The Bank Of Outfits
Make getting dressed easier, buy better, pack faster, and cultivate a stronger personal style
Are you the kind of person who says “I have nothing to wear”, spends hours online shopping scrolling only to end up buying nothing, or struggles with packing?
I think I have a solution for you. Meet your Digital Wardrobe 101 guide.
I use the app called Indyx, and you have one chance to get $10 credits at sign-up when you use the referral code ardaschandra. You can’t add the code later (and you ‘lose’ the $10), so make sure you get this step right!
I’ve got your back
If you follow me on Instagram, you might be familiar with my ‘getting dressed’ mantras that often accompany my daily style stories:
“Dress for success”
“WFH = Writing From Home”
“Saved to the B.O.O (Bank Of Outfits)”
“Packrastinating” (yes, procrastinating + packing)
“Feel Good to Do Good”
In this Light Letter, we’ll explore: how a digital wardrobe can satisfy your desire for newness (you’ll save time, money, and energy)
This letter is not just about what I wore this week: it’s an exploration of how to have the experience of “You Can Have It All” while shopping in your existing wardrobe.
→ For the past 7 days, I’ve been diligently documenting what I wore each day and started my digital wardrobe.
→ I learn by doing, and I have insider tips to share with you — it’s playful, and highly rewarding!
→ I’ll tell you which app I’m using (ps: it’s free) and four ways to use this new (and fun) system to make getting dressed harder easier, buy better, pack faster, and cultivate a stronger personal style.
Are you ready?
I. Make getting dressed easier!
→ Yes, take screenshots/screengrab what you see on others, but also do the work of understanding what it is that you like in this silhouette.
→ Figure out what’s the core outfit formula!
→ Here is a visual of what I call “the anatomy of a silhouette”: it’s the choice of fabrics, the choice of colors, and the choice of styling.
→ Take any silhouette that inspires you, and analyze it. This way, you make it your own, and it’s easy to re-create.
See for yourself:
→ Make a note on your Notes app, such as: “black sunglasses + white crew neck t-shirt + a kelly green layering piece, worn open + khaki (beige) short cotton jacket + light washed denim full length + red flats”. You can add the visual to the note if it helps you remember the formula.
→ The color palette! My lazy (and preferred) way is to import the screenshot in Instagram Stories, and pick and grab the colors you see in the picture. This way, I can go fetch in my existing (and digitalized) wardrobe to see how I can re-create a silhouette I love.
→ Overtime, you’ll have a collection of formulas that you love. This only makes getting dressed 10x easier.
II. Buy better
→ After dissecting the silhouette, I can see that what I like the most in this look is the “black + white + green + khaki beige” combination.
→ Because I already have black sunglasses, a (dozen) white t-shirt(s), and a beige short jacket, I’m only one piece away from re-creating what inspired me in the first place.
→ Meet, the pop of green! I’m sorry, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it, and you’ll start to notice it everywhere this season 💚🍵
→ Here are many ways to incorporate a pop of green (The Row called it ‘pine green’, I’d call it ‘Kelly green’) in your wardrobe without breaking the bank.
Pro tip: check out the men’s section (or his side of the closet):
→ With a base being an outfit made of black + beige + white, the pop of green can be anything, and it will still produce a similar effect to this corduroy shirt in The Row look 31 shown above. It subtly says: “I’m not boring”.
→ In your digital wardrobe, you can import any items - not only what you already own, but also what’s on your wishlist.
This way, you can already start to play around and see how a potential new piece could maximize your existing wardrobe (can you create 3 more looks that you love thanks to this potential new piece?)
→ You’ll buy better. Playing around in the app will give you the dopamine we seek when online shopping, without checking out.
You’ll end up adding to your physical wardrobe (your real life) only items you love, need, and can afford (girl math: you’re actually saving money!)
III. Pack faster
→ I love to packrastinate.
Yes, it’s when you postpone packing your bags for your trip by doing 325 things that have nothing to do with packing… and your flight is in 6 hours.
→ I often find myself wanting to try on all my options just before packing. It has been a huge source of stress and a waste of time in the past, so I create a photo album on my phone called “Bank Of Outfits”.
→ Here are 7 outfits I wore this past week. I have added all of the items to my digital wardrobe — once you add the item, the job is done. Then you can re-create your silhouette, and label it for a future trip, for example…
→ In my B.O.O, I have pictures of outfits I wore and liked.
This made packing a little bit easier. Oh, this dress + this pair of sandals + this bag. Or this blouse + this pair of jeans + the ballet flats.
It’s a quick visual way to ground myself when I’m panickpacking.
→ But I found better!!
