The Orange Swan Guide to Wardrobe Planning
Over the past six years, while writing this blog in a difficult financial situation, I have thought and researched a lot about wardrobe planning and strategy, and now my thoughts have been completely clarified. I decided to put my wardrobe planning theory and tips into a long blog post, thinking my insights might be useful to my readers. Hold on tight, it's going to be a long and verbal journey!
A little history of wardrobe planning
ADVERTISEMENT. Before or during the mid-1960s, when people in Western society had small closets, they planned to buy their clothes more carefully and generally than they do now. People understand what they need for everyday life (such as work, school, sports, church services, parties or other social events, at home) and wisely buy as many clothes as they have needed for each activity. Gloves, bags, shoes, coats, underwear or other items are needed to complete each set. They also make sure that the different parts of the wardrobe work well together. If a woman has a modest budget, she prefers a hat or bag to match all or part of her coat and skirt, rather than buying a separate hat or bag for each outfit. Wardrobe planning is a skill taught in the home economics department, where students learn to design their own budgets that are inclusive, consistent, and appropriate for their lifestyle. And if you look at the street photos of 1965 or the street photos of today, it's very sad that the people who lived then were better dressed than we are today, even though most of us in 2019 are usually over fifty or more. After. more than usual. A lot of clothes.
What changed? Clothes became relatively cheap, the social laws of fashion relaxed, and we began to buy and dress more in laser fashion. (Linda Preszibzewski argues in her book The Lost Dress of Arms that the reason for this is the decline of academic economics in schools. Overproduction of textiles is bad for the environment. Excess clothing hurts our personal finances. And even if we wear two or three times as many clothes much more than in the 1950s, it can feel like we don't have the right clothes, that we are not happy with the way we dresses, and we rush to the end. a few minutes to find out. Buy something for the perfect occasion. will come.
Many men today buy more or less the same clothes as you. Men's clothing is understandable compared to women's clothing. Therefore, since men don't really need advice, I decided to focus this article on women's clothing specifically. In a Western dress code, if a person has a modest choice of clothes, jackets, shirts and ties, sweaters, t-shirts, khakis, jeans and shorts, they will have at least one item of clothing that suits them. go. Possibility to rent a Tucson. If the garment is well cut, of good quality and well fitted, it is considered to be without defect. Women's clothing, on the other hand, is three times more versatile and versatile than a small women's wardrobe, and therefore can be considered good, but only worn, because women are expected to wear it to a certain extent. . The unexpected individuality and creativity of men. After job interviews, weddings and funerals, a man may wear the same dress, perhaps a simple shirt and tie. My take on this subject is that although women's wardrobe designs and styles are more complex than men's wardrobe designs, it is still possible and useful.
My story of a tragic random outfit plan
My laundry plans have changed drastically over the last half dozen years. I shook my head thinking back to how I had shopped and dressed. I think I'm very organized. When I was a teenager, I made a list of things I wanted to buy. The listing, however, is not the result of a strategic plan, it is a documented push purchase. I never look at my wardrobe at all, never make sure I have enough clothes for all the activities in my life, or believe that every piece of clothing I buy or make entirely can be another garment that I wear. . I don't know what is good for me and what is good. I agree, I got caught over and over without thinking where I was going or what I was wearing, which means I will never wear it or spend a fortune. Buy the items that go with it. I only wore them to realize that I didn't have the right shoes or the right coat and had to replace them. Or at the last minute I realized I had no choice but to dress up for the occasion. I haven't evolved much, even in my twenties and thirties. Years ago, one day while cleaning my hat and skate basket over my winter coat and first thinking about what hat or jacket to wear, I realized that I I had a hat that didn't suit me. With hat and mismatched gloves.
There are other similar revelations. ADVERTISEMENT. One day after starting to work from home in March 2012, I found myself hiding from people at UPS because I was too shy to open the door, found out what I was wearing and felt less although at home. When I go to the office and set aside a few unpaid hours to pick up the work package myself, I pick it up and buy it. Extra clothes "for the house" (eg yoga pants, hats and long sleeves from the thrift store), I do extra sets without doing anything, I work harder in the office. And then I began to think carefully and wisely about what kind of clothes I needed and needed for my life; As a result, even though I have money, my wardrobe has improved over the past seven years. To spend now.
