The Orange Swan Guide to Wardrobe Planning



For the past six years, as I have been in a difficult financial situation, I have written this blog, thinking and researching a lot of clothes planning strategies. and now my ideas have flourished quite a bit. I’ve come to the point where I’ve long decided to present my wardrobe planning theories and tips on a blog because I think my ideas will work for my readers. When all is said and done, the journey will be long and meaningful.



A little story about clothes planning

Until the mid-1960s, when people in western societies had smaller wardrobes, clothing purchases were much more carefully and thoroughly planned than they are today. It depicts what people need in their daily lives (e.g., clothes for work, school, sports, church, evening, or other social events, at home); , gloves, bags, shoes, coats, underwear or any other item needed to complete any collection. They also made sure that the different components of their wardrobe worked well. If a woman had a modest budget, she would choose a hat or bag that would go with most or all of her coats and dresses, instead of buying a different hat or bag for each outfit. Dress planning was a skill taught in home economics classes, where students were taught how to plan a full wardrobe that fits a budget according to a budget. And if you look at street photography from 1965 or earlier, compared to today’s street photography, you can see that those who lived then, on average, dressed better than we do today, or most of us who lived in 2019, mostly a lot. . more clothes than they did fifty years ago or more.

What has changed? The dresses were quite cheap, we were more relaxed about the proper rules of society, we started shopping, wearing a much laissez-faire style. (Linda Przybyszewski, in her book The Lost Art of Clothing , says that this is a result of the decline in home schooling). In this post, I throw the box back or take off my yoga pants), but there have been a few. Excessive tissue production is harmful to the environment. Excessive clothing purchases can damage our personal finances. And even if we had two or three times more clothes in our wardrobe than the average wardrobe in the 1950s, we may still feel that we don’t have the right clothes, happy with the way we dress and finish. Last minute to buy something for the upcoming event.

Even today, many men buy clothes more or less strategically. It is understandable that men's uniforms are compared to women's clothing. That’s why I decided to focus this article on women’s clothing, as men don’t need advice. In Western-style clothing cultures, if a man wears a suit, jacket, shirt and tie, sweater, shirt, khaki, jeans, shorts, a man has at least one outfit that suits everyone. but several formal occasions for hiring a tuxedo. If her clothes fit well, are of good quality and fit well, she is considered to be perfectly dressed. On the other hand, women’s dresses are so colorful and varied that a minimalist women’s wardrobe needs three times as many dresses and then it will be understood that it is well-dressed but well-dressed because women have to do it. dressing with a certain level of personality — creativity not expected of men. A man can wear the same costume in a job interview, in a wedding: a funeral - just a change of shirt - a tie, at this point the woman's suit would actually go with both of them. at most. However, my position on this issue is that although women’s clothing planning is more complex than men’s clothing planning, it is still viable: it’s worth the effort.



The story of the unexpected planning of my personal attire

The design of my wardrobe has changed tremendously, but tremendously, over the last half decade. The thought of shopping and making clothes shakes my head. Of course, I thought I was very organized. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve been making lists of things I wanted to do and then getting them systematically. However, this list was not really the result of strategic planning, but rather a kind of impulsive documented acquisition. I’ve never seen my entire wardrobe, I’m not sure I have enough clothes for all the activities in my life, or I’m not sure that every item I buy or make can be a complete outfit considering the rest of the items I have. be. hand. I also didn’t realize what was right for me and what was right for me. Again and again, I thought it would be nice if I let go of the urge to do something that would make me feel good about where I was going or what I was going to wear, that I might never wear the item. in general, or he had to spend a lot of money to buy related items. I only wore it to realize I didn’t have the right shoes or coats, I had to change. Or at the last minute I would find out that I have nothing to wear like a temporary funeral. Even at the age of twenty or thirty, I didn't advance much. Many years ago, one winter while I was washing a hat and cloth basket sitting in my closet, I began to wonder what hats were coming. What coat or jacket did I find with the hats on? that didn't suit my clothes, and I didn't have a hat or gloves to wear.


