The 3 wardrobe hacks to keep style fresh (winter edition)

One of the interesting conundrums of style is that if you invest in quality pieces that you plan to keep for many years, you can get tired of wearing the same things over and over. This is the same dilemma you face if you have a smaller wardrobe. What are the wardrobe hacks to keep style fresh?

This is the problem I’m facing now. It’s hard to believe that we are midway through March and we are still facing the possibility of snowstorms. Sure March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb but shouldn’t we at least be teased with the hint of warmer weather? Plus I’m still wearing the same winter clothes that I started to break out at the end of October. I needed to come up with some wardrobe hacks to keep style fresh.

I’ve said it time and time again, I hate the cold weather but I love the fashion and style of the season. But it’s been close to 6 months of winter wear and some of my pieces I’ve been wearing for several years. So I’ve had to come up with wardrobe hacks to keep style fresh and my wardrobe looking new. Here are my 3 tips.

Avoid the same combination rut

One of the things I’m guilty of is wearing the same pieces together. This is especially true when wearing a suit. Often when I buy a suit, I’ll buy a shirt and tie and pocket square to go with it. This becomes my uniform and I’ll wear the same combination repeatedly. We are creatures of habit so think about breaking that mold. Try a different shirt, tie, and pocket square combinations or add a vest to the suit. The idea is not to rely on wearing your suit in one way and on way only. Tip: If you’re not comfortable matching shirt, tie and pocket square, opt for a white shirt and just change up the tie and pocket square. Subscription services like Sprezzabox can keep you up with carefully selected combinations to help you for a reasonable price.

Add unique embellishments

An overcoat is one of those pieces that sometimes is an afterthought when coming up with a look. They are mostly considered for their functionality (warmth or dryness) but they can also be quite stylish as well. An easy way to up your style quotient is to add a fur collar. A simple faux fur collar can elevate a coat in mere seconds. Hidden hooks sewn into a coat can secure the fur in place or a less permanent solution is tacking it down with safety pins. Either way the collar can be removed easily.

For not a lot of money, you can make some minor changes that have powerful impact. Simple tricks like adding a feather in your hat can score big fashion points. Did you know that when the British sang Yankee Doodle they were making fun of Americans with the line, “Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni?” In the 18^th century “macaroni” was used to describe well-dressed dandies in London. According to Chris Roberts in his book, “Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme,” the British were laughing at the American sense of style. Who’s laughing now?

Switch up your shoes

Shoes are an important part of a well-put together look. The good news is that with practically any color suit, a variety of shoe colors can work with your suit choice. With a simple blue suit, you can get away with black, burgundy and brown shows. And for a more casual look shite trainers are a popular and good-looking alternative. For the more daring, try a unique color. I’ve been known to wear all of these options and then some. For the more daring, or edgy colored or mixed medium shoe styles are becoming popular. Check out my electric blue shoes I paired with my suit.

Shop my look

Blue suit – Hugo Boss | Striped dress shirt with white collar and cuff – Budd Shirtmakers | Orange tie – Thomas Pink | Pocket Square – Thomas Pink | Paisley Socks – Happy Socks | Overcoat – Zara (winter coats are gone but spring collection looks good) | Fur Collar – Amazon (faux) / Amazon (real) | Electric blue derbys – Jil Sander | Blue hat – Goorin Bros. | Sunglasses – Dior