WHAT WOULD MARTHA DO?

Martha Stewart’s attention to detail can be applied to your wardrobe,

“I spend a lot of time getting dressed every day. I always want my outfit to look perfect, so I end up standing in front of the mirror trying on tons of options and am chronically late. I like to look stylish, but is there a better way?” — Janette, Pickering

Let’s agree on one thing: Being late is not something you should be known for. It happens to us all, every now and again, when the subway stops unexpectedly, or you get a flat tire or your kid pukes on your shoes as you’re on the way out the door. But it should never be a character trait.

Luckily, the solution to being late is the same as the fix for your quandary about getting stuck in front of the mirror — but brace yourself, because it’s deeply unsexy: planning. You know in your heart how long it takes you to get out the door, so instead of pledging that it will take you less time today, plan for the reality and get in the shower earlier. “Insanity,” Einstein famously said, “is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

There are myriad life hacks on the internet that can also help you operationalize the way you dress. (For those who don’t use Pinterest: weirdly photogenic stills of shoe cubbies repurposed as dayof-the-week outfit dividers is pretty much the only thing Pinterest is good for.) But I think the most useful way to orchestrate a less stressful approach to dressing is to stop trying to put together flawless outfits and, instead, focus on finding perfect individual pieces. If you are working with a wardrobe full items that fit perfectly and are truly loved, every outfit will be a winner.

Your quest for perfection reminds me of a conversation I had with the legendary Martha Stewart, who is iconic in that respect. I chatted with her about how, in our slacker culture, perfection was becoming a dirty word. “I don’t fall for it,” she said in her appealing gravel. “I like the word perfect because I think it helps define the fact that what you’re teaching is really good and solid. We are listening to a lot of crap these days that is so factually incorrect and flawed. I really want to know what is truthful and honest and historical. I don’t want to embellish the facts.”

And it’s true, the lifestyle mogul is not one for flair. She covers over the signature red soles of her Christian Louboutin shoes with black paint. Stewart described the crimson soles as “sort of flashy” with a dismissive shrug of her broad shoulders, which, I have to say, delighted me endlessly. “They don’t look good to me,” she explained matter-offactly. “Christian Louboutin knows I do it. I don’t have his approval, but he knows I do it!”

I have some questions about Martha’s approach (like, why not just buy shoes from a luxury brand that doesn’t have red soles?) but I deeply admire her dedication to making sure every item in her wardrobe works for her. To borrow a theme from her many cookbooks: When every ingredient is of the finest quality, it’s pretty much a guarantee that the final dish will be delish.

I can’t tell you what sartorial ingredients should make up your wardrobe, because that is the most personal of choices. But I can tell you to cover your bases: Make sure you have black and white t-shirts that fit perfectly; don’t rest until you have a slim black pair of pants and tailored skirt that could take you anywhere; get a blazer that skims your shoulders and makes you feel powerful; don’t let another day pass without a perfect white shirt; accept that a shirt-dress is appropriate in every situation; and, please, make sure you have solid-wash jeans that fit like a glove and make you feel alive.

Keep to a handful of tones that work together ( jewel tones and neutrals, for example) so you can make sure that everything in your closet contributes to the final look.

Focusing on the pieces, rather than the outfit, lets you escape the stress of trying to use one item of clothing to cover up the flaws in another. (“Does this dress fit strangely at the waist? I’ll just throw a blazer over it. Wait, this blazer makes me feel boxy, but was on sale. I’ll take it off and try this belt I’ve never worn because I secretly hate the colour. Oh, look: I’m late again.”) It’s a classic no-win game of attempting to even things out, which, incidentally is the same reason I only made the mistake of trimming my own bangs once. Don’t stop looking for perfection, but do what Martha does: look for it in the details and the big picture will figure itself out.

“I like the word perfect because I think it helps define the fact that what you’re teaching is really good and solid.” MARTHA STEWART BUSINESSWOMAN