Simplify Styling: Get An Anchor Piece

I’m on a mission to simplify the way we style clothes and create outfits that just make us feel gorgeous! On this corner of Substack, I’m going to be sharing styling techniques that you can easily understand and put into play right away. My goal is to make you fall in love with your wardrobe again and simplify the process of getting dressed without always second-guessing if it’s working or not.

Let the styling help begin…

If you’ve ever put on an outfit that felt fine, but it also felt incomplete. Like something was missing, and it was just whatever. One main reason it’s feeling off could be that you didn’t start with an anchor piece, or aka hero piece.

An anchor piece is the item in your outfit that does the heavy lifting. It’s also a piece that can be styled in multiple outfits.

Styling around the anchor piece honestly makes putting an outfit together so much easier. You won’t end up doing mental gymnastics in front of your closet:adding accessories, swapping shoes, questioning everything… and still feeling slightly off.

Snapshot of what an anchor piece is:

• It sets the vibe of the outfit, think of how you want people to see the outfit: polished, relaxed, modern, feminine, authoritative

• Creates a clear focal point, instead of the outfit feeling all over the place.

• Gives the outfit structure so it doesn’t feel flat or unfinished, essentially, you don’t have that feeling of something is missing

• Allows the rest of the pieces to stay simpler

Think of it as the outfit’s center of gravity. It’s also important to note that the anchor piece can also be shoes or an accessory. For instance, if you’re planning a simple outfit, maybe it’s all black, the anchor piece can easily be statement earrings for impact or an interesting necklace stack. Can you see how that would then be the center of the outfit?

Examples:

The anchor piece is not

These are more emotional factors rather than styling techniques, but important to note.

• A trendy item you’re unsure how to style

• A “safe” basic you default to every day

• Something you’re using to distract from an outfit you don’t love

If you’re just randomly piling on accessories to make an outfit work, you probably don’t have a real anchor.

Styling Tips For The Anchor:

Most women start with a top and build outward.

• Start with the anchor (the blazer, the pants, the shoe)

• Choose a color story around the anchor; it doesn’t always need to be the obvious choice. Think about tonal dressing, color blocks, there are so many more options than just black, white, or grey.

• Keep the supporting pieces quieter (unless your vibe is more maximalist, remember personal style is going to win)

• Make sure whichever anchor piece you choose works from a proportion standpoint with the other garments.

  This is where I see a lot of clients having a harder time styling themselves; they haven’t invested in a few good anchors! I’m talking about that staple denim jacket, the blazer, the gorgeous leather. They’re buying without thinking about outfits as a whole.

This all sounds good, but let me explain how to spot the anchor in your outfit:

Ask yourself:

• If I removed this one piece, would the outfit fall apart-feel flat?

• Is this where my eye goes first?

• Does this piece feel intentional, or just familiar?

  
  

Let’s Practice: Find Your Anchor Pieces

This is a 10–15 minute exercise that will immediately show you why getting dressed feels harder than it should.

Step 1: Pull Your “Almost” Outfits

Think about the outfits you wear that feel:

• Fine, but forgettable

• Put-together, but not you

• Easy, but never exciting

  (Examples black trousers, and silk blouse or straight leg jeans and a sweater)

Now go to your closet and pull 3–5 outfits you wear on repeat that fall into this category.

Lay each one out completely, top, bottom, shoes, bag.

Step 2: Ask the Anchor Question

For each outfit, ask:

If I removed one piece, would the outfit fall flat (aka boring)?

• If the answer is yes → that piece is likely the anchor

• If the answer is no → the outfit doesn’t have one

It’s not WRONG if your outfit doesn’t have one, but this is a reason why you do feel like your outfit is missing something. Again, this could be the right belt to tie it all together, it could be the cardigan over the shoulders, the blazer- it’s the piece though, that ties it all together, and you intentionally brought it into the outfit.

Step 3: Identify What’s Doing the Heavy Lifting

Now look across all the outfits and notice patterns.

Which pieces try to anchor your looks?

You’ll usually see one of these categories attempting to lead:

• A blazer or jacket

• A specific pair of pants or jeans

• Shoes

• A bag

Ask yourself:

• Does this piece actually feel intentional, or just familiar?

• Am I relying on it because it’s strong… or because it’s safe?

This distinction matters, and it matters if you’ve found yourself in a style rut. Now you’re starting to see that your wardrobe is just familiar and safe, but you don’t love it. This is a whole other topic for another day! 😩

Step 4: Spot the Gap

Now the most important question:

Do I own enough real anchor pieces for my actual life?

Most women discover one of two things:

1. Their anchors are outdated for who they are now (a bunch of fitted blazers but they’re a SAHM and super casual life)

2. They barely have any at all (all basics and nothing interesting)

This is why outfits feel “meh” no matter how much you own.

Step 5: Rebuild One Outfit, Anchor First

Choose one outfit you wear often and rebuild it backwards:

1. Start with the strongest piece you own (jacket, pants, shoes, or bag)

2. Keep everything else intentionally simple

3. Stop as soon as the outfit feels done, not styled, not accessorized, just complete

See how much easier that was to build out?!

That’s why this is just one simple technique to bring into your wardrobe! This is a way to get dressed when you aren’t really sure how to elevate your outfit. Just start by styling around that one piece, and as you get more comfortable, you’ll introduce other techniques! The goal is to keep it easy for you and not settle on what you’re wearing because you think it’ll be too frustrating.

So, now what?

If this exercise showed you that:

• Your closet is full of “supporting characters.”

• Your outfits lack a clear focal point

Then now you have an easy styling technique to have in your pocket. Think of your outfit as a formula, that way you aren’t confused.

Let me know if this resonated with you! I want to hear from you! xx