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Do you plan your wardrobe?

37 replies

BatshitCrazyWoman · 19/08/2023 14:03

By plan, I mean decide on a colour palette to concentrate on for the upcoming season, and then buy things in those colours that work with each other and with existing items in your wardrobe? If you do, do you buy everything at the beginning of the season?

The reason I ask is because a recent wardrobe declutter meant I got rid of a few unworn spring/summer things (from a couple of years ago) that needed particular tops/bottoms to go with them, that I didn't have and never managed to find/buy. I don't want to keep doing this (although I'm happy that charity has some nice clothes to sell!) as I get bored with looking for the bits I need and give up, and I never feel like I have enough coordinating clothes to make different outfits, or to pack for a long weekend.

I'm not really talking specifics here (like the 'what are you buying for autumn' type threads), just more generally asking for your planning advice!

I love autumn/winter and could buy ALL the clothes in lovely autumn colours, but I know I'll end up with wardrobe orphans unless I am more strategic! But how??

OP posts:
FrillyGoatFluff · 19/08/2023 23:51

I am going to start implementing the same wardrobe rules for myself as I do for my 15 month old. Her wardrobe is seriously curated.

She has:

  • A drawer full of vests - sleeveless, short sleeve and long sleeve, in ever colour of the rainbow. My underwear is nowhere near this varied.
  • Her outfits are hung on the same hanger (bottoms, top, cardigan, socks) so I just grab and go.
  • Her knocking around gear is majority plain bright leggings, patterned tops. Even daddy can make her look respectable pulling one of each out of the drawer at random.
-Massive bag full of hair clips, so there's always one to match her outfit.
  • most importantly, if something is perfect, I buy it twice. For her, it's next size up... I'm not aiming for that though.

Any one of these tricks applied to my wardrobe would make life significantly smoother. As it is, she's immaculate and I'm a scruff bucket.

Galiana · 20/08/2023 00:16

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BatshitCrazyWoman · 20/08/2023 05:46

@FrillyGoatFluff that's cute! My DC when they were babies also have very curated wardrobes.

OP posts:
BatshitCrazyWoman · 20/08/2023 05:53

@frippu I'm not sure how I'd describe my style! I know that what's been in the shops lately isn't it, though 😂

I'm going to work through The Curated Closet book, and not buy anything unless I have a couple of things to go with it.

For work, my wardrobe in the autumn and winter is based around black/goes back to black. Not in my soft/warm/light palette, but I don't care. It's easy and works together and is very appropriate for my traditional/conservative workplace.

OP posts:
ichundich · 20/08/2023 06:01

I think it's good to have enough good quality plain aka "boring" items (tops, jumpers, cardigans, trousers, skirts) that you can combine with patterned / printed "interesting" ones.

FinallyHere · 20/08/2023 14:39

Clothes are a necessary evil for me so I have been 'curating' (if that's what it is) my wardrobe for decades.

My mother and sister always talked about this and it has taken my a long time and a lot of work to do what they do naturally to always have the right outfit for any occasion.

I did start by having 'colours done' but it didn't really click for me until I met someone whose background was in theatre costume design who could explain and importantly show me what it really means for colours and shapes to work well on my body and adjust for seasonality and , let's face it, age.

My mother and sister who are naturals at this game were always disappointed that I was prepared to pay for advice that they offered for free. To be fair, the advice that worked for me was not essentially different to theirs. I just needed to have it explained so I could do it myself. I couldn't do that without understanding how it worked.

My objective is to always have an appropriate outfit for every occasion with the absolute minimum effort from me, so that I am 'effortlessly' well dressed and never have to think about what I am wearing.

This does involves sticking to a limited palette so that everything I buy goes with everything else.

Not really much difference between seasons either. There are only a few things that I only wear in one season, because I work when I go in to the office in air conditioning so tops and trousers tend to work all year round. White jeans the only thing I can think of off the top of my head.

As for buying things, I operate a one in one out policy: if I buy something g new I throw out something to make room. This means that I will know what I need to buy, when lovely pieces have started to look a bit shabby and actually wear out. I buy replacements whenever I see them and have been known to dye clothes if I couldn't find any perfect things when I needed them.

For example, I often wear jeans but even mid blue denim doesn't look as good with my things as teal will. If I can't find teal in the shops, I use emerald green dye to adjust the mid-blue denim to teal.

That does tend to mean that I buy early in the season while the widest range of colours and sizes are available and then also in the sales when if the size and colour of something shows up at reduced cost, I'll buy multiples to stock up.

I have spent quite a lot of money on some items which on a cost per wear have entirely justified their existence. And be a bit smug that I haven't wasted much money in things that I never actually wore very much at all.

Fashions do change, but over enough time things cycle around. This summer, I've been wearing a pair of white shorts I first bought in 1990 which look exactly as another pair I saw on the Levi website this year.

Any effort you put into planning your wardrobe will pay dividends on freeing up time to do more interesting things.

GrimDamnFanjo · 20/08/2023 16:26

@BatshitCrazyWoman I didn't have a massive wardrobe, and now I just need to remember to add in a photo when I buy something, can usually find one online!
I did have my colours done, I'm a winter and I'd actually got mostly the right colours.

One thing I've started to look at is the idea of a "uniform" where you have a set style you just tweak for the season.

radiantlydressed.com/create-a-style-uniform/

BatshitCrazyWoman · 21/08/2023 06:17

@FinallyHere your final paragraph is what I hope to achieve! I do have very different summer and winter clothes as my commute and my office are not air conditioned!

@GrimDamnFanjo thanks for the link to the blog - the uniform concept is interesting. I definitely do this for work clothes!

OP posts:
queenoftheglee · 21/08/2023 06:55

BLT24 · 19/08/2023 20:59

I follow a few pages on Instagram who share links to entire outfits. I buy them now instead of buying individual pieces. Some items I may already have. I’ll refresh my ‘classic items’ when needed these are
White t shirts
Denim jacket
Leather jacket
Trench coat
Long jeans
Cropped jeans
Racer back vests
White shirt
Smart black cross body bag
Smart trainers eg Veja
Black boots
Black Birkenstocks
Brown/Tan sandals

Who do you follow @BLT24? Life would be so much easier if I could buy a full outfit (like I used to do for my babies!)

BLT24 · 21/08/2023 08:08

queenoftheglee · 21/08/2023 06:55

Who do you follow @BLT24? Life would be so much easier if I could buy a full outfit (like I used to do for my babies!)

Virtually styled by
Ootd.by.helen
We are twinset

MrsCoconut · 21/08/2023 11:17

@BLT24 I follow the ootd by Helen too! It’s a fab account.
I came across it by chance and realised I already had similar items to the ones she posts. I find it great for outfit ideas and inspo for wardrobe updates.

To answer ops question - I do plan to an extent. I got rid of about 80% a couple of years ago, too many clothes doing the same thing it items I’d not touched in years. I started again and now have a more narrowed down, capsule wardrobe which I update with a few items each season. It’s been very liberating having fewer clothes, but the ones I have all go great together and I feel good in what I wear. I’m quite a classic dresser I guess, lots of neutrals, then darker colours black, denim blue, navy..
I like pink and orange tones for colour.
I don’t like mad prints, so go for mono prints or two colour prints that are easy to put together with other items.

MrsCoconut · 21/08/2023 11:18

*meant to say, I got rid of about 80% of my wardrobe a couple of years ago

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