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Documenting outfits question

AviaMariah

Veteran

Hi all. (First post!!) For those of you who document your outfits with pictures; where do you keep those pictures so you can easily access them while you're getting dressed in the morning? Do you just look at your smart phone or do some of you actually have pictures printed out? I'm wondering because I often find an outfit combination that I like, only to forget about it after I've worn it. So I spend many mornings standing in front of my closet in a bleary state, with no idea what to put together. Or do most of you plan your outfits in advance?

Dressing

19 replies

Latest reply was from AviaMariah

Anonymous

Hello and welcome!

I actually just email them to myself, but I try to just keep formulae to mind, so in the morning I know it is "skinnies, top, sweater, boots", or "skirt, booties, button up shirt", or "T, moto, jeans, boots" etc.

I think if you organise your closet by capsules, you might find that existing fave combinations are easier to remember, and new ones will spring out at you because you can see all the things that have been pre-vetted to go together.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I keep mine in a folder on my laptop (don't have a smartphone). I peruse it regularly, but not usually as a guide when getting dressed. I have things in my head for the most part. I'm not a big plan ahead type when it comes to outfits, unless I have a specific occasion coming up. That said, I wear a uniform at work so most times I dress for casual, errand running, and socializing type of things.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I really only look at the photos when I am planning a trip or a big event. For everyday, I'm more a spur of the moment kind of dresser (though I will take photos anyway, because I learn so much from them that I can apply to future possibilities -- or simply repeat, if I really loved the look.)

But lots of people here use Evernote, or one of the phone apps. I'm sure they will chime in with great advice.

And welcome! YLF is the BEST place to come to banish the bleary-eye!

rachylou

Veteran

Like Mo, I copy them from my phone to a folder on my computer (or actually, thumbdrive), and peruse from time to time. I just open the folder and make all the icons Large; when you do that, you can see all the photos at once without opening them in a program.

But Ceits suggesting of organizing your wardrobe capsule is really good, also, IMO. That's pretty much what I do and how I get dressed in the morning. I don't look at photos.

Of course, I've just lost them all because I lost my thumbdrive (along with my medical gear).

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I try to keep them in my head but it is hard sometimes. Esp. if you have a pretty full closet. I've tried organizing by color, by capsule, by item and more, but the truth is that they eventually get mixed up again. And when I get dressed I often change my mind from what I thought I wanted to wear based on my mood, the weather, if I'm feeling warm or cold, what I'm going to be doing, etc. So I can't plan ahead on a daily basis, but I do when traveling or going to special event.

I'm not sure how many FFBOs (fast fall back outfits) I have but those are typically for me pretty easy to remember and repeat. A favorite tee, favorite shorts, favorite belt and shoes or favorite pants, button down, belt and shoes, etc. I wear a pretty simply "uniform" most of the time. And I like neutrals a lot such as charcoal, white, khaki, denim, navy. My jackets are often an "extra" as is jewelry -- and those typically are based on what I'm wearing under them. My very light weight "summer" jackets/blazers only go over sleeveless or very light short sleeved tops. My slightly heavier jackets can go over more of my button downs, etc. My linen long sleeved button downs don't require a jacket - and so on. It's more of a harmony of what CAN be worn with what at this time of year.

In the fall/winter I have more options and it can be more interesting to create an outfit.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I really should do one of those spreadsheet logs that a couple of the members here have had great success with. I used to use an iPhone app (Cloth, I think) to document everything but I got out of the habit of using it.

Gabrielle

I keep all of my photos in iPhoto, but I use Pages to document what I wore each and every single day. I can add notes about whether the outfit worked or not and why I thought that was. My goal is to someday have seven days each week of outfits I love. Right now I manage three to four days of "love" and some "likes." I no longer have days labelled with "hate." That is progress.

It takes minutes to do this. I snap a picture every day on my way out the door. Once a week I arrange the photos into a Pages document. Look at the pictures and make some notes. Hope this helps.

