I spend way too much time thinking about how to make an outfit interesting. It’s not that I don’t know what to wear, not exactly, rather the problem is that I put an outfit on and it lacks the UMPF that I desire. Without sounding too self-serving, I’m putting on a minimalist outfit and wanting it to be midimalist.
Enter the HERO item.
For some people “Hero item” calls to mind an old stand-by, the item in your wardrobe that is like a trusted friend. But I want to expand on that idea because, in my mind, the hero item is the one piece of clothing that is a punch to the face to make an outfit.
Previously I’ve talked about the pièce de résistance which is related. I wrote that PdRs are items like shoes, belts and hats as ways to amp up your outfit. After living out of a suitcase for an extended number of days, I think PdRs are often the accessories that make an outfit special. I wore my Benny belt nonstop on my recent trip because it ensured my jeans + button-down look didn’t feel boring. PdRs are build-able and easily combined. PdRs are a great baseball hat WITH colorful sneakers. Or a stand out belt AND colorful socks. PdR’s are the purse that makes your jaw-drop, the sunglasses that complete an outfit.
Hero items, on the other hand, are the pieces that make getting dressed easier. Hero items get you stopped in the store because they are easy to admire. They allow you to put the piece on and it (almost) doesn’t matter what else you are wearing because the Hero is doing all the work.
I only recently started to work out the levels to this while I was pinning images to a pièce de résistance Pinterest board. I was finding images ripe with inspiration for a PdR before realizing that I was, perhaps, dealing with two different things here.
Here are some examples of PdRs;


Here’s a smattering of Hero items. And, if you are a longtime reader, you know that I need to amend statement jackets as Hero items from a previously stated PdR!



Here’s an example I found of Stephanie Broek where I would argue that her shoes are the PdR but her coat is her Hero piece.
Truthfully, I think a closet needs both PdRs and Hero items to add spice to the basics that we all, hopefully, already own. I think a great pièce de résistance allows us to take our otherwise minimal outfits and vocalize our style POV. Hero items make a throw-and-go outfit.
I imagine building a wardrobe can move from foundational items to adding PdRs and, then, seeking to add Hero items. Admittedly, I am in the market to add hero pieces after spending time investing in creating a strong foundation and fun PdR pieces.

I stood in my closet parsing between my PdRs and Hero items and here are the Hero items I found in my own closet. To me these are pieces that feature one of the following; great color, interesting silhouette, or textural element. BUT as you can see they aren’t necessarily maximalist, everyone’s Hero is going to look a bit different.

Some of my favorite people to see Hero piece inspiration from here on Substack are
and .You know I prefer to share styling (vs. shopping) thoughts but if you find yourself looking for Hero items like me; my advice for shopping for Hero items, is to think about the pieces you wear all the time and then seek out special, stand-out versions for yourself. Oh, and start by shopping vintage/second-hand. It’s way more fun to find your Hero piece knowing that fewer people also have it. Here are other thoughts on Hero items;
SWEATERS
I think Bode sweaters are sort of the king of Hero sweaters because the vintage inspired designs are often quirky but the colorways are classic. I’ll never have the budget to support an $800-$1,000 sweater and I would certainly not spend that much on a Hero sweater. However, as I said, Bode’s designs are vintage inspired so you are best off taking a screenshot of one and using Etsy’s photo search feature to find one with similar qualities. Also, resale House of Sunny sweaters are fabulously weird.
JACKETS
Who among us doesn’t love a stand-out jacket? I relied heavily on my own suede fringe jacket on my trip recently and sought out a great jacket to bring home to commemorate my trip. All I ever want is to be able to put on jeans and a t-shirt then throw on a great jacket to make the outfit great.
PANTS
The verdict is in, barrel pants are not only universally flattering according to The Cut but
predicts that the cut will continue to dominate in fall trends. The barrel leg pant is the perfect example of a hero piece that should allow all the minimal-leaning-midimalists to breathe a sigh of relief because I’m not suggesting that you have to buy patterned pants. Interesting silhouettes in pants make a great Hero item so you can invest in denim that are just a different shape.SKIRTS
I didn’t include any dresses on this list because dresses are, by their nature, one-and-done pieces! BUT skirts are VERY fun at the moment with the sheer trend that we are seeing as well as their varying lengths and styles. The skirt on the far right just might be enough to convince me to wear a skirt over jeans (*cringe?*).
Here are a handful of Hero pieces that have caught my eye while thinking about this post. I keep running across new Heroes that I can’t stop thinking about so I’m cutting myself off!

All links for items featured (and more) can be found here.
This is an interesting concept. I think sometimes I put too many hero pieces into an outfit and I’m trying to work on that. It’s good to just stick with one. Also the song “holding out for a hero” is stuck in my head now so thanks for that 🤪
Brilliant! Never thought about hero pieces being statement pieces before, but I think this is 100% right! Also for me, these are your personality pieces, the ones that take all those beautiful basics and turn them into your beautiful look!