When you’re holed up inside, confined to the four walls of your home for this long, it’s only a matter of time before you start reevaluating the things in it — including the clothes in your closet. And while decluttering years’ worth of garments is an impressive feat, streamlining your wardrobe and whittling it down to just the essentials is something else entirely. It takes an extraordinary amount of discipline — but Thatiana Diaz, senior editor of Refinery29’s Somos, was up to the task. As The Closet Curator, she began to rethink her approach to style, resolving to pare back on random items in favor of comfortable, neutral basics that she could wear over and over again (think: less chaotic evil, more lawful good). Ahead, read more about how she refined her look, what she’s learned, and the most surprising thing she discovered about herself.

My pre-pandemic style could be described as… “Hard to define. I would just put on whatever I pulled from the closet, which was fairly unpredictable, because I dressed depending on my day or my mood. If I had a meeting, I would throw on any blazer. If I were feeling chipper, I'd wear a bright color. I always had this misconception that comfort came at the expense of style, and now I’m seeing that’s not true.”

But when the pandemic hit… “I was able to take a deeper look at my closet. My life had always been go, go, go, so I never really took a step back to observe what I had hanging in there. As I started looking into not only “work from home” clothes, but also outfits for the future, I found that I was developing a personal style that was much more intentional.”

My personal style evolved… “Into one that’s curated and intentional but still comfortable and minimalistic. Instead of relying heavily on only one piece to ‘make a look,’ I’m now looking at the entire ‘fit, which is how I fell in love with monochromatism. You’ll most likely find me in neutrals and in comfortable fabrics and silhouettes that compliment my body figure. If I feel uncomfortable, I look uncomfortable, and that’s a no for me.”

What I learned: “I’m dressing more for me. It’s whatever I feel good in and not what’s ‘in style.’ I’m an easygoing person, and my style has always reflected that. I’m not too flashy in the things I do or the way I act, but I’m also not too laid-back. For me, it’s all about saying more with less.”

I’m The Closet Curator because… “I’m putting much more thought into what I have in my collection. I like to look at my personal style as “elevated everyday” with a capsule of basics that I can use as the foundation of my wardrobe and as the base of my outfits. I love the idea of looking at pieces that I can mix and match, that work seamlessly with one another, instead of shopping for random pieces and hoping it works.”

My essentials include: “A dress I can wear anywhere, a blazer, and a comfy monochrome set.”

The most surprising thing I discovered: “I’m actually not afraid of color or patterns. I was all about neutrals (I still am), but I’m not opposed to pulling on a pastel outfit, wearing a red lip, or adding an unexpected color, like orange, to the mix.

My favorite pandemic purchase was… “This beige monochrome set that I can wear to work from home, run errands, or grab lunch with my fiancé. It’s super comfortable and makes me feel good when paired with the right accessories.”

My 2021 personal style will… “Continue to become more intentional, even though there will still be days when I pull a random item from the closet. As I get even more comfortable with my style, who knows how I’ll surprise myself — but I’ll never sacrifice comfort, that’s all I know for sure.”