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How to lighten up your look

by Annie Mazzola

Let’s not kid ourselves: there’s a longing for lightness. In life, at work and in your wardrobe. I often enjoy reading horoscopes; I don’t really believe them, but I like the insights they offer into what the stars (or whoever speaks for them) might say about me and what the future holds in terms of health, love and work.

Spoiler: while sometimes, inexplicably, the predictions are spot on, other times they’re completely off the mark. In any case, whether you’re an Aries, a Gemini or a Scorpio, rest assured that at some point whilst reading your horoscope, you’ll come across a sentence along the lines of “Now you understand what really matters, you know who your people are, so now you’re free to LET GO, because what you deserve is: LIGHTNESS”.

Lightness? To live better? Wow, as cutting-edge as spring flowers – if you know, you know. And while simplifying our lives isn’t something that happens overnight, but rather requires a commitment almost equivalent to another full-time job, we can at least try to streamline our wardrobe, both at home and on those days when, precisely to lighten the load, we decide to get away and switch off from our daily routine.

But how do you lighten a look? Especially for those of us who are creatures of habit, who can barely imagine ourselves outside that comfort outfit that’s anything but light. Dresses, my friend. Shirts. And skirts, plenty of them!

Start with the practicality of a dress: it takes up very little space in your wardrobe, yet it’s a complete look in itself, a foundation you can build on with a single accessory and, when the season calls for it, an outer layer. Travelling? Hand luggage only? It’s the ideal choice. A single item, a complete, lightweight outfit that doesn’t take up too much space in your backpack and which, enhanced by a few clever touches, can be completely transformed. Here’s a little Annie trick: a simple T-shirt worn under a dress, whether with thin or wider straps. By day, a bit of layering will tone down even the most elegant dress; and in the evening, off with the T-shirt, add pendant earrings and you’ll feel like you’re wearing something you’ve never worn before.

And if you think this trick doesn’t work with shirts, you’re wrong. Oversized shirts are a welcome addition: worn with a belt, they flatter the waist, but without the belt and fully unbuttoned, they become a jacket-style piece to wear over trousers or the basic T-shirt mentioned earlier.

And shall we say a few words about skirts, which I’ve all too often underestimated? Light, practical and versatile. I’m all for an oversized T-shirt falling softly over a skirt for a more comfortable, carefree look, perhaps with a pair of smart trainers to finish it off, but I’m equally keen on a mini skirt paired with a cropped shirt or tucked into the skirt – it changes the whole silhouette but always makes us feel at ease. Quick, practical, lightweight choices that take up little space and still have presence, even if they’re not perfectly ironed. What more could you ask for?