. I've come to realize that I may be approaching accessorizing the wrong way. I never think of it as part of the overall "look," but the right accessory can really bring everything together. Perhaps I need to spend more time experimenting with accessories to see how they complement my outfits. However, I know I won't be able to figure this out without actually trying on my formulas. It's a challenge I'm keeping in mind, and I'll keep you updated on my progress!
In addition, I'd like to offer one more tip to help you get ready more quickly (apparently I my goal is to spend a total of 5 minutes getting dressed in the morning!). You may have heard the advice from others to plan your outfits for the week on Sundays. This suggestion is similar but in reference to your outfit formulas. Prepare one combination for each formula to have on hand for that week. If you don't feel like using it, that's okay – but it will be there if you need it. If you don't get the chance to wear it that week, simply keep it for the next one. You can designate a separate rack or section in your closet to store these outfits.
Happy dressing!
What questions, thoughts, fears, uncertainties do you have about outfit formulas?
Coming Next Week - STEP FIVE: Decluttering
That's all for now, friends. If you'd like to follow me at @stylingdarya, I'd be thrilled. Additionally, feel free to reach out via DM or the comments below if you have any comments or questions (just please keep it friendly). Thank you for reading this post, it means the world to me that you're here. If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider sharing this newsletter with others. (And if you have a moment to like it, that would be amazing!) Your support truly means a lot.
Happy Dressing!
xoxo, Darya