Monthly High-Five//009

A countdown of 5 things on my mind for this January

Hi Readers,

Welcoming you all into a brand new year! I hope each of you have a brilliant 2025 ✨ - one full of beautiful new memories, opportunities, learnings, and growth.

When it comes to my own style and wardrobe, I’ve set an intention to refine my style POV in 2025 with less focus on instant gratification.

It feels much too easy to come across a link or shopping newsletter and instantly ‘add to cart’ these days. I fully see the benefit — as a stylist, I am a resource for my clients who don’t have the time or energy to shop, want to discover new brands, or need guidance on the best quality/fit/shapes that work for their preferences and lifestyle. And I know others look forward to the links I do provide in this newsletter to navigate all the options out there so I promise to continue to share with balance and intention.

But what I know about myself is that I love the thrill of the chase and the art of discovery — hunting down my elusive finds from wishlists’ past, finding secondhand steals, and supporting newer small brands. It’s something I lost sight of a bit in 2024 (yes, I get just as influenced as everyone else!) so I’m leaning more into those aspects of my personal style that feel authentic to me. Progress, not perfection!

Read more about my style resolution and many other great ideas from some of my favorite Substack fashion writers here!

Fashion Substack's Brightest Share Their 2025 Style Resolutions

As it relates to The Found Journal, in the spirit of being a “styling-over-shopping” newsletter first, I’m going to focus on style and wardrobe topics that we can exercise this month other than shopping!

I know a lot of you are doing ‘No-Buy’ months to start the year off, and others may still be feeling limited with their existing wardrobes, so this will hopefully inspire some creativity and gratitude for the things we already own, or re-introduce you to aspects of your style you may have overlooked. To kick things off, I’m excited to introduce my first style challenge this month which you can learn about below!

5 old pieces from my closet I’m loving

This part of the High-Five is usually dedicated to new pieces I’ve been eyeing but instead of trying to find “what’s new and missing”, I’ve been leaning on repeating old favorites from my closet this Winter (along with wearing PJs all day, multiple days in a row). I always say you don’t need a huge wardrobe to make great outfits — you just need to find the pieces that speak to your style and get creative on how you are styling them!

1// Lauren Manoogian’s essential sweater coat - this piece ebbed and flowed throughout my style evolutions but still resonates with me so much after many years on my wishlist. 2// My very old vintage RL sweatshirt thrifted in college (similar here, here, and here) 3// My beloved Vince leather culottes purchased 7 years ago. I’ve never found another pair as perfect as these for me and I wear them every year. 4// old Wardrobe NYC menswear plaid coat that helps bring some pattern into my wardrobe 5// old Flattered loafers (soft and light with no break-in required)

4 ways I’ve been styling these pieces

Leather pants seem like an odd choice to wear in between PJ days but I’ve had these for so long and they have a slouchy fit so they feel like second skin when I wear them. As easy and unfussy as a pair of legging IMO if you just treat them like any other bottom! Look 1// I add a belt sometimes and tuck my tee or sweater behind the buckle (an easy tip if you don’t have belt loops! Worn with my old Quince cashmere, vintage belt, and Flattered loafers). Style your shoes with a sheer black sock for a refined look. Works best with any dark color bottom + shoe as it creates a continual line down your body. Look 2 + 3// Create textural interest paired with cozy chunky sweaters (COS and Loulou Studio). Swap your shoe to change the tone and feel (suede slides for day, patent heel for night). Look 4// Navy + Black will forever be chic in my book! (Worn with my old beloved Camilla & Marc coat).

I’ve worn my plaid coat and vintage RL sweatshirt together many days on repeat lately. I love the very casual sporty sweatshirt piece with a very structured polished piece. Look 1// Worn with stirrup leggings and same Flattered loafers for an easy on-the-go look. Look 2// Paired with a statement belt, favorite light wash jeans, and a triangle scarf for a day running around the city. Look 3// Paired with the same old Quince cashmere + slouchy Cordera cords for a weekend with friends Look 4// Paired with an old cashmere bodysuit, old Levi’s, same vintage belt, and velvet ballet flats.

Side Note: I wore a variation of the same looks above for 4 days in NYC (snapshot of what I packed above). I find traveling a great way to practice restyling and remixing the same pieces in different ways. And it helps with space!

A cozy sweater that doubles as a robe. I wear this a lot in the Fall but it’s been on constant repeat in and out of the house this past month. Look 1// Softening the edginess of my leather pants for a party look. Wore my Flattered loafers during the day and just switched into a pointed heel + earrings for the evening. Same sheer sock tip as above! Look 2// WFH look - Works similar to a great coat when you just need an impactful layer over a basic tee + jeans. Look 3// Sweater robe as a belted coat! Paired with same stirrup leggings + loafers. Look 4// Quickest way to expedite your chic is to do a monochrome base! Winter white base layer + snow shoes for a day running around town.

