To me, navigating outfit inspiration for the changing seasons in 2024 sometimes feels like watching Instagram stories of people drinking Aperol spritzes and eating oysters, knowing you have to go home to the groceries you committed to last Sunday. I suddenly have no appetite for my cropped sweaters or cotton slip dresses and would let them rot in favor of gnawing on a sheer skirt. But, unlike a pantry, our wardrobes don’t deplete after each season, so there needs to be some boundary on the sartorial DoorDashing, knowing we have food in the closet! Additionally, while individual outfit photos are flashy and inspiring, I’m fascinated with the dynamics of how people’s wardrobes function as a whole. I would take two weeks of outfit photos from everyday life over one stunning event fit any day. Through this lens, the question then becomes “how are we wearing this spring”, which I find much easier to navigate knowing I can reframe the wheel instead of reinventing it.
This season, I was also blessed (r/sarcasm) with the gift of new perspective for my look by way of a much needed but aesthetically undesired long bob. I did this to myself, as months of unchecked heat styling since my move to NYC turned my fine, straight hair that can usually be finger combed into a scraggly, dry tumbleweed that tangled just by looking at it. My friends are adamant that it’s chic, to which I snippily respond “Claire, it’s French”. That being said, the haircut is technically sound, and I will be returning to Jerome and Alexis for regular trims so I don’t have to confront another lob in two years time. As an aside, I think everyone should have a panic bob at least once in their lifetime, especially in your 20s. You either realize you actually love short hair, or that change really isn’t all that and it’s sort of great to look the same when “the same” means you recognize yourself. I now have an immense appreciation for my natural, long mousy brown hair that I previously disregarded as plain.
Anyway, I had to scrap the previous spring outfits for this letter as my vaguely 70s X Mrs. Incredible shag has thrown the old style balance for a loop. Plus, it’s been unseasonably cold so I’ve still been mostly living in sweaters and jeans until now, anyway. In an effort to be an adult and not relegate myself to a summer of outfit tantrums as I stubbornly will my hair to grow back faster, I decided to surrender to this new perspective and work out how spring looks for me after LobGate.
WHAT’S COOKING
I don’t spring clean until I’ve tried things on. In the past, I’ve put myself in cycles of buying pieces that excite me on the hanger but never get worn, or glossing over (and prematurely decluttering) core pieces because they feel too boring to style, or because they don’t go with my new season wishlist items that I purchased in a vacuum. Mind you I graduated college in 2019 with nothing but a mishmash of frat formal dresses and clearance Urban Outfitters crop tops, then was swiftly catapulted into pandemic dressing, which consisted of Desmond and Dempsey pajamas and thrift experiments that only saw the light of my back porch. That being said, I only have about two years of good spring evidence to work from, and would like to see these two years turn into ten years of rotating the same pieces, adding to the tapestry as we go.
Each season, I’ve made a point to review the outfits I have before overindulging in external inspiration, not for the purpose of rewearing last year’s exact outfits, but to figure out what wishlist items would actually be most useful for this season’s perspective. I’m becoming a big fan of bulk dressing, meaning I’ll either make a bunch of digital outfits on Indyx while watching Mad Men and try them on later, or just take one to two hours in my room styling a select pile of what’s exciting me most in my closet right now based on imminent weather. I also think this greatly alleviates the pressure we put on ourselves to love all of our closet all the time.
My wishlist greatly shrank after I realized just how many outfit options I have for this season, even in my weird haircut, even only using a small portion of my closet. Also, even as someone who enjoys it, it’s an unrealistic pain in the ass to dress to your full expression every single morning when you have an entire day ahead of you. Usually, three (or more) days of the week, I prefer to save my creative energy for work, or spend my time enjoying my morning, so it’s lovely to have inspiring, finished outfits ready to go.
A white pleated dress.
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