AviaMariah

Veteran

Thanks for the ideas everyone. Suz - I might give the Evernote idea a try. We are right in the middle of a move but as soon as we're settled I'm going to find a good pic taking spot and start documenting!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ingunn is the Evernote genius, but she is off for the summer. Here is a thread on this topic that might be useful.

Carla

Veteran

The FFBO are pretty easy to remember, but I like to try to mix things up more often then repeat an outfit. I have a Pinterest board that I call 'Copy This' where I keep outfit ideas that I try to copy.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

WELCOME!

When I first joined YLF I printed physical pictures of my favorites (top 10 or something) to stick onto my closet wall so if I was stuck I could always fall back on something fabulous!

I never actually wore any of these outfits but it was nice to know there is something fabulous in case I didn't come up with anything!

Nanabear

Welcome to YLF! I will often get a styling or pairing idea out of the blue (usually when I'm on the subway dozing off), and I write it down on my smartphone so I can later see if I can actually work the outfits out. I don't look at photos, although I do have a list of tried and true formulas that I know will work for mornings when I'm really indecisive (eg. Blazer, tank and skinnies; dress, scarf and booties; button down shirt underneath a sweater)

Deborah

Veteran

Welcome! I use stylebook on both my phone and Ipad. But it is primarily my phone that I use for quick reference. On mornings when I have no idea, it is wonderful.

Krista

Veteran

I track my daily outfits in a Microsoft Excel worksheet with 6 columns - tops, bottoms, toppers, shoes, accessories, comments. I find it helpful because if I end up wanting to repeat an outfit, my comments column will tell me whether or not it was an outfit that worked.
I do take photos of my outfits but not daily. I use my phone to take the pictures and then I transfer them from my phone to a folder on my computer. The folder is further divided into subfolders labelled in two-month periods (May/June, July/August) so that I can refer back to outfits by season.
I also plan my outfits at the beginning of the week, but I've found that now that I've found formulas that work (e.g. Top, skirt, cardi), I don't need to stick to my plan if I don't want to but it's still helpful to have.
Welcome to YLF!

Anonymous

Hi, AviaMariah! welcome! I keep photos of WIWs in a folder on my computer. I also store pictures of all my wardrobe items in something called 'Dress assistant' that I downloaded a while back and I worked out how to put my WIWs on there too plus capsule and outfit combos. Here's a link to a thread I had about it :http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....r-their-wa
I don't plan ahead for outfits in a week, but it is nice to keep track of outfits that worked and you felt good in.

Astrid

Veteran

I save the pics I take for the forum on my harddrive, but I don't go back to them regularly. I sometimes have a look if I'm totally uninspired to see if I have forgotten about a fab combination, but I'm normally just getting dressed in the morning with what's there. Sometimes it takes five minutes to settle on something, sometimes longer. And I have some easy combinations that I know work for days when I don't have time to play in my closet.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

I'm not a tech savvy person - I don't have a smartphone or apps, and I don't take a lot of photos (although I always mean to!) Instead, I keep a multi-page Excel document with a wardrobe inventory, the capsules I have/need, my likes and my goals.

On one page, I list everything I wear on a daily basis. The first column has the date, the second column has what my day's activities were, the third column is a rating of my happiness factor on a scale of 1-10, and the fourth column (which is a pretty wide column), I list everything I wore, including jewelry, bag, sunglasses, shoes, and how I styled my hair (pony, bun, or just down). If my score is less than a 10, I note why, and what I think would make the outfit a 10 for next time.

This has really helped me streamline my closet and my style. A few days ago, I went through my list of outfits I've worn this spring and summer, and was able to identify three 'uniforms'. Now that I know I have certain looks that I love, I can pick an outfit quickly and easily and I find that I always feel thrilled with what I am wearing!

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

I have a folder on my computer...would love to add it to my phone...
I do plan outfits both on the spot and in advance... I keep a few planned outfits in the front of my closet so if I am in a rush one day, there is no thinking involved.. Those are ones I've tried on and even acccessorixed so i know it will work.

AviaMariah

Veteran

You've given me so many ideas to try. And as an accountant I LOVE the excel spreadsheet idea!!