The Orange Swan Guide to Wardrobe Planning
Over the past six years, since I found myself in a difficult financial situation and became the author of this blog, I have thought and researched a lot about wardrobe planning and strategy, and now my ideas have long been filtered. publications, I decided to explain my theory and my suggestions. Listen to everyone, the trip will be long and verbal!
History of wardrobe planning
Around the mid-1960s, when people in Western society had smaller wardrobes, they decided to buy clothes with more care and caution than is common today. People guess what they need for everyday life (e.g. for work, school, sports, church clothes, evening or other social events, at home) and systematically buy the clothes they need for each activity, including hats. , gloves, bags, shoes, coats, underwear or other items are needed to complete each set. They also ensure the proper functioning of the various components of their wardrobe. If a woman is on a tight budget, she will choose a hat or bag to match some or all of her coats and outfits rather than buying a different hat or bag for each outfit. Wardrobe planning is a homeschooled skill as students learn to plan a complete wardrobe that fits their lifestyle within a set budget. And if we compare street photos from 1965 or earlier with the street photos we take today, it's really a shame that the average person was better dressed then than we are today, even though most of of us living in 2019 were best dressed. . More clothes than usual about fifty years ago.
What changed? Clothes were reasonably priced, social rules of what was appropriate were relaxed, and we started shopping and dressing in a much more consistent style. (Linda Przybyszewski also says in The Lost Art of Dressing that it's because there's less homework in school.) But they're just as bad. The overproduction of textiles causes enormous damage to the environment. Buying too many clothes weighs on our personal finances. And even if we have two or three times the wardrobe we averaged in the 1950s, we can still feel like we don't have the right clothes, that we're comfortable in the way we look. dress and that we are exhausted in our own clothes. the end. minute. buy something or for an event.
Many modern men still buy more or less strategic clothes. This is understandable, given that men's uniforms are comparable to women's clothing. That's why I decided to move this post to women's fashion because men don't need advice. In Western clothing culture, when a man has a modest selection of suits, jackets, shirts and ties, sweaters, T-shirts, khakis, jeans and pants, he has at least one outfit that suits him well at that time , not very dirty, formal attire where she can hire a tuxedo. If the clothes went and went and went, she would dress perfectly. Women's clothing, on the other hand, is much more precise and varied, with women's clothing requiring at least three times as much clothing, and then it will probably be fine, but only because women have to dress to a certain extent. individuality and creativity, which are not expected of men. A man can wear the same outfit for a conversation, a wedding and a funeral, perhaps only changing his shirt and tie, but a woman's suit only fits twice. However, my position on the matter is that planning and strategy for women's clothing is more difficult than planning for men's clothing, but still doable and worth the effort.
My Tragically Accidental Wardrobe Planning Story
My wardrobe planning has undergone gradual but drastic changes over the past half dozen years. When I think back to how I shopped and how I sewed clothes, I said yes. I mean, I think I'm very organized. When I was a teenager, I made a list of things I wanted and then systematically bought them. However, this list is not really the result of strategic planning, but a kind of documented impulse buying. I never look at my wardrobe as a whole to make sure I have enough clothes for every activity that comes into my life, or to make sure that everything I do or do can be a wardrobe complete given the other things I have. I also don't know what is good for me and what is good for me. I constantly admire the desire to do something without wondering where I'm going to wear it or what I'm going to wear, which means I may never wear that thing or ever. went to great lengths to purchase the items that came with it. I got dressed only to realize that I didn't have the right shoes or the right coat to put on this outfit, and suddenly I had to change. Or I find out at the last moment that I don't have something suitable for a random event, like a funeral. I haven't made much progress in thirty or thirty years. A few years ago I was storing a basket on a shelf in my hallway closet and for the first time I thought of hats and coats or jackets that went with the hats I had found. I don't wear hats and gloves without a coat and overcoat.
