Wardrobe Analysis - what I've learned so far - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

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

Wardrobe Analysis - what I've learned so far

Helena

Veteran

Hi there, some of you saw my post about doing a wardrobe analysis. For about a month, I've been tracking what I wear each day as well as how I felt in it and any observations/learnings I've made. I won't share the whole spreadsheet, but here are a few key things I've discovered:

1. I don't want to dress so that the outfit is noticed per se - I want to look polished, modern and appropriate, but not stand out beyond that for my clothes.
2. I love color - but I feel most comfortable in neutrals.
3. If I have to think about the outft, I invariably feel uncomfortable in it.
4. I have one basic uniform: a tailored or slightly fluid top, jeans (or very rarely, dressy pants), flats and one accessory (beyond my basics - wedding ring, watch, studs).
5. For day to day, I keep it at that (if I'm feeling crazy, I might add a gray or black cardi), for evening I swap out flats for heels and make the accessory a bit more impactful (e.g. big hoops or cuff), for church/more conservative occasions, I add a blazer. In summer, I swap the jeans for shorts. Occasionally in nice weather I will wear a dress.

Things I will focus on doing:
1. stick to a color palette (unless I see something I absolutely love outside it): black/navy, white, gray, wine in winter, blues in summer, blush in small doses (just 'cause it's so pretty), cool jewel tones in small doses (for impact).
2. rather than re-work the uniform, refine the pieces - my danger with classics is keeping a piece too long - make sure my classics are up-to-date
3. focus on the polish - nails, hair, makeup, exercise, skincare - it's not always about the clothes. I can actually feel great in a hoodie and sweatpants IF the polish is there.
4. throwing a trendy "$20 something" into the mix each season (a la Tim Gunn) - for rut-prevention

It won't make for interested WIWs, but it will make for a happier TG. And of course as long as I keep following you guys, I won't fall out of touch with what's new and modern!

Interestingly, I can generalize the principles here to many areas of my life - home decor, the projects I take on, my personal philosophy.

What do you think? What are your focuses right now and do they make your life easier? Thanks for reading!

Dressing

14 replies

Latest reply was from Elly

Anonymous

I love reading wardrobe analyses. I do pretty much the same thing you do. My conclusions are similar to yours ... the one I missed is to keep my classics up to date. Something I probably need to consider as I move forward.

One problem though. I have been so disappointed in the overall quality of things I currently see in the stores. It is hard to update a classic with sub-par items. Have you given any consideration to this?

adorkable

Veteran

So interesting! Thanks for sharing!

I see a lot of value in knowing what you like and sticking to it. I don't know that I'm ready for that kind of discipline myself, but I really admire it.

Helena

Veteran

Thanks Gabrielle! I am not a big spender on clothes, so I don't have any real investment pieces to pose me this sort of challenge - but I could see if would be tricky. I wonder can some items be tailored to update the fit? Probably a truly beautiful classic would be worth hanging onto, perhaps updating the other pieces in the outfit to make sure it looks modern?

Adorkable, thank you! What's interesting is that I didn't so much create a structure - I uncovered the structure that I was doing anyways, so now I don't have to wring my hands about it. In other words, for me, it isn't disciplined, it's what I do. Now I can do it consciously. For others, the observation might be, well I love wearing different colors every day and feel horrible when I stick to one style - so then the learning is, stop trying to discipline your style! Better to make the most of your natural tendencies than try to change them imho

Sara L.

Veteran

Interesting analysis. I'm feeling the need to do something similar. I just need to take the time and quit being lazy.

Anonymous

I really liked reading this analysis! Sounds like you have really isolated what you need and want your wardrobe to do!

Alassë

Veteran

I enjoy reading wardrobe analysis posts and anything you write, so this was doubly interesting. Good job tracking/analyzing/discovering!

viva

Veteran

I like your "rut-prevention" idea ... though that can be a danger zone for me, and sometimes I have trouble stopping at $20.

I am in the midst of a wardrobe analysis although it is all happening in my head so I am not sure if that really counts. Like you, I am not trying to change the uniform, but I am trying to understand and refine it. That has helped simplify things for me, because I have realized the power of shoes (obvious) and belts (not so obvious, to me) and I have been focusing some energy there. This has helped keep me from wanting to buy everything in sight, which is particularly useful when the new season's clothing is everywhere!

