'Ingredient Dressing' vs 'Recipe Dressing'

...and how to become your own recipe developer

Seeing as we’re officially halfway through the year, I had an official deep dive into my wardrobe analytics planned. However, once I started to dig in, I realised that neither of the apps I use had a feature that allowed me to filter my most-worn items in a specific time period. Side note: I still log my outfits in Indyx AND Whering because Indyx has yet to develop analytics, and I LOVE THE DATA but hate the user experience of Whering. Indyx > Whering, in my opinion. But analytics are coming very soon to Indyx, and they are even interested in hearing our ideas, so add yours to the chat now. So basically, the data wasn’t all that enthralling; my Loewe Puzzle still remains my most worn piece (156 years), I’m utilising 95% of my wardrobe, there are only seven items that I’ve yet to log a wear-out of, and my colour pie-chart looks like this…

After scrolling through the apps, I realised I’d been logging my outfits digitally since August 2022. That’s almost two years!!! I always say how last summer I felt my personal style click into place in a way that I previously hadn’t before, but what about the summer before that? Well, WELL! It turns out that August 2022 was a bit ‘meh’ style-wise. It wasn’t bad per se, but looking back at my outfits, it all felt a bit flat. At the time, I was all about the ingredients of my wardrobe - the perfect pair of vintage jeans, the best white t-shirt, a universal silk shirt. I’d created a tickbox of capsule wardrobe essentials, and I felt that wardrobe nirvana would be mine once I’d worked my way through the list. I had the ingredients, right?!! In reality, my outfits looked like this…

Rewinding to summer 2022…

I’d constructed a wardrobe of basics. Therefore, my outfits felt… basic. It was a little boring; I was going through the motions when I got ready every morning, and they lacked personality when I put all these ‘perfect’ ingredients together. It turns out that even the best pair of vintage jeans need a bit of seasoning when developing an outfit. Instead of focusing on the ingredients in my wardrobe, I needed to focus on the recipes I was using…

The outfits were taken from my last month on Indyx: similar basics, more developed recipes.

I still have a wardrobe that consists primarily of basics, and I still have an interest in making sure any item I purchase is of high quality and has a high chance of being a versatile piece in my wardrobe. But these days, I’m more focused on the outfit recipes and formulas I can make. Sure, it takes a little more time, but overall, I feel far more confident in what I’m wearing, and I’m well on the way to developing a style that feels like ‘me’. To have someone go, ‘Oh yes, that’s very Anna,’ is a day-making compliment right there!! We’re constantly changing and evolving, and so is our style, so it’s not some static or tangible achievement that one day we’ll conquer; it’s a daily experiment. Every day is a chance for a new recipe to be developed in the wardrobe kitchen, the repeat of an old one you love, or the tweaking of what you made yesterday. Here are some things I’ve found helpful in shifting my focus away from the ingredients…

• Allison Bornstein - just Allison and her content in general. I’ve had two personal styling sessions with her, and let me tell you, they are well-spent. Even just two hours with her shone a light on my wardrobe in a completely different way. Call a professional if you feel like you’re lost style-wise. Indyx offer personal styling services (and the Stylist uses your very own wardrobe - so you don’t even have to buy a thing!), Fashivly is a good place to start if you haven’t uploaded your wardrobe digitally, and many of your favourite fashion peeps - especially on Substack - offer their styling services to readers.

• Another tool to add to your belt is a colour analysis. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily the first step to all of this, but say you’re a little bit down the road in your personal style journey and need some refining; I found having my colours analysed a very enlightening experience. I used Jo, and she was GREAT (and she offers her services online if you’re not local).

• A good starting point, though, is Allison’s ‘Three-Word Method’. I had a rough idea of mine before our session, but during the hour, we hashed it out a little more, and now, undone, polished, and classic are front of mind whenever I get ready in the morning. You might need more words or something more specific in there - I like to add animal print occasionally as a bit of a style signature. But being able to categorise my pieces of clothing more by vibe has been crucial in developing recipes - I know that for an outfit to feel right, I need there to be a sprinkling of those three elements in there. It makes it easy to remedy an outfit that feels ‘off’.

• One thing I’ve found helpful is thinking about textures in summer —when there are fewer clothes to wear, the fabrications are really important. In the winter, I focus more on layering.

• Another note on seasons: I’d previously been a summer dressing hater, and it became a self-fulfilling habit. Every summer, I’d sweat and slope around, waiting for jeans and jumper season to return. That’s a solid three months of not feeling that great, and ain’t nobody got time for that! Find a way to make every season work for you (more advice on that in this post).

• I never fully understood the power of good jewellery—or at least jewellery that you love and that feels personal to you. I now wear chunky gold earrings most days of the week, and it’s a small but effective change that keeps the whole outfit feeling too boring.

• Bags can be an outfit maker. As my outfits tend to feel classic, I use my bags the most to add texture and lean into the ‘undone’ element of my style—like a rope tote bag or a textured leather bag. A classic smooth leather tote only works if there’s more texture in my base outfit. So, use them to their full potential and to balance things out as needed.

• Dedicate time to styling yourself. It takes a real type of person and talent to throw on something in 30 seconds and feel like they’ve nailed it. I reserve morning showering and grooming time but never factor in outfit time. So now I do. Today, I caught a train at 7 am, so last night, before I went to bed, I picked out an outfit. I pack better for holidays and try on all the outfits I plan to wear. I leave 10 minutes in the morning to find an outfit and appreciate that I might not get it right on the first go. I allow myself time to change once, twice, or three times if that’s what it needs. I try not to leave the house in a mediocre outfit and succeed 95% of the time.

• One of the most helpful things I’ve started in the past year is taking notes. Not only do I track my outfits digitally in Indyx, but I also take an outfit selfie most days, and having a physical photo diary to refer back to is one of the things that has made the biggest difference. Whenever I’m not sure what to wear, I have a little scroll. Find a method that works for you, but taking notes in some way can be a very helpful tool.

With all the above in mind, here’s how I’d restyle my summer 2022 outfits into recipes I’d want to wear today…

I’ve realised that I prefer my dresses to be mini length, so I’ve since donated this dress. Because a black mini dress can feel quite classic, I’d add a bit of a boho feel with a rope bag and strap-heavy flat.

I still love denim shorts in the summer, but I’d add a linen top instead of a t-shirt and polish with a chunky gold earring to make the outfit feel more classic.

I’ve realised that I don’t LOVE to wear trainers. I still have my Converse, but I’m more likely to wear a comfy flat daily. So I’ve added my ballet flats and modifier - animal print.

I’d keep the base outfit similar - just opting for a lower-cut vest and a wider-cut style of jeans. The real star of the show here is the necklace, which adds colour and a more organic feel to the outfit.

The outfit on the left doesn’t feel wrong, but it is a silky top with silk trousers, so I’d mix it up texture-wise and go for the same trousers but with a knitted vest top instead. Adding even more texture and contrast with a straw bag as the base feels quite luxe and polished.

I love this grey jumper; it’s one of the most worn pieces in my wardrobe! I’d still wear it with pale-wash denim, but I’m enjoying it with white jeans for the summer. I’d switch the trainers for a sandal, and add the textured bag for a more undone feel.

So there you have it. When it comes to personal style, it’s ALL about the recipes (high-quality ingredients are a bonus!!). Liked this post and want more? I post on Substack all the darn time - you’ll be sick of me!

Anna x