Mirror Exercise

Here’s an exercise I do while leafing through magazines and catalogs to see what’s new in the stores and what might work in my own wardrobe. It helps me avoid impulse buys that can end up hanging in my closet unworn because they don’t go with anything else.

This is how it works: If I see something I like, I look at it for a minute – keeping in mind the color, cut, trim details and proportions. Then, I look at myself in the mirror. Then I look back at the image in the catalog or magazine. And then, back in the mirror. If the item works for me, instantly I feel a sense of harmony — of balance – “yeah – that’s me.” If it doesn’t work there’s an immediate “disconnect” — something I feel almost viscerally. (This reinforces my comments in the book about why it’s valuable to educate yourself to the point where you can trust your gut instinct.)

If the garment meets all my criteria and it’s not a sale item that might be sold out quickly I mark the page and revisit it a couple of days later. In the meantime, I check out my closet to see if I have something like it already that can be made to look fashion-forward. (Sometimes we’re attracted to an item in a catalog or magazine because we already have something very much like it.)

Taking inspiration from those images in magazines and catalogs, I often find that all I need to do to freshen up an old favorite is to find a new accessory: maybe a piece of jewelry, different shoes or a scarf in a color that’s popular and that is within my personal color palette. Or maybe my old favorite can be worn with something different than what I’ve typically worn it with, such as a different outerwear piece, blazer or sweater. Sometimes simply combining colors I hadn’t thought about before can really bring an old standard fashion-forward.

If after “shopping in my own closet” I still think the new piece would be a great and indispensable addition to my wardrobe, I buy it. Guilt free.

Next time you see something you can’t live without, give this a try. Having an understanding of your own style type(s) and a general grasp of the colors that are most flattering on you can make this process a lot of fun — and, it can save you time and money.