The post was describing simple steps to create a wardrobe that really works, which sounds exactly like this post. Except I am going to be real with you, right now: Creating a wardrobe that really works in a way that can be sustainable for the future and won't cause you to spend a bunch of money? Well, that is going to take time.
Patience and preparation is key to this whole process. Fashion is fickle and you are probably right there along with it. Trends change, sales end and your own personal tastes can change in an heartbeat. A working wardrobe is one that contains all the clothes you need to live the life you desire and to look good doing it. This definition need never change, but I am sure the clothes will. These are the steps I have followed for the past year and a half, to really see my wardrobe change.
See yourself as the world sees you
I suggest you do a 30 for 30 with your current clothes. Just pick your 30 best items of clothes and re-work them into 30 different outfits. The purpose of this is to focus on the outfits you wear for the majority of the day, so uniforms, exercise clothes and other specialized clothing isn't included. I did this myself last spring, and really discovered some interesting things about my wardrobe. Since I work as a nurse and wear uniforms I didn't actually complete this in 30 days, but gave myself longer so that I could see clothes that I would actually wear in public. However, this itself taught me just how often I am spending the day in jammies and got me to think about how I feel about that. Just so you know planning is key to this challenge, and actually taking pictures of yourself daily gives you insight into how the rest of the world sees you. While you are doing this focus on the following questions:
- What colours am I wearing? What colours do I look good in?
- What level of dressiness do I prefer? Am I comfortable in my clothes?
- How well do these clothes fit me? How well do they flatter?
- Can I see any gaps in my wardrobe?
- Are there any types of clothing that I realise I do not like?
- Are there any clothing items I am avoiding wearing, don't like when I see them in pictures, or don't know of a good way to wear them?
- Which items of clothing did I gravitate toward and love?
- How much of my closet is not in these pictures?
After having done my own 30 for 30 I realised what colours of clothing I look good in (brights and darks) and that I hate skirts and never wear them. I also noticed that I don't like mixing black and brown. And don't have a large enough wardrobe to support both. I also realized that by expecting my clothing to work a little harder I could have less items, which means I can spend more on the items I do get. With this information I could move on to the next step of this journey.
Figure out what you like
There are many ways to do this, but the basic idea is just to look for inspiration. Instead of collecting new clothes at this point, just collect the inspiration. Rip out pages, take pictures (mental or real) of people you see in real life or use a pinterest board to collect your ideas.
One thing that I like to do while watching TV is to work on my polyvore wardrobes. That picture above is actually a screenshot from my polyvore account, and that is my current "online wardrobe". When I find an outfit idea I try to recreate it using my online polyvore wardrobe. Again starting with the 30 for 30 idea I challenged myself to create 30 outfits out of this wardrobe based on the outfit inspiration I had collected. However, this is my dream wardrobe.
Setting up the wardrobe is really easy. I actually started with the list as shown on this post, which I used as an "essentials" list. On polyvore I designed a wardrobe set that included my choices for colour and style, while following this essentials list. Then after saving all of the items in my set I saved each one to "my items" and could make outfit sets from there.
This step is the longest because you really need to give yourself time to play around. My polyvore wardrobe has changed incredibly since I first created it, so if I had rushed right out and bought all the items that I originally chose I would not have the wardrobe that I have today. And I would have a lot of silly items. As you build outfits, based on your inspiration outfits, you will find that certain items are repeated and other ones are only good for one thing. Plus you may change your mind and decide you don't really like the outfit so much after all. Or you might realise that you liked the outfit when it had a certain shirt, but once you substitute the shirt in your "wardrobe" you don't like it as much. Give this time.
Next up.... add a dose of reality.....
Do you spend time pre-planning or thinking about your wardrobe?
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