Thank you! I am exhausted already and think I will pack up/tidy for the moment but I am really happy with my progress. Here is what seems to be working so far:
Everything out from every storage cavity in house as per picture!
Everything sorted into piles of like items - tshirts/pants/pjs/jackets etc (Who knew I had SO many drapy cardigans and pantyhose?!?!?)
Referring back to some important posts by Angie and others from actually beginning fo the year. I have been keeping a fashion diary in one book since 2005 - am down to my last 2 pages in my book just 3 weeks out from my 50 birthday and my stylist booking - that is telling me something! And I have a beautiful blank book that was a gift from my cousin which will be my new one
Important notes from YLF over the year and my musings from my diary I seem to enter every few months here:
Need capsules for particular parts of life - where I think I use one type of capsule more, I have marked the number of 'capsules' I need in each:
1 formal
2 business formal (is that the term?) more transeasonal but I have 2 cotton/linen jackets for our scorching summer
2 WAH (these tend to be summer version and winter version)
1 getting around (thanks Angie that was SUCH a great idea - for winter and travelling I have walking shoes, jacket, scarf, easy carry bag, and for tropical heat here added in umbrella, walking sandals for puddles, tote for getting work stuff to and from etc)
1 exercise capsule
1 pj/lounging capsule - one for summer and one for winter as I come home from work late-ish, shower, change, cook etc
1 evening/going out (just added to list and pretty dismal!).
To date I have sorted my clothes into each capsule - this has been a great step and really insightful into why I feel my wardrobe lets me down!
Formal - no actual suit - no wonder I feel off! but have shoes after a multi year attempt and finally got PPP on them!
Business formal/casual - for the entire year I have 3 pants, 1 skirt, 7 jackets, 17 knit tops, 2 cardigans, 2 shirts, 2 dresses, 4 pairs of shoes, 1 pair of boots, 1 sandal. Yeah! this is pretty reflective of the items I like wearing!
WAH - jeans, denim skirt, shorts, linen pants and a pair of capris and about 10 t's for both summer and winter. I also have 3 winter drapy cardis, and 3 cotton drapy cardigans in here, 2 jeans jackets - blue and white, and 3 hot weather summer dresses. Probably pretty sorted, but I figure I update t's in here each season. For $100 twice a year I can get a bunch of fresh tops to make me feel more fun and seasonal. 2 pairs of summer sandals and only 1 pair of loafers still ok for winter (threw some out in this category).
Next step: Some of the key words and ideas that really resonate - some inspired by everyone's posts early in the year of what they want to have their wardrobes like (sorry can't recall the date of that thread!):
strong, elegant, distinctive, eurochic, edgy, becoming more ladylike
The next step will be to go through each category and make up outfits around my 3 'themes' which I hope give me different 'looks' given that actually I have very little variety in colours and styles. This is a real insight:
Look 1 - edgy - this is where I will do my all blacks/suits etc with distinctive accessories - think Donna Karan's black jersey stuff
Look 2 - retro femme/elegant - thinking Nigella Lawson and some insights from yesterday Lyn* of dresses with cardis/jackets etc. here I will use more colour, a few prettier tops, big flower brooches, my dresses and skirts which I have just got back into
Look 3 - eurochic - inspired by Angie - coloured jeans, coloured shirts, blazers, some more silky tops etc.
So styling these up and some WIWs will be tomorrow's step!
Thanks for reading my post! Just putting the broad category capsules together has been so insightful and required everything to have a place. I have one enormous trash bag and an enormous tub of clothes I never wear (DD is going I TOLD you those would annoy you - and yes they are in exactly that category in my diary after doing Angie's exercise earlier in the year on what become orphans waving here!
