The Best UNPOPULAR Fashion Advice That Works 

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Very refreshing. I am 70 and refuse to be either a season or a geometrical shape. I have a style that suits my life (I basically live on a push bike, so no skirts or dresses or long coats for me). Trenchcoats, puffer jackets and cardigans hate me. Biker jackets love me. I compose my outfi every morning as if I were painting a picture. I take a selfie and my boyfriend 1000 miles away scores the look out of 10 😂

My unpopular opinion is : I don’t try to wear my clothes as much as I can. I used to wear again and again my favorite pieces. One day as I was going through my sisters’s closet, I saw some of the pieces we had in common. Theirs were in pristine condition while mine were worn out, tired. I then realized that they had more clothes than I did and could easily slow the turnover. That’s when I realized that if I want to enjoy my pieces for years, I have to acquire more clothes. My pieces are expensive and high quality. I want them to last me a very long time. So I don’t care about this « cost per wear » thing. I’ve had pieces that I bought back in 2010. Still get compliments and people asking me where I got them from each and every time I wear them. They’re shocked when I tell them that I bought the pieces almost 15 years ago 😂

Great video! Another rule I don't follow is just because I haven't worn something in a period of time I don't get rid of it for that reason only.

I feel the opposite in some of these things. I first identified my colour season then started picking out my wardrobe palette. Especially because I don’t wear makeup when I go out I wanted colours which will radiate me naturally. At first I didn’t like my colour season (deep autumn) and was even disappointed a little because I was drawn to more spring summer pastels. But now I absolutely love the deep hues in my colour season. I think they add such a sophisticated glamour to my daily look and I feel like I look great. It also helped me with shopping by staying away from colours I know don’t suit me as much. I also like putting away seasonal items (bags, clothes, shoes, perfumes, etc.). I live in Canada where we have all 4 seasons. My wardrobe is actually quite small so some of it is a space issue. But also, it helps me get dressed each day with less items to look through. There is something exciting about the process of getting ready for a new season and it also makes me feel like my seasonal clothes get a “break” or last longer by being stored for some time if that makes sense. Then when I open my box of clothes for the coming season, it starts to feel like “new” clothes again and some sort of excitement after not seeing them for a while lol.

You asked for our unpopular tips? I gave up having a small capsule wardrobe. It was small, I liked all the pieces, they suited me well, and it did make getting dressed for the office easy. And I didn't rotate it seasonally, either. But I didn't love it. My system broke down on the regular. I love clothes, but hate shopping, as I am 5'11" and size 14/16, and both my shopping selection and budget are limited. I thought having e.g. one perfect pair of good quality black pants was all I needed... until it wore out, punching a huge hole in my wardrobe and taking out half my limited outfit selection until I could track down a replacement. Which happened often since I was wearing them 2x a week. Buying pants is the bane of the tall, and is no fun coming up worth the cash for a good piece on the spot. I often had to settle on style because I could only hold out for so long without them. This happened constantly, just because I was wearing everything so often. I also never had quite the right clothes for the varied weather here in Canada, or for the spectrum of life events that come up. Always close, because I really did do a decent job on the capsule, but often too hot, too cold, too work-y. Too safe. Half my work wardrobe died during the pandemic, ripping in worn spots when I returned to the office. I had to replace a lot of items at once, with practically no funds to do so. I found a really good consignment store near me, and was amazed to find a lot of really good clothes for stunning prices. I used my capsule wardrobe principles (fit, flattery, quality, interchangeabiilty) to build a much larger wardrobe (over time) that covers all of my event needs, and the huge weather range in my part of Canada. I let myself play more, and have more statement pieces, even if I can't mix then as easily. I still wear them often. I store my e.g. heavy winter pants away in the summer, rather than sweating in misery. I only want to see what will be wearable right now in my closet. The weather varies a lot here, so I'm only moving maybe 20% into storage, but it helps. I am so much happier. It's a bit less simple to get dressed, but I am always dressed in a way thay both pleases me and suits the occasion. I still have go to uniforms for rushed days, just more options. I guess I really just have large capsule wardrobe, but it is so much more fun. And I get so many more compliments, which is new and feels awesome.

I live in Houston and have a smallish closet. I used to have all my clothes hanging out all year round as weather changes like crazy here. But I really get tired of looking at all the clothes all year round. I put away offseason clothes in boxes a few months back, now it is spring already. I am actually excited to take those clothes out and put away the sweaters, jackets! It does make a difference mentally. Also, my closet is more spacious and easier to access this way. I think it’s good to change things up from time to time even if your system is working.

