(image from The Coveteur)

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Yesterday we talked about the neighborhood and how to choose something off the beaten path, today I am going to spill you a secret on how to keep it chic and elegant at all times: switch wardrobes following the seasons.  

I get it we live in a place where it’s almost always summer and the seasons are blurred and we theoretically we only need summer clothing, but after almost two decades of Miami veteran-ship, I found a way to reconcile the current fashion season with the weather, my Italian habits and a good dose of sustainability.

That the temperatures don’t plunge below 70 degrees means heavenly winters and hellish summers embellished with that greenhouse humidity and the yearly list of potential hurricanes, still shorts, flip flops and a tank are not exactly all we should wear.

(image from The Coveteur)

All rest considered:

1.   Think for a moment of looking at the same clothing in the closet for 12 consecutive months, step and reapeat: I don’t know you, but I get asphyxiated.

2.   We look at runways and presentations of the new collections, we attend fashion weeks around the globe, we read magazines, see billboards while we drive along I95, we see the colors, the forms, the silhouettes that change faster than the 10 minutes of a fashion show;

3.   Not to get bored at looking at the same garments for 12 months, we give in into the trap of compulsive buying. \No matter the budget, the adrenaline of owning something that was designed for the catwalk and still not on the shelves, yet knocked-off in some sweat shop runs through our veins and we buy, without really a plan;

4.   We walk in a closet that contemporarily hosts linen and muslin, cashmere and boots, items that don’t belong to the same season.

Different scenario now: treat your closet like back-to-school in August and finals in May and respectively remove the season ending and showcase the one about to begin.

1.   Switching wardrobes, it’s useless negating the evidence, is painful, you will have the house upside down, piles of clothes, hangers, suitcases and vacuum-sealed see -hrough bags that will make you crazy, unless you transform the 3-day marathon in a ‘closet party’.

2. In which your garbage becomes somebody else’s treasure.  Just invite friends, open a bottle of prosecco, a few figs with prosciutto and go through the process of elimination.

3.   Summer or winter it doesn’t matter, whether you clean up the wardrobe that you are retiring or the one you are pulling out, you let the clean-up begin. This first phase, when you let your close friends and sister and daughter dig in, reinforces friendships, family ties, keeps the circle within the family (hand me down anyone?), it frees space and let good energies flow.  You can choose to monetize or donate and let your wallet or your heart be happy.

4.   The best feeling ever? Those garments that spent six months in lethargy become alive again, a little Night at the Museum style, they give a breath of fresh air to a dull closet. They will look beautiful again, they are all lined up like kids the first day of summer camp and now you can really get organized for a mindful shopping trip.

5.   Try and say “I’ll wear it in the winter” and even though you live in the Southern Riviera, it will make you chic already, more modern. If you are still confused, think of it as a life cycle.  

All the beautiful things above with a lot of other minor details, make this crazy Italian way of managing one’s wardrobe the ultimate winner: random acts of kindness, mingle with the community, recycling, upcycling, minimalism, essentialism. You will open infinite possibilities to an otherwise dormant blazer, you’ll excitedly reinvent a new wardrobe even with the clothing from last year, pinpoint the gaps, refurbish with new where needed.

Your mind will be projected toward investing instead of buying without criteria, pushed and pulled by the smoking mirrors of fast-fashion like McDonald’s fries at the drive through.

Are you ready to pop that prosecco? 

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About Francesca Belluomini

Francesca is a fashion writer, brand consultant and a style buff. Born and raised in Tuscany, Italy, she has been living in Miami long enough not to blink at peacocks crossing the street, yet, too Italian for an American, too American for any Italian.  

Her book “The Cheat Sheet of Italian Style” (September 2016) spells the secrets of dressing the Italian way, the quintessential seal of being pulled together with insouciant elegance.  Because Italian style goes beyond frontiers and encompasses all facets of life, she believes anyone can achieve it regardless of age or location, and she’ll convince you too. 

Meanwhile, you can head over to chicFB.com to read her cogitations on fashion and style.

In addition, Francesca is a contributor for Social Miami with a column called Style Encounter and a featured-to-be author at Trusted Clothes 

Everything else happens on her Instagram profile.