What can laundry planning do for you and your sweater?
The idea of a systematic laundry plan may seem a little fun and mechanical to you at first glance, but the paradox of rules, daily routines and boundaries may seem oppressive, but it's really liberating, because it helps us to cut everything. . The noise and the confusion and doing the work of doing what we really want and enjoying what we love. I believe that careful planning and monitoring will give us more pleasure in wearing our clothes longer. Planning laundry is better for the environment, will ultimately save us money, time and stress, make us dressier and more attractive, and help us have fun and wear more than the clothes we put on. let's buy. . What doesn't he like about it?
If you're wondering why you posted me about wardrobe plans on wardrobe planning, I believe that a good knitting project plan goes hand in hand with wardrobe planning. If you are sewing for your own clothes or accessories, you need to think about how the item will fit, how it will work with the rest of your clothes, how to sew and how to use it correctly, work hard to make something and then realize that it is useless for some reason. . And if you don't have a clear idea of what your wardrobe needs, you won't be able to answer the question you would like to ask yourself if a particular model is right for you.
How to design your ideal wardrobe
How do you design your wardrobe? I believe the best place to start is to make a list of all the things you need to wear for your life. Think about what your ideal wardrobe would look like, make a list of all the items you need to dress appropriately and meaningfully for your lifestyle, and try to keep this list with you in every situation for you. ensure it is complete. And adjusted to the best. How many clothes do you need for school, office, gym or home? What do you need to go to the beach, to a friend's barbecue, to a meal, to a funeral?
I'll give you an example of what my imaginary wardrobe list might look like by giving you a little fiction. I actually work from home and due to exhaustion I don't socialize much, but to make my advice as practical as possible I wanted to plan a more relaxed lifestyle. For example, for a 9am to 5pm office job, I have to schedule washing women's clothes, doing routine transportation, cleaning and messaging, and usually two or three times a week. I live in Toronto, Ontario where it is very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter which means I need clothing for all seasons. I wash them once a week, so my standard is pretty much "What do I need for a week?"
Note that I am not using the following details as an example, but as an example. Your inventory can vary greatly depending on your gender, age, physical needs, lifestyle, climate, tastes, budget, length of bath cycle, etc. The details should be in accordance with your personal preferences, otherwise you will not get the right linen for you.
This is what my spring and summer list looks like
- three dresses
- Five short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts/tops
- See the t-shirts
- three dresses
- Two pairs of jeans
- five shorts
- Cotton/linen pants
- Swimsuit
- cover the beach
- cotton dress
- Linen jacket
- Wind/rain jacket
- Boys Coat
- pashmina
- High heel shoes
- Flat shoe
- Some espadrilles or ballet flats
- Multiple runners
- shoulder bag
- n bag
- school bag
If I accepted having chosen this combination of outfits, I could easily do 14 outfits and only spend a week in the office, many evenings/weekends at social events and at home. . . If I had these things, I wouldn't have to worry about what I would wear in the summer. If I go to the beach, barbecue, dinner or party, I can be sure that I will be protected. If I find one of my dresses to be dark and relatively conservative, I have a funeral dress on hand if I need it. Planning a funeral can seem daunting, but as someone who has attended a funeral for the past seven years, I can tell you that funerals usually take place with three days notice and only if you lose. Your beloved, you may not want to go shopping during these three days. I do not offer sportswear. I usually train by walking in the living room and doing exercise videos, but if I was a gym member and went to the gym 3-4 times a week, I would probably add 4. An extra t-shirt/shorts and maybe a few extra runners. For simplicity, I didn't include socks, stockings, underwear, bras, pajamas, skirts, belts, hats, and jewelry, but everything had to be planned. My current wardrobe list has details of what I need and how much.