There is still such enlightenment. Shortly after I started working from home in March 2012, I once hid from a UPS guy because I was too shy to open the door because of what I was wearing and that was it. one of the worst moments of my homework experience. (Another low-level competitor was trying to learn how to make a fuss out of a YouTube video when I had to research Canadian tax law using cats as partners. But maybe that was really the case. For years I didn't do anything else. knew..) When I had to drive to the UPS office for a few hours a day and pay myself to pick up that batch of works, I bounced back and bought it. more "lounge" clothes (sir, ie yoga pants, hooded t-shirt and long-sleeved t-shirt). I need extra gear when I'm out of the office. And then I started thinking carefully and systematically about what clothes I really wanted and needed for my life, and as a result, my clothes today are much better than seven years ago, even if I have less. spend money now.
What wardrobe design can do for you and your knitting job
The idea of systematic wardrobe planning may seem a bit dark and mechanical at first glance, but the paradox of rules, procedures and restrictions is overwhelming but truly liberating, helping us to cut through all the noise and noise. clutter and allowing us to start. what we most want to do and enjoy what we love. I believe that careful planning and regulation can give us more pleasure with our clothes in the long run. Wardrobe planning is better for the environment, it can save us money, time and stress in the long run, we can dress better and more attractively, and it can help us enjoy and wear the clothes we buy. What's not to love here?
If you're wondering why I post about wardrobe planning on knitting blogs, I think planning a knitting project goes hand in hand with wardrobe planning. If you weave clothes or wearable accessories, you need to think about how you will look on this item, whether it will fit into your wardrobe, how you will decorate it and what benefits it will bring you. lot, worked on creating a topic, then realized that for some reason it was inappropriate. And you won't be able to answer your question if you don't understand what you need in your wardrobe to match a certain pattern.
How to organize your perfect wardrobe
How to organize your wardrobe? I think the best place to start is to make a detailed list of everything you need to dress well in life. Think about what your ideal wardrobe would look like, make a list of everything you need to get fit and dress according to your lifestyle, and go through the list to come up with as many scenarios as possible for the make it as complete as possible. . perhaps. . and modify as much as possible. How many clothes do you need for school, office, gym or home? What to wear to the beach, to a barbecue with a friend, to a date, to a funeral?
I'm going to give an example of what this list looks like, giving you a fictional version of what my ideal wardrobe list looks like. I actually work from home and rarely go out due to chronic fatigue, but to make my suggestions as helpful as possible, I wanted to plan a lifestyle that would be more popular than that. So let's say I organize a women's wardrobe for office work shows from 9am to 5pm, go to work, homework, and homework regularly, and generally go out in public two or three times a week. I live in Toronto, Ontario, it's pretty hot in the summer and pretty cold in the winter, so I need all-weather clothing. I always wash my laundry once a week, so the indicator of having enough clothes is "what I need for a week".
Please note that the following list is not presented as some kind of universal recommendation, but as a useful example. Your to-do list may be completely different from mine, depending on gender, age, physical needs, lifestyle, climate, tastes, budget, length of cleaning cycle, etc., and while you can use my list as a starting point, customize your list to suit your needs, or you won't get the wardrobe you need.
Here's what my spring and summer list might look like:
- three dresses
- five blouses/cropped tops or sleeveless tops
- six t-shirts
- three skirts
- two pairs of jeans
- five pants
- cotton/linen pants
- swimsuit
- beach blanket
- cotton cardigan
- linen jacket
- raincoat/jacket
- lid
- pashmina
- a pair of heeled sandals
- a pair of flat platform sandals
- sneakers or ballerinas
- couple of runners
- backpack
- bag
- backpack
With this outfit choice, if I get the right pieces, I can make 14 outfits without repeating a single item, and I can easily spend a week at the office, a few evening/weekend socials, and time at home. . . If I had these things, I wouldn't have to think much about what I would wear all summer. If I'm invited to the beach, to the patio, to a dinner party, or to a temporary party, I believe I believe. If I make sure one of my dresses is dark and conservative, I'll have proper funeral attire if I need it. Planning a funeral outfit may seem daunting at first, but as someone who has had to attend funerals for the past seven years, I can confidently say that funerals usually take three days, and if you have recently lost someone you love, you may not be able to make it. to process purchases. I don't wear clothes to the gym, I work out, go out often and watch exercise videos in my living room, but if I work out at the gym and go 3 to 4 times a week I might add 4 extra t-shirts and maybe more runners. For the sake of simplicity, I haven't included socks, stockings, underwear, coals, sleepwear, bathrobes, belts, hats, and jewelry, but of course those things should also be planned. My current wardrobe list includes the types and quantities of items I need.
