Interestingly, wardrobe planning is one undercurrent in my thinking that's a constant, not that I'm always great at applying it. Here are some of the planning tenets, plus some commentary on them:
- Pick separates that two applications: day/work, casual, and evening/special occasion. (At its foundation, that piece of advice makes a distinction between dress for various events in one's life. In the Northwest, those lines are more than a little blurry, but I've lived elsewhere, so I get it.)
- Fit your body, not someone else's body. (Woot! Advice we sewists are totally into!)
- Rely on neutrals (not boring fabrics, but those with widely applicable colors and textures) to anchor a wardrobe.
- Don't match (as the queen of the purple/red combination, I'm in favor of this advice)
- Accessorize. (I don't do accessories other than pashminas and earrings, so there's some opportunity for growth there.)
- Be aware of color trends and each item's replacement schedule.
This week, I reverse-engineered my wardrobe to these standards with an absolutely ruthless weeding out, What Not To Wear-style. And, boy, was it cathartic.
It all began with finding that one mislabeled box of clothes in the basement. When I became pregnant, my body heard some kind of hormonal starting pistol and morphed more quickly than I had imagined was possible. It was gruesome and demoralizing. In an epic despair, I boxed up all but the stretchiest of my clothes and hid them in the basement. Most of those boxes have since been unearthed and mined for valuable contents. As the boxes reemerged, I donated all the items that I didn't any longer like or feel an attachment to (time does not, as it turns out, make the heart grow fonder of ratty t-shirts and jeans). This last box was a mystery. Why was it not with the others? How had it been mislabeled? WHY IN THE WORLD DID I KEEP THAT??
Clearly, the entire box, with the exception of a few less-than-perfect-but-still-acceptable-for-the-office items and couple of gym-only items, would be bound for the charity drop. Rifling through this box as it sat on the floor in the middle of my sewing area in the basement, I wondered if all my clothes were this tatty. I did a mental inventory. Yep. Most of my clothes are NOT ready for work, nor should they be particularly acceptable for play. Up to the bedroom where I pillaged my dresser, culling the rest of the unacceptable items.
I'm down to bare bones now: a handful of bottoms for work, one serviceable pair of jeans, and tops that will work for office or social occasions. There is a stack of summer-only tanks in there, too, but those will be boxed up as soon as I start back to work again.
What's next? I found that I needed to replace some of my intimates post haste. Accomplished. My next priority is making some things to fill in. I have penciled out a wishlist based on some thinking about coordinates and color trends:
- Two blazers, one shorter and more casual and one hip length and more office-y based on this pattern
- Some tops, either sweater knit or rayon/bamboo jersey, based on the Perfect T-Shirt pattern
- Two woven shirts based on this pattern (because a princess seam is easier to adjust for my ample bustline)
- A jersey dress based on this pattern (again with princess seams, but also with what appears to be a flattering neckline)
- A couple more bottoms, based on the me-drafted pants sloper
Armed with those items, I should be able to ditch the remaining coordinates I can't get rid of until I have replacements: the two dress shirts, the two casual blazers, the dress pants, and the ITY top.
I would also like to own a string of pearls. Hey, it counts as an accessory.
Man, this feels amazing. Armed with this plan, I actually feel like I'm in control of what's ahead.
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