How to look great during lockdown
We have now gone into lockdown and in the space of days, the fabric of our daily lives has changed out of all recognition. We are in our homes, yet in completely unfamiliar territory. Whilst you are in lockdown it will give you a good chance to take control of how you look.
It is a good opportunity to get rid of what you don't want to wear and look at adding new clothes and accessories combinations.
A wardrobe sort-out is a pitch-perfect distraction, at some point over the next three weeks. It is just absorbing enough to keep your mind from spinning out on the centrifugal forces of existential angst, without being taxing on your already overloaded brain. You can purge what you don’t wear, and realign the clothes you like into outfits you want to wear, when wearing outfits is a thing again. You have been meaning to do this for years, probably, but it’s the sort of thing that has never quite made it to the top of the to-do list – until now. Putting together jazzy outfits at a point when your social life is non-existent is a cheering reminder that, although this is temporary and you won't always be in lockdown, the world will start turning again and it is nice to remind ourselves that there will be an afterwards.
Now lets look at what we need to do:
1. Get started
Some people will tell you to start a wardrobe revamp by getting everything out of your wardrobe and dividing it into piles on the floor. Those people are mad. Those people do not have teenage children who will urgently announce the need for a new printer cartridge that must be purchased and installed before a live maths lesson that starts in 20 minutes and also when is lunch and can they have a snack? We are all a little overwhelmed right now and I don’t think turning our bedrooms into a giant fabric tangle is what anyone needs.
Instead, start small. Empty out your sock drawer, throw away odd socks and ripped tights and look at what you have. If you have enough socks in good condition, you don’t need to hoard tatty ones “just in case”. Just do one drawer, then make yourself a cup of tea. You can do this with your underwear next, then your pyjamas and sports gear and so on, bit by bit.
2. At-home wardrobe
You need different clothes right now, so let’s start with that. The licence to be cosy and comfortable is one of the few positives of this moment, so take full advantage, but it is worth keeping it civilised.
You don’t have to sit at your kitchen table in a tailored suit, though. A pair of smart tracksuit bottoms and and nice t-shirt ideal for maximum comfort while still looking presentable. If working from home is new for you, consider hanging up an outfit for each working day, even if you don’t normally plan outfits in advance.
3. The foundations
Which clothes do you want to wear when you start going out again? The rest can go. Now may not be the time to be making unnecessary trips to charity shops – although most are still accepting donations, with precautions including leaving them for 72 hours after drop-off – but you can bag them up and stash them out of the way.
4. Focus on what you love wearing
The quickest route to a style revamp is to focus on the clothes you love wearing and build a wardrobe around them. This is much smarter than weeding around the edges of your wardrobe, which takes ages and doesn’t really change all that much – all you are doing then is physically getting rid of the low-hanging fruit that your brain relegated months ago.
5. Focus on the rest
You are nearly there! That was easy, right? Next time you have got a chunk of time free, go through all of your clothes – pull out your five favourites, then your next five, as if you were picking a sports team. You can do this bit by bit – if it takes a few weeks, that is fine. While the world is on pause, we have the time to do the things we never have time to do. You won’t be in those tracksuit bottoms for ever. There will be an afterwards. And if that is not worth dressing up for, I don’t know what is.
6. You can still accessorize
Remember you can still accessorize, you can still get accessories at home, look out of a number of different collections at Mr.YouWho including watches, rings, belts, ties and luxury bags.