My wardrobe is driving me crazy again (rant)

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My wardrobe is driving me crazy again (rant)

Mander

(website)

Veteran

This is really just a rant, so feel free to ignore it!

In the last year or so I have managed to purge a ton of stuff, upgraded some items, remodelled my closet so that I can see things better, and tried to develop a better sense of style. Yet I still feel like I have nothing stylish to wear on a daily basis. What's more, I seem to be having a heckuva time finding things that fit me properly or match the goals I have in mind. It's all too short, too long, too baggy in some places while being too tight in others, yucky feeling fabrics, or my current pet peeve of 3/4 length sleeves. Aaaaarrgh!

Jeans and long-sleeved casual tops are my two main annoyances at the moment. I just can't seem to find what I want. My style (and my life) is quite casual, so you would think it wouldn't be that hard! Maybe I just have contrarian taste.

12 years ago

General

12 replies

Latest reply was from Summer

FlorenceFearne

Active Member

Ooh, please can I get in on this? Can we have a big pity party together? I am feeling the same way recently. I throw 10 items out, get 5 more that I'm certain are perfect, and then 2 weeks later, I realize that somehow none of the new stuff is as good as I thought, and the old stuff is worse than ever, and none of it goes together. Waaaaahh!

12 years ago

Peri

Veteran

Right with you! I have purged down to about 5 sweaters, but really having a hard time finding anything I like to replace them with. I am like 20 out-1 in at this time. Which is almost okay because I want less junk, but I do want some high happiness sweaters to wear this winter. And let's not get started on pants.

I think I have contrarian tastes too. The pants I like are still considered fringe and the sweaters in the stores are boring me. I've even tried to use Pinterest as some have suggested, but I can't find a single item to pin! I search fashion and find nothing I like...not a single pin on my fashion board. Could be I just don't like current fashion.

12 years ago

jenanded

Veteran

I hear you.... I found some value in taking careful note of what I purged and newbies that annoyed me... a pretty steady pattern really. However you need to keep looking to find THE labels that get better hits... so the cycle goes on but hopefully with a better hit rate.... good luck...Small capsules seem to get some success too ....that way I try and get things going together. Mo's maths on how much you really need has been life changing and hopefully puts into focus for me better that having a tiny working capsule is quite ok... love to hear how you go! Oh and are there specific fit or style issues you are after? Perhaps ylf-ers can help out with advising on brands to try. There seems so much stuff out there but at the same time nothing at all decent... sigh....

12 years ago

pil

Veteran

That was an impressive closet transformation, Mander! Parsley recently posted about the magic of alterations - is that an option for you?

12 years ago

Anonymous

Maybe you could take a few of your "all most" perfect items to a tailor.

12 years ago

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Well, one of my personal goals is to learn how to sew properly, so I have been tinkering around here and there with ok results. I have a big pile of stuff that I'm going to try altering or re-vamping, so hopefully I'll be able to get some useful items out of that.

But still, waaaahhh! I want to go hit the clearance sale racks at Ross with my mom, but somehow I think paying for the plane ticket across the water would cancel out any savings...

12 years ago

Anonymous

This sounds familiar, especially the part about everything somehow being too baggy and too tight at the same time. And the 3/4 sleeves. I don't mind them once in a while, but what's up with them being on things that are obviously meant to be worn during the actual winter?

Hopefully alterations will help you reclaim a few things! And that's really cool that you're developing sewing skills. I need to get around to that someday….

12 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

I will echo others. Can you find a good tailor? I mean, a really good tailor? You buy the item that fits you in the widest part and have the rest taken in.

Yes, it is a lot more expensive. So, I recommend this only for the big ticket items. Or jeans. Don't get me started on jeans!!

I really need to learn to sew to do basic alterations myself.

But yes, I hear you, Mander. Talbots may not be th most stylish store, but it is so nice that most of their clothes get me. :).

12 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Sounds like you have some great clothes already. I'd start really small with a capsule of two to three bottoms & tops & a couple of toppers. Make sure they are the best fabric & fit you can find & have them tailored to fit. These should keep you going until you can tailoring or buy your other pieces.

12 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

I find that the clothing from a lot of stores doesn't *get* me. Maybe you are finding that too? I don't have a *European* body, so I'm sure if I were in the U.K. I would have to search long and wide to find anything to fit, and forget finding something I like!

Pre-YLF I went for over a decade without shopping because empire tops do not get me. Drapey and floaty do not get me. Skinnies make me look like a stuffed sausage. I also did not want to be bothered with the search. But I live in an urban area in the U.S. which has a relative abundance of stuff for shorties like me. And finally, I stumbled upon stuff I like that fits and now have a sense of whose stuff fits me. The misses outnumber the hits, but I still have hits.

Maybe it's like love? You have to kiss a lot of frogs. And you may come upon a prince when you least expect it.

12 years ago

Anonymous

I hear you. Just when I think I've almost "arrived" a monkey wrench gets thrown into the mix. I need tops: shirts and blouses or pullover sweaters. I live in a great city for shopping. I am not an unusual size. But after applying my parameters I have almost no choices in my price range. Even if I splurged and raised my upper spending limit, I'm still not excited about the offerings. The things I can afford aren't made very well or are made with cheap or flimsy material. I have a hard time bringing that type of thing into my wardrobe, because I'm worried I'll be culling it before I should have to. I'm trying to stop the endless cycle here. Argh. I need to sew some stuff but the last time I looked at patterns and material it was no better. The patterns were dated and the material was all synthetic (except for the quilting calico).

12 years ago

Summer

Active Member

I hear you and feel much the same. I don't really love one thing I own and there is so little that is available that really fits. I've got my ears open for a new, good tailor after a bad experience. I also have aspirations to teach myself more about alterations, but I'm not sure that is realistic for me to achieve, at least not in the next several months.

12 years ago

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