3 STYLE PROMPTS FOR 2025

Here’s 3 actions you can try this month to help you set some style intentions. Letting go of things, both physically and mentally, can be hard to do as it feels like we are letting go of a version of who we were. I hope these prompts can help you honor the past while leaving space for spontaneity and the person you are becoming!

Tip #1: DECLUTTER AND RE-ENERGIZE

I, like many, have been editing and decluttering my living spaces during the holiday break. I think it’s a nice self-care ritual to provide some momentum at the start of the year and to align our space with the energy that can support our intentions, values, and goals. I’m a big believer that if we set our space/wardrobe/habits to reflect who we are trying to grow into, we will naturally move in the direction we want to go.

If you find yourself editing out pieces in your closet, take the space to see how each of the pieces make you feel. Do they energize you, or drain your energy, every time you see it in your wardrobe? Does it support who you are trying to grow into, or does it keep you fixed to an outdated version of yourself?

If you are interested in learning more, stay tuned to next week where I’ll be sharing a more detailed ‘Wardrobe Edit’ guide.

Tip #2: IDENTIFY YOUR STYLE BLOCKS

Reflect on aspects of your daily dressing that you felt were holding back on expressing yourself fully. Stepping into our authentic style is never actually about the clothes. It’s about how we want to express ourselves and articulating that through what we wear.

• Did you default to wearing certain colors or shapes because they helped you feel hidden, or less seen?

• Did you buy a lot for your fantasy version of self, whether it’s a future or past version?

• Did you frequently buy things because they looked good, or cool, on others? Maybe you weren’t fully sure after buying but still found a way to convince yourself rather than returning it.

• Did you reach for your “safe” pieces more often than you wanted? I always talk to my styling clients about how wearing the same go-to outfit day-in and day-out is never a bad thing. Outfit repeating is actually an incredibly freeing feeling. It’s when we start to wear things because they feel like the only option that it becomes a problem. Remember, we get to choose what we wear each day! You just have to actively decide to do it and always know you have the choice to choose whatever it is you want to wear.

If any of this resonates, take this as a sign that you might be ready to evolve and up-level your style! ¹

Tip #3: Intentionally Curate a Wishlist

To my point above about removing some instant satisfaction, I like to start the beginning of each season with a wish list. I usually just capture it in my iPhone notes and curate and refine and prioritize throughout the season but to be honest, it starts to get messy by the end of the season!

Recently, I downloaded Carted. What I like about this app is the ability to curate, organize, and track your wishlists in real time. This isn’t sponsored in anyway - I just discovered it and love the features so far!

My current wishlists are broken out by “Love” and “Nice To Have” to help prioritize my gaps + absolute musts while still leaving room to be inspired. What I love so far is the ability to break out your wish lists (you can do “Home”, “Beauty”, “Bags” etc). The app also tracks your items throughout the season - a game changer in helping to avoid panic or impulse shopping as it can set a clear visual guide of your priorities (especially around sales season!)

1 ‘Shop Your Wardrobe’ January Challenge!

I’m excited to introduce a January challenge focused on styling over shopping. Maybe you are doing a “No-Buy” month, or maybe you are still feeling limited heading into the year with a wardrobe that always leaves you feeling like you have ‘nothing to wear’.

The goal of the challenge is simple: To help you get re-inspired by pieces already sitting in your wardrobe. To reignite your creativity. To play. To nurture the idea of dressing for self-care.

You will see some of the prompts repeated throughout. One of the quickest ways to get to know your style is repetition and iteration so I’ve built opportunities for that within the challenge.

Here’s how it will work:

1. Screenshot the challenge card and save in a new album on your phone.

2. Complete the style prompt for each day, take an outfit selfie, and save to the same album. Drop in comments to yourself based on how you feel each day — maybe happy, proud, motivated, inspired or ready to let go, unsure, nervous…whatever you are feeling!

3. If you feel inclined, head over to our Chat where I’ll be kicking off each morning with a thread for the daily challenge and my own outfit selfie so we can all can share our look of the day. Come for the accountability and support, stay for the real life style inspiration!

4. At the end of the challenge, review your outfits from the month and reflect. What surprised you? What felt innate? What was holding you back? What are the key gaps you can now intentionally shop for?

Feel like skipping a day? That’s ok! Feel inspired to switch prompts? Go for it! Feeling stuck or unsure of your outfit? Send me a DM, or drop a photo in our thread, and I can help you problem solve in real time.

See you in the chat starting tomorrow where we’ll kick off Day 1!

Happy New Year and see you next Sunday!

xx,

Angie

1. Were you ready to evolve your style yesterday but unsure where to start? My Spring waitlist for my signature Style Reset service is opening soon and I’ll be taking on 6 new clients this season. I’ll lead you through every step of the way - from envisioning, to editing, to curating, shopping, and styling so you can step into the version of you that reflects who you are today. Book a free call so I can learn more about your current style challenges and help you reach your goals!