How To Reinvigorate Your Closet & Make Your Style Fresh This Season

I share practical ways to experiment with the beloved clothing you already have.

Wolford tights with Rothy’s flats, a wool-blend skirt from Uniqlo, Parks Project T-shirt and Aritzia (Babaton) coat.

March gets such a bad rap. When we find ourselves in the “in-between” months it seems everyone has something to say about the hardships of getting dressed. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Now is the perfect time to be spontaneous and experiment with all the clothing that falls victim to only being wearable a few fleeting weeks out of the year.

For this week, I challenged myself to wear things differently. To ground that idea into reality I centered all of my outfits around a single item, a pair of Rothy’s flats I’d been waiting to wear since buying them last month.

Remember the last time flats were super in style and people were constantly pairing them with dark-wash skinny jeans and A-line dresses? Well, my challenge was to avoid these “looks” like the plague. While I can appreciate honoring the past, this week was all about taking style risks.

Here is the first look I tried out:

I wore this to a Gant press preview (more on that in the coming weeks!). A nice pair of Aritzia (Babaton) trousers to complement the flats and tights, plus a Scanlan Theodore turtleneck, Tory Burch blouse (here’s a similar one) and Uniqlo blazer (another option here).

Have you ever looked at your closet and realized most of it falls into the black, white, navy, beige category? It can happen to the best of us, but when we realize our wardrobe is lacking in color it can be legitimately disheartening. How much new clothing will it take to balance things out?!

I talked about bright tights in my last All-Year Season post for their packability and versatility. Along with this, they have the power to give you that pop! of color without totally taking over the outfit, making them an easy add-on. They also make more traditional ensembles, like the one shown above, more modern-looking.

For something completely modern, observe my second experimental look for the week:

Rothy’s flats with my Uniqlo mid-calf socks. REI Co-op cargo pants, over-size T-shirt, Kapital jacket and Burberry sunglasses (these are similar). Image via Troy Mariko Harris. :)

I went to Brooklyn to see my lovely sister this weekend. She’s about an hour away, so comfort is key anytime I visit. This meant reaching for my typical “comfort” clothing—REI Co-op cargo pants, a big T-shirt and sneakers. Before heading out the door I suddenly remembered my styling challenge, switched to my flats and actually loved how the outfit turned out.

I felt more feminine in these instead of my typical sneaker choice, and I liked how the sleek shoes contrasted with my oversize T-shirt and long jacket.

Doing something edgy and unexpected can make your typical comfortable outfit look and feel way more intentional. Also, try mixing up textures that you normally think “wouldn’t go.” You could be surprised like I was!

I went classic and sporty for my final experimental look of the week:

Instead of just a pop! of color, make a conventional look stand out by color blocking. I would have chosen a green jacket over navy for this outfit, but there’s nothing wrong with playing around with what you have.

Also, I will never be angry at a look that evokes Tory Sport.

It’s giving ‘headed to tennis with the girls’ vibes. Tommy Hilfiger jacket (mine is vintage men’s from my grandpa), Scanlan Theodore tank, Aritzia (Sunday Best) skirt.

The shoes weren’t the focal point here, but I liked how the red tights highlighted the bit of blue on the heal of my flats.

~

With that, thank you so much for being here! I’m off to Japan in a few days, so there won’t be a new blog post next Sunday while I prioritize chilling with my family and friends. Don’t worry, you’ll still hear from me next week if you have subscribed to my email list, and I will be back with a vengeance at the end of the month with new stories and styling tips.

Until then, experiment with your fabulous wardrobe and make sure to have some fun with it! :)

Yours Truly,

Kyoko

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Japan Trip Recap: What I Wore on Spring Vacation

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Dressing for Your Spring Trip: Style With Comfort Included