How do you shop for clothes?

[DoubtfulCat]

I’m trying to build a wardrobe which çan cater for my different looks and moods; which offers outfits I like wearing and which can work for everything from walking the dog to work (with possibly a change of trousers if it’s very muddy). Work needs to be unthreatening, clean and tidy, not revealing, and also allow me to move. I have a selection of trousers which fit this brief, including a black pair and jeans, and I have just splashed out on Vinted to find some tops that also work, so that I have nice things and don’t have to default to T-shirts and jumpers.

My question is how do you build your wardrobe? Do you have a function brief or maybe a particular piece that you start with? Or is it a mixture of things you’ve acquired over the years with no strategy and anything that works together is more by luck than judgement (this is me- I like individual pieces and buy them without thinking how they’ll fit into my existing wardrobe, so I’m trying to do it differently this time)?

I'm trying to buy full outfits rather than individual items - not necessarily from the same shop but based on what the model is wearing.

i generally stick to a colour palette based on my colour season. i worked out my season through elimination/colours that suit me. the majority of my wardrobe is either in my season or neutrals (black/white/navy/grey). this means i can mix and match much of my wardrobe with each other.

i wear lots of dresses to work, as it’s just one item.

i don’t have a strategy for buying clothes, i buy what i like, but im realistic about lifestyle. for example, i like to be comfortable in my clothes and no matter how lovely something is, if its restrictive, i probs lay wouldn’t wear it very often.

2nd hand Teenage school trousers can be very cheap and fit your brief.

I personally shop in charity shops & try to only buy replacements for items that recently wore out.

Working with a tiny budget so I find brands that I think 'that's abit of me!' Then I stalk them on Vinted and keep my eyes open for sales and special offers.

Although sometimes you just find a gap. I realised recently I didn't have any suitably slobby heatwave outfits (I hate hot weather so needed things that covered me and were comfy.). I just bought some oversized 100% cotton tees from Primark and some wide legged linen style trousers from Vinted).

I think Vinted is fantastic for experimenting and trying new things on the cheap.

I mainly stick to a certain colour palette. After having my colours done a few years ago I know what suits me (black and bright jewel tones.)

I try to limit patterns and buy things that are block colours. That means I find outfits easier to put together.

I wear a lot of dresses both for work and casually. Especially now when it's been hot. It means I can put on one item of clothing and my outfit is sorted.

In terms of shopping, I find going to the shops and trying things on by far the most effective. I don't online shop very often as can't be bothered with the returns or keeping things just because they're ok and I can't be faffed returning it. I tend to physically go to the shops, try on items and I don't buy anything unless I put it on and think "yes!" I need to love it rather than think it's just alright.

I know what size I am in certain brands and keep an eye out on Vinted for bargains. E.g. I know I'm a medium in Uniqlo and recently bought a breton striped jumper that will go with lots of things off Vinted for £6 instead of £35 new.

I've realised I'm different from some (a lot of?) posters because I like shops for their own sake. I enjoy looking at what's out there and how shops are styling things. I like to feel fabrics, and to try things on that I wouldn't dream of trying if I saw them online. More often than not I come home empty handed but that doesn't matter because I've still had a good time and learnt a thing or two.

I buy mainly second hand / vintage and I've done it most of my life apart from a spell in the late 90s/early 2000s. It's not for high minded reasons, it's simply because I love well made clothes and I can't afford them new.

I keep clothes I don't wear anymore because I've realised I often come back to them ten or twenty years later. I'm lucky in that a) I have the space now to do that and b) my weight hasn't changed that much.

A period of ill health recently taught me to appreciate the benefits of online shopping and even inspired me to download Vinted. I've not used it and have no immediate plans to do so because, as far as I'm concerned, it takes at least half the fun out of shopping. But it's there now if I ever need it.

That's basically my strategy! It's meant that, over many years, I've built up a wardrobe that's a bit ramshackle, and that some of you would hate, but that gives me endless pleasure.

One thing I've done recently that feels positively grown up is acknowledged that I wasn't wearing a lot of things I liked because I didn't have shoes that worked with them. I threw money at the problem and now I have two pairs of new boots for autumn. So I guess that was strategic. Unfortunately it's left me with little surplus cash for the next few months but it's not like I'm short of clothes so I'll just stick to looking and walking away.

I spent a bit of time pondering on your question during train journeys to and from London yesterday - and I think I’m seeing it now.

