If you have been here for a while (if not, welcome! It is so nice to have you!), you know that my goal is to help you make getting dressed easier but still have fun in the process. I don’t want you to think that you need to be shopping every week or copying someone else’s look to feel stylish.
For me, it comes down to three things: regularly editing your wardrobe (something I have been terrible at lately!), trusting your instincts about what feels like you, and having a few outfit shortcuts up your sleeve. Especially for those mornings when getting dressed feels like far too much effort and you would rather just go back to bed.
And when it comes to shortcuts, you can always trust me. I am a lazy dresser. Even though I absolutely love fashion, I don’t regularly want to look like a Pinterest pin. I want to look like myself: comfortable, but still my own version of stylish.
As the days get shorter and the weather gets crappier, I find myself relying on outfit formulas more than ever. Especially on those mornings when nothing seems to work and getting dressed feels like an unnecessarily complicated task.
I am going to give you three outfit formulas I always go back to, but I want you to imagine what each one would look like for you. What could you swap? What could you change to make it feel more personal?
And please tell me in the comments! Your feedback is super important because the better I know you, the better I can create content that actually helps you.
For each formula, I am also going to show you my own take on it, plus a couple of mood boards with pieces I have found in the shops right now that could help you recreate the idea. But before you buy anything, please look in your wardrobe first and see if you can make it work with what you already have.
The beauty of outfit formulas is that you could technically recreate the same formula every day for a week and never wear the exact same outfit. And I am wondering…should this be my next challenge??
Think of it a bit like making a curry. You might keep the same base, but change the protein, the vegetables, the spices, the toppings. Same idea, completely different result depending on what you put into it.
Outfit formulas work in exactly the same way. The structure stays familiar, which makes getting dressed easier, but the pieces, proportions, colours and styling details can keep changing.
I have also started a Pinterest board dedicated to outfit formulas, with plenty more styling ideas if you fancy a little extra inspiration! I have also put together a little edit on Shopmy with pieces inspired by the three outfit formulas in this post, in case you are looking for a particular piece to fill a gap in your wardrobe.
T-shirt + tailored trousers
Casual at the top, polished at the bottom
The beauty of this formula is that you can double down on either the polished side or the casual side depending on your mood, so it can look completely different every time.
For me, if the trouser is very tailored and polished, I like to keep everything else quite casual. Or I might add just one more structured element if I feel like it. That is very much my style though, so think about what matters more to you and where you want the outfit to sit on that casual-to-polished scale, without taking the trousers into full corporate mode.
I have a few pairs of tailored trousers, but my favourites are definitely from COS. The purple pair and pink ones are incredibly comfortable and look so good on their own that they barely need any styling. I love pairing them with a T-shirt or playing around with different colour combinations.
Writing this I came across this T-shirt and immediately thought it should be the official Substack uniform.
The trousers are doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, so I love a very serious pair in pinstripe, or something super clean and tailored like this Citizens of Humanity pair or a less expensive version from COS ones.
If you want to lean more casual, go for trainers. If you want to make it feel more polished, change the shoe completely: a loafer, pointed flat or boot will immediately take it somewhere else.
You have the base, now you layer. The outerwear can really solidify the direction. A blazer or structured leather jacket can elevate the whole thing, while a bomber or denim jacket keeps the casual side going.
Main takeaway: It is all about balancing casual and polished. Let the tailored trousers do the dressing up while the T-shirt keeps everything relaxed. Pay attention to fit and proportions, and use your shoes and accessories to decide how dressed up or down you want to feel.
How I am wearing this outfit formula right now
I am definitely an outfit repeater, but when I repeat an outfit, I like to change a few little things to make it feel different.
Last year, after being constantly inspired by the way Ritika wears bright colours, I styled my purple-blue COS trousers with a grey T-shirt and a pop of red. I loved how the grey played down the tailored trousers. Normally, I would automatically reach for a white T-shirt, but grey feels a little softer and less contrasting, which I really like with such a strong colour.
So I wanted to revisit the outfit, but with a slightly different spin. And since purple and red are having such a moment, I decided to keep the red, this time in the form of a thin red jumper (M&S is having 20% off knitwear) that I can throw over my shoulders, tie around my waist or drape around my neck.
I’ve never particularly like grey against my face, but adding the red around my neck brings a colour I love closer to my face and makes the grey feel much more wearable.
I absolutely love wearing my checkered Vans with tailored trousers. They bring a bit of fun to an otherwise quite polished outfit and stop the whole thing from feeling too dressy.
Main takeaway: Repeating an outfit does not mean wearing it exactly the same way every time. Sometimes changing one colour, adding an extra layer or switching the shoes is all it takes to make it feel fresh again.
Soft trousers + structured jacket
Lazy at the bottom, “mean business” at the top
This is basically my default outfit for crappy Monday mornings. You get the ease of soft trousers on the bottom and something that means business on top.
And the trousers can be whatever version of “soft” works for you: satin pull-on trousers (have you seen this colour?!), cosy joggers, the famous Donni taffeta pants — Kelly Klein created so many great outfits with hers! — or, if you like the look of corduroy but do not love the potential stiffness, these J.Crew trousers are a really good in-between.
