Wearing vs styling

I can’t pinpoint quite when it happened, but it feels like overnight, “getting dressed” quietly became “creating an outfit”.

It’s as though simply putting on clothing that feels like “you” isn’t enough anymore… not because styling isn’t valuable (clearly as a personal stylist I think it is), but because somewhere along the way it started feeling like a benchmark for a good outfit, rather than a creative choice. And what I’d really love, is a quick temperature check on how many of us are actually styling over “wearing”.

Despite knowing the difference, when we're getting dressed in real time, it’s easy to fall into the habit of stopping just at “wearing” instead of spending a couple of minutes actually “styling” your outfit.

The reality of wearing is usually… throwing on our core outfit pieces and heading out the door. While styling is every little thing that happens afterwards. Shoe swaps. Adding a necklace. An interesting tuck. Maybe you throw on an extra layer for stylistic purposes. Think intention over pure function.

Before anyone feels called out, I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of the time, I’m simply just wearing my clothes. Oh, the irony!! But also, seasons of life!

The truth of it is… styling asks for something wearing doesn’t: a little extra time. A little creativity. A little mental bandwidth. And depending on the day, those things can be in short supply (especially when you have a wriggly 4-year-old as a bedfellow). I mean, when did an outfit have to be styled, in order to be good?

But I suppose the philosophical question of what is good style aside, I will admit that when I do fall into the slump of just wearing my clothes, the moment I get back into the habit of taking that extra styling step, I’m reminded why it’s worth it... visually anyway! Even if it does mean I’m horrendously overdressed at school pick up.

Wearing: UNIQLO U shirt (old but similar here), Frank + Eileen jeans, Loro Piana flats (L) OR Tory Burch wedges (R), Moochi fringe belt, Bangla Begum earrings & Cuyana bag

This thought popped in my head this morning as I got dressed. Left to my usual devices, I might have just “worn” the outfit. It played into all my usual style rules and TBH, was just fine. But I found myself with a spare five minutes and energised to go one step further. Literally. As all I did was add a belt but you know what they say about the power of accessories…

The belt added a new proportion into the mix without breaking the visual line of the outfit, plus a sense of texture & dimension. Also layered bracelets, a more present earring, and for the purpose of showing you impact of a few changes over one more noticeable one, I also added a crystal wedge (subtle but fun).

Also side note, if you caught my IG Stories you will have seen that I ended up layering a l/s cotton rib top with lettuce trimmed cuffs under the shirt (oof she was windy today!), along with an alpaca wool coat from MUJI for extra texture. And perhaps my favourite part was the fringing peeking out from under the hem when my coat was buttoned.

From a practical sense, the thing that often stops me from styling is the necessary fussing that generally ensues. The fringe belt - while fun, tactile, moveable - would get caught under my feet when crouching and perhaps TMI but still a salient point is I had to be mindful of the positioning while in the bathroom. I hate to say it but sometimes form comes at the cost of a slight inconvenience to the function.

Wearing: COS merino top, Veronica Beard jeans, Aeyde heels, UNIQLO chambray shirt (old but I like this), Atorie bag, 8 Other Reasons bean necklace & Heaven Mayhem earrings (20% off w/ JAMIE20)

Which I felt was reflected in some ways in this second example too. Another, very easy sort of go-to look for me; fitted top + relaxed bottom. I’d quite happily stop here, throw on a shorter jacket and call it a day. But, if I had styling in mind, I’d be compelled to think about how I could use layers to generate interest rather than just relying on outerwear. Why not add in a tonal element - a shirt worn open and tucked? Which side note, is one of my fave tricks to share with styling clients because it’s reasonably low effort, and you can use that visual space at the chest (where the eye naturally drifts) to highlight a necklace or two.

Practically, this feels lower stakes than the first look. But, shirts do need to be re-tucked and re-zhuzzed over the course of the day. Though it would be easy enough to do the lazy girl’s version of this which is literally just to wear the shirt loose like a jacket/under layer.

I don’t think you need me to tell you that having someone else style your wardrobe removes one of the biggest barriers to styling in the first place: having to come up with styling ideas. They’re your clothes, but it’s almost like you’ve borrowed a fresh perspective - a boon for getting dressed when you’ve become blind to what’s already hanging in your wardrobe.

