Per Suz, and thanks to Mo: the "Breakdown" - YouLookFab Forum

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Per Suz, and thanks to Mo: the "Breakdown"

catgirl

Veteran

And no, I don't mean I'm breaking down, though that is possible too!

Mo's dress thread prompted me to ask her how she categorizes her casualwear, which is all one big category to me, and she obligingly broke it down for me with percentages. Percentages, people. I tried to do the same, and came up with this, minus the math:

Loungewear - when not doing anything below: PJs, sweats
Gear - anything active (camping, skiing, hiking, climbing, running, etc): this is my outdoor functional wardrobe
Casual - book club, non-date meals out, errands, kid stuff: denim, leather, fun stuff, boots, sweatshirts
Smart (but comfy) casual - certain work shifts, date night: ponte, tunics, some dresses and skirts
Business casual - normal day work shift :dresses, skirts, trousers, silk shirts, blazers, nicer sweaters
Dressy - professional event, funeral, wedding: suit, dress, Indian clothes
Formal - cocktail party, film event with sister, dress-up fundraiser; bling

Is this a helpful way to look at a closet? For me, it really struck a chord, because I think I can break my week down by how much time is spent in each of these types of activities. Note that I have one big casual capsule that encompasses a lot of what Mo (whose lifestyle is different) has broken down into different casual needs.

Wanna break down with me?

Dressing

44 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

yes! I even divide my closet by the major categories. My percentage in gear is too sad to admit these days. Like you'd throw me off the forum if I told how infrequently I wear my good stuff.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I like this concept in theory. I think I have a lot of clothes that move between categories. I guess that doesn't really matter for counting purposes? Except that it seems I'd come up with more than 100% of a wardrobe, if I were to calculate percentages--which I'm so unlikely to do, anyway, who am I kidding?

catgirl

Veteran

Firecracker, LOL! For me, it helped to conceptualize what I actually do all day. I don't distinguish grocery shopping and lunch out, for instance. So I don't need a lot of variety in casual wear, although I need a fair amount of it. But I do distinguish work shifts, so I need items that are work-appropriate on a few levels, but not as much of it. A few options per sub-category, really.

Gears turning!

Elly

Veteran

Ah-- this is fun--- I don't have the same situation, but I'm wondering if this could also work for me. I would like to distinguish between work and casual but in a lot of ways the dress level is the same. You'll have to know if this works for you, I could see it being a great way to figure things, very similar to certain ways Angie has talked about capsules in the past.

For me it would be:
loungewear-- pjs, sweats -- don't need much, but most of it isn't what I'd want to have friend of the SO knock on my door while I'm in (set, might add college sweats on trip to my alma mater this fall)
gear--- stuff for hiking, fishing, river shoes, running/working out, picking apples, painting the house, photo clothes (need to add a pair of cargo pants, maybe a second ball cap)
casual--- grocery shopping, errand running, hanging out, weekend only wear (want to add 1 pair of pants that will transition to smart casual, a thermal, a rock tee, and a flannel shirt)
smart casual-- dinner with friends, shopping with female family, most dates (don't need to add anything for winter-- will wear work clothes)
work-- washable, dark colored smart casual items with additional limitations for weird temp variations and dress code (need to add 1-2 pants, layers, and tops, plus shoes, bags, accessories)
formal-- special work events, job interviews, funerals (all set)
fancy-- weddings (set for something sort of casual, fancier I would shop after an invite)
splashy casual-- parties, gallery openings, out for drinks (would like to add 1-2 tops)

catgirl

Veteran

Elly, thanks! The idea is that this will be specific to each person, based on their actual life and climate and needs and of course style. Fun to see your list.

