September tracking - last 10 days (and an epiphany!) - YouLookFab Forum

Category

General

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

September tracking - last 10 days (and an epiphany!)

Carla

Veteran

The last 10 days of September have been a blur of activity. A drop in temperature and humidity levels has made outdoor activities more comfortable and DH and I have been tackling yard chores that were deferred during the long heat wave. I rotated through a very small capsule of clothing since the work I was doing was truly dirty work. Jeans or shorts and basic t-shirts - things that could literally get filthy - were my uniform. I did a load of laundry every day and recycled the clothes.

Olive and navy cotton shorts
Cropped (hacked) jeans
Uniqlo 3/4 t-shirts (grey and black)

For activities 'off the property' I wore one of two newer cotton knit sweaters and a pair of comfortable black trousers.

Stylishness took a backseat to durability and practicality this month. With the exception of a road trip at the beginning of the month (no trouble packing from my closet) outfits were chosen with a view to the fact that they might not survive the activity. However, I realized that if the items I wore had become permanently stained or damaged or did not survive the vigorous wash cycles I would actually miss them!

Epiphany! Regardless of the 'beauty' of the items, I develop a love for them proportionate with feelings felt while wearing them. Does that make sense? I've posted in the past how I purged my closet of most work wear items once I retired - and have not missed anything I dispatched. I've been avoiding wearing work items kept. My head tells me they are practical and would blend into my new lifestyle. I need to re-program my thinking about them, or get rid of them. (The black work trousers mentioned above went to NL with me last year and are imbued with the patina of that great trip. They will stay.)

I do my big annual style evaluation in the fall, with a smaller assessment in spring. Somehow I have to acknowlege the emotional aspect of clothing and what I wear, fold it into my style, and honour it with my future choices. So much for thinking of myself as rational and unemotional about clothes!

Pic below - black trousers (from old work capsule), merlot cotton knit sweater (newer/August purchase), light weight wool pashmina (v. old - gift from SIL) Wore black sneakers and carried new/thrifted Coach bag. Happiness factor = 10.

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

General

20 replies

Latest reply was from Bijou

Anonymous

Fascinating.

karen13

Veteran

Love that scarf - amazing colors. And not having to dress for work is such a change - you need to do some more outfit creation with the work pieces you like to see if you can find some more 10s .

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

That absolutely makes sense to me. I cannot wrap my head around Angie's aversion to the things she wears for some activities that she loves. I can think of several examples, positive and negative, that follow along with your idea, starting with my refusal, as a little girl, to wear a certain dress I'd thrown up in/on on a plane. I still remember my mother telling me she had washed it and showing me that the odor was gone, but it didn't matter. I did not want to wear that dress.

Carla

Veteran

Sterling, I'm still digesting the idea. It's not quite the same as 'mood dressing' (I usually plan/pick outfits ahead of time). It is more like the idea of stealing your 'boyfriend's' sweater or having a 'magic' interview jacket, or a wardrobe signiture like red shoes. Is it possible to source new wardrobe items with an idea that they will promote happiness? Is that why retro trends are so...on trend? You either loved or hated the 60's, 70's, or '80's and embrace or reject them in their recycled trending version? Should I reproduce a happy making garment as exactly as possible, or give something new a chance?

Karen13 - and wear them for activities I enjoy a lot in order to reprogram my feelings about them!

FashIntern - yes!

MVP's: olive shorts X 10 (!), white jeans (2 pair) X 4 each, cropped jeans X 4, white/black flecked cotton sweater X 6, Merlot version X 2, navy/white striped mariner sweater (2 similar) X 2 each. Black sneakers and black Coach bag.

Sara L.

Veteran

I used to be this way with work clothes as well. I absolutely did not want to wear work clothes on the weekend. It meant I had two completely different wardrobes for work and weekend. Since I've been on YLF I've been able to overcome that mindset. I don't wear work outfits on the weekend but I'm much more likely now to mix the more formal work items (such as a blazer) with casual items like a graphic tee or jeans.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I love your epiphany! I do think I feel similar about beloved clothes, and it's why I find it hard to get rid of them too, it's a sort of loyalty to the clothes. They remind me of past happy times. People have suggested photos and I will manage that for some, but the actual tangible item means more. My work makes me so happy overall ( also causes stress, but that's a different question) that I very happily mix work and home/weekend items.
Your pashmina is gorgeous.

Lynn

Veteran

I totally get what you said Runcarla about your feeling for clothing items being proportionate to how you felt while wearing them. I finally purged all of my previous work wear for that very reason but I have trouble purging items that remind me of good times even when they don't fit me or my lifestyle anymore.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Clothes are very emotional to a lot of people.They are a form of self expression and I have always associated clothes with the times that I wore them whether consciously or not.It has taken me years to be able to wear navy for example as that was the colour of my work uniform and I know that a lot of people feel this way about their school uniform colour so you are far from alone in this regard.