I don't store my non-seasonal items away either. I feel like everything should fit in my closet, and if it doesn't I have way too much. Plus, in CO it could be 80 one day and snowing the next.

I am in clothing sales. I do have clients that want to shop outfits , but whenever possible I like to encourage capsules and some matching pieces. Example : client likes a periwinkle blue pant . She adds the suit jacket . Great ! But if she adds the print skirt and solid cami and satin blouse then she can mix and match several outfits and pair with other jackets, pants ,and skirts .

When I discovered I have cool-toned olive skin (a total shock as a delicately pale woman), I couldn't unsee it. Suddenly it all made sense why I had sometimes been asked if I was feeling well, as I had looked sickly to those who asked. After this realization I actually came to strongly dislike colors I had previously enjoyed because I now saw how yellow-green I looked 😳 At first I thought this meant I would be stuck with a boring wardrobe, but I can actually still wear quite a lot of colors, they just need to be soft or muted. This allows every item to work well together AND is a great way of limiting how much I have in my closet! Over time I have chucked all of the awkwardly bright blues and violets, as well as stark pale whites and pinks, and have discovered beautiful shades of blush pink and oatmeal, soft teal and light gray, hunter green and rich burgundy ☺️

Yes, it is because you’re in California. Here in Canada, there just isn’t room to keep out all the big down coats, hats and mittens, not to mention the giant felt pack boots. Then, when you have them out in winter, there’s no room and no reason to keep the summer stuff out. With our crazy climate, my husband and I each have about ten different coats.

I recently lost about 40 pounds and am trying to build a capsule wardrobe that I love. Over the years I saved all sizes and seasons, but no more. I am donating all of my clothing that is too big and paring down the rest. My goal is to one day have all of my clothes in one closet. But just like losing weight, it is a process. I’m not there yet.

The only thing I rotate are my jackets, coats and boots. These winter items take up so much room in my entrance closet so, I move them downstairs and bring up my spring and fall jackets and coats.

Agree! Wear it if you feel comfortable in it, no matter if it’s your color or not.

I agree …..my wardrobe is always on display. I never store anythng

I love following color theory because when I go outside my palette I end up not happy with the piece and I end up chucking it. It also makes things so much easier.

Decluttering videos, usually followed by an influencer's shopping haul. I am very intentional when decluttering. And you don't have to have a capsule wardrobe, I enjoy having quite a number of pieces, they are varied and also timeless. Another thing I do is to buy multiples if I find the perfect pair of jeans, etc. When I don't, I usually regret it when they're discontinued.

Agree w/ storing winter things ! Ski pants , boots , down jackets , wool sweaters , etc. are put away - not exactly wearable in several months of hot Illinois weather ; same is true for unused summer things ( tank tops , sandals , sneakers , etc. ) being stored in winter . Proper cleaning & then storing will protect the off-season items . Having worked in construction & also interior design , it's interesting how many people still want & regularly use their cedar lined storage closets & request more / better areas for off season clothing storage here in the Illinois / Indiana area . 🥰

Just great. Shopping pieces is a great idea. You are also right not storing clothes. Thank you

And with color theory, it is difficult enough to find clothes that you like and fit you let alone in a certain color

As a fellow New Englander (Boston) I need access to my entire wardrobe. Just this week, it was 60 degrees one day. The next day, it was in the 20s with a wind chill. I wear the colors that look best on me, but if i luv something, I'll buy it and wear it.

I call my closet "all season ' and keep everything out

Totally agree. I like all my clothes on display. I found your video extremely helpful today. Thank you 😊

Excellent, sensible, refreshing video.

I don't do 'seasonal' colours, follow trends, or worry about my 'colour palette'. I don't store things away, but I rotate my 'summer' and 'winter' tops in my closet to be more accessible. I have never shopped an 'outfit'. I also don't do 'capsule' or 'statement' pieces. I wear what makes me happy. There are no clothing rules, except for those imposed by others. 🙃

Up until a few years ago, I didn't have the space to keep everything out year-round, I had to store 'out of season' in ugly totes in the corner. A few years ago I switched our home office with our guest room, so now the 'new' computer room/home office is also my closet (cloffice), I love it! I put a 'closet system' in the actual closet that was originally built into the room, then on the longest wall, I added a second closet system & extra shelf (to attach the rods to), so now I have fall/winter & coats in the original closet & the newly added system is for my spring/summer, pants & skirts/dresses.