By digitalizing my wardrobe, I can start now, today, to create looks for upcoming travels, and organize them by trips (I’ll pack differently for Paris in March and Dubai in May, you know?). And when it’s time to pack my bags, it will take me a good 15 minutes instead of 2 days, and save me the panickpackattack.
→ Instead of mindless scrolling, I can now go “shopping” my own wardrobe, and play around with possible future outfits. The app is this oh-so-scrollable digital wardrobe. It’s really pretty and user-friendly.
→ Once you arrive at your destination, you already have planned your outfits, so… you save time daily, and maximize your holidays to focus on what matters (#creatememories)!
→ I can also have folders for everything else.. such as “working from home”, “playground”, “matcha date”, “travel outfits”, etc.
→ It’s 10x better than my quick fix Bank Of Outfits because not only I can plan the outfits, but I can also add a picture of me wearing the outfit, and the app removes the background automatically.
IV. Cultivate a stronger personal style
→ My entire point of talking about style and lifestyle is this: you can enjoy your life as it is, and improve what you can by making better choices.
→ This also means: wearing what you already have, using what is already in your home, and loving the people who are already part of your life and community (thank you for being here, I appreciate you!).
→ By capturing inspiration along the way (when you screenshot a picture, for example, or open your Notes app to remember a look you just saw somewhere), you feed your bank of outfits for the days when you feel like “you have nothing to wear”.
→ This 10x your level of self-confidence…
→ It might take a little bit of playing dress up (it’s fun, I promise), but the end goal is to see what combinations work for you.
→ Once you grasp “the essence of a look/the anatomy of a silhouette”, you’ll be able to identify recurring patterns… and see what can be improved (maybe we’re all missing a pop of green?).
→ Here are two examples of personal interpretation of Spring ‘24 silhouettes from The Row:
in this post last September recreated many outfits with what she already hadYesterday on Instagram, Brittany Bathgate posted this mirror selfie, with “a touch of green and light denim inspired by The Row Spring ‘24”
→ Go explore your closet… Do you have a white t-shirt, a beige jacket, light denim, and a green shirt or sweater? Grab your sunglasses and flat shoes, and here is your first outfit for your bank of outfits.
THE DIGITAL WARDROBE APP AND HOW I USE IT
Don’t make the beginners mistakes I made!! I have a referral code for you that gives you $10 credits for styling services (it’s more than a monthly Light Letter subscription!).
The app is now available on iOS + Google Play. It’s free to use with optional styling services (that’s why you want to have the $10 credits). You can even follow me there and see my wardrobe.
I actually can’t believe this beige and beautiful design — and that it takes 50 seconds to get this:
Here I give you the app, the mega pro tips, and extra resources (such as Youtube videos + Substack posts):
The app
It’s called Indyx, and you have one chance to get $10 credits at sign-up when you use the referral code ardaschandra. You can’t add the code later (and you ‘lose’ the $10), so make sure you get this step right!
Mega pro tips that will save you time (now that I know…):
Don't upload all your wardrobe at once (it’s overwhelming unless you are a capsule wardrobe person).
Upload the items you need to create the outfit for that day. Take it one day at a time.
Don’t take pictures of what you own: rather, go to the online shops and screengrab the items (the packshot) (why? because if you take the pictures yourself, your digital wardrobe will look like Vestiaire Collective…)
If you can’t find the exact thing, find a similar item. Go on google images and type “white t-shirt crew neck”, this will do… It will keep your digital wardrobe looking pretty, just like an online shop (vs. a preloved platform or facebook marketplace)
Don’t skip a day! Plan a few minutes a day to add your daily outfit, and you’ll be so happy you did it when looking back!
Add the outfit + a selfie where you are wearing the outfit in the calendar. This way, you can see how it looks and how you can tweak the outfit for next time.
Curated additional resources:
A pleasant Youtube Video for your slow Sunday (17 minutes) — How I Made a Digital Wardrobe (& How It's Helping Me To Shop LESS!) using the same app
A Substack Post — Five Questions I Ask Myself Before I Buy Anything
Outfits Inspiration to start your bank of outfits today (from letter 009). Go have a look and see if you can dissect the “anatomy of a silhouette”, and re-create it with what you already own.
I applied to become a partner personal stylist on the platform Indyx (the app). It would be a dream coming true to help you to Dress Your Soul!! I could also set up the service on my own, I guess? I’d love to come see your wardrobe and put outfits together for you! I’ll keep you posted, but also: I’m a projector, so…
I hope you feel inspired!
I can’t wait for Spring time… and all the fresh, new outfits I will create.
Infinite Blessings,
Ardas Chandra