I made a coral scarf that I had never used in years ago because it didn’t fit my coat. I finally gave it to my sister as she had a coat to wear to this collection.


There were other such theologians. Shortly after I started working from home in March 2012, one day I hid from a UPS employee because I was wearing it because I was too embarrassed to open the door, and that was one of the weaknesses for them was working from home. . Life (the other groundbreaking candidate) was when I was trying to learn how to ruin a YouTube video of a colleague when I had to learn Canadian tax law. But maybe that was almost seven years away from home. Forget it :) when I didn’t have to pay for a few hours, I took this work package myself, it interested me, I bought more “about”. When I was not working in the "clothes" (e.g. yoga pants, hat, long shirts) in the office, I needed extra collection. And after that, I started to think more carefully and systematically about what clothes I really wanted, what I needed in my life, and as a result, my current wardrobe was even better than my wardrobe seven years ago. even though I have less money to spend now.



What can clothing planning do for you - for your knitwear?

The idea of ​​systematic wardrobe planning may seem boring and mechanical at first glance, but the paradox of rules, routine, boundaries is that they are repressive, but in fact liberating. , because they help us get rid of all the noise. we despair and get what we want the most and enjoy what we want. I think careful planning and adjustments can make it a lot more convenient to wear our clothes in the long run. Clothes planning is better for the environment, it can save us money and money: stress can lead us to dress better in the long run - even if it is attractive - it can help us have fun with the clothes we buy. What's wrong?


I really liked the collection of dresses I made, the collection of scarves, not only to my liking, because I chose a thread that matched my old green bag, my new brown bag.


If you’re wondering why I posted about knitting in a knitting blog, I think knitting project planning goes hand in hand with knitting planning. If you are making knitwear or an accessory that you wear yourself, you need to think about how you will look at the item, how it will go with your wardrobe, how it will fit and how it will be used a lot. it is difficult to work with the product and then discover that it is unusable for some reason. And you won't be able to answer questions about whether or not a particular style fits your wardrobe.



How to plan your ideal outfit

How do you organize your wardrobe? I think the best place to start is to make a detailed list of things you need to be well-dressed for the rest of your life. Think about what would be your ideal wardrobe, make a list of all the items you need to wear according to your lifestyle, test the list and make sure all the possible scenarios are complete. Edited as best as possible. How many clothes do you need for school, work, fitness or home? What does it take to go to the beach for a BBQ, dinner or a friend's funeral?

I’ll give you an example of what this list might look like and I’ll give you a little artwork for what my actual clothing list might look like. In fact, I work from home. I don’t communicate often because of chronic fatigue, but to make my advice as helpful as possible, I’d like to plan a simpler lifestyle than that. Suppose I plan to have 9 out of 5 women’s wardrobes for office work, I have to travel regularly, I do my homework, I usually go out 2 or 3 times a week. I live in Toronto, Ontario, where summers are pretty hot and winters are pretty cold, which means I need clothes for all seasons. I wash once a week, so my standard clothing is, "What do I need for a week?"

Please note that I am not offering these lists as a general recommendation, but as a useful example. The list of items you need will vary significantly from mine depending on my gender, age, physical needs, lifestyle, climate, tastes, budget, duration of the cleaning cycle, and so on. In the meantime, you can use my list as a start. up. points, your list should be tailored to your needs, otherwise you will not have the right wardrobe for you.

Here is my list for spring and summer.