My list does not include formal events such as cocktail parties or cocktail dresses or evening dresses that require strictly black cocktail parties or weddings. I don't have the formal opportunity to attend, and when I do, I have months of knowledge, so the best plan for me is to prepare standard clothing and accessories as needed. A woman who regularly attends such events weekly, monthly, or even several times a year, may decide to wear an elegant casual black dress and a bright cocktail dress or two in the wardrobe. . A bag and matching evening shoes or evening shoes to wear with it.
I also want a vintage winter list. This list might look like this:
- three dresses
- 5 long-sleeved shirts
- 10 sweaters, different styles
- 3 hats/sweater
- 5 long-sleeved shirts
- 3 dresses
- 3 pairs of woolen pants
- 2 pairs of jeans (double summer light)
- 4 pairs of yoga pants
- leather jacket
- Boys Coat (Double Summer Light)
- Windbreak (double summer fire)
- embroidered dress
- Park
- Short wool jacket
- Long wool coat
- sneakers
- Leather ballet flats
- Pump
- Runner (dual summer lights)
- ankle boots
- Knee high boots
Again, on this list, I'm thinking of workwear, costumes for social events, funerals, and home costumes. The cold detail is longer and more complex than the hot, because the cold requires more layers and therefore requires more coordination. Picking out a coat can be a bit tricky for the wardrobe because you have to buy a matching coat without having to deal with twenty different coats to complement jeans , pants, dresses, and skirts. If I had a long coat, I was determined to get through the Canadian winter and I believe I can be very brave. Metaphor. I now have a good selection of coats in my closet, and in the future, I make sure not to buy dresses that don't match my coat or scarf.
Color gallery strategy
How can I make sure that my list items are unstable? I have to think about color and style. If my linen jacket and cotton shirt are beige and the boat coat is light brown, they will go well with any summer outfit. I might want to choose a pashmina that goes well with all three dresses, but my anorak has to be paired with jeans and shorts. My winter coats will all be equally neutral, or at least a shade to match the color I'm wearing. I'm going to take all my brown leather shoes and make sure every outfit is paired with brown shoes. I make sure I have a variety of basic components in neutral colors to make my wardrobe more versatile. Of the summer outfits listed above, for example, one of the three dresses can be plain khaki, the t-shirt and top definitely add at least one ivory and one brown.
For maximum convenience and versatility, I recommend working with the selected color palette. I'm a big believer in contemporary color theory and bought them all as a warm, rich color palette. I need not only the best colors I can wear, but also everything I buy, so I need small clothes, shoes and accessories. My sister is also harvesting, but she thinks the current color concept is useless, so she just buys what she likes, although I noticed her outfit is based on winter/winter outfits (she likes the black). Then you can find out what season you are in and dress in the current gallery, or you can combine your own color palette if you don't like "your" colors or never believe in the current color theory . Do you like to.
The most important rule of thumb for creating a color palette is to choose cool or warm colors, because cool and warm colors don't mix well. The cool color palette can be a mixture of these colors: black, white, gray, blue, blue, burgundy, red, red, pink, fuchsia, forest green, purple, lava. The warm color gallery can contain any combination of these colors: brown, ivory, olive, rust, orange, plum, daisy, dusty pink, turquoise, lime green, lime green, apricot, peach. For a unique versatile outfit, you can choose a very narrow color palette with a few neutral tones like black, white, gray and your favorite colors of red, pink, purple or blue. I didn't choose to do it myself because I love the color so much to limit myself to a few colors, but it's definitely a simple, very useful and even beautiful gallery.
I usually buy brown shoes and bags in multiple styles and sizes as I wear them in cozy galleries. So I usually have the right shoes and bags to wear in all those colors. If I have warm and cold clothes, I will need black and brown shoes and bags. Then I have different sizes of bags and different styles of heels for different dresses/events, which will contribute to the demand for more shoes and bags soon. -ስዕል
ህትመቶችን ጋር. . -ስዕል / እንድመርጥ
. _እንደማድረጉ , . *ሁሉም* *ሁሉም* . , , . በቀጣዩ ውድቀት ፣ እነዚህ ቁርጥራጮች ቁም ሣጥኖቿን ሣጥኖቿን መንገድ እና በአለባበሷ በጣም እንደተደሰተች ነገረችኝ ነገረችኝ
. . ጨርስ ። . , , . ቁርጥራጮችዎ
ሌሎች የልብስ ማቀድ ስልቶች
የቀለም -ስዕል wardrobe - - -ሐሳብ -የተጠለፈ እና , , , ለሁሉም , , አስደሳች .
