Quick question before you scroll:

If you packed 3 bottoms and 5 tops for a week away, how many outfits would you get?

The answer depends on your tops.

If each top only goes with one pair of pants, you get 5.

If every top goes with all 3 bottoms, you get 15 outfits.

Same 8 pieces in your suitcase. A very different experience getting dressed every morning.

🧮 Tops are where your outfits multiply.

When each top goes with all your pants, you'll have so many options to wear every day. You seriously get dressed in 5 minutes.

But when a top only goes with one pair, you get 1 outfit. That's it.

And this doesn't only happen in your suitcase. It happens in your closet every day.

You have a top you love. It looks great on the hanger, but you never know what to wear it with.

So you buy pants to go with it. And those pants only go with that top.

Now you have 2 pieces and 1 outfit.

That's how you end up multiplying your closet problems instead of your outfits.

📸 Grab your 6 pieces (from last week's "homework")

​Remember last week's email? You picked 3 bottoms and 3 tops that go with all of them. Grab them, or pull up the photo you took.

Those 3 tops already go with all 3 bottoms. That's 9 outfits right there.

⏱️ Now find 2 more tops (5 minutes)

Set a timer for 5 minutes ⏱️ and look for 2 more tops in your closet that go with all 3 of your bottoms.

Found them? 5 tops x 3 bottoms = 15 outfits 🪄

15 outfit possibilities instead of 9. Just by adding TWO pieces!

And you didn't buy a single thing.

Couldn't find 2 tops that worked? That's okay. Write down what you were looking for (color, shape, fabric) and that's your shopping list.

One piece, not a random haul. So the next time you shop, you know exactly what you're looking for.

🔍 How to spot a top that goes with everything

They usually have 3 things in common:

• Soft fabric. Comfortable all day.
• A simple shape. Nothing to fuss with.
• A color (or print) that works with all your pants.

Yes, prints count too! Here's a trick: look for your pants' colors inside the print.

A floral top with black, cream and olive in it will go with black, cream and olive pants. And dark jeans go with almost everything!

💡 Why this matters

Every top that goes with all your pants makes your next trip easier to pack. And your regular mornings easier too.

That's what we're building, one Thursday at a time: a closet you can pack from without thinking about it twice.

Hit reply and tell me: What's the one top you love but never wear?

Tell me everything: what it looks like, why you bought it, and what happens when you try to wear it.

Your replies truly help me shape future emails. I want to hear if packing is hard because of your closet.

Next Thursday: your colors 🎨 (I'm not an expert, but I'll teach you what I know and how to figure this out for yourself)

Thanks so much for being here. Send in ANY questions :)

XO,

Aimara

>> PS: Want to see how this works in real life? Here are the tops and bottoms from the first packing list I'm testing for Italy right now.

I was able to pack fast because my closet already works for me.

Every top goes with every bottom: 4 bottoms x 7 tops = 28 outfits 🪄

Bottoms (4)

• ​Black cropped ponte pants​
• ​Burgundy silk skirt​
• ​Faded black studded jeans​
• ​Athleta pants​

Tops (7)

• ​White merino V-neck base layer​
• ​Black cashmere tank​
• ​Light pink cashmere t-shirt​
• ​Black bodysuit​
• ​Striped cashmere crewneck​
• ​Black shrunken cashmere sweater. Great with high waisted bottoms and over dresses.
• ​Cream cashmere turtleneck. The neck isn't a true turtleneck like on the website, but I still like it, especially for Europe.

Notice the colors? 👀 That's what we're going to talk about next week!

I shared layers, shoes and accessories in this email if you want the full packing list.