My list also does not include formal events like cocktail parties or black tie weddings where you need a cocktail dress or evening dress. I don't do a lot of formal events, and when I go I give them a few months notice, so I decide the best plan for me is to get my clothes and accessories ready. A woman who attends such beautiful events more than once a week, month or year may decide that it is best for her to ensure that her outfit always includes a modern black dress and a shiny cocktail dress. . as well as a suitable evening bag and evening slippers or sandals to take away.
I also need a fall/winter list. This list might look like this:
- three dresses
- 5 long sleeve tops/blouses
- 10 sweaters of different styles
- 3 hoodies/sweaters
- 5 long-sleeved shirts
- 3 skirts
- 3 pairs of woolen pants
- 2 pairs of jeans (summer double list)
- 4 yoga pants ready
- leather jacket
- Trench coat (summer double list)
- jacket (summer double leaf)
- beautiful vest
- garden
- short wool jacket
- long wool coat
- to taste
- leather ballet
- pump
- runner (summer team doubles)
- boots
- boots
Again, with this list, I'm thinking of work clothes, clothes for social occasions including funerals, and clothes for the home. Cold weather lists are longer and more complex than warm weather lists because cold weather requires more layers and, therefore, more coordination. Choosing a coat can be a challenge for a woman's wardrobe because somehow you have to find the right coat for every cut and length of jeans, pants, skirts and dresses without tying twenty coats different, but as I cover in my moderated post . As for the long tweed coat I made myself last winter, I thought that if I had a jacket, a short neutral tweed coat and a long tweed coat, I could face the Canadian winter with stamina and style. . I now have a large selection of coats in my hallway closet, and in the future, I'll be careful not to buy clothes that don't match my old coat or my outfit.
Color palette strategy
How can I make sure my list items are interchangeable? I have to think about colors and patterns. If my linen jacket and my cotton cardigan were beige and the raincoat was brown, they would probably go with one of my summer outfits. I might want to get a three piece dress and opt for a jacket with jeans and shorts. All my winter coats will be as neutral as neutral, or at least complementary colors to the colors I wear. All the leather shoes I bought were brown and I made sure all the clothes matched the brown shoes. I also make sure to have basics in neutral colors to make my wardrobe more versatile. For example, of the summer clothes listed above, one of the three skirts can be plain khaki, and the t-shirt and top should be at least one ivory and one brown.
akimalnaya accі ersalnastі arderoba astoylіva amenduyu acavatsа abran. e eru oryu seasonal olere adpavednastsі ah ah ah, agatay autumn. e olkі ах еххих olerakh, ale, o, atsue azam ak obra, o e. Maya syastra taxama autumn, beer face, sho seasonal color theory is a geta of stupidity, yana just buys something, sho padabaetstsa, even though I'm proud, sho my wardrobe is laid out on cold/winter palettes ( I like black ones), and, like that, learn the basics. at such vats you can get davedatstsa, as you season and apranuzza ў adpavednastsі of the palettes of this season, or, if you do not fall from "your" colors, or we do not know the theory of seasonal colors you can color skatsatsi balasnaya palette.
