The "Coat, Bag, Shoe" Theory in action

or: how to add interest to outfits when you're lazy, broke, or just bored with your wardrobe

Last week, I was out to dinner with a friend who was feeling frustrated and bored with her wardrobe, but also, like most people in the world — on a budget. So I told her about something I briefly mentioned in the first issue of Bad Influen¢e — the “coat, shoe, bag” theory. It’s so simple. In that context, I mentioned it in terms of being a “lazy dresser.” But when I was talking to my friend, I realized its applications are so much greater. So, let’s talk about that.

The “Coat, Bag, Shoe” theory (™ — me, circa 12.23, lol) works best in winter (bc, coats) but is a year-round device for dressing. And while there are dozens of Substacks, fashion magazines, and TikTokers you can turn to if you’re looking to spend more time, or put more effort into getting dressed: this is not that. My writing and general philosophies tend towards the opposite side of the aisle, especially since, I too, am always on a budget, and always in a rush.

If you are feeling broke or uninspired, if you are in a hurry, if you are having a bad body image day etc. etc. etc. — enter: the “Coat, Bag, Shoe” theory.

The day I started working on this post, it was around 20-something degrees in New York (full disclosure: I did not leave the house). Had I left the house though, most of the time I was out, you would have only seen my coat, bag, and shoes. That means that what I wore underneath wouldn’t matter so much.

[My go-to: jeans and a sweater. We can come back to this another time but my jeans could be Abercrombie or Citizens of Humanity — read: ‘higher’ or ‘lower’ — though I do obsess a bit about high-quality sweaters.]

My shoes would most likely be boots. The TL;DR girl math here is this: a semi-minimalist winter wardrobe needs: one or two high quality coats and a puffer, one or two nice, made-to-stomp-around pairs of boots, and one or two bags you love. My recommendation is that, for all of these items, you skew away from trends and towards classics, perhaps treating yourself to one trendier item in one category per season.

In addition to being the items you literally see the most — coats, bags and shoes are also obvious investment pieces and I’m a fan and believer of building a wardrobe built around classics you can return to year-after-year, over throwaway pieces that won’t last.

Here’s how it breaks down.