2am wardrobe epiphany. - YouLookFab Forum

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2am wardrobe epiphany.

Mrs Moo

I might get some sleep now...

So, I couldn't sleep last night and ended up with a realisation at 2am allowing me to finally drop off :0) It appears that epiphanies of this type are quite common on YLF, I'm glad I've had my first!

I've recently had a really good clear out as per all Angie's wardrobe organisation posts and ruthlessly got rid of everything that doesn't suit. Even after completing this (and I still have quite a lot) I realised that I *still* don't seem to have anything to wear. What gives?

Then I hit upon Angie's posts on "dress for your dominant season" and "dress for your lifestyle". It hit me at 2am this morning that I have/do neither of these and repeatedly shop for the exact opposite. It was hard to come to this realisation as all my clothes fit, they all look nice and I love them all so I couldn't figure out why I'm not wearing them all.

I've given myself a stern talking to and have vowed the following:

I live in Northern England. It is cold for 355 days a year. Really cold. I will no longer waste my money buying for a non-existent summer. My new rules are:

*All jeans/trousers/pants must be full length. I can roll them up in the "summer" if I want.
*All blouses/tops should be either (a) long sleeved) or (b) suitable for layering.
*All dresses should be (a) suitable for layering and (b) of a fabric and construction that will suit wearing with tights and boots.
*All shoes should be closed toes to enable tight wearing or of of the shoe boot/ankle boot type so I can wear socks. I need my socks. A pair of wedge sandals and a pair of gladiator sandals are allowed for the brief spring/summer.

So thats my 'season' sorted out. Regarding dressing for my lifestyle that's a little harder as I don't really know what my lifestyle is. At the moment I'm a homemaker (no kids) looking for a job to tide me over until October. Come October I will be a student starting a full time degree. Until I actually find a job for the next 7 months I have no idea if I will need casual or office clothes and don't went to spend on office clothes when I will then be a student for 3-5 years. Phew.

My question (sorry for the novel) is how have you guys coped with this? Any suggestions are gratefully received. I guess many of you have gone through lifestyle/job changes like this or moved to a new climate.

Thanks for reading :0)

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from Mrs Moo

Louise

Veteran

*waving from the Midlands*

What sort of jobs are you looking for? as this will guide what you need to buy. If its fairly casual then you can probably get away with some things you will wear as a student. I would spend most of my money on things for when you are a student these will get the most wear over the next few years x

christieanne

Veteran

Somehow everything is clearer in the middle of the night!
I am looking for a new job as well and tempted to clear out the rest of closet but not knowing what type of situation I will land in, holding off on clear out/replacement until that occurs.
I have made a short list of items that will tie some loose ends together - pieces I can wear for stay at home lifestyle or probably work in down the line - like a denim shirt.
Good luck exploring your epiphany!

Mrs Moo

You're on the same wavelength as my husband Louise - he says start dressing like a student now too :0)
Not really sure what I'm looking for - my lovely husband says I don't really have to get a job so should enjoy some peace before I become a student - but I'll be bored if I don't do something and I'd really like the extra pocket money :0) I've got a recruitment agent on the case for a bog standard office-y admin job but I'm also looking in the retail sector. (I know this sounds really lazy) but I don't want to get into a job with too much responsibility - been there done that - I'd just like a peaceful summer before the studies begin.
I am worried that If I fall too much into student lifestyle I will live in jeans and hoodies! :0)

Mrs Moo

Christieanne - I actually thought about you in the middle of the night! I remembered some of your posts about looking for a new career path after your years in retail :0)

I think you're onto something there with the bits to tie everything together and still use at home later. I still have some office-y type clothes left but am keen to bin them as soon as I can if I don't need them!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

List mates Astrid and Lyn might offer inspiration; they are both students who do not wear the uniform of jeans and hoodies. Astrid does wear jeans but with a difference!

And that said, jeans are probably a great foundation for your upcoming student life. But instead of a hoodie, how about a great blazer or jacket (or two)? These could be used in your working life (if you do get a job) AND in your student life.

Congratulations on the style epiphany. You are right; quite a few of us have sorted ourselves in the wee hours! And MANY of us have been guilty of buying predominantly for the wrong season or a different lifestyle. I think I'm still doing that, to a degree.