amae alounae avila adanna alyarovaya alіtra - alodnuyu or alyarovaya ama, amu o alodny oleryadrenna a. Alodnaya alar liter ozha son oleraў/adtsennyaў: orn, spruces, , a-blue, ardovy, alinavy, ovy, a, alar litera ozha son oleraў/adtsennyaў: arychny, oler avai osci, alіўkavy, ava, aravy and nailepshaga ўnіversalnaў In la wardrobe, you can choose a very rich color palette with some neutral accents, such as black, white, sher and adzin, your favorite colors, as you can be chovyrvony, red, purple or. here
е али е а опратка , ак алодных олерах, е атрэбіліся орныя, орныя. здесь здесь
адна амая аляровая аэя, ап subscribed а а а а аээ олш о undes, - ац олькі еgy Лёгкий падающий топ для снаряжения клетки или штаноў у палоску, калі ўсе ваши топы аднатонныя, или знание што-небудзь, шо спалучецца с вашей блузкай у гарошак или светлым світэрам, калі ўсещыя сніцы і штаны аднатонныя. Як і ў выку з ідэяй вельми абмежаванай каляровай палитры, я не рабів гэтага сам, бо лічу гэта занадта абмежавальным, але я пераканаўся, шо ў мяне ёсць и верх, и ніз аднатных нейтральных колорасов, што дападрумакакалыкаюліровацій.
аваў а аслівую асяродзе ами а айнасцямі: е оры, о е азначаць, о ас е аецца ди сини орань аблемы аключалася , о а аю опратку натальных ейтальных олы а ожа еабходнай ерай анчыны, о ельмі о ала ала зення, ерабным абмеаном, ааіў е акой актычнай, о е *усё* авінна алучацца *усім астатнім*, о алі а олее ах ааць а-ча а а а а а а а а а а а а а а а а ступа а ачала азгалиноўаля аго, а ачала азгалиноўвац, онюкай олераў азала е, о адабалася, ожылі е этні ардэроб, о а ачна ольш адавоб.
, апэўна, арта адаць екалькі оў а ар ейтральных абаў. ейтральные - е оним ага. Купляючы нейтральные рэчи, такія як карычневы кашал, чорныя штаны ці крэмавую блузку, не купляйце толстки карычневы кашалёк, чорныя штаны или блузку колеру слановай косці, бо гэта добра спосаб завяршыць бясформенія, непрыга-наблашыя, непрыга-наблашыя. айце егантны ой, ой, обрае асць екаторовя авыя актурныя алі. здесь
атэргіі анавання ардэроба
Ёсць шмат в своих стратежей гардэроба, акрамя выкарыстання дадзенай каляровай палитры, якія могуць дапамагчы вам лепш апранацца с мэншай колькасцю адзення - насамрэч, их заміт шмат для мяне, каб ахапіць у гэтим паведамленні - некрайний паведамленні блог. о амых остых эПшых аэй, а небудз, а а андартная анцэПцыя аочаа ору анчын, ацуюц а а енерыка. здесь
ая аэя аклюаецца, а ц орамі, а аавац арац олш ааны ардэроб амннацы (аэннем, а. С такими падыходам вы можете выращены, шо вам трэба, скажам, дзесяць нарада, якія падыходзяць для працы, и ящэ дзесяць, якія падыходзяць для паўсядзённага адзення или для дома, а затым сплана, палетки кожтобутыль у кампцебора. (Вы ўсё яшчэ можаце выкарыстоўваць стратэгію каляровай палітры, кабъ звесці да минімуму колькасць абутку, паліто и аксесуараў, якія вам патрэбныя да вай адзення, калі хочаце.) кожную раніцу, таму што вы дзе дзе, дакладна di sini Хтосьці павінен адразу набыць новую вопратку , але пакуль не хоча ці не можа марнаваць шмат грошай на свой гардэроб, можа вырашыць, што ёй патрэбны мінімальны гардэроб з дзесяці нарадаў: шасці нарадаў, якія падыходзяць для праца/выезд, і чатыры ўборы «па ому».