  • three dresses
  • five shorts or a shirt / ball
  • six skin
  • three skirts
  • two pairs of jeans
  • five pairs of trousers
  • Cotton / linen trousers
  • bikini
  • beach blankets
  • Cotton cardigan
  • linen jacket
  • jacket windbreaker / rain jacket
  • a gap
  • a pashmina
  • a pair of heeled sandals
  • a pair of sandals
  • a pair of espadrilles or ballet
  • a couple of runners
  • Shoulder bags
  • bag
  • Making a backpack

From this selection of outfits, if I have chosen the right items, I can make 14 outfits without repeating anything, I can easily spend a week in the office, some social events / weekends and wasting my time at home. When I have these pieces, I don’t have to think much about what to wear all summer long. When I’m invited to the beach, to a barbecue in the yard, to dinner, or to a regular party, I know I’ll be covered. If I’m sure one of my dresses is dark - pretty conservative, I need to have a proper funeral outfit. Planning a funeral may seem daunting, but as a person who has had to attend a funeral for the past seven years, I can say that funerals are usually held three days in advance. You probably don’t like shopping these three days. I didn’t plan on going to the gym because I used to walk a lot, I do gym videos in my living room, but if I were in the gym, I would go to the gym 3-4 times a week, maybe I would add. Cut out 4 shirts / sets and maybe a pair of running shoes. To keep things simple, I didn't include socks, stockings, underwear, breasts, pajamas, clothes, belts, hats, and jewelry, but it's okay. These things also need to be planned, of course. My toilet list includes the type and quantity of items I need.

My list does not include formal events, for example. a cocktail party or a wedding tie that requires a cocktail dress or evening gown. I almost never go to formal events, they inform me a month in advance, so I decided to make formal clothes and accessories at the request of the best program for me. A woman who attends such events several times a week, every month, or every year may decide that her best outfit should always be a small dress, a light-colored cocktail dress. her wardrobe. , as well as evening bags, slippers or evening sandals.

I also need a fall / winter list. This list may look like this:

  • three dresses
  • 5 long shirts / blouses
  • 10 sweaters, different styles
  • 3 shirts
  • 5 long shirts
  • 3 skirts
  • 3 pairs of wool trousers
  • 2 pairs of jeans (double summer list)
  • 4 yoga pants ready
  • leather jacket
  • Trench coat (double summer list)
  • glass (double wine list)
  • inflated vest
  • park
  • short woolen jacket
  • long wool coat
  • stroller
  • flat leather
  • pump
  • Runners (double summer list)
  • boots
  • knee shoes

Again, this list made me think of work clothes, social media clothes, including funeral clothes. The cold weather list is longer — more complicated than the hot weather list because the cold weather needs more shifts — so more systems. Choosing coats can be a bit boring for a woman's wardrobe, somehow you have to find the right coat for any length of jeans, trousers, skirts, skirts without completing twenty different coats, but how do you discuss mine in a way ?. Article Tweed Long Coat I made myself last winter , believe me if I have a bag, a neutral short wool coat, a long wool coat, can withstand a fair Canadian winter. I currently have a good selection of coats in my wardrobe and will refer to them in the future so as not to end up with an outfit that doesn’t match the existing coats or scarves.



Color palette strategies

How can I make sure items on my list are replaceable? I have to think about colors and patterns. If my linen jacket and my cotton jacket are cream and my jacket is beige, they will probably go with one of my summer outfits. I would probably get a pashmina to complete the three dresses while my glasses are fixed with denim shorts. All my winter coats will be the same neutral or at least one color that will complement the colors I wore. I have a better safe Shagana, and all of these are safe, which are their most important core, more than ever, for example, one example may be common, another example may be more common. pghoskrit pghoskrit and shaganamak:


When I bought a sheath, zhangi yangi, green, khelahegh khelahegh, I ar eci, it could have been due to the shagane of the shoe shoe, everything else. higher shoes, or shalvarn shalvarn and loofers h: you have a higher shagana shagana, wearing it.


For me buyers and home buyers can work selectively gunapnoj guna and gunana gunana i, the better I work. clothes must be in the fall. and then it works well: together. if you like your colors or don't believe in their colors, you can create your own colors. . ???????????????????????? ????????????