Then I like to balance that softness with something more structured. I love a blazer with a soft trouser, but a shirt can work really well too, or any jacket with a bit more shape to it.
Again, the shoes can send the outfit in whatever direction you want: structured boots, sleek trainers, loafers…
For me, that is the whole appeal of this formula: the bottom half feels easy. You can sit, you can eat, you can potentially lie down. But the top half says I might join a Zoom meeting later and talk about KPIs.
How I am wearing this outfit formula right now
My favourite way of doing this formula is with my satin trousers from Uniqlo. They are incredibly soft and comfortable (in fact I wore them for a whole week last year) but the colour and sheen make them feel much more luxurious than trousers that are essentially pyjama-adjacent
I wasn’t even looking for trousers like these when I bought them. They are polyester, which is a fabric I try to avoid in trousers, but the colour won me over. And to be fair, so many similar styles I have come across are also made from man-made fabrics, often for double the price! Although I do love the Elise trousers, which are made from 50% silk. Something to consider!
On top, I like to add something with a bit more structure: an oversized shirt or the gorgeous blazer I found preloved in Copenhagen last year.
I think it’s the contrast in textures, and in this case prints too, that makes the outfit work so well. The elegant old-man blazer with the silky, almost pyjama-like trousers, the blue striped shirt against the rich brown... it is relaxed, it is comfortable, but it still feels very put-together.
I usually finish with a more structured shoe like a loafer to keep everything feeling polished, but I am equally happy wearing trainers when I want to bring the blazer back down to earth a little.
And another little trick to add structure is to add a great pair of sunglasses. Something with a metallic frame, like these, can make even the most relaxed outfit feel a little sharper.
Main takeaway: Mix pieces with different levels of formality. Something relaxed and comfortable can feel much more intentional when you pair it with a structured piece. And do not be afraid to mix textures, prints and colours along the way!
If this post gave you a few new ideas for your wardrobe, consider becoming a paid subscriber! Your support helps me keep Nothing to Wear going and continue sharing styling advice that hopefully saves you from buying yet another pair of trousers you probably do not need. 😂
Jeans + the amazing jacket
The jacket IS the outfit
Ok, this is not new. In fact, you know it’s absolutely everywhere right now. But a statement jacket is such a great shortcut to dressing cool this season.
But before you go and buy every statement jacket you see just Substack is telling you to, ask yourself which version actually feels like you. Which one would you still wear after the hype has died down?
Just because everyone is doing the Connor Ives-style coats and tapestry jackets does not mean your version of a statement jacket needs to look exactly the same.
Obviously, wearing a statement jacket with jeans is the easiest move, but what you do around it matters too. You can lean casual with trainers, and actually, the more elevated or dramatic the jacket is, the more I like dressing everything else down.
And if you are looking for something genuinely interesting, pre-loved is one of the best places to start. You are far more likely to find something far more unique there than on the high street. I’ve put together an edit with my latest preloved finds here in case you struggle while shopping second hand.
I am currently on the hunt for something similar, although I can’t decide whether I want a very Penny Lane long coat or something shorter that I could also wear during the mild winters here in Gran Canaria.
How I am wearing this outfit formula right now
I have always been a statement jacket kind of person, so I already have a few pieces in my wardrobe that do a similar job. Like the beautiful silk jacket below I found in a charity shop in London. I love how something so special can be thrown over the simplest outfit, in this case a white long sleeve tee and baggy jeans, and instantly make it feel much more interesting.
That is the beauty of a statement jacket for me. You don’t really need to think too much about the rest of the outfit because the jacket IS the outfit. I added my little yellow beaded bag for an extra pop of colour, how good does it look with the turquoise of the jacket??
I also have a beautiful kimono I bought in Kyoto that I would love to wear in the same way. You know, the whole I just threw a kimono over my jeans and walked out the door look (just like Kelly!). Unfortunately, mine is way too long, so I either need to save it for a special occasion and wear with a belt or figure out how to shorten it without ruining the beautiful pattern at the back. Is that even possible? If you have any ideas, I am all ears!
Main takeaway: A statement jacket does not need a special occasion. Wear it with your most basic pieces, let it do the talking and, most importantly, choose something that feels like you rather than something you bought because it was having a moment.
So, next time you find yourself in panic mode trying to get dressed, go back to your trusted outfit formulas. And if you do not have any yet, feel free to borrow mine! Just remember to make them your own, because the whole point is to feel like yourself in what you wear, you know!
And if you need a little help figuring out what those formulas could look like for you, you can always book a Nothing to Wear session with me. We will look at what you already own, find new ways to wear your clothes and come up with a few outfit formulas that make getting dressed a whole lot easier.
Love,
Noelia x
I love having a formula to fall back on when I wake up with minimal capacity 🤣 I’m really focusing on jeans and jacket this time of year - collecting quite a selection of great jackets!
I do love the T-shirt or something more casual on top, and the bottom to be more put together. Really like your outfit ideas, and I'll be copying them! That long Kimono is beautiful, and I do like it with the belt; maybe it needs to be shortened a little bit, but I like the vibe.