Яшчэ адна магчымая стратэгія - гэта французскі стыль жаночага адзення, у якім жанчына валодае выбарам добра пакроенай асновы (напрыклад, скураная куртка, блэйзер, чорны касцюм, тренч, джынсы, штаны, шаўковая блузка, кашуля на гузіках, кашуля ў брэтонскую палоску, аднатонныя пуловеры , майкі и футболки и г.д.) у нейтральных палочек чорнага, бега, шэрага, цёмна-синяга, вярблюдага и бледна-ружовага, как яна носіць значальіў прыгожваннямі, такі как як залаты пярсцёнак или пара рыбрынтавых шпилек, кaкія, такаяласчна чёрная туфлі а , алетки, оферы, отильоны андалі, аксама обрая а, онцаахоўныя акуляры шалік. Эта простая для разума формула содержит формулу, и я знаю, что она показывает, как выглядит, а что аднойчы я правёў на Pinterest гадзину ці каля таго, каб выхоўваць сябэ да такой ступени, калі я адчуваў, што я добра разумею асновы, сты француз ашыў есца, о а о е е. Гэта крута палитра, яко так добра глядела б на знакомых французских колерах цёмных валов, цёмных вачей и бледнай скуры, прымушала б мяне выглядит размытым, и хоць час адду, я магла б сабраць нарад во французскім стилі сваіх нейтральных палічаў, я бы гыгыти эти палитры анадта абмежавальным, аб жыць одзённа, о ае больш аляўнічай, авай обраткі алірны.
е айшоў екалькі арысных одзе айго аследовання в Pinterest «Французскі». асля аў ольш амаганняў, аб ераканацца, о е основы ардэроба ейтральных олерах. абіў абе а-крэмавы аласаты оп атажу , ачыце а ота , аму о опы онскую алоску - а акіа асі. Я даю «макасіны» у спіс пакупкі неў забавное купіў сабе пару класических лоферов Бас с пэндзлікам, якія апынуліся адной с лепшъихъ пакупакъ абутку, якія я калі-небудзь рабіў: яны идуць да кожнай пары штаноў, ямайю джынса; олі е аюць анадта ана, анадта ана; абодва ельмі алыя. аксама ааю амаганн, а улюцц а ой а аэроб, о аПры 'ўляюцца аатным Спосабам аац шмат анана.
Гэта, дарэчы, такі крытые, сама Свядомы падыход да ўсіх стратэгій і парад у адзенні, і я приклаваю усе намаганні, кабъ прадеманстраваць у гэтым блогу: я не перняў французскі стіль оптам, але а проста для выкарція бійкія парады, якія. ажна е ейнічаць епа а -небудзь арадах (у лику а аіх), о атэгіі адзення, обра ацуюць огіх ей, огуць авем Каб добра апранацца, вам трэба даведацца, якія колеры, фасоны и фасоны падыходзяць ваш знешнастці, а якія — не, ведаць , у якіх стылях Вам зручна и иаслива, а як Вы не Выносцце, Ведац, якій Ваш юджет, и якія Праўэ ожны аз, алі вы ецеся арадай а овым , обра адумайце, апраўды а адыходзіць ам, ерце аб -іць
ератварыць аш альнага адзення альнасць
Пасля таго, як вы складзеце спіс ідэальнай адзення, і вы ўпэўненыя, што яно падыдзе вам, ваш наступны крок - праглядзець тое, што ў вас ёсць у шафе і шуфлядах камоды, і паглядзець, як ваш існуючы гардэроб параўноўваецца з вашым ідэальным гардэробам. Гэта дапаможа вам вызначыць, што вам трэба купіць, што вы можаце адсеяць, і, што не менш важна, высветліць, якія прадметы вам трэба спыніць купляць на дадзены момант, таму што ў вас іх дастаткова або нават больш чым дастаткова. Калі ў Вас ёсц боль ээў, чым Паказана ў Вашым спісе (я, Вядома!), Але Вам яны Падаба в Вы в носцце Няма Сэнсу Пазбаўляцца а Прадметаў, якія можна насцц, дзеля спісу, які к канчатковым рахунку даволіны. Рана ці позна вы страціце гэтыя «лішнія» прадметы з-за зносу (гэта значыць, яны зношваюцца, састараюцца, парваюцца або забруджваюцца, перастануць падыходзіць), а таксама таму, што вы больш не купляеце дадатковыя прадметы , у рэшце рэшт вы дойдзеце да таго , што ў вашым шафе будзе менавіта тое, што вам сапраўды трэба і хочаце. Калі ў вас ёсць лішнія рэчы, якія вы не носіце і не любіце, вы можаце адсеяць іх надзейна, ведаючы, што яны вам усё роўна не патрэбныя. Калі вы знойдзеце якія-небудзь прадметы, якія вы не носіце, але падабаюцца, незалежна ад таго, ёсць яны ў вашым ідэальным гардэробе ці не, падумайце, чаму вы іх не носіце і ці можаце вы вырашыць гэта. Калі ў вас няма чаго надзець з прадметам, пра які ідзе гаворка, ці варта выдаткаў і клопатаў аб набыцці прадметаў, якія ідуць да яго, ці вы б аддалі перавагу проста ахвяраваць прадмет у эканомію? Калі частка не падыходзіць, ці можна яе змяніць? Калі ён патрабуе рамонту, ці можна яго адрамантаваць?