Alassë

Veteran

How funny; I just did this yesterday! Here's my list:

Gear: Walks/Day Hikes/Camping (plain tees, khaki shorts & pants)

Lounge: Evening Lounge/PJs (soft SC cardigans, wraps, velvet sweat pants, pjs)

Casual: At-Home (shorter shorts, tank tops, plain scoops, maxi skirts)

Smart Casual: At-Home/Errands/Invited for Supper (skirts, nice trousers, long shorts, day dresses)

Dressy: Church (dressy dresses, dressy skirts, dressy toppers, SC skirts + dressy toppers/SC toppers + dressy skirts)

Formal: Wedding/Grad/Party/Formal (dressy dresses, dressy skirts/tops/toppers, short party dress, floor-length formal)

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Oh how fun!!
Firecracker I have plenty of items that slide between categories. Much of my lounge at home can be used to lift weights, for instance. Or some of my more stylish gear can cross over into the social active casual category like when I'm riding bikes with friends on the lake shore and then stopping for drinks and music. Actually, most adjoining categories share items.
It is worth noting that I do not have the basic work/business vs casual delineations most folks do. Perhaps that's why I was motivated to think more closely about what my categories are.

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

Elly,

I love that concept of splashy casual. I'm having a minor freak-out right now with the remote possibility of a DH work trip where I will need more splashy than my closet can sustain. Stuff I haven't needed otherwise, so I don't want to invest time or money acquiring it. That phrase will help organize what I need to do if it comes to pass.

Anonymous

I like the term "splashy casual". It is perfect for my life style and holiday wear in many cases. Rambling Ann, try adding a statement necklace to an outfit that you own. They can be picked up very inexpensively at Target or Kohls or just about anywhere and add that bit of splash to even jeans and a flannel shirt. Also, footwear. Try jeans with dressy shoes.

Elly

Veteran

Glad you ladies like my goofy terminology. For me that category is a lot of jeans with edgy pieces (I can't wear my hardware and studs and cutout tops to work but they are perfect for gallery openings, bar nights, and parties), pieces that are a bit "sexier" than I would wear to work (a dressy date, party, out on the town), and sparkly or more over the top accessories (jewelry, a clutch) and shoes that dress up a normal sweater and pencil or top and jeans (gallery openings and holiday events).

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I love the term "splashy casual" too!! Brilliant, Elly! I'm going to steal it!!

I have found this kind of breakdown and this level of specificity absolutely key to (starting) to get a handle on my real needs.

I used to look at suggestions for activity breakdowns and scratch my head. "Work." "Weekend." Etc. It all seemed hopelessly broad and didn't really help me figure out what I need or why I was struggling to get dressed sometimes whereas other times I had options.

I finally figured out that I needed to dig deeper into what type of work, what type of casual. And also factor climate into it, of course.

My categories are:

A. Sleepwear/ loungewear. I don't need much because I really only wear loungewear per se if I am ill. I do own a cozy robe, though, along with PJs.

B. Gear. This is for any fitness activity and also outdoor stuff like hiking, skating, etc. So...workout bottoms, shoes, socks, tops, hoodies, etc.

C. Comfort casual. This is my work-from-home wardrobe and it is by far my biggest capsule. I want to feel as if I'm wearing loungewear -- but actually be wearing real clothes, LOL.. So it consists mainly of a lot of jeans and knits (winter) and shorts or tube skirts or simple dresses with sleeveless tops (summer). These are the clothes you guys see me in ad nauseum....

D. Smart casual. This is my favourite capsule. It covers city trips/ meetings with colleagues, as well as trips to see my mother, city holidays, and most "outside the home" activities in my city -- going for lunches, meeting friends, running errands, taking my kid places, shopping, teaching classes. It overlaps with some items from column B (I do work for a fitness company, after all), some items from column C (especially denim, knits, and tops) but adds a number of "smart casual" pieces that I tend to wear less often in the house, such as jackets, heels, sarong shorts, etc. It's my main "outside the house" capsule and in formality can slide up and down a scale, depending on the activity at hand.

E. Splashy casual This is for many of my appearances, gallery openings, book launches, premieres, etc. For this capsule I look for trendy pieces or pieces with a bit of sizzle that can be worn with items from column D. Not "sexy" -- since I don't really do that. Just more...noticeable. So...super-flattering tops in great colours or trendy cuts, fab jackets, sparkle, special footwear, higher contrast looks. Also, my suit.

