5 piece french wardrobe | tips & tricks
Six months ago I decided to start the 5 piece french wardrobe challenge and I never expected it to go this well. I easily made it to the end and today I want to give you some tips and tricks if you’re interested in doing the challenge yourself too.
My first tip is pretty obvious. Always take a minute of consideration before you pull your creditcard and go wild. It’s important to take a good look of what’s in store and if it fits your personality, wardrobe and body. Don’t buy something because everyone else wears it, buy it because you like it and think it’s worth the money. This really helped me to ignore a lot of different items and only buy what I truly loved.
My second tip. Think of at least three ways to wear the item within the current content of your closet. Can’t you think of those three ways, don’t buy it. Of course this is a little bit harder with something like a dress. I’m lowering the bar to two in these cases.
I stopped buying items I can’t combine. At the end of day you end up with a huge amount of clothes you can only wear with one specific item. The problem with this is you get bored with it pretty soon and end up not wearing it anymore.
My third tip has some similarities with my first one. As a blogger and blog- and magazine reader every new trend and piece comes by my eyes and as a former impulse buyer I know how hard it can be to not want it all! It got easier for me by dividing the trends into three different categories. Yes, yes but not for me and no. Sounds simple and it is! Know your body and think about tip number one and two before you actually buy it. Or, lto quote my husband, sleep about it and when it’s gone the next day it wasn’t meant to be. And before you are wondering, yes, I used to hate that advice too. But let me tell you, I followed this exact advice with my Maje coat and Calvin Klein sweater and you all know how that ended up.
Last up. Some final tricks. If you see a look you love in a magazine or on a blog, think of a way to wear it with items you already own. Try to reinvent your own closet and combine things you normally would’t put together. You can end up with some great new looks without spending your money on things you already had. And if you’re done with your own closet, take a peek at your boyfriends’. You never know what kind or treasures you’ll find there.
The past few months really gave me an insight in what my personal style is and I also stopped doing impulse buys. If you decide to do this challenge, especially for the first time, I would advice you to include some little exclusions like I did with items under € 15,- (for basics like tanktops and leggings), 2 pairs of shoes, 2 bags and accessories like scarfs or hats. You can also choose to take 5 pieces every 3 months instead of six. It’s completely up to you. For now I take a little break from my challenge, but I know for sure I will use everything I learned to put my fall wardrobe together!
At the end of my challenge this is what I bought:
- Maje x K-Way Coat
- H&M Dungarees
- New Balance Sneakers
- Adidas Stan Smith Sneakers
- Qwstion Universal Backpack
- COS T-shirt dress (on sale after 3 months of patience)
- Levi’s Vintage Black Denim Shorts
- Louis Vuitton Speedy 35 Damier Ebene Bandoliere
- Calvin Klein Jeans Sweatshirt
I hope you liked this post with my tips and tricks and would if you’re starting a 5 piece wardrobe yourself too, please let me know!
