I had 5 mins to grab a week's worth of outfits...

...here's what I chose.

Mar 18, 2025

The weather is changing and I am oh so ready to throw myself head first into my wardrobe again. Problem is, said wardrobe is currently in storage until our house is ready (enough) for us to move into in a couple of week’s time. We are staying with our parents in the meantime and since this was not planned at all (we were working up to the wire in the hope we’d be able to move straight in) I am not in any way equipped.

Last week, after 5 days of wearing black sports leggings and a base layer (thanks, house move) the need to scratch the creative-itch that is crafting my daily outfit, was just too overwhelming.

In a mad dash of urgency, I squeezed in 5 mins to select the fillings for my outfit sandwiches from our lock up.

Here’s what I grabbed:

1- The Everyday Bag

2- The Wrapper Jacket in Wisteria Linen

3- The Flutter Blouse in White Crosses

4- The Midi Skirt in Wisteria Linen (I had meant to grab these, the Wide Trousers but in my haste, picked up the wrong piece!)

5- The Coat Dress in Hickory Denim

6- The Cardi in Frosty Lilac

1- Linen Shirt (any will do, the one I used for themoodboard is by WNU)

2- Red Hat, mine is by Bosie Knitwear, but their current red is a deeper, berry shade.

3- Blundstones.

4- Jeans - Blue ones are Rudy Jude and Black are old high street.

5- Base layers in black and white. Mine are from Everlane.

6- Coat from Finisterre.

There’s something both frustrating and freeing about operating on an extra limited wardrobe. On the one hand, mornings run a lot quicker, a lot smoother. My brain is less crammed and my priorities shift- when getting dressed in the morning is part of your job, creating that window of opportunity for sartorial-inventiveness first thing is of high importance. Flip that on its head, and all of a sudden all that energy can be expended elsewhere- like chivvying your brood towards toast and shoes and coats and getting out the door on time.

This first week of living out of a suitcase on the floor of my mum and dad’s guest room has been pretty effortless and breezy, on reflection. Yes, I miss spinning in the centre of my wardrobe every morning and seeing where my whim takes me, but layering up my solid and classic faves on repeat (and with a legitimate excuse to turn down the creativity and turn up the ease) has been lovely.

And you know what, I think Stalf (in particular) is helpful in this pared-back-wardrobe circumstance. When you have a small selection of well made, simple but well thought out pieces, made from high quality fabrics, you just feel good (no matter how often you repeat wear them.) We already operate on the basis of small-collections. Without infinite choice, it’s important that each item plays well with the next. What I discovered is that all you need to do is add in some key, supplementary items.

The exercise with this article was as follows- what do I grab in a hurry, under pressure, and then how many outfits can I compose with said pieces, that I can document and refer back to in order to make this transient few weeks go a little smoother. A catchy title, no?

1 - I started basic.

The Cardi is one of those pieces I reach for when I don’t want to have to think. Some mornings I want the stimulation of weaving magic into an outfit, sometimes I want to put on a hug and go! That’s when the Stalf sweats excel, and none better than the Cardi.

I’ve worn this outfit three times in the last week. Once adding in the Flutter Blouse under the lilac (just adds a little something extra.)

I’m wearing the Cardi in Frosty Lilac here.

Hickory stripe/lilac/dash of red is a WINNING combo in my opinion.

In the various ways these simple pieces were thrown together for this article (and the iterations I’ve discovered in the week of getting dressed that has followed) I’ve never once felt boring or bland, but often felt like there was juuuust enough going on with my outfit.

…and same outfit with the flutter under:

Ok, disclaimer, I’ve not yet worn the Coat Dress as actual coat yet, but THIS WEEK IS THE WEEK! I’m waiting for a shot of real sunshine (perhaps I should just go for it regardless.)

This outfit is the one that made me the happiest (with regards to outfit-satisfaction) when I pulled it on. Here’s why:

Whimsy - You know by now that I love an outfit that’s practical and comfortable, yes. But for it to really make me grin, I need a fair dose of whimsy. The coat dress feels just enough. It’s a sturdy denim in sensible colours, so I don’t feel like it’s too much day-to-day, but with the button front, the length and the gather, there’s juuuuust enough Dickens/Victoriana/that special something I can’t quite put my finger on, that makes an outfit sing. When I have my wardrobe back (hopefully in a couple of weeks) I will pull together a whole article devoted to this item alone. Get yours ordered now so we can play in tandem!

Simple and easy (to recreate) - black jeans, blundstones, tee and a linen shirt. Everyone has these simple basics (or your own equivalent.) Just top with the Coat Dress.

Comfy - If an outfit isn’t comfortable, I ain’t wearing it. This one ticks all boxes.

Coat Dress in Organic Hickory Stripe here.

3 Slightly more casual version with blue jeans and knitted hat below:

Same, brilliant Coat Dress.

4 An abundance of Hickory over Lilac:

Ok, I’ll confess that when I executed my smash and grab last week, I fully thought that I’d picked up my Wisteria Wide Trousers. Not so. In the chaos, it was the Midi Skirt that I grabbed (we can make you one, send me an email at customerservice@stalf.co.uk if you’d like to order.)

As it happens, I’ve really quite enjoyed stepping outside my chilly-weather-comfort-zone and pulling on a skirt in early March (and it worked just as well outfit-wise,) but the Wide Trousers might be a great alternative if midi skirts aren’t your thing.

Love it with the Coat Dress, but just as good with your winter coat:

Cardi= obligatory. That’s one early Spring purchase you won’t regret. Also comes in black and grey here.

5 Sometimes the simplest pairing is just the best…

…and this blouse needs no other accompaniment. What I will say is that it’s a brilliant layering piece, as demonstrated here and here. But if we’re chatting Flutter Blouse in its own right, I can say with hand on heart, I have reached for this blouse for all occasions.

Rain or shine.

…to welcome friends, dressed up in the evening, right through to just wanting a little something peeking out from under my winter jacket on a cold February school run. This one does it all and the white crosses version is my favourite iteration we have ever made. Ever!! I’m excited to wear it on long summer days with my most reliable denim shorts, or under a flowy dress.