ሣጥን, , , የሆኑ, , እና መለዋወጫዎች. (አሁንም -ስዕል ወይም በቤታቸው ሊጀምር ይችላል፡ ቁርጥራጮች / "በቤቱ".
(ለምሳሌ , , , , , , . . .) ልብስ ልብስ -ታች .) -ስዕል ጌጣጌጥ . መነፅር ነገሮችን ለእኔ ወደማይሆንበት ደረጃ ወሰንኩ። -ስዕል የፈረንሣይ ፣ ጌጣጌጦች
"የፈረንሳይ" Pinterest መሆኔን. ለራሴ "ሞካሲን"; ወይም; . በቀላል ልብስ ላይ ብዙ ዘይቤዎችን ውስብስብ ነገሮችን ነገሮችን ጥሩ ስለሆነ በመደርደሪያዬ ውስጥ ሻርፎችን ለማካተት ።።። ።።።
-ህሊና, በዚህ-የጅምላ, . ( የእኔን ) ምን ይለብሱ በማንኛውም ጊዜ አዲስ የአጻጻፍ ሲያገኙ ሲያገኙ እሱን ለመተግበር ማንኛውንም ከመውሰድዎ በእርግጥ ለእርስዎ ለእርስዎ ትክክል በጥንቃቄ ያስቡበት ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።። ።።
ዝርዝርዎን
ተስማሚ ልብሶች ዝርዝርዎን ካዘጋጁ እና ለእርስዎ እንደሚሰራ እርግጠኛ ከሆኑ እርምጃዎ በጓዳዎ በጓዳዎ በመሳቢያዎ ውስጥ ያለውን ነገር ማየት እና አሁን ያለው ቁም ከአለባበስዎ ጋር እንዴት እንደሚወዳደር ነው ነው። ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ነው ይህ ምን መግዛት እንዳለቦት ፣ ምን ማስወገድ እንደሚፈልጉ ይረዳዎታል ይረዳዎታል ፣ እና ሁኔታ ፣ በቂ ወይም እንዲያውም ከበቂ በላይ ስላሎት አሁን ማቆም ያለባቸውን ይረዱ።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።። በእርስዎ ዝርዝር ውስጥ ከተገለጹት በላይ ካሉዎት ካሉዎት (አደርገዋለሁ!) ፣ ግን ወደዱት እና ለብሰውት ፣።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።። ውሎ አድሮ በዘፈቀደ ለሆነ ዝርዝር ፍፁም ተንቀሳቃሽ ዕቃዎችን ማስወገድ ምንም ፋይዳ።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።። በመጀመሪያ እነዚያ "ተጨማሪ" እቃዎች ለመጠለያ "ተጨማሪ" ይሆናሉ (ለምሳሌ ሸማቾች ከሆኑ አይዋሃዱም, የታጠቁ ወይም ሊጠገኑ በማይችሉ ሁነታ ላይ ከሆኑ በኮንትሮባንድ ውስጥ ይወሰዳሉ). በ cui hai proprio ciò di cui hai veramente bisogno e che desideri nel tuo armadi እንዳልሰራህ ወይም እንዳልወደድከው ከመጠን በላይ በኮሚዩኒኬሽን እንደማታገለግለው በእርግጠኝነት ልታጠፋው ትችላለህ። የእርስዎ ያልሆኑትን ካገኛችሁ ፣ በአሳዳጊዎ ውስጥ ያሉ ወይም ዝርዝር ውስጥ ወይም ወንዶች ፣ ላልሆኑት እና ሊጋፈጡ የሚችሉበትን ምክንያት ውስጥ።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።። በጥያቄ ውስጥ ካለው ንስር ጋር ፋይል ማድረግ አስፈላጊ ፣ ንስሮቹን ወደ ወደ Abbinarlo የማግኘት ዓይነት ቀላልነት ቀላልነት አለዎት ወይንስ ለተጠቃሚው ማዋጣትን ይመርጣሉ ይመርጣሉ? አንድ ቁራጭ ካልተጨመረ, ሊስተካከል ይችላል? ጥገና ካስፈለገዎት መጠገን ይችላሉ?