The best colors and shades can’t stand out the best . green, nardos, nardos: hot / erng brown mixture may contain the contents of this mixture. gunapnak zusp many are sev h, white, red, red, red, the smallest color, color denied only the chosen girlfriend, because I like the colors very much, it can only a few colors, but also easier:

How much do I wear with the dress I wear with gunapnakov, I buy and for all kinds of them, and you have to have the right shoes and, you can wear all the colored clothes: if and and colored frosting ??? ????? ?, ?? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????????? what is what. Aiuhetev, because of the different sizes, the same with different outfits / achievements , I can spread a lot of shoes and wrists: spread this, including the soles of the shoes, and vice versa, you should see, if you will. more and more evil about the collection:

Another strategy option is to do a lot, or limit it. However, if the colors of the dyes are the color of the dye, the color of the dye is very dense, that is, dense, but I am limited, but I am, it is difficult to connect with other colors. :


Hau ?????????????????????? ?????????????????????? which level is also available.


I can buy them in advance , what they are, nothing needed, etc., when a wise man is dressed with his friends when he is dressed in his strong, solid, mixed clothes, mixed and: enough for a woman, with few. clothing, but also more than a certain limit. I advised him a lot of clothes which is not practical, * doesn't match * with the rest, and alas if two or four are combined from the item he was buying, that's a lot. After a month of weather, when the spring dress is the same, how should a white woman be, with a white woman, a white woman. :

And ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ## ??????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? Who is??? When you go to jozok, you can take for example pauses or or or cream cream, pauses or sav tabat pghoskri pghoskrii blues color, as the best finish, you can take. Take a look at the right place, the most beautiful and interesting detail of the best quality: your pieces should be in the same way that you should feel good, if so much more, in addition, also:



???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????? level ???????????????? and at what level

In addition, there are too many strategies that can be spent much less, but can become unique. The best and best way for all levels, which was common for women, especially when adding handbags and shoes:.


Hagust, I, using venerashapi , complain about my store in the 1930s :


Another strategy is to think of a complete outfit rather than trying to create a more sophisticated combination wardrobe described above, for everyday wear or at home, then plan each outfit with shoes, coats and accessories (you can always use a color palette strategy for your shoes, coats and to reduce accessories if desired). because you know exactly what it's going to be like every morning. clothes. Six outfits suitable for work / outing: և Four out-of-home outfits.


Another possible strategy is the French style of women's clothing, where women choose good haircuts (ie leather jacket, jacket, suit, jacket, jeans, trousers, silk blouse, buttons, sailors: shirt, plain sweaters, top T) . -shirts, etc.) neutral palette white, gray, dark, camel և pale pink, worn with simple jewelry such as a gold ring or a pair of diamonds. , classic shoes such as stilettos, shoes, moccasins, ankles և sandals, as well as a good bag, sunglasses և scarf. or once I spent about an hour on Pinterest so educated that I felt like I had mastered the basics of French style. For me, I decided where it was. This fresh palette would go very well with dark hair, dark eyes and the usual French hue of pale skin, it would cleanse me, even if I could sometimes create a French outfit from my neutral. items, style I would also find boring և restrictive for everyday life, as my preferences are usually more colorful և interesting clothes և jewelry.


After reading about the French style I was inspired by the striped Breton shirt.


But I found some useful ideas in my "French style" search on Pinterest . Then I worked harder to make sure the base of the wardrobe was in neutral colors. Lattice shirts are so classic և look cool: I added “moccasins” and a list of accessories, and then cut them out, wearing more than a classic low-cut moccasin and gland with the slightest hint of Jamaican jumpsuits: all the pants and jeans available; or Jamaican air troped or troped away; and both are compatible and very durable. I make an effort to put towels in my closet, even if it’s a great way to add water and smooth out a simple needle.

