"Sushi is fish in haute couture"

A civilised weekend in Copenhagen. Dinner at Sticks’n’Sushi, which is a relatively unpretentious place when compared to some of the world renowned restaurants in the same city. However, an indulging skyline view and great company turn this space very special.

The waiters here wear t-shirts reading "Sushi is fish in haute couture” (translated from Danish).

Whilst in Copenhagen, a ‘special’ one asked me to write about people and their relationship with clothes.

No doubt there is a very strong correlation between food and clothes. If you love the finest, you eat the finest. Cuisine is art and so is fashion and, luckily, there is art for all! From the utmost Japanese deli fugu-fish to Valentino’s studs…Take your pick!

This is a topic which immediately makes me think of a capsule wardrobe. The idea of a capsule wardrobe is one in which you feel well and confident in everything that is in your wardrobe. In practical terms, a functional (or capsule) wardrobe means that one does not face the morning panic issue of “I have nothing to wear!”, despite standing in front of a jam-packed wardrobe. It is functional because all garments simply blend with each other, including accessories. This is the case also because the types of garments, colours and shapes are carefully suited to your lifestyle, colour palette and personal style.

Without purposely wishing to over-operationalise the philosophical element of this subject, I ought to, at this point, explore a bit further the deeper sense of connection between people and their clothes.

A lot of people find that their clothing is a way of expressing themselves. It is a way of remaining authentic, but also to portrait themselves in the way they want to be perceived. Often, it helps them to achieve certain objectives. This means that the social aspect of clothing can go as far as a tool to seek acceptance (or otherwise) from a social group. Evidently, social groups tend to define their norms, being that these normally include a specific way of dressing. Groups of individuals who intend to generate controversy or protest against norms will often utilise their image and clothes to convey this message too.

There are many other aspects relating to the connection between people and their clothes, but without wishing to rehearse them all here, I will mention a last one: the emotional connection. I am sure that we all have pieces in our wardrobes that mean a lot to us, either because they mark an anniversary, remind us of someone or symbolise a phase of our lives. This is one of the reasons the concept of ‘second-hand’ clothes sit well with some and not so well with others.

If you want to build a capsule wardrobe, then here are some quick tips you may wish to consider:

1. Build a wardrobe that is proportional to your lifestyle, i.e. if you spend most of your life attending fundraising black-tie balls, then your wardrobe should reflect this proportionally;

2. Understand your personality colours and colour palette, so you have a wardrobe that constantly emphasises the best in you;

3. Understand your body shape and shop in accordance;

4. Get rid of ill-fitting garments and accessories;

5. Dress today for the job you want tomorrow!