ወደ ያልሆኑ እንቁላሎች ስንመጣ, የመንከስ / የማደግ ችሎታ አለው (እና እስከ ዛሬ ዛሬ ዛሬ ዛሬ ይህ ሊያደርግ ይችላል ይችላል ይችላል ይችላል ይችላል ይችላል ጠርሙስ የበሰበሰውን ለመጠገን መሰረታዊ ነገሮችን አስብ አስብ. የሰራዊቱ መልሶ ግንባታ በአንድ ሰው የሚተነፍስ የሚመስለው ሌላው የችሎብ ስ በጣም ልከኛ የሆኑ ሴቶች አዲስ ትኩስ መሆናቸውን መሆናቸውን ሁሉንም አይነት ዘዴዎችን እና ዘዴዎችን።። አቭሬብቤሮ "ሪቮልታቶ" እና ሎሮ ቬስቲቲ ስትራፓንዶ ኢል ፣ ታግሊያንዶሎ ታግሊያንዶሎ ሞዴላንዳሎ በ በ adattarlo agli stili ዴላ ፕሮሲማ መለወጥ አልቻልኩም እና የእኔ የእኔ የእኔ የእኔ TOSSUTI ዘመናዊ ዘመናዊ ጋር አልተጣጣሙም ፣ ግን የአቢጊሊያሜንቶ የአቢጊሊያሜንቶ ካፕ ዕድሜን ለማራዘም ምርምር ምርምር እና ሀሳቦችን ጥሩ ጥሩ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ ሀሳብ በተለይ በ 30 ዎቹ እና 40 ዎቹ ፋሽን ውስጥ ምክርን በተመለከተ ብዙ ሰዎች ገደቦችን እና እና አመዳደብን ለመገደብ ሲገደዱ ምንባቡ የሃሳቦች ማዕድን ሊሆን።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።።። .
Più e più volte ho salvato oggetti che stavo per skartare con la consapevolezza che c'era un modo per salvarli። Nel corso degli anni, ho sostituito un bottone automatico in una delle mie camicie in finto camoscio, ho sostituito i ferretti rotti del reggiseno con quelli nuovi (li vendono nei negozi di tessuti e forniture per cucire), ho aggiornato una camicetta sostituendo i suoi bottoni rivestiti in tessuto degli anni Novanta con quelli nuovi di osso, cambiato orli poco lusinghieri, trasformato t-shirt a maniche lunghe con gomiti consumati in t-shirt, trasformato un paio di culottei da yoga con segni di candeggina sulla parte inferiore delle gambe in un paio di culottecini, tinto un orribile paio di chiazze trouseri di velluto a coste che mia madre aveva comprato per me (circa 1987) in un solido blu navy, trasformato abiti fuori misura/datati in gonne , tinto una sciarpa di seta oro verdastro malaticcio di un bel colore rame , rinfrescato un vecchio cappello estivo bianco squallido immergendolo nel tè, cappelli rifilati e collane di negozi dell'usato riconfigurate e riattaccate datete, rotte or usurate in qualcosa di molto più attraente. Questi progetti hanno richiesto meno di due ore ciascuno, hanno comportato una spesa minima e ne è valsa la pena, perché ho avuto molto più usura da tutti quegli oggetti una volta che li ho rielaborati un po'.
