Not to complicate things, but creating a wardrobe with functionality (as in Krista's example of needing to be comfortable while walking the dog) is quite easy for many people. My sister has very little interest in fashion and has a wardrobe that consists mainly of functional clothing that she wears to golf in the summer, walk in the fall, and snowshoe in the winter. Most of her clothes and footwear are purchased at MEC (the Canadian version of REI) and sports stores, with the odd dressy outfit that she picks up ONLY if she has a more formal event in the immediate future. She shops infrequently and keeps her wardrobe small, but EXTREMELY functional. But, I don't think many members on this forum would want to emulate my sister's approach to wardrobe building.

Functionality can be a slippery term. Are you using it to describe clothing that has a definite purpose in keeping us safe from the elements while we go about our daily lives? Or does functionality include an element of looking fashionable as opposed to dowdy? Or does functionality mean having different options for different days to keep from becoming bored? Or should functionality encompass clothing that elevates our spirits and makes us feel attractive? Given that many of the things we buy are not inexpensive, it makes sense to want more from a coat than just something to keep us warm.

@Gaylene, I think most of us here want BOTH function and fashion from our clothes. Perhaps I jumped from function *to* fashion, not realizing that a quality item (that had both) might be within my reach as long as I researched, applied the PPP principle and was content to have fewer overall items.

And that wanting both function and fashion from our clothes, ought to be attainable, shouldn't it? Especially, as you say, if we are very good, and buy carefully and thoughtfully, following the PPP principle.

But I have the sneaking suspicion that maybe we ought not be so hard on ourselves when that goal seems to keep eluding us. I don't know of many fashion designers who embrace functionality as a major goal; for most, creativity and innovation seem to be the dominant themes. And fashion, by nature, is based on creating a desire for something new and interesting every season. That's why fashion is so much fun. We get to reinvent ourselves over and over again.

Functional garments change, but not at the same pace or to the same degree. A navy, polo-neck, cashmere sweater looks much the same today as it did a couple of decades ago. Even if we recognize that a fashionable top has a shorter lifespan and will probably not provide as much functionality, we still crave it for its novelty and interest. And that, I think, is the conundrum that we all face when trying to create a wardrobe.

I totally agree that wardrobe nirvana would be an entire closet of functional, fashionable clothes, but I think that, in reality, most of us end up with having to settle for a mixture of "fashionable but maybe not very functional" and "functional but not very fashionable" items. And, every now and again, if we get lucky, we do score an item that we love for both its fashion AND function, which makes us want everything in our closet to be like that item.

I am reflecting with every post and hope learning more every post and thought... I agree that one function of clothes IS to present ourselves. I so love that comment that we are telling the world who we are through our clothes and wow, look at all the wonderful and amazing things YLFers of all manner of ages do!!! Alaska girl taking an important case to the judge, Lyn with her medical exams, Suz on her trips and writing retreats etc etc... are just some I recall. I think sometimes I get distracted by all the beautiful and different outfits you all present - I am pounding the stores looking for skirts and dresses cos you all look so DIVINE in them, yet they are not often 'me'... maybe it says something about me - or my admiration for everyone's ideas... I think PPP as the checklist probably lets me try and cover off both... Merry Christmas everyone - these threads are a WONDERFUL gift!

Gaylene, I agree that function can be a slippery term. Perhaps I'm asking it to carry too much weight.

Yet at the same time, if one is in the public eye -- as you are, in your work, and I am on occasion for mine -- surely some level of fashion is PART of function. It is true -- we *could* perhaps, "get away with" a simple uniform of skirt or trousers and plain shirt with sweater or some other layer for cold, with no attempt at fashion of any kind. But our professional identities would be seriously at risk, I suspect.

It may not be necessary to wear all the latest trends and it is certainly unnecessary to look like we just came off the catwalk. But at the same time, if we completely ignored fashion our clothes would not be doing their job for us -- any more than if we *did* wear some ridiculous runway concoction that made it impossible to walk or sit.

I am coming out of left field at this time, but starting my old job over after a 2.5 year break, and having mostly 20 year younger than myself coworkers, has me seriously weighing what I wear says about me. I don't want to seem out of the loop. But I don't want to be chasing a teen dream either. Tricky stuff. So I would say my new uniform goals and their function would be to blend into my environment while still staying true to myself and being age appropriate. So function can and is more than just comfort in weather or ease of movement, in my opinion.

I agree, Mo. And I was wondering how you might be finding the return to work. You work in a business full of young people - both staff and customers, I'll bet. You can pass for someone far younger than your years, and in some ways I guess it would be convenient to let that happen. Yet at the same time, your age gives you a wealth of experience that the younger people don't have and it is good to have that acknowledged.