Louise

Veteran

Just because your going to be a student doesn't mean you have to fall into the jeans and hoodie trap. Angie's mom on the go formulas will be perfect for student wear x

Anonymous

This is brilliant Mrs Moo! You have made some important discoveries about yourself, your climate and your "up in the air" lifestyle. Your clear-out sounds like it was very productive, too. Congratulations! And I loved your novel. These introspective posts make great reading, so thanks for that!

I am in a similar, though opposite situation, and had an epiphany shortly after joining YLF. I had moved from a climate like to yours to a hot arrid desert. For several years, I still overbought winter clothes and kept my summer wardrobe to a bare minimum. Why, I have no idea. Old habits die hard, I guess. I am also a homemaker and I recently started volunteering one day a week where I have to wear business attire. I don't want to spend any substantial money on *work* clothes, for obvious reasons!

Your new rules for yourself sound just perfect. They will keep your purchases from being impractical. Since your lifestyle is uncertain, I would try to make sure each piece is extra versatile. Do you have something you can wear to a job interview? Anything you buy for a potential job should be something you can use in your regular wardrobe, mixed with more casual pieces. A plain dress that can be worn in an office setting may become your "going out" dress in your casual life with the proper accessories. And I would try to keep your work capsule as small as possible since you will be working for such a short time. Classic pieces have the best potential for being useful again when you finish your studies and look for work the next time around.

Good idea not to buy summer clothes and shoes. Send your wedge sandals to me, I'm looking for a pair! I have to use the same discipline with coats, boots, and gloves, which I do not need. It takes a while to retrain your brain when shopping, but if you keep your new guidelines in front of you and don't compromise, your wardrobe will start to resemble something appropriate for your climate and lifestyle really soon. And now that we know this, we can help hold you accountable, heh! Best of luck to you!

Beth Ann

Veteran

Mrs. Moo: Hope you've had a little rest after your flurry of creative thinking! You've gotten some great feedback already. I would just add that, as a professor, I notice students who look casual, but sharp, in my class and voice studio. It's harder to see someone as prepared who got up 15 minutes before class and stumbles in in sweatpants (or worse - pajama pants) right as the lecture begins (not that you would ever do that). I have a male student right now who always wears dress pants and at least a sweater, sometimes a tie. He looks ready for "work" because he is "ready to work." If this young man asks me to give him a reference, I'll already "see" him as a professional. You can create this same feeling with jeans and booties, of course, and I agree with others that Astrid and Lyn's posts, along with the MOTG formulas are a good place to start!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Had to chime in quickly to say that this is a BRILLIANT epiphany. Well done!!

qfbrenda

Veteran

Great epiphany!! Having this figured out will help you so much. I agree with looking at Angie's "mom on the go" formulas. They aren't just for moms. They are great ways to be casual and polished at the same time.

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I live in the same place (heck, we might even be neighbours!), and I still find it hard to shop for the weather. Before I moved here I lived in New Mexico, and even after many years I don't think I have fully adjusted.

I also find myself drawn to polished "career wear" looks, but I have a stay-at-home academic lifestyle right now, and I feel silly getting dressed up just to go shopping or to Spanish class. With any luck i will get some kind of job soon, but i have no idea what i might end up getting. I still haven't figured out exactly what kind of look I am going for, which I think makes it a bit harder to choose outfits.

Elly

Veteran

As far as student fashion goes, I think it is important to know the type of program and the college/university your going to. I'm not sure if you are going back for a master's program or if this is your first or second go around at undergrad. Getting to know the department that you are in (while the spring semester is still in session you might find out if there is a club or organization for your department, which might help you get a feel for what the other students you will be taking the most classes are like-- since you've been accepted, you probably know who your advisor is already, and you could go meet him or her too-- plus, if the campus isn't too far away, it wouldn't hurt to spend a day or two auditing classes or just hanging around a popular coffee shop or the student union on campus). Having attended several different universities it is amazing how much those type of things differ from one place to another. For example, the first university I went to was very, very diverse with a lot of non-traditional students in a more urban area. There were plenty of people in their sweats, but all the students were very accepting of each other and it wasn't uncommon to see people from all walks of life wearing all different types of styles. The second college I attended had a very different student makeup, and most of the students were fresh out of high school and dressed very very casually to the point of dirty and sloppy. Non-traditional students had a much harder time being accepted, and were further isolated when they came to class in their business casual duds. At that point I was classified as a non-traditional student, but was young enough that I generally flew under the radar. However, I remember one of my older classmates from a class I took in a different department having issues with traditional students where she felt bullied and eventually stopped wearing her wedding rings and her nicer clothes. While that was absolutely ridiculous, there was a strong culture against "materialism" and the environment wasn't very friendly to the issues non-traditional students face. It is really easy to say that you should just dress how you want to dress, but it is important to think about working with the people you will be spending 3-5 years around. At my school, there were only a couple of departments that had a higher percentage of "adult" students and these departments tended to be more respectful and better dressed-- pretty much the opposite. While it is always good to step it up from the environmental norm if that means not wearing sweats or hoodies, sometimes it is a good idea to not separate yourself too much if you're going into a more casual department with a lot of traditional students that are all 18. Sometimes dressing for that type of classroom environment can be harder to do, especially since you don't want to separate yourself too much from classmates-- you still want to get invited to study groups and make friends to get notes from. If the university has a lot of non-traditional students or the department is a bit more eclectic (or it is a "professional" type program) or a department with a lot of fashionistas (not my department, but hey, they exist). Even in master's programs, some departments are very casual. I think taking into account the environmental norms and the culture of your department and peers/staff is as important at the university as it is in a workplace.