F. Dressy. This is for date nights with hubs, some professional appearances, fancy dinners with colleagues. Sheath dresses, heels, kimono jacket. Suit.

G. Sober dressy. For funerals, memorials, and other sober occasions of that type. Dark dress and/ or skirt and top. Jacket.

H. Travel. The items mostly come from the "work-at-home" or "smart casual" capsule but they have to be easy to move in, comfortable, non-problematic at security, etc. And travel appropriate footwear and weatherproof coat.

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

Lest we hijack Una's thread...here's my breakdown, stealing Elly's categories.

loungewear-- pjs, fleece -- after dinner at home. <20% of evenings get wrapped up early enough to change. (adding crossover casual stuff to upgrade, DH hates the fleece. Loves my Nick & Nora pjs, go figure)

gear--- the daily wear for mud and manure, 90% per month at least part of day (all set)

country casual--- leaving the farm for a latte, to a friend's house for dinner, to the feed store. Aim for 1x per week (usually combining some clean gear and city casual pieces with cool shoes, any more would be out of place)

city casual-- teaching, dinners out, shopping, travel 1-3 days per month (this is the area I started out YLF to work on. It's my fun clothes now and I can easily overbuy vs opportunities to wear)

formal/fancy-- DH work events, weddings, funerals. rare (adequate and not a priority, can always shop for everything but the funeral, which is covered)

splashy casual-- parties and fancy restaurants. Sometimes veering into cowgirl glam for a major country parties and our farm events. Rare but unpredictable, little warning to shop by mail (I need to work on this category next. Am still relying on 12 year old work trousers from two lifestyles ago as my basic black, for example. It's not an area I enjoy throwing money at.)

catgirl

Veteran

You can hijack all you want, RA. This kind of thread seems to do best with organic growth and discussion. Anything that helps me be more analytical is useful, and seeing how other people apply their style skills forces me out of my own little box. This is helping me see the purpose my clothes serve, something I don't think about often enough except with gear.

catgirl

Veteran

Oh, and you all have reminded me of two other categories!

Travel: sort of a combination of loungewear/casual
Vacation: warm weather clothing, which is really a small capsule made up of each of the other categories but adapted for a warm climate

catgirl

Veteran

Sorry, can't edit from this computer so have to keep adding. Alasse, I see you don't have jeans in any of your categories - which makes sense, but how interesting!

Alassë

Veteran

Oh, trousers is my all-encompassing word for denim, corduroys, skinnies, etc.

I did the time breakdown, too: 109 hours
13% gear (14 hrs/week)
75% smart casual/casual (81.5 hrs/week) -14 hrs must be SC, the rest can be either
9% evening lounge (10 hrs/week)
3% dressy (3.5 hrs/week)

unfrumped

Veteran

Those categories are very much how I see mine, with just tweaks of descriptors.
What I find harder these days is making sure I don't overcasualize my work wear in the pursuit of trends, or maybe, that it is sometimes hard to get the right look in my version of business casual ( no suits) which I still want to be more serious than what a lot of business casual has become.
The fun opportunity has been to add more " splash". The key is it still has to be comfortable and easy to grab or I'll just default to casual.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Function is all.

I once started a thread called "How Gear got me Here."

It's because I was wowed by the experience of wearing a gear capsule that went the distance and was comfortable for all activities that I began wondering: What would it be like if I felt like that about ALL my clothes?

And that's what led me to this site!

But I really believe that it's only by breaking it down quite minutely that you can figure out what qualities you require to meet the specific function. "Workwear" and "casual wear" just don't cut it as 'actionable' categories. At least not for me.

catgirl

Veteran

Suz, exactly! The lightbulb for me was realizing that my work shifts have different needs, and then Mo's post about items that can go to lunch or grocery store was an added catalyst. I need to get more specific, not more general.