LaPed

Veteran

I know exactly what you mean about the emotions/memories associated with clothing. I run into the same thing, and it makes certain very old pieces (think: really gross backpacking gear!) very hard to get rid of.

Your burgundy/black outfit looks stellar -- love the colours in that scarf.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think it relates to today's blog post -- items with a very high happiness factor may earn a longterm place in a wardrobe even if infrequently worn.

I much prefer 2 classes of item: new ones (it's fun to incorporate them); and much-beloved pieces that I remember feeling wonderful in.

I do try to buy that type of piece but you can't always predict what will become extremely beloved. Signature style items are fairly easy (for me, a certain type of boot/ bootie and a sharp jacket) but it's hard for me to predict with other items.

binkle

Veteran

I think I understand. I can have very strong emotional ties to an item. Sometimes because it is so tried and true, sometimes because of the way I feel when wearing it, even if not that often, sometimes because of the qualities of the item itself (I think, "I will never find one like this again.") I think I try to buy the same type of items over and over.

And most recently, a pair of Gap chinos - very plain, but with a black tuxedo stripe down the sides. Bought in 2009, didn't wear too often and actually were in the Goodwill pile in 2014. Then I ended up wearing them later that year because I needed something comfortable for chemo and hospital visits, and then just kept wearing them - comfortable, slouchy but not sloppy, looked good with my black boots. I tracked January - May this year, and wore them 60 times - so multiply 12 times a month by approx 48 months! Now so very worn out. According to KonMari, you're supposed to thank the item before you get rid of it - was I crying!

shiny

Veteran

It absolutely makes sense to me.

Style Fan

Veteran

Makes complete sense to me. I keep clothing that gets very little wear because I am so attached to it. I agree that the appeal of different eras might be part of that. I love the 60s and 70s because I grew up then. So does Mr. SF. I think there are other reasons though.
I love the scarf in the picture. What great colours! And of course, I adore paisley. A 60s thing.
It took me years to figure out how to dress for retirement. After working for decades it was an adjustment in many ways to retire. Fashion and clothes were always important to me but I have come to realize how much I express my creativity through my wardrobe and putting outfits together. I still miss dressing for work and discussing clothes with my work colleagues.

JAileen

Veteran

I kept some work clothes but never wore them, either. I finally got rid of them. Our church is involved with the homeless shelter, so most of the clothes I discard now go there. I recently discarded a pair of Steve Madden shooties. They were really cute, but have three inch heels. I’m donating them to the thrift store instead of the homeless shelter for obvious reasons.

Jules

Veteran

I have a specific category of clothes I keep for sentimental reasons. I have no hope of wearing them again. If these are even on trend again, they either won't fit or will truly be too youthful for me - I know we officially don't play by those rules here, but I don't see most of wearing very short or skimpy items either.

I don't consider these to be part of my wardrobe, they are specifically in sentimental storage and consist of: my wedding dress; a lovely silk spaghetti strap dress of much better quality than most items I've ever had which I wore to a couple of weddings in my twenties; and the crazy glittery patchwork trend-of-the-moment shirt I was wearing when I got together with my husband. The wedding dress was inexpensive, I mostly store because I am just not sure what do with it - I'd be happy if my kids used it for a costume someday. The crazy patchwork shirt and silk dress I would also love to see my girls wear "someday" but I don't mention that because I wore a small size at the time and no need for feel them to feel any pressure.

None of these items are worn out at all. I have had trouble getting rid of sentimental items that really needed to go in the past. Usually the strong feelings relate to the item being very "me" when I bought it and then worn very often. I typically need to have a moment when my perception shifts and instead of seeing the fondness, attachment and memories, I can finally perceive the wear, datedness or poor fit that an impartial viewer would see. I've learned this moment will come eventually and I don't force it.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Suz said.

RunCarla, I think you'll feel differently about these items after a year of retired life. Settle into it. Makes sense though.

FashIntern, what do you mean? : "I cannot wrap my head around Angie's aversion to the things she wears for some activities that she loves".

Anonymous

Angie i think she means your yoga wear!
I love that scarf RunCarla! I dont generally have a big attachment to clothes, but i am wearing a pashmina my dear ex boss gave me, and i have a couple things im unsure about passing on. As much as id love to not work, and spend my days outdoors, id miss the dressing up factor

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

OOOOH, thanks, Suntiger. Got it. Dead right. I loathe everything about yoga wear....but LOVE yoga.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I love the outfit, the scarf is amazing, and the right supporting pieces also.

I do love clothes more when there is happy history and less when there is the opposite. I do shy away from wearing a certain topper whose first outing was for a funeral of a close friend.

I keep clothes that are sentimental but not wearable. A few hang on the bedroom side of the closet doors and more in a separate closet.

Bijou

Veteran

Yes I am exactly the same. Happy to say goodbye to clothes that remind me of bad times and find it harder to part with those that remind me of happy days.

You seem to have the balance right between buying items of a high happiness factor and being practical for your lifestyle. I have some comfy cleaning clothes that are practical to wear when doing messy jobs.