Some schools are great in that you will look perfectly in place with a blouse, blazer, skinnies, and boots--- something that you could also wear to an admin or mid to upscale retail position, esp. if you switched the jeans for a pencil. Other departments, especially, the first few semesters if you are taking a lot of basic classes with the 18-set, you may feel more comfortable dressing the blouse, and skinny jeans down with a military jacket and flat boots or cons.

Just something to think about.

Mrs Moo

You guys are awesome :0) Thanks so much for the ideas/thoughts!

@Suz great suggestion, I've been drawn to blazers lately, I though it might be because i've just turned 36 and might finally be 'growing up' but you're right, this might be the best look to go with to be warm (so important) but still smart.

@Clearly Claire - you make perfect sense! Your comment about still buying for winter after moving to summer has given me a 'penny dropping' moment. Although I've been back in the UK for 6 years I previously lived in Greece for 7 years, NZ for a year and Australia for a year. THIS will be why I still buy for summer - I can't believe i've only just realised this. *Thank You* for triggering the 2nd epiphany! (and for your suggestions re versatility) :0)

@Beth Ann Thanks heaps for your insight from the professor side - I hadn't thought about how I'll appear to the teachers, or even thought that they'd notice, but I guess the impression that I make on them could really make a difference as to how I am perceived. Really good call :0)

@Louise and qfbrenda, I'll check out the MOTG formulas - I haven't looked at them - with not being a mum, but you're right, they might be comfy but smart way to make a good impression (now that I know the teachers will notice how i'm presented)

@Angie Thanks! It has been your archive of incredibly inspiring posts that has saved me this past three weeks (stuck in bed) and opened up a whole new set of style parameters :0)

@mander - where are you at? PM me your location - we may indeed be neighbours! I feel silly getting dressed up for the few times I go out too, which is a shame as I do love to dress up!

@elly you make really good points (and suggestions), thanks for sharing your experiences. I believe most of the other students on my course will also be mature, moving on after a previous career (as I am) so I hope they will be embracing and welcoming. When I went down for my interview the Head of Faculty and Registrar were quite casually dressed and relaxed so I get a nice feeling about it. I do have a intro day to go to in April however (that I'm already planning my outfit for) so I guess I'll get to meet the other new students then and size everyone up!

Anonymous

Yay! I'm so glad I could spark a penny dropping for you. I hope you and Mander are close by and get to meet. All of this late night thinking will save you tons of time and money in the long run.

taylor

Veteran

I agree with Angie...this is brilliant!

jenanded

Veteran

I will just add on the hoodie thing - Mander posted about upgrading her sweatshirt for a knit jacket style - I think that kind of thing is what you are looking at so you could wear them to a bus cas job with trouser/boot/blouse, but also with jeans and t as a student... Good luck - what an exciting journey AND ephiphany!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

You got so much great advice here that I don't have much to add. It is a brilliant epiphany and one of the reasons why Angie's blog is so great: it starts you thinking. I cannot even count how many of those "aha" moment I had since I found YLF and they are still coming!
I second knit jackets. They are insanely comfortable and look crisper than other knits. They have tons of them in the stores now in all price ranges so I am sure you can find something.

Mrs Moo

Thanks heaps again guys, as Sveta says, *tons* of great advice here. I'm really excited to be a 'stylish' student now :0)