A volte un oggetto può essere trasformato in un pezzo completamente diverso. Once years ago a co-worker told me that she had a beautiful custom-made long gold silk bridesmaid dress that she would like to have shortened to cocktail length so that she could wear it again, but she hated to cut off all that fabric as it had cost so much per yard. I said, "Well, if you're not wearing the dress, it's going to waste anyway," and she said, "Yes, that's true," and then I said, "Maybe you could have a matching evening bag made out of the fabric that's cut off," and she said, "Oooooh!" I currently have a plan to turn a beautiful silk bathrobe I own that makes me look dumpy into a lovely silk top that flatters me -- this will take more time than the other reconstruction projects above, but not more time than it would take me to make a new top out of fabric I had to pay for, and I can't remember the last time I even saw a comparable bolt of silk in a fabric store. I also sometimes take apart unsatisfactory knitted projects and make something I like out of the yarn. Ravelling out a knitting project doesn't usually take any longer than it would take to go shopping for new yarn, and then I've saved the not-inconsiderable price of a new lot of yarn and kept an item out of a landfill.
I don't always refer back to my ideal wardrobe list religiously when I'm cleaning out my wardrobe or planning purchases, but I do try to think in terms of, "How many of this particular kind of item do I really need/want /worn?" I often follow something I call the Rule of Three, by which I mean that I don't usually need more than three of any one thing (ie, three sets of pajamas, three winter dresses, three pairs of jeans), unless we' re talking about very basic, daily-wear items such as socks, underwear, t-shirts, or sweaters, in which case the Rule of Three might become the Rule of Ten. Knowing that I already have what I need is such a good way to safeguard myself against getting tempted to buy or make things I don't need. I also try to think in terms of complete outfits. I must be able to make at least one outfit, if not more, out of every item I have, and also need to think about whether I have shoes, jewelry, a handbag, and a coat to wear with the item rather than just about whether I have a top or a bottom for it.
Wardrobe Planning Going Forward
To keep my buying/clothes making in check, and my wardrobe at a reasonable size, I keep lists of things that I need and want to buy or make, and I've made every effort to try to decide what goes on those lists on the basis of what I will make good use of rather than a basis of OOOHHH PRETTY!! MUST MAKE/OWN! , and to not buy off list when shopping, because if I really need something, it should be on my list before I go shopping. Sometimes I do have to make exceptions, and then come up with strategies to govern those exceptions. I love knitting so much that it's hard for me to keep my knitting projects down to a strict needs-based rationale, so what I did was make a rule that I can only make myself six items a year (and making something for my household counts as making something for me), which I consider a fairly reasonable limit. If I were to make myself, say, two new sweaters, a hat and scarf set, two pairs of socks, and a set of Christmas tree ornaments, that's not an excessive amount of new knitwear for me to acquire in the space of one year , especially if I used some stash yarn to make them. I'm doing a lot of sewing these days because I have a stockpile of fabric to get through, and it would be wasteful not to use it, but once the fabric I have on hand is gone I'll be making myself just a few items each spring and fall.
Having a list of what I need to buy in my planner helps me budget and figure out the best way of acquiring something. I can decide if I can or will make an item, whether I can possibly get it from thrift shop, or whether I will need to buy it from a regular retail outlet. Right now, I see that according to my various sewing/knitting/shopping lists, I plan to knit an ivory cotton pullover because the one I'd been wearing for about twelve years got irreparably stained last summer. I want to sew an ivory linen jacket to replace the one that got stained by battery acid from the hall closet light. (I thought I was saving money by not replacing those batteries, sigh.) I want to buy or make a peach and brown silk scarf that I can use as a finishing touch for an outfit consisting of a plain peach skirt and plain brown top. And I need to replace a pair of beautiful but wretchedly uncomfortable cognac leather pumps that I currently own with a similar pair that doesn't hurt my feet. I am confident these are justifiable purchases, but sometimes I can make a mistake even in putting something on my list. Unnecessary stuff has a way of sneaking on there if I'm not vigilant and mindful.
