How to Create YOUR Perfect Wardrobe: Part 2
Part 1 of this series is here, if you didn’t read it yet. Go ahead. We’ll wait.
Part 2 is the more fun part, to be sure. It’s the Planning & Purchasing phase.
So I’m going to assume you’ve completed Part 1, and your wardrobe now contains only things you love to wear, and the accompanying items to make complete outfits with the things you love to wear. Remember…and this is important…you want a wardrobe full of things you love to wear. Having a closet full of clothes you love, but never want to wear, is not the goal.
Now you get to make The List. And you’re going to save it in your phone or memo pad or whatever you carry around with you, so wherever you might be, if you see something you like, you can check to see if it’s on The List. If it’s not on The List, whooaaa nelly. If it’s not on the list and you’re feeling like you want to take it home with you…maybe try and just take a beat. Maybe even sleep on it. Look through your wardrobe and really consider what purpose that thing will serve. Does it go with anything? You might come to realize that it doesn’t really help your wardrobe at all. Or at least, not enough to warrant the money/closet space/mental energy of having more clothing to deal with.
Okay, back to making the list. There’s several parts to this.
PART 1
Go into your closet. Your wonderfully roomy closet that houses only the things you love to wear…and their friends. Go item by item and ask yourself: do I have all the pieces I need to make this into a complete outfit that I will love to wear. Hopefully each item you have kept from phase one of creating your wardrobe goes into multiple outfits, so you will ask yourself that same question for each outfit. I try to only buy new things that will go with at least three different outfits, no One Hit Wonders…but sometimes that just doesn’t work out. But it’s still always the goal.
For example – you have a lightweight knit sweater with a deep v-neck that looks great with your black skinny jeans and black loafers…but the sweater is not comfortable to wear because of the deep-v. So you need a cami or a pretty bralette. That goes on The List. Bonus points if once you’ve identified a specific item you need (cami), you realize it will also go with other items and outfits as well. Bam.
By the time you get to the end of the clothing rack you’ll have yourself a nice list of things your wardrobe actually needs to be complete – to allow you to wear everything you already own. There’s nothing more annoying than dying to wear a particular item but you can’t until you have a ___ to go with it!
Part 2
Sometimes, particularly at the start of a new season, or job, or school year, whatever, you’ll notice there’s some type of clothing that would really be useful right now, but that you don’t have…or you don’t have enough of. Or you’ll remember that last year you’d wished you’d had ____, you’d have been so much happier/more comfortable/efficient/whatever, with that kind of item in your wardrobe.
This time of year, for me, when the weather is a little iffy – is it cool? is it warm? – and I think a tee-shirt, even a long-sleeved one, won’t be warm enough…but one of my bulkier sweaters is too much…I start craving some lightweight knit sweaters. They offer a little more warmth than a woven blouse, but they’re light enough that you’ll still be okay if the sun comes out and the afternoon turns warm. So I will just put “lightweight knits in natural fabrics” on my list. It’s a more general item than the things on the list from Part 1, because there you need a specific thing to go with a specific other thing. This is much more wide open. I’m not looking for a specific color (though I do know what my general palette tends to be and I’ll keep that in mind) or style.
Or maybe there’s just a type of clothing you don’t have and would like to try. Put one on your list and test it out. There might be a reason you don’t own it already. For me, this item is a skirt. Remember I had the black floral pleated skirt that I returned because it was too long and because I didn’t have the right shape of top for me to wear with a skirt. I think I need something cropped length so it won’t look (okay, you ready for this word?) unbalancedly long when worn untucked, but will also be full/boxy enough to skim over my upper body shape.
PART 3
Upgrades. These are things you bought cuz it was the closest thing you could find/afford/fit into to the thing you needed. I always have upgrades on my list, season after season, year after year. And sometimes you think you’ve found it and you buy it…only to discover after wearing it a handful of times that it wasn’t as perfect as you’d hoped…so back that item goes on the list.
PART 4
The Wild Card. I always allow myself one or two “wild cards” each season. Something that’s not on The List, it may be outside my normal style or color palette, but… LISTS BE DAMNED – I LOVE IT and HAVE TO HAVE IT. But…try to keep this down to just a couple items. Shopping without a plan is what gets a closet to the point where you look in it every day and moan BUT I’VE GOT NOTHING TO WEAR!!!
