You know how they say that you shouldn’t buy anything that doesn’t go with at least three things in your wardrobe? Well, I’m sorry to inform you that this is complete bullshit. Come to think of it, I’m actually not sorry to inform you, I’m delighted.

First, I’m ideologically opposed to this dictum. If you only buy stuff that matches the stuff you already own, you’ll never buy anything exciting or venture out of your comfort zone. And while it is, of course, completely possible to be happy wearing nothing but different shades of mauve for 94 years, people should not refrain from trying red only because it doesn’t match their existing wardrobe.

This Rule of Three doesn’t make practical sense, either. When you buy a dress, it does not need to go with the clothes you own – a dress is a complete outfit*. As is a jumpsuit. As is an ordinary suit, although I’m cheating a bit here. You may have started a new, more formal job and need a blazer and trousers that do not work with anything that you wore in your previous life as a surfer barmaid. It’s also a stupid rule because you can just buy four things simultaneously and fool the universe.

So instead of making those awkward calculations and trying to convince yourself that these turquoise pyjama pants are perfect with your mustard turtleneck (although now I’m thinking they are indeed), here are three questions I have actually found useful when considering what do buy:

1. Are there any structural issues with your wardrobe? I don’t mean if the cupboard is on the verge of collapse, but whether you have category imbalances?** I, for example, have a love of skirts as opposed to tops, I very rarely find the latter exciting. I have to force myself to by an occasional t-shirt or blouse: when the bottom/top ratio in your wardrobe is something like 5:1 and you do not do your laundry every day, it will cause problems.

2. Do you have the supporting cast members you need? Instead of focusing on these three mythical items, I envisage how I want to wear the new piece and whether I’ve got all the ingredients of the look. These are often little things that I call “enablers”. The dress might only work with a slim belt or you’d need a nude bra for a silk blouse or longer gloves for the bracelet sleeves. You might have 70 dresses, but if you don’t have suitable tights, you’ll not wear any of the dresses for most of the year.

3. Do you really, really like it? This is always the ultimate question. If you do, if it fits you beautifully and makes you slightly giddy with excitement, you’ll find that you can construct a look around it with nothing but two safety pins.

*The pictured dress by Roksanda Ilincic doesn’t match anything in my wardrobe with the possible exception of a pair of black stilettos. This doesn’t prevent me from wearing it often.
**Can you tell I’m working with economic governance on a daily basis?