I am also refining my color palette -- I have noticed that happening naturally over the last few months, which is so interesting as well. I am now drawn to many fewer things in stores and online, which was initially frustrating when I went shopping recently in a city with lots of options -- but afterward felt great because the couple of things I chose were exactly right (except shoes that hurt), and I had leftover money for another day.

Thanks for sharing your story, Torontogirl! I look forward to all your WIWs, and I am sure they will be interesting to me. (I always feel mine are incredibly boring.)

Helena

Veteran

Thank you Sara! A quick snap in the morning went a long way with this, I found.

Ceit and Alasse, thank you very much for the encouragement and very kind words!

Viva, so funny - I have "interesting belts" on my must-get list now. I realized I like all my pieces to be functional, even scarves have to be justified by the weather or something - but I've never bothered with a nice or cool belt, which I wear most days. So that was a surprise to me too! Thanks for sharing your experience with shopping and choices - I always feel so boring compared to more daring fashionistas but at the end of the day that's what I'm happy with!

Thistle

Veteran

Terrific analysis, and hopefully this will help guide you as you make future choices.

Also makes me think i need to stop being lazy and do something similar!

carter

Veteran

Great analysis, TG! My analysis is a bit more rambling at this point, as I'm still experimenting. There are a few things I have figured out so far. Warning...random stream of consciousness coming.

Classic, conservative dressing doesn't have to be frumpy, predictable or boring.
For me, many trends are best left to others. However, experimenting in small doses can keep me current and moving forward.
Focus on fit, length, rise, etc. Before YLF, something "fit" if it buttoned and wasn't too tight anywhere. Unfortunately, many things weren't flattering because the rise was wrong for me, the structure was wrong for me, there was no PPL, proportions were off, etc.
I feel better dressed for work with a neutral base (black/ivory/white/taupe) with the occasional splash of color, primarily red and pink.
I love color, but it feels more "right" in my casual wardrobe, primarily blues, greens and oranges.
My best silhouette (at least for now) is a slim bottom half and either slim or fluid top. New purchases should meet these criteria.
Belts and shoes can (and often should) be statement pieces. In the past, mine have been more utilitarian. I'm having great fun adding some oomph here.
Check for completeness/cohesion BEFORE leaving the house. Photos are a better way for me to do this than just the mirror. For instance, I put on a black sweater and medium-dark jeans the other day. It was okay, but it didn't become a cohesive outfit until I added a higher contrast finishing touch. In this case, it was a large bright silver necklace.
I have a strong tendency to duplicate items in every color available, in order to save time and effort. I must stop doing this because it results in boring, predictable outfits.
I miss wearing skirts and dresses. They're not the most practical thing for work (climbing in and out of the car, up attic access stairs, walking construction sites, etc.), but I would like to make a concerted effort to wear them more often.

That's all I have swimming around in my head so far. Thanks for giving me the inspiration to write it down!

rachylou

Veteran

Clear, succinct, and doable. In fact, downright manageable.

Helena

Veteran

Carter, I will be referring to your list a lot, esp. around the shoes and belts. We are definitely kindred style-spirits! Funny that my workout capsule is full of every purple under the sun and I love it - but if I wore them for day-wear I would feel weird.

Rachylou, thanks for the encouragement!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

With the kind of style you are looking at TG I think your point about focusing on:

2. rather than re-work the uniform, refine the pieces - my danger with classics is keeping a piece too long - make sure my classics are up-to-date

is key. I don't think modern classic is boring as long as it has the modern element - thanks Angie

Loved reading your analysis. I have been trying to refine my style for a few seasons & it is interesting to go back over my observations to see how they have subtly shifted in that time

Elly

Veteran

Awesome thread. You've put some hard work and contemplation into these insights. Hopefully we will be able to see you work towards your reminders in the second section.

Personally I can really relate to being a lover of color who mostly wears neutrals, and also to the polish thing.

This is kind of odd, since I'm much more of a rough-around-the-edges girl style-wise, but I've found that making sure basics like tees and loungewear are in good repair, cutting my hair in an easy style that looks purposeful even when messy, keeping up with shaping my eyebrows, etc. really keeps my style looking low-effort, but still purposeful instead of like a mess. I really resonate with the sweats and a hoodie thing-- in an appropriate setting in good condition with a good fit, clean well-cut hair or a simple upsweep, etc. makes all the difference in feeling put together.