Building a wardrobe from scratch for spring/summer 2010

Hello!

I am facing a bit of a wardrobe crisis... I've been struggling with my weight and consequentially almost none of my clothes currently fit. In fact, I have only one pair of jeans that I wear everyday during the weak. I wear my gym clothes on the weekend.

Obviously, I have some shopping to do. What I want to do is put together a small workable wardrobe that will get me through spring and summer and that I can build on after that. In the past, I've just bought whatever random things I find that I like, but that hasn't worked out so well for me and I am thinking I need an actual plan so I end up with a functional wardrobe. I put together some ideas in Polyvore (see link below). I think this gives a general idea of what I'm looking for. I am lucky in that my workplace is very casual, so I can wear the same things to work that I would wear grocery shopping, running errands, thrifting, etc. Anyways, I curious if you have any advice for me... does this look like a reasonable plan... I am extremely challenged in this area so any feedback helps!

Also, I think my fashion persona is mostly "sporty natural" with a small bit of "modern classic."

http://www.polyvore.com/spring_wardrobe_2010/set?.mid=ecard&id=18298259

15 years ago

Louise

Veteran

Hi and welcome. Could Angie's must haves help http://youlookfab.com/2010/03/.....mmer-2010/
Her mom on the go formula's might be a good place to start too if you click on the highlighted pink words Formula
#1 etc it will take you to the other 3 formulas
http://youlookfab.com/2010/04/.....-outfit-4/
and her post on capsules in your wardrobe x
http://youlookfab.com/2009/06/.....lifestyle/

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welcome, Elizabeth!

Perhaps you'd like to tell us more about your job and body type? That way we can make more accurate suggestions.

Kate

How are you for shoes and accessories? Are you starting completely from scratch, or do you have some good shoes, belts, scarves, jewelry, etc?

Also, if you feel comfortable saying, what kind of budget are you working with?

Elizabeth

Active Member

Louise - thanks for posting those links! The capsule article is especially helpful, although it is also a reminder of how many capsules I have to build. Right now, I would like to focus primarily on building a casual capsule which can work for 95% of my life (work as well as other activities such as grocery shopping, going to the library, volunteering, etc.).

Angie - thanks for the welcome! For my job I work as a lab technician in a biology laboratory. People wear clothes ranging from the cute side of casual to downright frightening. Fashion is definitely not an emphasis in the science lab! Right now, I wear t-shirts, jeans, and gym shoes. This outfit makes me feel frumpy... I am only 23 and this is definitely not how I want to feel! How I want to feel is coordinated, confident, and put together.

As for my body, I am 5'3" and 155 lbs. I have gained 25 pounds over the last year and have been putting off shopping because of this. However, I am tired of feeling frumpy and am ready to dress the body I have now. Looking at my silhouette from the front, my shape looks like an hourglass. However, from the side, I look more like an apple due to a bit of tummy.

Kate - I am not much of an accessories person! (Although I do think that having some accessories might make me feel more "put together.") I don't own any belts or scarves. I have a few necklaces that I wear every now and then. As for shoes, I have gym shoes (that I've been wearing for work... horrors!), a pair of black patent wedges, and a pair of brown suede peep toe stilettos. I do want to get some cute shoes that are practical for work (i.e. 8 hour shoes).

Oh, and I am thinking of spending around $500. I would love to spend less, but I also realize I don't have much to begin with!

Kristine

Hi Elizabeth! I really like the pieces you've picked so far. You seem to have a good sense of color and style. You're very pretty too!

One thing that's helped me is to start looking for items with some structure. That can mean jackets, button down shirts, moto jackets. I used to buy all knits (t-shirts, tanks, cardigans) and couldn't understand why I felt frumpy, but they don't have a lot of shape on their own.

One of my favorite items is an army green jacket/blazer ($6 at a thrift store!). You could wear something like that over any of the knit tops you picked out, with jeans, skirt, capris. I never thought I would wear a jacket/blazer regularly, but now I want more. They don't have to be stuffy, they can be soft cotton, denim, corduroy.

Shoes, accessories and belts will stretch your wardrobe and last, so maybe that's a good place to start experimenting. Then spend a little more carefully on items which you might have to replace. Cheap clothes can give you some bang for your buck, but you don't want to build around them or in a year you'll be in the same spot. So maybe try to make a few investments, then buy a few inexpensive fun things to round it out.

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