You know the outfit. The jeans that always fit, the tee or jumper that goes with everything, the one you reach for without properly looking at it because your hand already knows where it lives in the wardrobe. On the mornings you’re rushed, tired or simply not up for a decision, it feels like the sensible choice. Low effort. Nothing to think about. One less thing.
I want to gently challenge that. Not because there’s anything wrong with comfort, but because the research on creativity suggests that the seemingly “low effort” outfit might be costing you more than it’s saving.
The Autopilot Trap
Here’s the thing about the safe, unthinking outfit. It doesn’t actually save you anything except thirty seconds. What it costs you is a small, missed opportunity, the kind that doesn’t show up immediately, which is exactly why it’s so easy to keep missing it.
Remember the University of Otago study I mentioned a few weeks ago, the one where 658 people kept a daily diary for 13 days. The finding that stuck with me most was the direction it ran. Doing something creative on one day predicted people feeling more enthusiastic and more “flourishing” the next day. Feeling good on a Tuesday didn’t make Wednesday more creative. The creative act had to come first.
Now think about what that means for the days you get dressed entirely on autopilot. You’re not doing anything wrong. But you are quietly skipping the one small deposit that research suggests pays off tomorrow. Do that often enough, and you’re not just having a “meh” outfit day. You’re missing a small, repeatable chance to feel better, on a day you probably could have used it.
The Late, Great Iris Apfel Said It
“If it’s going to stress you out to have a sense of style, don’t do it. The important thing is to be comfortable so you can get on with your life. But I do feel people miss a lot if that’s how they approach style. They miss out on this whole creative experience.” Iris Apfel
Sure sometimes dressing in your own uniform is fast and easy and may be OK to do when you have zero bandwidth (though I’d rather you had a bunch of go-to outfits that are way more stylish, yet require little brain space). But when it becomes a habit, you’re losing out on a creative act and a more stylish you.
Uniform dressing is not the same as creating your own fabulous fashion formula, which makes your ability to get dressed fast and easy, yet with more variety and interest.
Boring Isn’t Neutral, It’s a Missed Deposit
I think of it a bit like a savings account for your own mood. One creative outfit choice, even a tiny one, is a small deposit. Skip it, and you’re not exactly in the red, but you’re not accumulating anything either. Do that for months on end, jeans and jumper, jeans and tee, and it’s no wonder so many women tell me they feel flat about their wardrobe, even though nothing has technically gone wrong with it.
This is also why the “it’s just easier” excuse deserves a second look. If you read last week’s post, you’ll recognise what often drives the retreat into the safe uniform. It’s rarely genuine laziness. It’s usually the fear of getting it wrong, or the belief that if you can’t get the whole outfit perfectly right, you may as well not bother trying. The “boring” outfit isn’t really about ease. It’s often the fear from last week, wearing a very comfortable disguise.
The thing I’ve discovered over the past 20 years (and particularly the last 18 since I’ve been writing Inside Out Style) is that the more creative acts you do, the easier they become, and the more creative you become. When I started writing Inside Out, I worried I’d run out of ideas; instead, I have more ideas than ever. It’s the reverse of what I expected. This is why I believe we all need creative outfits.
Why This Isn’t About Trying Harder
I want to be careful here, because “just make more effort” is not useful advice, and it’s not what I’m suggesting. Nobody needs another thing on their morning to-do list that requires willpower (which research shows is a limited resource).
The actual fix isn’t more effort. It’s better structure or system, so the creative decision gets made once, in advance, rather than fresh every single morning when you have the least energy for it. That’s why 7 Steps to Style walks through personality, body, colour, lifestyle, style, wardrobe, and values as one connected system, rather than leaving you to reinvent your outfit logic from scratch each day. Once you know your Style Recipe and how your wardrobe pieces are meant to work together, the “creative” outfit stops requiring thought. It becomes the new autopilot. The outfit formula, rather than the same old uniform you fall back on by default, is simply a better one.
Seven Small Creative Deposits for This Week
Small, repeatable and low effort, the same way the research suggests they work best. Pick one a day and treat it as evidence-gathering, not a project.
- Interrupt the reach. Before you grab the usual default, pause for three seconds and change one single element of it on purpose.
- Give the uniform a day off. Choose one day this week to deliberately not wear the outfit you’d normally default to. Try doing something radically different if you date – it could be mixing patterns (which is simple when a stripe is one of the patterns).
- Add one small, deliberate detail. A statement earring, a coloured sock, a lipstick you never usually bother with, just enough to turn autopilot into intention. Adding a textured garment adds visual interest that smooth fabrics don’t. A pop of colour in an accessory or garment is another easy option.
- Choose tomorrow’s outfit tonight. With five unhurried minutes, rather than half asleep and already late.
- Name your true defaults. Notice which specific pieces you reach for purely out of habit, then swap just one of them for something you actually love.
- Pair one “boring” staple with one interesting piece. Let the staple do less work and the interesting piece do a bit more.
- Keep your own mini diary. One line each evening on how the day felt after a deliberate choice, versus how it felt on autopilot. You’re not just reading about the Otago study anymore, you’re quietly running your own version of it.
Your Next Step
If you’d like your “creative” outfit to become the new autopilot instead of something you have to think about every morning, that’s exactly what the full system in 7 Steps to Style is built to do.
More Tips on Becoming More Creative with Your Style