This thread is so full of wisdom and truth, putting the finger exactly where it aches! I am late to the party here; but enjoyed reading every word from everyone. So many insights. Thought provoking, and reaching me way deep in my heart.

Suz, you look so vibrant and beautiful in both pictures. In the first one, what a telling, expressive smile. It says "I (finally) feel good!" It is so heart warming to see them.

It took me a while myself to reflect on this because I didn't * let myself *, I thought I should "toughen up"; or that these considerations were not for me, just for rich people; or that it was too vain... it was the way I had been brought up.

Later in life I made the same discovery as you, through gear too! After my pregnancy, I couldn't (and didn't want to) go back to my previous underweight self, so I gave away all my anorexic clothes. I had no time in my life back then, loved physical activity, had a baby to look after and lived in a very casual city, so I bought gear. I reconstructed my wardrobe and with each piece felt more and more liberated. Finally, as you say, I knew what to wear, and could forget about it.

BUT it can only go so far. I am always oscillating between gear and chic, always trying to marry the two. I love to browse in gear shops just to see the latest cuts or inventions, trying to imagining it as part of a fashionable outfit.

And how true about needing more than one "basic" for different activities. Coats, boots are basics in colder places. Just this year for the first time in my life, I am enjoying my working boots (heeled, goretex) and my weekend casual flat goretex boots. I couldn't buy both pairs the same year, but now that I have the two, boy do I see a difference in my day-to-day life!

@Krista: try lining your knitted mitts with a band of fleece. You can buy fleece at the meter at a fabric shop, and just cut a band the width of your hand and the length to wrap it around it. Make it slightly shorter than the width of the mitts your knitting. Sow the bottom and top of the fleece band to the inside of your mitts. Warm and comfort guaranteed!

What a great suggestion for lining my knitted mittens, krish! Thank you so much!

Suz, I'm just chiming in to say Thank you and Sorry.

Thank you for starting so many wonderful, thought-provoking threads. And sorry I had no time or space to give them the attention they deserve, especially in recent weeks, my life has been hectic, but I've hearted them and am now reading through a backlog of things I need to catch up with. You have a wonderful way of capturing the essence of things and for someone like me who likes when the obvious things are spelled out because the obvious is sometimes the most easily overlooked that is just perfect. Plus, your enthusiasm for participating on the forum can almost be touched and I feel so grateful you generously share your insights with us.

CLOTHES MATTER. Not just in how they look, but in how they allow us to function in our lives. So simple, so true.

And now, back to reading

Ornella, thank you!!! The same words could be said of you, and your post on bicycle chic!! We have come to similar realizations through similar lifestyle needs.

"You have a wonderful way of capturing the essence of things and for someone like me who likes when the obvious things are spelled out because the obvious is sometimes the most easily overlooked that is just perfect."

Oh---gotta run, but just have to say that I started this thread and it is full of wisdom! Love your insights, Suz; you are a great writer! And the responses too! Gonna favorite this one and come back to it later!

Well, I've just read every single word here, torn between desire to let each and every single response sink in before I move on, and actually moving on to the next reply as I couldn't wait to see what else people have written. What an amazing read, I was nodding all along! Thank you for remembering my B-cycle thread, that too is exactly what popped to my head, identifying the actual lifestyle needs and working around them, rather than living in a fantasy world or no-man's land wardrobe-wise, which would have happened to me had it not been for learning to play the game thanks to YLF.

Btw, remember our exchange on the other thread about travel clothes? I changed my original plans by replacing one cardigan with the blazer and adding a knitted dress that can be layered. The dress I'm still to wear, but adding the blazer was a clever move and I have you to thank for that But, living out my suitcase these days with that very limited wardrobe actually is very much along the lines of what's discussed here: I knew my needs well, I prepared for them, I don't fret over what to wear but everything works whichever way I combine it so I can literally pull anything out and it'll work, it's the clothes I feel comfortable in (i.e. nothing's off or fussy, or as I like to identify it - nothing makes me self-conscious which I've identified as the main culprit for not feeling stylish) and the clothes serve me. It's functional, but feels 100% me. It's unfussy and simple, but again - feels 100% me.
It's as if leaving the stress out of the equation leaves me more space to be me. Yet again it amazes me what I learn about myself just monitoring my thoughts about clothes!

Ornella, so glad you brought a jacket and it is useful to you! And yes, it is amazing what we can learn about ourselves through our relationship to clothes. It is the same with food, I think. Both are necessities. But it is what we make of the necessities -- how and whether we use them to nourish us and help us grow or express our creativity.

Identifying the real lifestyle needs is, I think, much more complex than we usually credit. It takes time and serious thought...and then of course our lives change. This is just one reason why style is always in flux, always a process, always a journey.