On Monday I encouraged you to wear your wonderful wardrobe items, and not save them for good. Life is too short to not wear the things that make you happy. Many of you were on board with this and accepted the challenge. 

I also have clients and friends who are on the opposite side of this dilemma. They lead extremely casual lives, either working from home or being stay-at-home Mums. As a result, they have a wardrobe of fabulous uber-casual items that is void of dressier and smart casual pieces. When a dressier occasion does come along, they have a glaring wardrobe hole.

As a result they scramble to put an outfit together when they need to attend a dressier dinner, fundraiser, girls night out, art exhibition, family event, date night, business meeting, birthday party or the like. I’m not talking about having an assortment of formal dresses and corporate attire on hand just in case you’re invited to a gala, fancy wedding or board meeting. Not at all. I’m taking about less formal items that are dressier than distressed jeans, T-shirts, slubby knitted tops, shorts, sports gear and casual footwear.  

It’s great that you’re shopping for your casual lifestyle and not an imaginary dressy life. But don’t forget to address the less frequent dressier parts of your life that mean stepping things up from your day-to-day stay-at-home look. Add some dressier tops, jeans, tunics and knitwear to your wardrobe. Throw in some skirts, dresses, jackets and dressier pants, and don’t forget to step up the shoes. Prevent the scramble by having a small smart casual capsule of dressier items on hand.

My clients generally love this idea because it’s a practical extension of their fully functioning wardrobes. And although the items are dressier, there is a lot of scope to dress them down for casual settings. It’s a win all round.