Building a wardrobe from scratch dilemma

cora*♥*

Given a wardrobe where the items that are the style one wants to project and look good on one's body are very few, and also closet orphans, and given also very little money to spend on clothes, what would be better?
YAY - Drastic transition. Buy new things that go perfectly with the lovely closet orphans, but that will clash with almost everything else in the wardrobe, and be patient.
NAY - Smooth transition. Buy new things that are a middle ground between one style/color scheme and the other.

14 years ago

Shopping

11 replies

Latest reply was from cora*♥*

Mochi

Veteran

I would say go for broke and get what your heart would love, but I just woke up so maybe you shouldn't trust me.

14 years ago

jayne

Veteran

He he, so funny Mochi.

I vote for 2, it will take time, but I like the process,... the looking, the trying, the thinking and finally the buying....and knowing it is the right piece because I could not sleep for thinking about it.

I don't know how some people are able to buy a wardrobe for an entire winter in october and be happy....I like to keep looking. But you can be the opposite type!

14 years ago

Mander

(website)

Veteran

I'd probably go with the smooth transition, myself, and especially finding ways to make your orphans work. In fact, I am currently working on both of these! For me it's partly because I don't know exactly what the image is that I would rather project, and since my budget is miniscule I simply don't have the means to start over from scratch. But I also have a number of things that I like but don't really wear enough, so for me it makes sense to try to get more good out of these items first before I abandon them.

14 years ago

Meredith1953

Veteran

I would have to go with a smooth transition if your budget cannot afford to go from scratch. You will still be able to work in the orphans you love that way and repurpose the other pieces that you may be compelled to hold onto for practical reasons, giving them a fresh lease on life!

14 years ago

Anonymous

Hi Cora. This is a sticky wicket because it can be depressing to buy things to go with colors or styles you no longer love. For me, I have several black items that I'm trying phase out of my wardrobe and I don't want the color black to keep dictating the new things I buy.

I don't know if you work or stay at home, but others have suggested getting a really great fitting pair of jeans that you feel fabulous in and a wonderful, comfortable pair of shoes to go with them as a starting point. You can wear any style of tops with theese two items and then you can slowly add items after that. Good luck! I know what you're facing is a challenge, but it can be done.

14 years ago

Isis

Veteran

I vote Yay; sharp transition! Buy only what you love, even if it means you will only have a few things to wear. And be patient! I like Claire's idea of what to buy first.

14 years ago

Vix

Veteran

Hi Cora --

Lucky you to have some closet orphans you love and feel right to you!

I've been where you are but didn't have a clear sense of where I wanted to go, so I did more of the "smooth transition" thing for a few years.

For you, though, I'd suggest dividing your budget so that you do both the dramatic *and* smooth. I have friends whose budget allowed for the "dramatic" and it is a little fairy-tale like...and it'd be great if you could have some of that feeling with your new clothes.

So: for the "D" side I'd make sure every new purchase was building toward creating outfits with other new items or the orphans. It means being super-analytical for now, and saving impulse buys for later.

I'd make sure your new "love it" or "just what I need to go with 'love it'" items were:

* current season/for your next few months of weather
* in a color range, texture, and "right" silhouette for other new or beloved items
* ones that worked with the clothing (if shoes/accessories)

If that means starting with ONE bottom, 1 top, and a pair of shoes/scarf/jewelry so be it -- just make sure the next top/bottom/accessory works with what you have.

[I actually ended up with what I call an accidental capsule one winter by following this without thinking it through, and now try to create create mini-capsules when it's a season where I buy 5-6 pieces. With 2 bottoms and 3-4 tops you can get a fair amount of flexibility. It's really just the travel capsule idea...minus the travel, ha.]

The above can take time so I'd also be ruthless about buying items that are bridge ones to your non-favs.

Ideally for the "T" you'd make sure the new items were flexible enough to wear with multiple things, but if it's a "this top is cheap, I can live with it, and it works well with Closet Item I'd love to donate down the line" moment then that's reality.

IME people tend to notice tops more than bottoms so you can get away with a lot more repetition there than you might think. [There have been many years where I rotated 2 pairs of pants and 1 skirt during a 5-day work week....]

Good luck and keep us posted!

14 years ago

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I'd rather have fewer things, but things I wear all the time

14 years ago

Isabel

Veteran

Cora, can you do a little of both ? Buy a few not top-quality pieces to bridge the gap and maybe go with some nicer, more modern stuff.

If not, then I also vote for a sharp trasition.

14 years ago

Kristine

Veteran

How are your basics? I might try to build with basics that could work with a lot of what you have. Beyond that, I'd go for what you love. It will take time and money no matter what, so you might as well end up with a great wardrobe. In the meantime, keep the orphans and try to search out more combinations. Maybe accessories would help too, like colorful scarves or statement necklaces in your ideal style.

14 years ago

cora*♥*

Active Member

Thank you very much for you answers! My wardrobe is a bit of a mess, I used to buy whatever tickled my fancy without thinking about combining with the rest of it.
I will make me a small and well-planned capsule wardrobe for the summer, as the pieces I love are all mostly summerish, and in the meantime I'll try to make the most of what I already have with the winter clothes.

14 years ago

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