Remaking my wardrobe

It all started with The Row Roberta bra.

The smallest item The Row had, at the time, and the only thing I could afford.

It was my gateway drug to the brand.

I was already following the brand online. It was a natural hangover from following the designers throughout their entire lives, through the different facets of their careers.

But trying to attain anything from their eye-wateringly expensive line was far from my reach. Until that bra went on sale, and I just had to have it.

It changed the course of my wardrobe, forever.

The Roberta bra is a barely-there undergarment, which can also be worn as a bikini top; but for me, it was the impossibly thin straps and miniature gold hardware that sold it. As with everything The Row does, even the simplest item is done in a way that nobody else does it.

Once I snapped that tiny thing on, and slid a cotton shirt over the top, in a way which suggested that I didn't have a $400 bra on underneath, I was suddenly motivated to change everything in my wardrobe to that of impeccable taste and luxury.

That is the thing about The Row. The idea is not to grab attention for what is there; it almost does the opposite. Sure, that's the most expensive bra I ever intend to own, (spoiler alert: I went back for the white tulle one, when that went on sale, too); but it doesn't even look like it exists when it's on.

So what's the deal with spending $400 on thin air?

Well, nothing else can make a shirt sit like that. To disappear from view, whilst elevating everything else that resides atop. It has the ability to permeate its unbothered superiority in such a way you'll start to want to replace everything else, piece by piece, in a perfect marriage of impeccable design.

So I learned to sew.

I wanted a wardrobe of unassuming beauty, in the most luxurious fabrics I could afford, and made to fit my body.

Additionally, the beauty of minimal, barely-there pieces is that everything sits exquisitely; and there are no distractions of demarcation lines, like the unsightly bra clasp mid-spine that protrudes grotesquely as one bends to load the dishwasher.

Having imperceptible, bungy like straps that are only 4mm wide at most, instead of the flat, traditional bra straps that undo even the loveliest of singlet tops, by distracting from otherwise well-considered necklines and armholes with their chaos and messiness, also have a tendency to sit firmly in place on the shoulder.

Few things ruin an outfit more than the plastic sliding ring of an over-streched bra strap that has migrated down the arm, and out the sleeve. And that is no worse than the sight of intense foraging down the neckline to retrieve said strap, and hoisting it back into place.

Under garment scaffolding really ought to be as discreet as is feasible. I believe The Row have mastered this.

How I want my remade wardrobe to be/function:

I had to lay down some ground rules, for the sake of focus. It involved heavily investigating fabrics to find out which ones function the best, for required designs and environments.

I decided that all sweaters would be cashmere, with an allowance for fine knits, such as merino and cotton.

Tee shirts and tanks for summer are to be cotton, preferably organic and slightly crisp to the touch, and singlets and camisoles to be silk.

In terms of bottoms, denim is a must, and other pants are to be cotton, with the allowance for some leather.

These are my fabric foundations. Wool, cotton, silk and leather.

Summer is on the horizon and that is what I am currently designing for.

I have made functioning mock-ups of two items, inspired by The Row.

The first is a spaghetti strap camisole inspired by the Conny Top in Scuba.

I have made this in a synthetic jersey for the time being. I would like to remake it in a silk jersey, with the experience offered by this run-through. However, upon re-examining my current wardrobe, I am wondering if this would better serve me as swimwear. I have my sights on a plain black one piece, with a square neckline.

Currently hanging up, having never been worn, is a 100% silk camisole, not unlike this one, but without the square neckline.

(See what I mean about being hung up on the itty-bitty details?)

The mock-up I've made was designed by me - it did not originate from a pattern. It has a short lining where a shelf bra would go. It boasts a square neckline and the thinnest straps, to really highlight the often overlooked loveliness of a bared collarbone, and shoulders.

All seams are finished with a French seam to keep the interior tidy.

Inspired by the Gianico Silk and Cotton Top, I have made another mock-up that I would like to recreate in a silk or cotton jersey. This is also all about the neckline.

The mock neck top features a single seam back, and lowered armholes.

I am curious if a version in white would be a good idea.

Mock up in synthetic jersey - inspired by The Row Connie Top in scuba.

Mock up in synthetic jersey - inspired by The Row Gianico Top in cotton and silk.

Other considerations:

I love collections. I love clothing that is made to go together, like suiting, for example; but that which can also be worn individually, and mixed in with other pieces, just as well.

I also like a very bare colour palette. For anything I make that I really love, I am considering making an identical piece in another colour. So one in black, and one in white.

The two The Row bras are the cornerstone of this approach.

There's something about only owning exquisite pieces, but barely any of them, that gets me very excited!

I don't like chaos, fuss or clutter. To open a single wooden drawer and see two neatly folded items side by side, the yin and the yang, is very pleasing for me on all fronts.

A light tone for lighter colorways, and dark, obviously for the more opaque.

Starting with an underwear drawer is quite a good place because it's small, in and of itself, and so are the individual items. It's easier to see everything at a glance and start working toward the larger picture.

My next installment of this journey will detail two finished pieces that are two-thirds of a whole collection.

I am already thinking about the lighter-coloured companions.

Perhaps not white, but a soft grey? Or maybe sand...