So, I have my lists for this spring/summer…although I’m holding back a bit due to the situation. There are clothing items I would like for working at the office this time of year, that I just won’t need if I continue to work from home all summer. So it’s sort of a weird list. Just like every other thing in 2020.
THINGS I NEED to complete outfits i already have
- Something in the golden yellow/mustard family to tie over the blue batik Old Navy dress
- White or barely blush lightweight hip-length knit cardigan to go over light-colored summer dresses if it’s cool
- Khaki (or other neutral color, not black) linen pants (an endless search), if not linen, then some other lightweight, breathable, drapey fabric, wide-ish legged pant for the heat of summer. This won’t complete a specific outfit, but once it gets too hot for jeans, I’m gonna need something
- Summer black flats for both dresses and skinny or cropped jeans
- Better white sneakers to wear with dresses – something that doesn’t come up so high in the front
THINGS I THINK WOULD BE A GOOD ADDITION TO MY WARDROBE
- Lightweight knit pullover top – 2?
- Short-sleeve woven top – 2?
- Linen dress, baggy style (ditto)
- Elastic waist, full or pleated skirt
- Cropped, boxy tops to go over skirt – if they’re also either a lightweight knit pullover or a short-sleeve woven top, I win!
- Some sort of neutral, open, comfortable shoe/sandal for not at work (I’ve been considering trying Birkenstocks)
- A chestnut/mahogany, maybe woven leather, type of flat/slide/mule for summer
UPGRADES
- Perfect white tee
- Thinner, lighter-colored, more lightweight, denim jacket
- New actual athletic sneakers to replace my 5-year-old Adidas (this is almost a need more than an upgrade. When they literally fall apart, I will put them on the other list)
WILD CARDs
Usually a wild card would be more of an impulse item – you saw something while just out there minding your own business and BAM you were deep deep in love. But I have a wild card LIST. Because I’m an advanced lister.
- Red flats: I have been DYING for a pair of red (red red, not brick, red) d’orsay flats. They’re not on any legit list. I don’t NEED them. I just think they’re SO striking! But…really…I only have 2-3 summer items that red shoes would even go with – and I already have other shoes that go with those items. So. That could be a wild card item if I ever found The Perfect Pair. But I’m really trying to just…pass.
- Torrid showed a lacy tiered cream maxi dress in their spring lookbook, but it has yet to appear on their website – but I am in love with this dress. I know, I know, I have the white maxi dress, yeah yeah yeah…it’s fine. I guess. But this cream dress. Be still my heart. And where would I be wearing such a dress? To a coronavirus epidemic, that’s where!
This may seem like a lot of things, but I know from experience I will never find all these things in one season. Some of the “good additions” and “upgrades” have been on The List for years.
In terms of prioritizing where you spend your money, the “needs” should come first…but sometimes you find other things on your list first. You know how you need to budget, so…
And that’s it! Once you’ve done it a couple times (and ideally, I do this at the start of each new “temperature season”) it will be a breeze because you’ll be very aware of everything in your closet, and where the “holes” are. But really use The List. It will help you!
The End
Linda Root
This helped a lot! Needs, good additions, upgrades, wildcards…I like it. So, I have this huge list on my phone & all I need to do is have 4 categories. COOL! When I shop, I’m eyeballing the “wildcards” instead of the NEEDS. Now I know why – It is because I’m looking for a bargain and the NEEDS are too spendy. (My biggest need is shoes, for difficult feet). My old list was not organized but WHEN I remembered to look at it “before” shopping, it helped my budget and impulsive purchases. For that reason, my NEED category will be titled “Whooaaa Nelly”. Maybe I’ll stop and think. The bonus will be comfy shoes. I am soooo glad you pointed out it can take a few years to find stuff on your list. I have found it fun to take screenshots. I’m surprised at how often I change my mind. Wildcards are fun because I don’t need them. Wildcards can be trends that fade before I buy them, ha ha 😀 “Whooaaa Nelly”
bettyewp
Oh, great! Yeah, I failed to make really clear that shoes, bags, and other accessories should be considered when looking at completing outfits. I have several outfits right now that are complete…except for shoes, so I always feel Not Quite Right. And I forgot to add the bags I’ve been hunting for which I MIGHT have just scored in a TODAY ONLY Buy One Bag GET ONE FREE at DSW (woot woot) I say “might have,” cuz I did BUY two bags, but I never know if something’s a keeper til I get it home and try it.
