Does anyone else go through phases of disliking their wardrobe?

[Newmeagain]

I go through phases of not liking any of my clothes and becoming a bit obsessed with trying to create perfect wardrobe of only things I like and that go together.

the reality is that I do have some very nice things but sometimes it just feels like nothing is quite right, etc.

I do try to stick to a certain colour palette but even doing that I still find it hard to style certain things and end up wearing the same jeans, trousers, etc.

can anyone else relate?

I find i need to refresh every so often to keep it interesting. But i have a v defined sense of my own style & what suits me so when i buy something it will usually rejuvinate several other things if that makes sense

I buy expensive but not designer (zero interest in that) i love the upper end of high street i suppose. Brands like me+em, sezane, ba&sh, essentiel antwerp, stella nova etc

I buy basic building blocks from COS, whistles, m&s (occassionally - i don't think the quality is there) zara (similar to m&s quality can be hit & miss though i have been lucky this season ) & i add in the more stand out pieces

Footwear is crucial to get right & transforms a look

I used AI to analyse some photos of my clothes & it was really interesting to me.

What sort of style do you go for?

I meant to say i keep clothes for years & years because i invest in the 'hero' pieces & update the basics as the fancy takes me.

My friends reckon i have LOADS of clothes but while i have plenty, i'd say i have less than you might imagine

Same trousers with different jacket / shoes / trainers etc

@Whattinger i am similar in that I have a mix of higher end high street plus cheaper items.

I think maybe I need to accept that a perfect capsule wardrobe is an unrealistic goal ! My additional challenge is that I am quite petite and so sometimes I buy things but then realise they just don’t fit me well. Trying not to do that recently.

currently have a mix of Sezane, whistles petite and a few other random items.

Not really. I just dislike my clothes on me if Ive put weight on. So at the moment Im not thrilled with my wardrobe...😆

Yep. I am old enough to realise now that when it happens, it’s because I’m miserable in another part of my life and trying to control or change something I can (ie my clothes).

(And yet this is the reason I’m currently looking at a small pile of printed flouncy dresses I bought over the past month and shaking my head at who the hell I thought I was going to be in them 🤣 So not my usual style - and for a reason; I do dramatic not fey; I’m the villain not the Cinderella!)

@SoScarletItWas I think you are spot on. I have always liked clothes - but this focus on finding the perfect items is definitely partly driven by trying to find areas of my life to control.

I also find myself spending a lot of time tidying and decluttering ! Even though I don’t have much clutter! 😆

@Newmeagain ha and then we ALSO have a pile of bloody clothes to declutter! All self inflicted - grrrr.

Let me know when you find a cure…

It’s weird as I sometimes feel I have nothing to wear when actually I have 100s of clothes, and they all fit, I’m body confident etc. It’s strange!

What's your ideal style @Newmeagain ?
If you could wave a magic wand & a whole new wardrobe would appear what's in it that you don't currently have?

I am fatally drawn to going out stuff - an invite to a party, a fancy dinner, cocktails, a lovely hotel, a jazz club, a night at tte theatre ? No problen i have 10 outfits at the ready!

Brunch? A day shopping? A day exploring a city? Trip to a gallery? Love these things but often stumped so that's my focus at the moment - lovely day wear.

It's not my favourire as i don't find it v thrilling but i also know how good it will make me feel to have the right thing to wear for such occassions

I go through phases of not wearing jeans. For the past 6 years i had none. I lost interest in them.

Now i've lost weight so back in a size 12 & skinny jeans no longer dominate & there's so much more choice. I now have 5 pairs - 1 patterned barrel, i plain barrel, 1 dark indigo wide leg, 1 midwash straight leg, 1 dark wash flared & they've opened up so many more casual possibilities

Every April I decide I hate my winter clothes and I need a whole new wardrobe. Thankfully I can't afford it because 4 weeks later, the sun comes out, I switch to summer clothes, pack all the sweaters and jeans away and then appreciate them in November. 😁

@Whattinger i am drawn to dresses snd blouses in beautiful fabrics and patterns. But then I don’t really wear them!! For work I prefer muted plain colours, and on weekends I don’t do much so end up wearing jeans and a top or jeans and a chunky jumper in winter.

@Newmeagain i have a self imposed sort of work uniform. I don't love my job so don't want any of my lovely clothes 'tainted' by wearing them there.

I wear nice things to work (& def on a parr if not nicer than most colleagues) i mean i keep a narrow enough selection.

I like the separation because when i wear my nicer things i feel like me again.

Our dc are early 20s now so we have v active social life & we travel a lot so always love having beautiful options for that.

@Newmeagain Is there a reason why you don't do much at weekends?

I understand kids curtailing plans etc but maybe that's a good place to start? Plan a night out & wear one of your beautiful dresses, you'll love it!

Sounds like your wardrobe may not be the actual issue especially if you have lovely dresses & blouses & its more the challenge is places to wear them?

I've ordered some new trainers & then a load of tops from Zara today which i plan to wear on weekends out & about with the new jeans