Adding one or more wild cards to your wardrobe each season is one way of keeping your style fresh and evolving. These are wardrobe items that are atypical for your style persona, but that speak to you in some way. They can be new styles or colours of clothing, footwear and accessories. Or a new way that you wear your hair, or put together your outfits.
2015 has been a bit of a wild card year for me. Although the changes aren’t that dramatic, they feel quite significant. After years of feeling fabulous in a bold tomboy aesthetic, I came back after our February trip to Hong Kong and desperately felt like a change. I decided to grow my hair into a different short ‘do, amp up the soft and pretty components of my style, and bring back a good dose of structure.
I added eight wild cards for Spring and Summer, which I’ve popped into the collection below. Me and moto jackets go back thirty years, but I’ve never worn an item of clothing in sea foam. I’m friends with white eyelet but a style with bohemian flair feels wild. Grey does not make me happy, but it turns out that I do like a very light sliver grey worn with white. Favouring low rises and long pant hems, I’ve normally stayed clear of high waistbands and cropped pants, but fell in love with a floral pair. I never wear knitted tops, but loved this ink and white peplum darling. I complain about the discomfort of crossbody bags, but adored this surprisingly comfortable mini version in tomato red. I’m an ‘80s pointy toe gal, yet had to have these snakeskin square toe ankle strap pumps as soon as I fitted them on. And finally, I’m not a cowgirl, but had fun buying a straw hat in Arizona. I’m also pleased to report that my wild cards have been worn extensively, especially the sea foam jacket.
I was off skinnies and scarves for years, but brought them back into my outfits this year. They feel too familiar to be wild cards but they’re important reintroductions nonetheless. With my current fascination for Retro Futurism (retro looks worn with a big dose of modern), I might bring back my pearl necklaces too.
Over to you. Have you bought and worn any wild cards for Spring and Summer?
