Style Workshop Week 7: Build Your Wishlist
Be honest: how many shopping cart tabs do you have open right now? No judgment, we’ve all been there. Mindlessly scrolling through all 213 pages of the Net-A-Porter sale while catching up on Emily in Paris is the ultimate fashion junk food. The trouble starts when “just browsing” turns into clicking checkout without really checking anything out.
This week, let’s close those tabs—at least until you’ve built an intentional wishlist of items that would help unlock more of your wardrobe and even better nail your style.
A wishlist is your roadmap, helping bridge your current wardrobe with your newly redefined style. It’s your shield against shiny distractions, keeping you focused on the pieces that’ll give your closet the most bang for its buck. On the flip side, if you struggle making big purchases, your wishlist provides that extra assurance that you’ve really thought it through.
The goal is to reach a point where it’s mostly your finely-tuned taste that limits your shopping rather than your budget. When you’re laser-focused on your wardrobe goals, you might naturally shop less—but when you do, your purchases will hit the mark more often. It’s about shopping smarter, not more.
The Lesson
Why build a wardrobe wishlist?
Ever gone into a grocery store without a list and ended up with way more food than you could ever eat? Clothes shopping works the same way. Without a clear plan, you’ll almost certainly end up with things you don’t wear.
Right now, you're in a particularly vulnerable spot after refining your ideal style and clearing out your closet. It would be like going grocery shopping without a list and ravenously hungry! This is the time to be extra intentional about what you add to your wardrobe so you don’t end up right back where you started.
A wishlist helps you stay focused. It’s your shield against impulse buys, giving you space to check the idea against your style words or even give it a spin in your digital wardrobe
Plus, it helps you prioritize, especially if you're working with a budget. When it’s all laid out like a roadmap, you can make better decisions about how to sequence your purchases. You’ll also be able to decide which pieces are worth investing more in versus which you’d rather wait for a deal on.
And when a rare opportunity comes up, you'll be ready. Fashion isn’t only about the essentials, but navigating special, one-of-a-kind pieces can be daunting. A wishlist shouldn’t limit you from buying something unique. In fact, it actually opens you up to chance encounters. Next time you stumble on the perfect vintage high-waisted corduroy pants you’ve been looking for, you’ll be able grab them without a second thought.
What is a wardrobe wishlist?
Your wishlist is a list of items you’d like to add to your wardrobe, with a focus on pieces that will make your newly curated closet work harder for you. In other words, it’s about adding items that unlock new outfits and give you the highest return on investment in fully achieving your styling words.
That said, your wishlist doesn’t have to be 100% practical—it’s also a space to park items you’re coveting just for fun. Because fun can help you achieve your words, too!
There are only two critical rules for your wishlist:
Generate it independently. The goal is to take back control. This isn’t about being swayed by a brand’s latest drop or an influencer’s sales pitch. Start with a blank page, not by browsing a shopping site.
Focus on general, not specific items. Think broad: “white poplin button-up” or “square-toe ballet flats.” We’ll get into specific brands and actual pieces later, but first, you need to nail down the type of item you’re after without getting bogged down by one version or another.
This process should be generative, not reactive. The idea is to identify the types of items that fit your wardrobe goals before opening up any shopping tabs or hitting the stores.
Here, Co-Founder Devon explains a specific example how she uses her wishlist:
Your wishlist will look different from anyone else’s—and that’s exactly how it should be. It’s a reflection of your unique personal style, not some generic “Capsule Wardrobe Checklist.” We’re here to guide you through the process of identifying which items will give you the highest return on investment in building your ideal wardrobe.
The Homework
At Indyx, we know that style is about so much more than shopping. On the other hand, we can’t resist a Pretty Woman moment—or a Crazy, Stupid Love moment. Honestly, we’d let Ryan Gosling take us shopping any day.
This homework will be fun, but from one recovering shopaholic to another, proceed with caution. To all the Rebecca Bloomwoods out there, take notes!
Step 1: Revisit your inspiration board
The work you put into your inspiration board in Week 2 & 3 continues to pay off, as your board has a ready-made clear vision of your aspirational style. And so, is the perfect resource to draw on to identify items that would help complete your wardrobe. Ask yourself:
What types of items (clothing, shoes, or accessories!) appear frequently on my inspiration board? Do I already have a version of that item or is it missing?
What colors appear frequently? Does my wardrobe already reflect that balance, or should I work to shift my palette with future purchases?
Are there other commonalities in styling, hair, or makeup that I can start to adopt?
Step 2: Build outfits and identify the missing pieces
You might have already started styling new outfits with your digital wardrobe - it’s addictive! But if you haven’t had the time or are pacing yourself, now is the time to try your hand at creating outfits in your digital wardrobe.
You should aim, of course, to build outfits that are hitting all of your three words. For those that aren’t quite hitting the mark, ask yourself: what item would help the outfit achieve all three words and make this look more you?
Or, you might encounter more of a logistical problem. Are there certain items that are you having trouble combining into multiple outfits? What additional items could you add that would ‘unlock’ those outlying pieces into many more outfits?
If you’re having trouble getting inspired to create outfits, having an occasion in mind can help you. The best way to do this is to look at what you’ve got coming up in your calendar, but we’ll also give you some ideas to get you started. And, don’t forget to think about building outfits that would work for all the seasons you experience in your city.
A big work presentation or conference
Brunch with your friends
Dinner with your parents
Night out with the girls
Visiting a museum
Running weekend errands
Working from home
Step 3: Build a List
When you add an item at this stage, just give it a general description. For example, black boots might be a little too vague, but tall black heeled boots create a much better image of what you are looking for.
It’s that simple! If you are feeling like going above-and-beyond, you can start to think about how you might want to prioritize your list. Which items are you just dying to have now vs. which are more of a cherry-on-top where you are fine to wait for just the right one to come along?
One small piece of advice on prioritizing: we tend to find that if anything, most folks are under-accessorized. The truth is that most of us are *pretty* well covered when it comes to the basic building blocks of clothing. But dollar-for-dollar, a new accessory - a bag, pair of shoes, belt, scarf, piece of jewelry, etc - will do more to add versatility, variety, and personality to your look than yet another pair of jeans.
As a preview to next week, we’ll emphasize that you should not expect to fulfill your wishlist all at once! It is much better if - even now that you have a clear roadmap - you take your time to find just the right thing. But, next week we’ll get to sourcing the very top priorities on your list.
The Indyx Team’s Homework
Below is this week’s homework as completed by the Indyx Team.
(Note: the team did this on a prior version of the app. You can now find the upgraded wishlist feature by navigating within your wardrobe to the Collections tab, and then the Wishlist folder. We recommend creating a separate Wishlist for each type of item you’re thinking of).
Until next week…
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