There are things in my closet I have owned for more than ten years, and I still reach for them more often than pieces I bought last season. Black trousers, a great knitted blazer, the simple tops I wear underneath almost everything. None of them are particularly exciting on their own, but they have become the foundation of the way I dress.
I repeat outfits confidently. At some point, I stopped feeling like getting dressed well required constantly coming up with something new. I know what works for me now, and when I find it, I tend to stick with it. Years ago, I found a Ralph Lauren knitted blazer I loved so much that I bought it in three colors. I still wear all three. The cut works, they're comfortable, and seven years later I haven't found a reason to stop reaching for them.
My everyday wardrobe follows much the same formula. I wear black trousers constantly, usually with a soft jersey tank or long-sleeved top, and more often than not, everything is black. It makes getting dressed simple, and I can change the entire look with a scarf, a jacket or a cape. I have Hermès scarves I love for exactly that reason. A little color against all that black is usually enough for me.
The same is true when I have somewhere more formal to go. For galas and awards events, I find myself reaching for the Siena again and again. What I wear underneath may change, but the cape has become one of those pieces I know will work. There is something freeing about having an occasion piece that doesn't belong to one particular occasion. I don't feel the need to retire it simply because I've already been photographed wearing it.
Of course, not everything in my closet earns that kind of mileage. I have a pair of black patent Jimmy Choos that I think are beautiful and probably wear two or three times a year. I still love them, but they remind me that there is a difference between admiring something in your closet and building a wardrobe around the things you actually live in.
I think that distinction matters more to me now than it did when I was younger. I would rather own something I genuinely want to wear again and again than something that feels exciting for a moment and then spends most of its life hanging in my closet. It's probably part of the reason versatility matters so much to me when Karol and I design. I know from my own wardrobe that the pieces that stay aren't necessarily the ones that demand the most attention. They're the ones that continue to make sense.
These days, I don't think having personal style means always having something new to wear. For me, it has become almost the opposite. It's knowing what works, knowing what feels like you and being perfectly comfortable reaching for it again.
KJS
(Image of model styled by me, wearing some of my everyday pieces)