Yeah, shoes are tough – cuz good, well-made, supportive ones are not inexpensive. Then there are all those other factors, do they fit, do I want to spend that, do they work with outfits I have…DO I EVEN LIKE THEM? Anything else you can sorta fudge on the fit: hem, let out, take in, belt, wear baggy, etc…but shoes should FIT. Especially with difficult feet.
My ongoing struggle is that I like having a small, well-edited wardrobe…but I ALSO enjoy the fun of buying new clothes! I walk a fine line 🙂 If thrifting was a better option for my size, I’d be all over that (as I used to be). I DO have my eye on a potential “yellowy/mustard top to tie up over the ON blue batik dress” on Poshmark. I should just pull the trigger on that one, already, it’s $6. Ha ha. I like nice things but I’m also really cheap!
Let me know how you do with your shopping list!
jodie filogomo
Interesting Bettye. I think I have too many wild cards. I’m sure that says something about my personality or psychological problems right now…haha.
Seriously, I have been doing this, and I need a couple more basic pieces. It’s a shame, because that’s not what I WANT to buy.
XOOX
Jodie
bettyewp
Jodie, YOU’RE a Wild Card! Ha ha!
Sheryle Birdsong
Hi Bettye- really loving your summer tips for staying cool! I am a sweater also! And once that starts I can’t cool off! I took your advice and invested in some loose linen capris and I pair of linen pants- I’ve been topping them with bright colored print tops that are flown- my friend has criticized saying that both the top and bottom need to look more fitted to make ME look smaller. After one time wearing them I was hooked- I was so much more comfortable in loosely fitting things, so thanks for the tip. I didn’t get to read the blog about how you handle your bra situation— 2 different kinds, one of each- can you tell me which blog that was- I was interested in what kinds they were- my bra is the first thing off when I hit the door coming home— it’s a sweat-maker! Keep on blogging- love your photographs and your words! I’m still slowly cleaning out my closet of things that don’t fit and things that I have duplicates of—- and now there’s a whole new category: things that fit me and I liked and wore BEFORE I gained about 10 pounds while we were shut down for Covid Virus. Somehow boredom and despair affect my appetite just the same as celebration, hopefulness, and thankfulness do!
bettyewp
Yeah, sweating, man. I so envy the non-sweaters. People around me are like “oh I’m DRIPPING with sweat.” And I look at them, with the slightest glimmer on their faces, while my hair is plastered to my head with sweat, sweat dripping off my eyelids, shirt soaked, bra soaked, everything soaked…ugh. Phooey on you friend, ha. Wear what makes YOU comfortable and what makes YOU feel good. I don’t think loose over loose looks as good on me either but you know what? In the heat of summer, how I LOOK comes below how I FEEL.
Hmm, the bra post – I think it was last month’s (June) “what I bought.” It was the same regular (underwire) bra that I always get, for years and years and years. It’s inexpensive ($25ish), readily available on Amazon, and inoffensive as far as fit. Meaning I have NEVER had a bra that fit “right.” The back strap always rides up, the cups and girls slip down, and that piece in-between the breasts that’s supposed to sit right against your breastbone? ha ha ha ha NEVER. But this is the most comfortable, IMPERFECT bra I have found. The other one was an unwired that was really only meant for home (unwired is not doing me any favors in the support department) as I thought it would be more comfortable than wired. I don’t know that it REALLY is that much more comfortable. It feels NICE. It’s all stretchy and nothing’s cutting into me but…now that I have ONE like that I don’t think I would buy ANOTHER.
I think all the covid weight will come back off once we return to our normal lives, diets, and activity (I don’t mean diet as in weightloss, just what we normally eat). I know I developed some very specific “not leaving the house for weeks at a time” dietary habits that will not continue once I’m back Out There (as I already am).