These are general strategies and advice strategies that you take a critical and conscious approach to, and are likely to be dismantled in this blog: they don’t take the French style in bulk, but use specific tips that work for that. ni. It’s important not to overdo the ones that follow (and include the councils), as well as effective strategies so that other people don’t have to work for you . To your liking, you need to choose what colors, styles, and coupes for you and what you don’t like, save which styles you have in the aisle and yours, and what you don’t support, your budget, and what items you think. in the right lifestyle for your style. As soon as the new style consoles are re-examined, reflection falls apart to ensure that there is enough pressure before the counter measures are taken.



How to return to your list of ideal realities

You also have a list of your ideal packages and all the functionality for you to take a step-by-step look at what you have on your desk and in your drawers and comment on your existing wardrobe is to compare your ideal. wardrobe. To identify what you want to do, what you want to do, what you want to delete, and what is also important to determine which articles you need to include at the time of access or more. If you have more items listed on your list (arguably!), But which ones are your favorites and which ones are your goalkeepers, your guardians. It doesn’t take much time to download portable parity objects to ultimately make a profit from an arbitrary list. You can browse these "additional" items by pulling or pulling (whether worn, worn, worn, or repaired in all repairs without an adapter), and to some extent you have no access to additional items, you get to the end. at the point you have what you want to believe and what you want in your poster. If you have articles that you don't like or don't like in the news , you'll find the most complete eraser with the secret that you don't believe in anything. If you find articles that you don't know about what you're looking for, whether you're a good bodyguard or a figure in your list, you might want to try them out and figure out how to handle them. If you have nothing to do with the item in question, is it worth buying the items that go with it, or do you just prefer to donate the item to a thrift store? If a part is not suitable, can it be modified? If it needs to be repaired, can it be repaired?

When it comes to non-portable items, if you have sewing / craft skills (and since you're reading this blog, you probably do), think beyond the basics of replacing a missing button or repairing a seam which came off. Wardrobe rebuilding is another skill set that seems to have almost been lost. Women of modest means used to use all sorts of tricks and techniques to give their old clothes a fresh, fresh look. They "turned" their dresses by tearing the dress, cutting it and shaping it according to the styles of the coming season, and then sewing it back with the old "bad" and non-discolored side of the fabric on the outside. I don't recommend changing your clothes because modern fabrics are not suitable for this at all, but I think it's a good idea to research and think about ways to extend the life of a garment. The past can be a minefield of ideas on how to achieve this, especially with the fashion advice of the 1930s and 1940s, when many people had to dress within tight budgets and a tight budget. strict dress rationing.


This copper silk scarf was originally a greenish gold silk scarf that didn't go well with any of my clothes.


Over and over again, I saved items that I was about to throw away, realizing that there was a way to get them back. Over the years, I replaced a snap button in my favorite faux suede shirt, replaced the broken bra frames with new ones (they sell them in fabric and sewing supply stores), put on day a blouse replacing his 90s fabric-covered buttons with new bones, changed flattering hems, turned long-sleeved t-shirts with worn elbows into t-shirts, turned a pair of yoga pants with Bleach marks on the lower legs in a pair of shorts, dyed a hideous pair of patterned spots ribbed velvet pants that my mother had bought me (circa 1987) in solid navy blue, transformed from bad dresses fitted / dated in skirts , dyed a sickly greenish gold silk scarf of a beautiful copper color, refreshed an old dull white summer hat by dipping it in tea, remade hats and second-hand necklaces reconfigured and put back , dated, broken or us es in something much more attractive. These projects all took less than two hours each, involved minimal expenses, and were well worth the effort, as all of these items used up a lot more of me once I reworked them a bit.

Sometimes an object can be transformed into a completely different piece. 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.


A top I made using yarn from a top I didn’t like, and a skirt I made out of a botched dressmaking project.


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 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 not to 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 doing 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.


A cream hat and scarf I made from the same pattern as the coral set pictured above. This set goes with * all * my coats and outfits.


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.


The long tweed coat I made last year, and that I hope I have planned well enough that I can wear it for 5 to 10 years.


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
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Histats