In the mode of needing to think more globally about what I might add to wardrobe over a longer time, like a year, and why, and what is being replaced, and why. It would partly be just for normal budgeting reasons, and for a sense of “enoughness” and what seems reasonable, for finally realizing that selective intentionality has made the most difference in the past year.
This is a good year to work on that because, while I’m not really on the fab fast track, I can see progress and have a better sense of knowing when to hold and when to fold, so to speak. Meaning, I can see wardrobe areas or capsules where it isn’t really important to add or upgrade right now, because they just don’t mean as much to me, versus areas where I can now see I’ll really get a return in terms of fun and the feeling that I’m doing something new-me. So I want to think about that and focus more and not get drawn into “easy” acquisitions— as much as I might in the past.
Angie’s group 2 is where I want to focus more—items that complete outfits really well so something really comes into its own, and/or change wardrobe landscape. And also an Angie-ism, I can see that by thinking and planning a bit, “wardrobe holes” can be also be filled with landscape/game-changers and not just with a routine filler.
One of my inspiration/challenges is that section in In Style where the “fashion editors” show their monthly purchases for a year, recapping a quarter at a time. It’s somewhat daunting as I haven’t really thought like that. You mean, my purchases this month are a cuff bracelet, a pair of shoes, and one top? I’m not sure I have got the vision to see how a very few purchases monthly will come together over a year. We don’t really see what their base wardrobes are, so we don’t know how any one item moves the style forward.
I’ve tended to buy more things at a time in the past year or so–one thing seems to lead to another. The pants beget the top begets the clutch then a jacket. But now, partly because I have overall more items I like and partly because I have a budding sense of strategy, I think I’m more ready to make longer-range plans. I’m still feeling wary of whether I will discipline myself to not buy something just because it fits and I like it, and I’m still distrustful of whether something is truly “classic,” and of fashion longevity.
Somehow to mitigate that I get back to my epiphany that once a basic wardrobe is shaping up, then shopping in season and wear-now makes a lot more sense and gives satisfaction. So that means doing something that many YLF’ers already do—think, hmm, what will be one great spring-summer jacket that works right now; in the fall, what one or 2 pairs of shoes for fall-winter that go with lots of things right now; pick one new cashmere scarf for winter that perks up all my coats. Instead of randomness.
For me I think it helps to work from an either-or list. I can’t always find what I want and don’t want to look frantically for a specific item. So I like a list that says, here are 5 or 6 items that would really help me upgrade my look—let’s see which 2 or 3 seem most do-able. Then…stop! Example is, I assumed I would add a fairly high-quality summer oxford but it hasn’t materialized-yet. Now, it’s not over yet, but the idea is, my pants capsule and my bookending colors and my workwear style don’t really line up with what’s out there as much as I thought, so maybe that is not where I’m meant to go. It might be just patience—I find them later. Or I’ll add some pants that then will work with the shoes I didn’t buy before. It might be, gasp, they just drift off my list and it doesn’t matter. I make do with what I’ve got and I “fix” some other area.
I feel like this so old hat to most veterans. It is not just the "quality" over quantity but more the strategic shopping--I guess defining quality in broader terms-- so each purchase really helps in some way, and then discipline to not try to fix everything that could be fixed, but to make do as well.
It's been very helpful already to get so many good pointers on this subject from YLF, but if anybody wants to chime in with more how-to's, that is great.