Firstly I was brought up by stylish parents who enjoyed and understood ‘good’ clothes. One came from a long line of seamstresses and was disappointed, when she arrived in England, to see rows and rows of mass produced clothes, as in her world everyone, not just the rich, had access to made to measure clothes. The other came from a culture where everyone dressed to be seen and took pride in making the best of themselves, regardless of size, status or spending power.

Secondly I shop with the support of about fifty years of Vogue. I started buying it in my early teens - my understanding of how clothes / outfits can look has been constantly informed by the vision of designers, creative directors and photographers across its pages. So I suppose I’m always looking for the ‘best’, the extreme, the surprising or discordant - and staggering beauty, in whatever form it takes.

Thirdly I spent the first 45 years of my life trying things on. Not just things I could afford. Between the ages of maybe 19 and 45 my idea of a well spent day was wandering along Sloane Street, going into shops and trying on all sorts of things. As a young adult Harvey Nichols was my third parent, and I branched out from there. I did this regardless of my financial position at any given time (even when for a while as a student my wardrobe was reduced to about seven items). It meant that during the periods when I could spend money on clothes I’ve known exactly what sort of quality to look for - and when I was penniless I knew how to make the best of it.

So … all of that is in my head as I scroll through endless websites! I absolutely don’t set out to be head turning, but I’m not interested in mundanity, laziness or greed in the clothing industry. I buy clothes I fall in love with, that will work with what’s already in my wardrobe and will, I hope, enable me to go about my day with a degree of ease and confidence. I don’t set arbitrary budgets - I enjoy extravagant buys but completely love a bargain and can happily stalk a thing for months or years until it reaches a price I’m happy to pay.

Years ago I saw an elderly woman cycling swiftly through Oxford, pigtails flying, purposeful, with somewhere to go. I don’t actually enjoy urban cycling so am more likely to be stomping through city and country in clumpy boots - but that’s the version of myself I shop for.

Haphazard! The majority of my clothes are from charity shops so cheap to indulge passing fashion fancies before passing on. I wear clothes based on occasion, mood and weather. I don’t have a colour palette.

Used to buy outfits but that's actually really limiting. Instead, I now view clothing as ingredients and think carefully about how I can wear an item i.e. a pair of trousers, in different ways. By this I mean, would they work with a sweatshirt and Converse at the weekend, with a pair of heels and a fine merino off-the-shoulder knit in the evening, or with a myriad of sweaters, shirts and blouse and array of different shoes for daytime? Looking at my wardrobe in this way and how to dress to suit my mood has made it easier for me to identify what needed to be sold/donated, and what needed to be bought to fill any gaps.

I spend a lot of time looking at clothes online and in shops, and also at people both online and in real life to see not just what they are wearing, but how they put things together. Have spent a life time working in and around the fashion industry, plus had very stylish parents who were interested in clothes. Like a PP, I spent a lot of time on Old Bond Street and Sloane Street, as well as smaller boutiques often just watching my mum (and others) try things on. It's fair to say it has rubbed off on me. I do think a lot about what I wear and what I buy. Over the past few years, have bought more or less everything from Vinted - if you know what you are looking for/buying, it's a great place to find wonderful and well made clothing both current and vintage. However, on occasion, I do still buy the odd thing at full price/new/on sale. I also have a small network of like-minded female friends with whom I swap/trade a particular designer.

I do believe that a wardrobe should be a constant work in progress.

‘A constant work in progress’ - definitely. But also, I always take it for granted that my choices will be driven by what design houses (including Zara!) and buyers have put into shops at any given point, or what I stumble upon pre-owned. I’m constantly surprised to realise that other people decide what they want to buy before seeing what’s available. (I don’t mean I need a dress but I want a dress in this colour with this neckline and that hemline, with sleeves to here and a fastening there. Just the thought of that makes me want to cry …

@Preciousssssss Am afraid I'm one of those people who knows exactly what they want to buy, although at the same time, on occasion, I only know when I see it!

If I see something I love, I buy it. I don't overthink it any more than that, to be honest.

I need five or six work outfits with a couple of extra tops to rotate in, for winter and again for summer. And then casual clothes for home, and a couple of more glam outfits.

I search for clothes as soon as the new season's colours/clothes are on-line. I don't buy polyester so that cuts down on choice. Plus I'm 5'8" so fewer clothes fit well.

I'll usually buy a skirt or trousers, knowing that I have sweaters or blouses that work with it, so my wardrobe evolves across two or three years. I look at lots of different shops and sites, and it's a constant challenge to find enough clothes. I'm better at summer clothes than winter. Finding warm winter clothes that fit properly is difficult