BASH
Every now and then, someone in the Joyfully Dressed group says something that makes me think, why didn’t I come up with that?
This was one of those moments.
Alice shared that her focus for the year was BASH.
At first I was like… what on earth is BASH?
Then she explained:
Basics. Accessories. Shoes. Hair.
And immediately I loved it and the focus on building around her existing wardrobe.
I often think JD is a bit of a layering process. You find out your colour season and body shape, and then you start to buy clothes that work for those things. The seasons change and you add pieces that still fit that foundation. The year comes round again, and instead of starting from scratch, you’re layering onto what you already have.
It takes time and thought, but before you know it you’ve built a wardrobe that really feels like you.
BASH is a brilliant way of thinking about that process.
Basics
Basics change depending on the season and on who you are, what might be a basic for one person, say a white shirt, might not be for you, if your never going to wear a white shirt!
Finding your basics is so helpful, they help to ground an outfit and give you somewhere to start. They’re the pieces that quietly hold everything else together.
A useful question to ask here is: “Would this unlock more outfits using clothes I already own?”
If the answer is no, it might not be a basic for you, even if it’s labelled that way elsewhere.
Some ideas of where to start for spring:
A lighter layer you can add and remove easily (a fine knit, denim shirt, or lightweight cardigan)
A pair of trousers or jeans you genuinely reach for during the week
A simple top that works on its own and under layers
One easy dress or skirt that doesn’t need “saving” for best
A spring jacket that works with most of what you already own (I'll be doing a joydrop on spring jackets next week)
These aren’t things you have to buy, just some ideas of starting points.
And remember your basics don’t have to be neutral tones they can also be colourful, it just depends how you like to put outfits together e.g. inverted triangles might stick to more colourful basics on their bottom half, and neutral on their top half.
Accessories
There is a lot of great jewellery in the shops at the moment. Big, bold pieces are having a moment, which is great news for those who love them (including me). But trends come and go when it comes to accessories, and this is one area where I really believe it’s worth buying what you actually love not just what’s trending. If big and bold isn’t for you, then 100% skip it.
Accessories don’t wear out in the same way clothes do, so a jewellery collection can last for years.
It’s worth asking:
“Does this elevate outfits I already wear, or do I just like it on its own?”
For me, I know I love big, bold, colourful jewellery mixed in with smaller metallic pieces, so that’s what I always keep an eye out for, regardless of whether it’s ‘in’ or not.
Scarves are also everywhere right now. These are the kind of items that move in and out of trend constantly, which makes them a really sensible buy. They can make an outfit feel intentional with very little effort.
Shoes
I love building myself a small shoe wardrobe.
As a triangle, I tend to stick to darker shoes and buy them mostly in my dark neutral colours (black or dark brown), because I find these the most versatile, but each of us will be working on a different set of rules of what feels good and what works for our body shape.
Shoes tend to get a lot of use, so price per wear is usually good, and these are the sort of thing I love to layer up over season to season (I have talked about this before) If it’s the start of your JD journey this might be a new concept, but the idea is to start buying a more basic simple shoe (that will work with a lot of your outfits) and then next season you can buy a more fun colourful version to build up your shoe wardrobe. Obviously if you can afford it you can buy more than one type each season, but this just helps us to expand our wardrobe in a realistic way.
A helpful filter here is: “Is this solving a gap in my wardrobe, or duplicating what I already default to?”
You don’t need loads, just a few different types of shoes can make your wardrobe feel far more versatile.
Hair
I know personally that when my hair looks the way I want it to, I feel instantly better in my clothes. That usually comes down to a few simple things:
Regular haircuts
Even small trims make a difference. Letting it grow too far past that point often makes everything harder.A realistic haircut
We’ve all left the hairdresser feeling amazing, only to realise at home that we don’t have the time, tools, or patience to recreate it.Simple, repeatable styles
If you like wearing your hair up or styled, it’s worth practising a few options you know you can actually do — and that make you feel good.
Hair doesn’t have to be complicated to change how an outfit feels.
Alice on BASH
“My goal for 2026 is to focus on BASH.
For basics, I'm looking for items that will unlock new outfits that are centred around items I already own.
Accessories to elevate what I already own. My first purchase of 2026 was a burgundy scarf (my happy colour). It makes outfits with my winter coat feel more intentional.
Shoes are something I've always scrimped on. I don't want trainers to be my default, particularly for the office. The frugal part of me has always struggled to justify shoes that I can't rack up miles of walking in. Time to work on that.
Hair is always going to be a tricky one. Right now I don't have the time or the skills, but the difference it makes to an outfit makes me want to change that. Maybe I start with a claw clip or a neater bun.
Overall, I want 2026 to be the year where I shop slowly and intentionally. I'm looking for refinement rather than reinvention.”
You don’t need to work on all of this at once.
Even choosing one part of BASH to focus on is enough to make getting dressed feel easier.
And if you’ve been in JD a while, you’ll probably recognise this shift already, less about adding, more about refining.
If you want to, it’s interesting to notice: which part of BASH feels most relevant for you right now?
Related JoyDrops:
If you are loving all the Style mindset JoyDrops then you might want to take a peek at these other articles:
Uncanny Vally - Looking at how the celebrity's of today have changed so drastically from the 00’s and why that is
Is something basic ruining your look - A look under the clothes, yes this joy drops all about underwear