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Team outfit planning or wardrobe planning?

Anonymous

Think I'll join Angie in polling today!
I made a comment on FIs thread about not being interested or motivated to do outfit planning. I used to take quite a lot of time trying on combos each week, and having a week's worth of outfits ready.

But, I much prefer the process of planning my wardrobe/activity capsules as a whole. I have lists, plus Finds to stay on track. Then getting dressed each day, and shopping each season takes less effort (in theory anyway).

How about you? Wardrobe or outfit planners in the house?

On the bench will be a (mostly) locally made/grown vegetarian summer feast!
Salad w hydroponic lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, sprouts, crunchy red peppers, marinated artichokes, feta, and rosemary dressing. Avocado toast on rosemary foccacia with paprika. And lemon ice cream with fresh blueberries

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47 replies

Latest reply was from DonnaF

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Great question!
I am on Team Outfit Planning
I feel like I never quite get ahead of the game enough to make a whole wardrobe plan (although, my whole wardrobe is pretty cohesive right now).
Now that I have a job where I can wear my own clothes, I really enjoy my outfit planning sessions for the week.

slim cat

Veteran

Outfit planning - because I don't have a lot of different activities in my life now ( last few years anyway ). I'm starting PT next week and have some items for that "activity" - they all from 8-5 years ago. I may need to shop a little - your poll reminds me of that!

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I'm with you on Team Wardrobe. I'm generally a big picture person in most things, and my wardrobe is no exception. I get that both are important in their own ways, but my joy is in building the framework, not futzing with the details.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Can I be both? I like wearing little capsules of 10-15 (maybe 20 in winter) things that mix & match, grabbing whatever appeals to me that day with no intricate pre-planning. But there are times when I enjoy putting together an outfit that has some kind of challenge involved. My overall wardrobe morphs slowly; the way I shape it is more akin to massage than to pruning.

A question for you, ST: your wardrobe planning involves a good deal of turnover. If this is new, then what did you have before? Wasn’t that also a planned wardrobe, but a different one?

Helena

Veteran

This is a great question! I am definitely team wardrobe planning ... and try to do so in such a way that I can just grab and go from day to day. Food for thought definitely!!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Good question! Team Wardrobe Planning.

I love the creative process of putting my outfits together each morning with a well thought out wardrobe. I’ve found that if you wardrobe plan well and make sure the big picture makes sense - that wardrobe items relate well to each other - the pulled together daily outfits follow with ease. I only ever plan my outfits when I pack for a trip.

I have many clients who bat for Team Outfit Planning and it works well for them too

Joy

Veteran

Ack, forgot to hit Submit! Your white looks fresh and cool . I also wore a white dress whiteout yesterday. It is an older ( 2 years) EF handkerchief linen dress worn with old pointy white flats, pearls, a white KS bag and pearls and white earrings and sunglasses. My topper is an even older EF piece…a white crinkly top/jacket. It is not lined. You get a peek of my fuzzy photo bomber, Maggie, who needs a good grooming.

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Anonymous

Well TBH I've always had quite a lot of turnover, due to size/shape changes, things wearing out, life changes, and wanting a refresh. The trouble is, that I replaced magpie pieces for more magpie pieces, and I planned my wardrobe around those new trendy things. The first 3 factors are inevitable, but I want to slow the last to a small percentage.

Irina

Veteran

Team wardrobe planning for sure! The whole point of the wardrobe planning is that I don’t have to plan my outfits Almost everything goes with everything. I only plan my outfits for special occasions. I have all my wardrobe on Pinterest boards and always have shopping list, I keep it updated throughout a year.

nemosmom

Veteran

Oooh this is a great question. I guess I am more of a wardrobe planner, but obviously I don’t do a great job of wardrobe planning, because creating outfits from my wardrobe feels very difficult.

Thing is, I dislike shoes and handbags and feel like most accessories require more thought than I am usually willing to put the effort into…. I also struggle with color: when a piece comes in multiple colors, i have a hard time choosing; the color I usually want isn’t always the one that makes the best-looking outfit.

I need to plan my planning better

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Aside to ST: It’s not the same as Kettlewell, but I thought of you when I saw that Benetton has set up a thingy to shop by color on their site https://de.benetton.com/?at. Also, did you see the site I posted about where you choose the colors for your shoes/boots?

