Monday Musing on Getting Creative With What You Already Own

Then I remembered. It was at a San Francisco gala in the eighties when we were all dressing like the women in the Robert Palmer “Addicted to Love” video. Shoulder pads, red lips, short skirts, and wearing all black, and we thought we looked incredible.

The belt is going in the donation pile. And then I kept looking.

There were the shoes I’ve been holding onto from the era when I thought foot discomfort was just part of the deal.

And buried under everything else, a wool cape I made over 35 years ago. I’d thought about donating it several times over the years, but yesterday I could see it differently. I could have worn that to the Nutcracker Ballet last Christmas, not with the dress I wore back then, but with faux leather pants. Same cape. Completely different woman wearing it.

That’s the thing about a closet. It’s not just storage. It’s a biography.

Every piece in a closet represents a version of you. Who you were when you bought it, what you needed to feel like at the time, who you were dressing for. Some of those chapters are still true. Some are just taking up space. And some, like that cape, just need a fresh eye and the right pair of pants. That’s the edit, the artistry, and what makes personal style, personal.

Here’s what personal style looked like for me in real life last week:

For a day of errands and coffee with a friend, I wore a beige V-neck sweater, straight-leg black jeans, my new sandals, a chunky silver bangle, and bold Silver Hoops. The outfit worked, but it felt a little bland. And then I remembered the beige-and-black animal-print Kate Spade I bought in the nineties. I’ve loved it from the day I bought it and never considered donating it. The minute it hit my arm, the whole outfit clicked.

The following day, I had a dental appointment, met a pal for lunch, and finished the day with a Little League game. I wore a cashmere T-shirt with comfy wide-leg blue pants, a soft denim jacket, and blue sport sneakers. I accessorized with my favorite silver necklace, a new navy bucket hat, and a quilted shoulder bag. The hat made the whole outfit for me.

Mid-week, I had a long day of running around, so I dressed for my feet. New Balance 327 sneakers, black Athleta Brooklyn pants, a white tee, a Tommy Bahama linen field jacket, silver hoops, and a preloved Alexis Bittar necklace and bracelet that I found secondhand. Not every outfit starts from inspiration. Sometimes it starts with a podiatrist. The edit just means you don’t stop there. I was also delighted to see the black jacket felt refreshing after my sea of blue outfits.

Saturday, I wore a Quince cashmere cardigan, Eileen Fisher ponte pants, Ecco sandals, two colorful beaded necklaces, and a blue tote I found at The Rack. That bag gets a comment every single time I wear it. Not because it’s expensive. Because it’s artistic and unusual, and nobody else is carrying it. My blue is sold out, but I spotted it in silver and think I have to have it too.

So this week, before you buy anything new, go shopping in your own closet first. Try something you haven’t worn in a while with something you wear all the time. You might find that the woman you are now wears things differently from the woman who bought them.

What have you been letting sit idle in your wardrobe?