Hello all,

This is a very long post; I apologize in advance.

I’ve been feeling a little uninspired with my wardrobe
(which usually happens during this transitional weather), so I was looking online
for new pieces to add to my fall wardrobe. It made me realize that I need more
than just a refresh, but a thorough revaluation of my wardrobe and the style
direction I want to take.

After watching some YouTube videos, I came upon Allison
Bornstein’s 3 words. I gave it a go and here is what I came up with.

Word 1 (Realistic word that corresponds to what you wear on a
day-to-day basis): Comfortable

I do spend a fair amount of time working from home and going
from activity to activity on the weekend with my family. When I teach, I am ons tage with 200 pairs of eyes on me. So, comfort really is the name of the game.I need to feel comfortable in every way to forget about the clothes and go about my day. If shoes pinch, straps fall, skirts fly open, pants ride up, shirts come untucked, etc. (you get my drift), I don’t reach for them.

Word 2 (Aspirational word): Sophisticated

I want to project an image of unstudied, effortless sophistication
that emanates from within. I think my hair is a big help here, but my clothes leave something to be desired.

Word 3 (How I want clothes to make me feel): Resilient

This was hard. I thought long about powerful, confident and
finally strong. But I settled upon resilient. I want to feel all those things,
and resilience for me encompasses the ability to face both physical and mental challenges. I’ve been encountering minor but annoying physical issues (disturbed sleep, recalcitrant weight, recurring stomach issues, skin irritations, etc.) so I would like to build up my body both from within and without to better face these challenges. I am also in the process of making some difficult life decisions and I would like to also be mentally in a good place to make them and deal with the consequences of my choices. I am not invulnerable, but I would like to feel
like I am capable of harnessing the necessary resources to get up when I take a hit. I don’t know how all that translates to fashion, unfortunately.

So, I ask for your help.

I created a mood board to visualize the word sophisticated.
I would very much like to know how you think I should go about translating this to my own style.

https://www.pinterest.com/bell.....isticated/

Looking at it, what I observe in all these outfits is a
sense of ease, of give so that everything fits fluidly tailored and the wearers seem to be comfortable. I don’t see any pattern,
which is expected, I hardly have any patterned items in my wardrobe. I don’t see a lot of color, and my own wardrobe seems a bit colorless these days as well, apart from red. I also see long, lean lines. One thing I am worried is that all these outfits at the end of the day come down to the body of the wearer, and I don’t happen to possess such a physique.

I know some of you here are much better at analyzing fashion
pictures and translating them into real-life, digestible information than I am. So I hope you can give me some ideas.

I also created another board with a selection of items from
my wardrobe that I think can work within these style parameters.

https://www.pinterest.com/bell.....isticated/

I cannot afford to overhaul all my clothes but could add a few
intentional pieces.

Thank you very much in advance!