Diana

Veteran

OK, here's mine:

Sleep/lounge (7X/week): Besides PJs for sleeping (chemises for most of the year, flannel pants + flannel or jersey top when it's too cold), I change into loungewear every night the minute I get home. So I do things like cooking and cleaning in addition to just lounging. This is mostly older, comfy dresses and skirts, and a few pairs of sweatpants/yoga pants. (Plus tees or tanks on top).

Gear (~3-4X/week but for only short periods of time): I mostly work out at home so this consists of sports bras, shorts, and sneakers/socks mostly. I also have some stuff for hiking/outdoor stuff but it crosses over to the next category (weekend casual).

Weekend casual (1-2X/week): for errands and weekend fun things (casual meals out, walks around town, etc). Sometimes we do slightly more outdoorsy things like hiking or the Arboretum, etc. Jeans (shorts in summer), easy tops like sweatshirts or simple tees, hoodies, comfy flat shoes.

Smart casual (5X/week): this is pretty much what I wear all the time to lab and is most of my WIWs. I'll go more casual/comfy (like BF jeans and a sweater) if I'm going to be doing a lot of bench work or having a long day at lab, or more dressy (blazer, dressier shoes, etc) if I'm going out for a nice dinner or the symphony or something like that after work. I almost never have time to go home and change if I am going out after work, so by default many of my date night outfits fall into this category. ETA: I suppose the more dressy versions of this could be considered "splashy casual", but I tend to think of it all as "stuff I wear to work."

Formal/business (rare): for interviews, funerals, etc. I have a suit for this.

Formal/party (a few times a year): for weddings, holiday parties, cocktail receptions, etc. Nice dresses, ranging from garden party to cocktail in formality. Also, we take every excuse we can to wear our British Wedding Hat!

catgirl

Veteran

I want a British Wedding category!

DonnaF

Veteran

Tee, hee, hee, Neither my loungewear nor my gear has a place in my closet. The loungewear is in drawers, and my gear is hanging near where I come in from exercise or is in with the dirty laundry.

My formal and dressy life is next to non-existent, so I would probably scrape together something from what I have.

My life is pretty much casual/smart casual/business casual. What stays in business casual is older stuff that is DCO like lined skirts; nearly everything I've bought in the last year or two is washable, including toppers. I've done this so to break down my psychological barriers between the categories and to get me to wear more of my wardrobe. I think it's working.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

DonnaF, I don't know if folks were using the word closet literally, or metaphorically to describe all their shoes, shoes, accessories, etc. All my knit tops, jeans and sweaters are in a chest of drawers in my bedroom, not in my closet, but I still think of them as part of my closet, you know? Or my 'wardrobe', even though I've never owned a wardrobe.

I am totally stealing the phrases comfort casual and splashy casual. *snatches and runs away*

I think this kind of analysis is so useful; even if you don't come up with a pie chart per se, you can't help but think about whether the ratios in your wardrobe match up with the ratios in your life.

Somebody should write a wardrobe breakdown for Princess Kate, or someone like that: "25%, chasing after baby. 10%, attending state events with the Queen..."

Anonymous

This is helpful in figuring where to spend time , money and energy. Unfortunately, and I'm sure I'm not alone here, I spend those aforementioned things in the wrong categories half the time. I could not possible work out or engage in fitness/sports enough ever to wear the tons of stuff I have, unless I quit my job........hmmm.

I need almost nothing for those formal and dressy categories, as they rarely come up. And when they do, I either buy something new, or use whatever old classic chestnut is hiding in the back of the closet (applies mostly to funerals).

I think a lot of us are distracted by things in the categories that are not the major ones because it's interesting and fun. Personally, I need to stop buying ripped jeans and skull sweaters because I can't wear them to work , but I get bored with "work" clothes. So this exercise has just pointed out what I already knew about myself - I am hopeless at staying focused. *wink*

rabbit

Veteran

Splashy casual is totally where it's at for me (splashy given the town I live in that is).

