I see a lot of random items. Heaps of black and a mish mash of colour and prints. Some made by me and lots of RTW. Some things I love and wear all the time. Some I like but hardly ever wear, some that I don't really like but still wear and yet others I don't wear at all.
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| A mere portion of my wardrobe |
Breaking it down seemed like the best way to really evaluate whats in there. First we have colour and prints. OK, black is good. It works with everything but it can become extremely boring when there is no other choice. I love colour and I always gravitate towards prints, but I don't like mixing prints. I know others mix and match different prints and most times it looks great but lets say, it's just not for me. Solid colours are good basics but they are not very exciting if the only things I have to wear with them is black. You'll notice I have lots of colour in my cardigans but the problem is that I don't have anything to wear them with that's not black.
In order for my closet to work everything in it needs to work together therefore, when I make something new it must either fill a gap or I need to make an 'outfit' (ie. several pieces - a bottom and top, dress and jacket) to prevent those closet orphans from taking over and above all else the colours must work with those already in my wardrobe.
Now lets look at the styles I currently wear. Mostly I wear trousers and jeans. I mean. really. lets face it. I live in jeans!! They are the first thing I reach for when I open my closet; my go to item. I also wear t-shirts/knit tops and cardigans and the odd dress or two. My Summer styles include jean shorts and tank tops. As you can see my current style is very casual.
What about the things I don't wear? Why don't I wear them?
I've given a great deal of thought to this and decided that most of what I don't wear is either not flattering or doesn't fit me well. For those of you who don't know, I'm quite short and along with that I'm also short-waisted so all my RTW items are too long in the waist or just plain too long altogether. The rest I feel just isn't "me" anymore.
How does my lifestyle affect all of this?
I work part time in an office and at the time I was to start my employment the decision had been made that uniforms were no longer required. Being a somewhat casual workplace I am able to wear my beloved jeans, however I don't feel they are suitable attire. Everything else that occupies my time is similarly casual. So, even though I lead a relatively casual lifestyle I really want to move on from that casual 'surfer chick' kind of look and try to start adding some glamour to my wardrobe and include some vintage styles as well.
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How can I make this happen? What needs to change in order to achieve this?
First and foremost I need to stop wearing jeans and jean shorts all the time and start wearing my trousers instead. That's not to say I won't wear my jeans; just not all the time. Add a pretty dress or two (vintage of course) and some blouses as well. Today I've taken out all the garments I don't wear, after all I wont miss them because I never wore them anyway, and this has allowed me to see where there are gaps. I've also put things aside for re-fashioning in the hope that they will become more wearable. And, I've considered how I can extend what I do have by pairing different combinations together.
In conclusion of today's efforts I can now see several gaps and only wonder how I have ever survived without owning a white button down. This is definitely on my list of things to make, sooner rather than later.
Now, just to choose a few patterns and fabrics to make a start on my goals for 2014 which I will discuss later. If you have any suggestions of things that are great items to include, please let me know so I can consider if they will enhance my plans for extending my existing wardrobe.
Till next time, happy crafting.
Good Luck. BTW Style Arc have LOTS of comfy pants patterns which might be a change from the jeans . Heres to lots of sewing in 2014.
ReplyDeleteSo many people say how great they are I think I should check them out. Thanks.
DeleteSo very true about how you can sometimes be missing something as seemingly basis as a white button down. There's been a time or two over the years when I've been missing one of those as well, and because pants and I are usually anything but BFFs (my body was designed for skirt and dresses, let me tell know) I've frequently owned not even so much as one single pair of basic black trousers. Unlike a white button down though, I almost never need black trousers (I must have five or six black skirts at this point, most of which can do anywhere and be styled just as easily as black trousers), so perhaps that's less of an actual gap for me and more just feeling like since it's such a staple in many peoples' wardrobes, it should be in mine as well (hmm, that's one to ponder).
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're off to an excellent, well thought out start and wish you endless ongoing success with your wardrobe goals.
♥ Jessica
Oh yes Jessica, it's funny how we view different things as being the thing we can least live without. Years ago I wore dresses all the time but that has slowly evolved and I have so few of them now that I often times wonder how I have survived without them. Hopefully that will change this year and I will be adding a few so I can choose to wear something other than my trousers.
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