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I gave myself a rule about black. Then I broke it.
A few years ago I made a conscious choice to stop wearing black. I wanted to understand colour, explore it, stop hiding behind the safe option.
The choice made sense at the time. But somewhere along the way the choice became a rule – and I kept following it long after it stopped being mine.
That’s when I realised: I wasn’t making a decision anymore. I was just obeying something I’d created.
This is a video about what happens when the rules you make for yourself start making decisions for you – and what it feels like to break out of that. It’s also about seven garments I made from the same black cotton linen blend fabric and why I made them.
Personal style is not a box you put yourself into.
It’s your ability to make choices.
Rules are useful in the beginning – they create structure, they help you figure out what works. But if you never move past them, they start limiting you.
The real shift for me wasn’t about black at all. It was this:
I stopped being loyal to some idea of who I was supposed to be.
And I started being loyal to myself.
You don’t have to stay loyal to a version of yourself that doesn’t serve you anymore. Your wardrobe should evolve with you. It’s called personal style for a reason. It’s supposed to be personal.
What I made:
– Black cotton linen dress
– Culottes
– Shorts
– Three shirts
Seven garments. Same fabric. Every one of them exactly what I wanted.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – The rule I gave myself about black
00:34 – How a choice becomes a rule
01:03 – I’m not making a choice anymore. I’m just following it.
01:09 – How personal style becomes a box
01:26 – Why rules are useful – and where they stop being useful
02:15 – The fabric I kept circling around for months
02:39 – The lid opened – I made a black dress
03:00 – Then I wanted more. But the rule said no.
03:18 – I broke it anyway
03:44 – Seven garments from the same fabric
04:03 – What this taught me about my own style
04:22 – Why one capsule wardrobe doesn’t work for me
04:41 – Multiple smaller capsules – the pressure this removed
05:03 – Rules create a base. Joy comes when you know when to break them.
05:49 – Working with the same fabric isn’t limiting. It’s liberating.
05:56 – I stopped being loyal to an idea. I started being loyal to myself.
06:09 – You don’t have to stay loyal to a version of yourself that doesn’t serve you.
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