I can see the usefulness of this kind of breakdown for others, but I'm having trouble seeing the usefulness for myself right now. Partly it's that I don't have a regular schedule, some weeks I'm running a lot of errands and eating out a lot (opportunities for casual and occasional splash), others I'm in a studio basically wearing the same ratty tee for days on end (and happy with that, the idea of buying clothing for the category doesn't make sense to me, it's where my other clothes go to die. :D).

I don't feel like I need anything in my categories of sleepwear, lounge, work (muddy) wear, daily exercise gear and hiking/swimming/vacation gear. I've got 3 dressier dresses should I need them.

Everything else I kind of group by color, silhouette and season/temperature, mixing and matching between levels of casualness to dressy. So I can identify holes by function or color in this 'being seen by others wearing clothes' capsule, and tracking wears shows me where to cut back or expand.

I recently spend a week in a cabin by a lake, so I borrowed a bit from gear, swimming, and hot weather capsules, chose a few unifying colors and both open and closed shoes, long and short bottoms, and viola! I was good.

ETA: I think part of it is that I really don't mind being over-dressed or slightly offbeat (it's kind of hard in my environment to really stick out no matter what you are wearing), so I might wear a skirt and heels to the grocery store (and not be the only one), or wear distressed jeans out to drink at night.

Aida

Veteran

An interesting exercise! I'll have to think on this.

Karie

(website)

Veteran

A great exercise! For me, it's:
Sleepwear - Flannel/fleece pj's and sleep shorts, tops too. Winter bathrobe and summer bathrobe. Almost everything is made by me, except one dressy silky pj set. Worn only to sleep in.

Loungewear - I change in to this as soon as I get home. Some items are made by me. This crosses over to my gear capsule as I am including sweatpants and tee shirts. Worn for walking the dog, jogging, cooking dinner, all activities at home.

Gear - Again, there is crossover from my Loungewear capsule. Some items are made by me. Worn for jogging, pilates, yoga, working out at the gym, hiking, biking, etc.

Weekend Casual - More crossover, this time from my Gear capsule - jeans/pants/shorts worn for hiking, biking, kayaking. I don't think there are any items in this capsule that are made by me, all are purchased. This is mostly made up of jeans, casual shorts, the graphic tees that I love to wear, and sweatshirts. I wear these items for day trips to Cooperstown, VT, western Mass., the Catskills, and for weekend trips to Sackets Harbor, NY.

Smart/Splashy Casual - My favorite capsule! Dressy jeans, BF jeans, fun/funky tops. I've been starting to make more items in this category, but the majority of items are purchased. With the exception of some jeans, most items in this category can get worn to work.

Dressy casual - the work category. Skirts, dresses, dressy tops. I've made more items in this category than in the Smart/Splashy category, but still, most are purchased.

Dressy Formal - A few items that can be worn to any dressy event. There's not much in this category, all are purchased, none are made by me.

frannieb

Veteran

Great thread - I like the term splashy casual. Always learning on YLF.
I think my problem with my wardrobe is that I do most of my shopping for work which is Smart casual to dressy casual depending on the day (meeting and such) and have ignored the other categories
I would say my categories need to be

1.Sleepwear/lounge wear - need to work on this capsule

2. Casual - have made some major improvement since joining look fab. Saturdays and vacation

3. Smart Casual - Work and lots of times Sunday - This is my favorite category

4. Dressy Casual - Work

5. Splashy Casual - I love this idea helps me think through shopping and will allow me to add a fun edgy piece once a season

6. Dressy formal - wedding, funerals, banquets etc. Have this category covered.

7. Gear - workout wear, camping stuff, hiking stuff

catgirl

Veteran

Interesting to hear what categories people ignore and or adore in their lives. I shop a lot for my casual capsule (and used to for my formal capsule,as both allow my fantasy lives to take over). I do not love shopping for smart or business casual nearly as much. Could care less about loungewear, and am totally practical regarding gear.

And we have not gotten to FOOTWEAR, BAGS, AND COATS!

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