So I thought I’d share a little peek at some of the outfits that have been styled for me in the INDYX app + a try on to see how they translate IRL (because anyone can put together a pretty flat lay - I said what I said!). And because it’s me and I can’t write a short Substack to save myself, I’ll share out “loud” the styling decisions that stood out to me most, because I suspect there are a few ideas here that we’ll all end up stealing… And shout out in the comments if you happened to style any of these looks for me. Credit where credit is due!

Wearing: Sezane vest, Rowie the Label pants, Mollini cheetah flats (old - Toteme version here), Kindersalmon trench coat, Parisa Wang bag (12% off with JAMIE12), Pamela Card earrings & Pamela Card neckace

I just had to start with this outfit, because this colour combo is beyond!!! My eye picks up on two things here. That the core look - the bright top + pants - feel tempered and dialled down by the neutral jacket. And that the effort here isn’t in throwing on the items themselves, but on creating a compelling colour story.

Also this is a prime example of how your accessories can go but don’t have to match. Both are warm brown/orange tones, but the shoes are a pony hair while the bag is a suede. Siblings not twins.

Wearing: Faithfull the Label dress, Sezane suede jacket, Manolo Blahnik leopard flats, Elleme bag & Pamela Card earrings

I’ve definitely worn something along these lines, but for me it was the playful mix of texture. Usually I would opt for my fabrics to largely stay in their lane. Pairing linens with silks or lighter more traditional summery fabrics rather than a heavy brushed suede. But it feels unexpected and thanks to the tonal elements of this look, feels in keeping with the outfit rather than an outlier. Also shorter jackets + mini skirts are such a good match and work well if you’re considering the rule of thirds for proportions.

FYI I chose to omit the raffia hat (the one pictured is from Lack of Color), as it felt like an odd match with the suede jacket (on the phone this gave off mega cool transitional season vibes). Another nice add to this would be some kind of a necklace - a great way to play around with the lines of the outfit.

Wearing: COS tee, The Frankie Shop Bermuda shorts (old but I like these), Gucci GG Supreme heels, Quince bucket tote, FREYRS sunglasses & Heaven Mayhem necklace (20% off w/ JAMIE20)

Wrong shoe theory!!! This outfit feels super boyish, what with the boxy tee and the Bermuda shorts. Adding in the glam shoe is the antidote - stops the outfit from feeling too “literal”. Which funnily enough, I’ve paired these shoes with Bermudas a few times and they’re a heavenly match. Anyway, think of this as a reminder to take ten seconds to swap out your footwear for the wrong shoe.

Wearing: GAP sweater, Everlane jeans, Bared boots, SLO check jacket (10% off w/ JAIME10), Songmont bag & Heaven Mayhem earrings (20% off w/ JAMIE20)

All neutrals but you know when my eye immediately focuses? On the jeans! It’s the “one” in this outfit. Prints can act as neutrals or block colours in the macro sense of an outfit like this - the key is opting for a similar tone.

Wearing: Assembly Label sweater, The Frankie Shop Bermuda shorts (old but I like these), Amazon belt, Pamela Card shell necklace, Madewell flip flops (old but these are similar) & Loewe bag

Final look goes all in on my favourite accent colour !! This holds a similar approach to the previous look, where the eye is naturally drawn to the bottoms which feel so alien against the sea of red. Funny how the absence of colour is what feels so striking. The reds are all slightly different tones… namely the shoes read as warm while the knit + belt are a touch more cool leaning, so all that visual space (+ the shorts to break things up a little) distract from the subtle mismatch here. And and and, not that I need to say it again but… repetition = cohesion!

I’m curious, are you team wearing or team styling? Or option c) team clothed and out of the house in time for school drop off?

Thank you so much for reading - as you know, it’s never that serious but I hope it gave you a little hit of inspiration for the week ahead (+ continued conversation in the comments is always welcome!). If you aren’t already and would like to see more of The Monthly Edit in your inbox, I’d love for you to consider subscribing (or alternatively if you’ve like to update your subscription, you can do so via the button below). I’ll see you on Thursday with part 2 of my best t-shirts deep dive! J x

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