If you're thinking of adding a new item of apparel to your make or buy lists, ask yourself, "Where am I going to wear this?" and "What will I wear it with?" The process of answering these questions may help you realize that you don't really need or want the item after all, or that it's simply going to require too much of an investment of time and/or money. About two years ago I got rid of a denim jacket (purchased circa 2001), that had become too worn and ripped to wear, and initially I automatically added "denim jacket" to my shopping list because I'd had one denim jacket or another in my closet since my teens. But then I started thinking about where I'd wear the denim jacket and what I'd wear it with, and I realized that I couldn't think of a single occasion or outfit that my leather jacket, linen jacket, windbreaker, trench coat, or one of my sweaters and hoodies wouldn't be a better choice for, and I struck "denim jacket" off my want list. Alternatively, if you realize that you'll have nothing to wear with the item if you buy it, you may want to rethink the purchase somewhat. Perhaps buying it in a different colour or a slightly different style from the one you originally intended will make it work better with your existing wardrobe.
Long-Term Planning
Another grimmer question that I have started to consider when planning a purchase is whether something I want is age appropriate. I'm 45, and while I'm ageing not badly and can still dress somewhat youthfully, since I'm aiming to make my clothes last five years or more, I need to think not only in terms of "Can I get away with this at 45?", but "Will I still want to be wearing this at 50?" If I'm forced to admit to myself that I won't want to be caught dead in the item in question when I'm 50, I heave a sigh over the indignities of aging, and relinquish my plan to acquire the item. If you've got a big lifestyle change coming up, such as leaving school for the professional workforce, leaving the workforce for retirement, pregnancy/parenthood, or a move to a different climate and/or culture, those are all life changes that will require new wardrobe strategies.
Which leads me to another point I wanted to make in this post, which is that I think it's important to think relatively long-term in wardrobe planning. Disposable fashion, by which I mean clothes that date quickly and/or are of too poor quality to stand up to reasonable use, is doing so much damage to our planet, gets so expensive long-term, doesn't look that good on anyone, and clogs up our closets with crap clothing. I buy or make my clothes with the expectation that they will last at least five years, and I make them last as long as I can by treating them with care and mending and reworking them whenever possible. Of course, much of what's available in regular retail these days is poor quality and won't last that long, and you may not even have many better options depending on your location or budget. This is a systemic problem beyond the scope of this blog post, but I would recommend avoiding the purchase of poor quality clothing whenever possible by buying fewer, more expensive but better quality new items, buying secondhand, and/or making your own clothes with care.
Thinking longer-term in your clothing purchasing generally means not only planning more carefully, but also steering towards simpler, more classic lines and being cautious about adopting trends. Though some trends, such as the cowl, do come to stay, others tend to look silly and dated in fairly short order. It also means you need to be sure you genuinely like something on you, that it fits well, and that you will wear it before you buy it.
We the living of 2019 do have a few huge advantages that those who lived during the last two centuries never had, and the first is that our clothing styles have become so myriad and flexible and are changing so little overall that nearly anything goes these days. This is a recent phenomenon. My mother, who was born in 1938, tells me that when she was a young woman in the late fifties and early sixties, there was one look, one silhouette, one hemline length in style at a time, and if a woman didn't have that particular current look, she was outré . Prior to 1950 or so, women of modest means routinely refashioned and retrimmed their clothing every season in order to keep in style. Through much of the twentieth century, fashions changed so quickly and were so specific and rigid that if a woman wore something even two or three years old, it looked it, and she'd be considered dowdy and out of date. Even in the 1980s, when I was growing up, fashions changed radically over the course of the decade. In the 1990s the pace seemed to slow somewhat, and fashions haven't changed so terribly much since 2000. When I watch movies from the early aughts I often find myself thinking that it would only take at a few tweaks to update some of the looks the actresses are wearing, or maybe even that they look quite contemporary exactly as they are, and I have many pieces of clothing that are ten to sixteen years old that still pass for reasonably current. In 1999, 1989, 1979, or 1969, it would have been next to impossible for a woman to wear much clothing that was a decade or more old without looking like an oddity, whereas now it's easy to style decade-old clothing so that it looks quite up to date.
These days it's possible for a woman to think much longer-term in her wardrobe planning than women could decades ago, and that means we who wear female clothing can get more wear out of our clothes. This is especially good news for those of us who make our clothes. Making your own clot
