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Planning outfits

Julie

Hi everyone - I'm wondering how far in advance you plan their outfits. Are you running around crazy in the morning, do you plan your outfits the night before or do you do a couple of days at a time?
During the winter I planned outfits for the whole week because I knew it would be some variation of cold, but I can't do that now because our weather is changing so much. I find that I have to plan at least the night before or I end up in something I don't like or I don't feel comfortable in and then I have a bad day. I also hate when I put something on in the morning that needs to be ironed and I haven't planned ahead and I don't have time.
What does everyone else do?

General

14 replies

Latest reply was from Sihaya

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I try to plan my outfits the night before, so that I am sure I have everything clean and/or ironed--proper undies, silk blouses pressed, etc. The days I wait until the morning of, I always feel overwhelmed and like I have nothing to wear.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

How interesting.

I'm a planner (ENFJ on the Myers Briggs), but I do not plan my outfits until I’m in my closet and ready to dress after a morning shower. I enjoy surprising myself with my ensemble each morning.

My daily outfits are affected by the weather, what my feet feel like and how much running around I’m going to do. If I have a special event, function or date, then I plan ahead, but other than that, it happens in I minute flat and I’m ready in 25.

Anonymous

It depends, for me. If I know exactly what I'm doing the next day, if my activity has any kind of wardrobe limits, or if I know I will be rushed in the morning, I plan my outfit at night. I usually make sure that everything I wear is clean and wrinkle-free.

Or sometimes, I know that I want to wear a specific piece (if I just got it or if I just love it so much), and I'll plan my outfit while I'm showering.

I usually feel better about my outfit when it was planned, so I wish I could do this everyday, but sometimes I don't have time or the weather is not what was expected.

Ola

I start to think about it when I'm getting ready for bed usually. In the morning I check out the weather (the weather forecasts have been off here lately) and then decide what to wear while I'm showering.

I agree that when I'm rushed in the morning or running behind schedule I'm often not happy with my outfit throughout the day. It really puts a damper on my mood when that happens - just ask DH!

Becky

Veteran

I do best if I plan the night before, after consulting the weather forecast and thinking about my activities for the day.

Tanya

Veteran

I like to plan my outfit for a regular day while in my morning shower, after having checked the weather forecast. Here in MA checking it the night above doesn't usually do you any good, since it'll probably change. Other factors are how long will my workday be, what exactly I'll be doing and how comfy shoes I need that way.

For special occasions such as weddings I tend to plan in way in advance tough. and when I'm traveling I plan outfits in advance form things I plan to pack to make sure I have packed wisely.

shiny

Veteran

Since I work from home, I don't normally have to race out of the house each morning and have more time to think about what I'm going to wear. Often I will start in the shower, thinking about what shoes would be most practical, and do I want a skirt vs clamdiggers or jeans. This time of year, I tend to dress from the bottom up.

Then I have been known to drag out 10 or so possible items from my closet, along with a pair or two of shoes, throw them all on the bed together, and experiment with different layering combos. If I just stare into my closet, I'm not as apt to see the possibilities as well. I need to see the tops next to the jackets or cardis. This strategy has given me a lot of combos I'd never have considered.

I may then end up trying on about 3 or 4 different outfits before deciding on one. I don't do this every day, of course - I do recycle outfits, which make getting dressed much faster. And is why, for example, I haven't posted a new look all week.

Actually I did wear one new outfit this week, but didn't take a photo: I wore the white and black ATL skirt with a red scoop neck top and my red short-sleeve ATL jacket.

Usually these experimental/try-on sessions will yield several possible outfits for later dates which makes getting dressed faster too.

It takes me one hour flat to get dressed - on days I experiment. I am quick in the shower and with the makeup and blowdryer. That only takes 30 minutes. It's the getting dressed part that may take another 30 minutes, if I drag out half my closet.

There are many days when I will change halfway through the day too. Especially because Boston lately has had T-storms every day around dinner, then the temp has dropped.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

Wow, Shiny--no wonder you always look so great!

Julie

Shiny - that is impressive. I will echo Ana's comment - no wonder you always look so good and put together.
I try on a lot of outfits when my kids nap, but mornings are a little too hectic. I actually really like planning a couple of days in advance because I feel that I am more creative because I have more time to think. I will often pull out something I haven't worn in a while be it a shirt, skirt or shoes and build an outfit around that. If I don't plan then I just wear the same outfits over and over. That being said it has been hard around here because it will 90 degrees for four days then a cold front moves through and we barely get out of the 60s for several days. I have found if I plan too far in advance the outfits don't work because of the weather.

Tanya

Veteran

Shiny, that's indeed very impressive , wish I could do that! Your outfits always look gorgeous! I have do admit that occasionally I look trough your posts for layering inspiration.

Julia

Shiny, I echo what everyone said about your outfits. Since we are at the same height, I steal your ideas quite often.

Nicole

Veteran

I usually start to think about what I "should" wear while I'm on my morning walk. My thought process goes like this..."Hmm it's pretty warm out, I should wear a skirt, but it might rain, so I probably don't want to wear a white skirt...." I usually get distracted after deciding on whether I want to wear a skirt or pants or shorts. Then I go home and drink my coffee and read my email and check YLF. I head upstairs for my shower, then go in my closet. At that point, I may or may not stick to whatever I considered on my walk. I never put the whole outfit together in my head though. I decide what top to wear while standing in my closet. I will also base an outfit on what kind of shoes I want or need to wear that day. If I'm going to be doing a lot of walking or errands for work, I may not want to wear anything too high heeled. Since I don't wear skirts with flats, and my pants are hemmed based on heel height, I can narrow down my choice of bottoms pretty quickly this way.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

I'm a very black and white person when it comes to outfits. I'm not the most creative individual, so I have certain tops that go with certain pants or skirts, and then certain shoes that I wear with those outfits.
I'm *trying* to follow Angie's advice and only have things in my closet that I LOVE (I will be enlisting y'alls help shortly if you don't mind), so that when I stand in the bathroom blow drying my hair, I can look into our closet and see only great pieces. I figure I can find something quickly if it's all organized.
It's over 100 degrees here, but my boss keeps our office at a frigid (to me) 67 degrees. So I always have to dress in appropriate layers. If I plan on running errands after work, I make sure to wear comfortable shoes, trouser jeans, and maybe a sleeveless top that I can pare down to after work.

Sihaya

Veteran

I have a number of "uniforms" - outfit combinations that I know work well and go with certain shoes and accessories and are perfect for certain audiences and weather. So these are easy for me to put together if I haven't had time to plan in advance. As a general practice, most of the time I lay out my full outfit including underwear, shoes, and accessories the night before after checking the weather and who is on my calendar that day and therefore what message I want to convey through my dress. I have young kids so if I don't lay it all out the night before, I am at risk of running behind due to something unexpected in the morning even when I have to pick out a uniform.

When I go on an overnight trip and am packing for multiple days, I try to plan out the full trip at once - and as I put togehter each outfit, I'm careful to ensure I put on everything together - even for tried and true outfits, I sometimes discover additional things I need to do when I take them on the road. So really trying on each outfit in its entirety is a foolproof way for me to pack my bags.