Sisi

Veteran

Planning? What is it?

Runcarla

Veteran

If you build it - they will come…. In other words, build the wardrobe and the outfits will be there! Team Wardrobe.

Bonnie

Veteran

I usually do outfit planning but I'd like to start wardrobe planning. Having a workable capsule wardrobe sounds ideal. I love veggies and am tempted to say both so I can join the feast.

Anonymous

What Bonnie said! Especially about the luscious meal you’ve described!

cat2

Veteran

Benched.

Sal

Veteran

I think I am benched - it swings around.

I do focus on capsules
- Smart work
- Exercise gear
- occasion
- summer vacation

These are all in good shape. My daily work/work from home capsules which are probably 50% of my time are the ones that I need to devote some attention to.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

For those who do outfit planning but not wardrobe planning: how do you do that, seriously? Even without trying to plan an entire wardrobe, I like what I like. It was nowhere near as tight as Anchie’s recent masterful demonstration of how carefully chosen outfits add up to a wardrobe, but over time, the things I like from various years & decades turn out to work well together and have coalesced into a fairly decently coordinated wardrobe. How is it possible to do it differently?

Synne

Veteran

Former outfit planner, transitioning into wardrobe planner here! I am taking baby steps, but wardrobe planning (meaning cohesive colors, correct ratio of tops and bottoms, etc.) is making sooo much sense to me now.

Anonymous

I wing it . And you can probably tell

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Team Wing It. Thanks for that, LisaP!

Sloper

Veteran

As I was typing my navel-gazing response below, Lisa P nailed it - I wing it!!!!

I don't know if I'm specifically either.

I've never started from complete scratch regarding a wardobe, nor do I think I've ever made any conscious effort to "build" a wardrobe in the sense of "must have a trench, must have an LBD, must have x. y or z." I don't think I even think much of my wardrobe having holes in it. That doesn't mean that it does, maybe it does.

Nor do I create specific outfits in the strictest sense - for example one blouse that works with one suit that has a specific pair of shoes that match this purse. I think the only exception has been a couple of times when I needed a real interview suit (and even that was in colors/silhouettes that could be used with the rest of my wardrobe).

Just from working in different fields, in different cities, with general life experience, etc. I feel my approach has mostly been to think of everything going with everything, or as much as possible. When I have started to veer off course due to emotional shopping or impulsive purchases - most of these items tend to be less worn.

rachylou

Veteran

I have become Team Wardrobe. I started out as an outfit planner and it wasn’t working at all. I’d work on buying one outfit at a time. I had nothing but one-off outfits and nothing to wear most of the time!

Echo

Veteran

I am Team Outfit, but as I rebuild my wardrobe, I am trying to also think about the bigger picture with Team Wardrobe. Unfortunately, one of my favorite colors this season has left me with multiple hot pink pieces that don't come close to matching one another!

I still have a hard time resisting pieces I am drawn to or fall in love with, even when they match nothing else I own. I usually build an outfit around the item and keep that outfit in rotation. But as I said, I am rebuilding a wardrobe at this point, so I am trying to slow down and make sure that most items play well with one another.

Irina

Veteran

I don’t know any other way but to plan my purchases.I don’t often go for a specific, single item, it’s more groups or categories for me. This year on the list were “white/cream bottoms “, adding more of “casual linen sweaters “, “summer flats in color”. Sometimes I have a single item like last year’s “black summer top” or this year’s “summer midi dress “. I still buy occasional wild cards, falling to temptations. I wish I would just stick to my list I like and want so many things, I would be lost without planning for what I really need.

Brooklyn

Veteran

Outfit planning for sure. My general approach is to buy items I love (usually a statement item) and to build outfits around that item. I also like challenging myself to put together outfits in different colour schemes or with different vibes. I do some big picture planning - for buying boring stuff like jeans, layering tops, t-shirts, knitwear - but the statement items are usually my starting point.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I am probably closest to team "wing it" (thanks Lisa), but I do like to spend time trying on clothes and seeing how they work together. So when I actually get dressed for the day I am winging it in an informed way.

Kathie

Veteran

Wardrobe planning, now that I’ve been on YLF for four years. Though, every now and then, a piece becomes orphaned, and then I do plan specific pieces to go with that one.

Anonymous

I'm enjoying reading everyone's thoughts Will try to reply individually later-but have to return to my confinement today

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