Калі справа даходзіць да непрыдатных для носення рэчаў, калі ў вас ёсць навыкі рукадзелля / майстэрства (і, улічваючы, што вы чытаеце гэты блог, вы, верагодна, маеце), падумайце не толькі пра асновы замены адсутнай гузікі або выпраўлення шва, які разарваўся. Рэканструкцыя гардэроба - яшчэ адзін набор навыкаў, які, здаецца, амаль страчаны. Жанчыны сціплага дастатку выкарыстоўвалі разнастайныя прыёмы і прыёмы, каб старая вопратка выглядала па-новаму і свежа. Яны «пераварочвалі» свае сукенкі, раздзіраючы сукенку, выразалі і фармавалі яго ў адпаведнасці з стылямі будучага сезону, а затым сшывалі яго разам з раней «няправільнай» і нявыцвілай бокам тканіны звонку. Я не заклікаю ператвараць вашу вопратку, бо сучасныя тканіны зусім не падыходзяць для гэтага, але я лічу, што гэта добрая ідэя, каб даследаваць і прадумаць спосабы падаўжэння тэрміну службы прадмета адзення. Мінулае можа стаць залатым руднікам ідэй, як гэта зрабіць - асабліва ў выпадку модных парадаў 1930-х і 1940-х гадоў, калі многім людзям даводзілася апранацца ў рамках абмежаванага бюджэту і строгага нармавання адзення.
Зноў і зноў я захоўваў прадметы, якія я быў на мяжы выкінуць з усведамленнем таго, што ёсць спосаб выратаваць іх. За гэтыя гады я замяніў любімую кашулю з штучнай замшу, замяніў зламаныя трусы бюстгальтара на новыя (яны прадаюць у крамах тканін і швейных прылад), абнавіў блузку, замяніўшы гузікі з тканінай у 90-я гады на новыя касьцявыя, зьмянілі непахвальныя падолы, ператварылі футболкі з доўгімі рукавамі і паношанымі локцямі ў футболкі, ператварылі пару штаноў для ёгі з плямамі ад адбельвання на ніжніх нагах у шорты, пафарбавалі агідную пару з плямамі вельветавыя штаны, якія мама купіла мне (прыкладна ў 1987 годзе) у аднатонны флот, ператварыла непрыталеныя/старыя сукенкі ў спадніцы , пафарбавала шаўковы шалік з хваравітым зеленавата-залатым колерам у прыгожы медны колер , асвяжыла стары брудны белы летні капялюш, акунуўшы яго у гарбаце, капелюшы з пераробленай аздабленнем, а таксама пераналаджаныя і перанавязаныя датаваныя, зламаныя або зношаныя каралі ў нечым больш прывабным. Усе гэтыя праекты займалі менш за дзве гадзіны кожны, займалі мінімальныя выдаткі і былі больш чым вартыя высілкаў, таму што я атрымаў значна больш зношвання ўсіх гэтых прадметаў, як толькі я крыху іх перапрацаваў.
Часам прадмет можна ператварыць у зусім іншы прадмет. 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/use?" 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 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