I so agree with you about not storing items away from your wardrobe and also colour theory, it's a lot of fabricated nonsense imo. I'm an artist and art teachers keep pushing the colour wheel theory, I think that's largely traditional nonsense too. Just wear and use the colours you like, on your person, in the home or in your art.

I actually started a seasonal capsule wardrobe a few years ago and LOVED it. I understand your point of view and this does make sense, especially if you live in a climate where there is not much temperature variation. There are however, many advantages of a seasonal capsule (or you could do warm vs cold months and then have some crossover).The psychology of adding new items from storage each season brings me a lot of joy and takes away the feeling of always wanting to buy something new. I actually get excited about taking out my favourite pieces from the last seasons to wear again. As I started investing in better quality items, I can see that I get many years of wear out of them and can add new items based on what's missing in my wardrobe, or simply by replacing things, like white t-shirt once they get worn out. It's a sustainable system and has a lot of reward associated with it :) I also get clutter fatigue when too much is hanging in my wardrobe, I can't see what I've got and I would rather have a boutique feeling at home where I can 'shop' my wardrobe. Also nobody wants to see a down jacket in the middle summer. They get dry cleaned and hung in storage :)

Most of my wardrobe is black. I'm still drawn to Goth in my 50s. If I buy an outfit, the pieces can be worn with everything else in my closet. If it isn't black, it's grey, darker red and camel colored. They all can be mixed together and match black. I make do with 5 button up shirts, 5 blouses, 4 pairs of trousers, 4 pairs of jeans, 6 skirts, 6 dresses and 4 sweaters. I have over a dozen each of blazers and cardigans. I do have a near insane amount of plain and band t-shirts. Most everything I own can easily be dressed up or down from punkish to business professional. The big trick is accessories. I do have three specific white outfits, one a Western suit with trousers and skirt to wear to funerals on my mother's side. I also have an off white linen Hanbok as well. I own 4 long formal dresses and 4 silk Hanboks for weddings and balls. I sew most of my own clothes because I can create outstanding quality for less than the mid-range brands or luxury ready to wear from beautiful fabrics that last for decades. I still wear my wool/mohair coat that I made when I was 19. Still looks great after 35+ winters.

Great advice. Thank You!

Agree!❤

I buy alot of vintage BUT I have learned to limit to my colors because otherwise my closet gets crowded with "orphans" things that go with nothing I own so no to THAT.

I completely agree with your approach to color theory. I hate all the jewel tone colors that I am suppposed to look good in according to color theory and think a lot more about how I feel in colors and having a cohesive color story to my clothes so I can mix/match easily.

Thank you

I agree❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I’ve been very interested in color theory lately but it’s been driving me nuts trying to stick to a color palette for a light season and I love black so I’m over it lol

Besides these, I don't follow the 'thirds' rule for proportions or the 'wide & tight' thing, where the top has to be the opposite fit from the bottom. Cheers!

I don’t store, where I live most of my items can be worn year round, and it’s small anyway.

I live in MN with a temperature of -40 to 105. Big difference in weather.

I need to store away my woolen sweaters in summer because I don't wear them in summer and need to protect them from the moths! They stay in my wardrobe, but they are wrapped up in bag with a lavender sachet.

I agree if you like a colour you will feel good. Could you give advice for what to wear on camera? I find an outfit can look good in the mirror then in a photo or video it looks totally different adding pounds! I'm 5'2" and uk size 12.

I always bear this in mind: skinny jeans, the clue is in the name, they only look good on skinny people. Wide-leg jeans/pants/etc - again, the clue is in the name, they will make you look wide, no matter how trendy they are at the moment, I tried them, and promptly returned them.

Put winter away easier in your wardrobe to pick out

When we had a houseful of kids all my clothes and my husband’s fit in our closet. Now I myself have two closets of my own full! What happened???

I don't agree that you should show your ankle when wearing jeans, etc. Your legs look as long as your hem, and I'd rather appear the have the longest legs possible, especially since I'm petite. I'm also quite dubious about wearing white sneakers, I'd never wear white shoes, especially chunky ones, they make your feet look enormous and unfeminine, no, thanks. Midi skirts: definitely frumpy on my petite frame