Style ruts aren’t just bad for morale, they can be lethal for your bank balance. Buying endless versions of the same item, besides being a waste of money, is the surest way to clutter your wardrobe and befuddle your mind until you can’t see the good from the not-quite-right. No one needs 25 pairs of jeans or 10 more or less same-y navy skirts.
What everyone should have, however, is the perfect-for-them pair of jeans and, if navy skirts are their thing, two, or at the absolute most, three navy skirts that all do different jobs. One might be a satin bias-cut maxi, another a kilt, the third a tweed pencil. If you find yourself with interchangeable items, you’re overdue an edit.
Ah, I hear you cry, but we’re always being told that finding our signature style is the answer to everything. It’s true that without a strong sense of what works best on you, you’ll forever feel you’re navigating uncharted territory without sat nav. But a signature style isn’t the same as repeat buying or wearing the same look all the time. It’s about training your eye to recognise what suits you, so you can wear different outfits yet make them look as though each and every one is “very you”.
Think about the consistency of certain elements rather than a rigid template. Break down your preferences: do you like tailored separates, or a looser, softer way of dressing? If the former, what jackets look best – collarless, wide lapels, blazer, cropped? Small or large bags? Once you’ve established the proportions that work and the kind of bag shape and jewellery you prefer, you can tweak the silhouettes and mood ad infinitum. It’s like finding your ideal radio station on an old AM/FM radio, and twiddling with the frequency until you get the sharpest, purest sound.
You might need to be ruthless. Not quite right is the ultimate outfit killer. Better to be completely off the mark – it might come across as deliberate eccentricity.
None of this means you suddenly have to stop wearing navy or black if they’re your defaults – although introducing warmer, more forgiving colours can change your look radically. But texture is just as key as shade, albeit in a quieter, less obvious way. If you always wear navy, try it in bouclé, satin, brushed wool, technical crepe. Same palette, different energy.
Next, try challenging where and how you wear your most reliable pieces. A fitted white or stripy shirt underneath an all-too-familiar cardigan or jumper, tails maybe left out, white cuffs rolled up over the knitted sleeves, can completely revitalise it. Ankle socks and kitten heels or brogues with an all-too-familiar skirt. Belting or brooching a jacket to change its contours or neckline. Experiment with layers to create different effects. You’re recasting without endless new purchases.
Cultivate perfectionism. One excellent jacket will do more for a signature than five passable ones.
Try adding and/or subtracting certain tropes every six months or so to avoid becoming hidebound. Is your jewellery box or shoe-drobe stuck in the past? Small shifts – a small bright red scarf, for instance, or a sculptural bangle worn over your sleeve – will steer you away from the dreaded rut.
If you want more of a dramatic overhaul, you can work your way towards it gradually. Don’t save your best outfits for events – life’s too short, and your daily style will drift into the forgettable. Wear the good combinations on ordinary days. Meaningful self-confidence isn’t about a one-in-365-day success rate. It’s about embedding habits.
Lisa wears...
Italian tweed jacket, £350 and merino and cashmere tee, £95, Me+Em; Hopsack trousers, £119, Whistles; Leather boots, £590, Le Monde Beryl; Leather belt, £49, All Saints; Gold plated earrings, £225, Carolina de Barros; Suede bag, £345, Stow London; Acetate and titanium sunglasses, £185, Vara Optical
Photography: Sarah Brick; Hair and makeup: Oonagh Connor at Joy Goodman; Styling: Sophie Tobin; Stylist assistant: Chelsea Clay