wardrobe frustrations

always trying

after purging my last two pairs of footwear, one booties that I wore once, and were why did I ever buy these, and the other leopard sneakers that pinched my little toe, My whole footwear is the best it has been in a long time. finding myself frustrated though as some are cute, comfy, easy to style, fit their specific purposes, etc. BUT just not enough occasions to wear them. This goes for other items in my closet also. I have some sweaters I would wear every day, but with my lifestyle they would get ruined. same with ponte pants, white fur jacket, new black jeans, and other things. I did however repurpose a pair of straight leg olive pants that fit well and felt so good on I am wearing them with tall boot, and thus solves the problem of how to make the too wide bottoms work.

Another frustrating thing is seeing something that I would love to get, but if I did I would seldom be able to wear it, or if I did wear it more, other things would not get worn.

10 years ago

Dressing

8 replies

Latest reply was from

shedev

Veteran

You already have the items, so you should wear them. Sure, some will get ruined prematurely and some will surprise you with their longevity. How is your life so rough that you can't wear the black jeans? They would seem like a pretty durable item. You could demote a few worn items and just use them for your roughest on clothes activities.

Here's how I divide my closet mentally. I have three style catagories.

Style nirvana. This is my dystopian fantasy life stuff. There is a lot of crossover to work and a little dressy. Also has a few not really appropriate for anything but pure fun over the top pieces. Still building this.

Predystopian, this is all the moto, combat, and sporty luxe pieces that I've worn over the last couple years. I wear this a lot to work, but also pair it with the nirvana stuff. I still like these, but I'm not buying because I'm really saturated.

Appropriate trumps aesthetics, this covers funerals and job interviews. This is a small capsule that I don't mind getting less wear from. I just want it to be there when I need it. Still need a couple pieces for this one.

I also have been letting my wardrobe numbers reduce slowly by not replacing some of what I do wear out and doing a one in one out when I buy something new. It really helped me zero in on the wardrobe size that gives me both variety and time to get in decent wears from most of my items.

I hope a little of this was useful to you and that you can resolve your frustration. I'm looking forward to any updates on your progress.

10 years ago

Anonymous

Always Trying -- It sounds a little bit like you are not buying for the life you live, but the life you wish you lived. Is that possible or did I misunderstand your post.

10 years ago

Anonymous

Clothes are for wearing and enjoying. Life is a special occasion, after all...

10 years ago

DonnaF

Veteran

I'm guessing that you have long-clawed light furred animals, and that's why you feel you can't wear your ponte pants and black jeans? My answer to everything is to wear an apron most of the time and never buy DCO items because I'll inevitably feel they're too precious to wear so they'll never get worn. My goal is to wear out or ruin an item before it gets outdated. I've also decided that it's okay if I dress up more than the environmental norm, and okay not to look corporate at my part-time job because I don't see clients.

I will admit that I saw a dark green Topshop feather sequin crop jacket on nordstrom.com that I would love, love, love to get if it is ever marked down, but really, where would I wear a jacket completely covered in sequins? Plus, the crescent shaped sequins would snag on everything. There's only so much denim can casualize!

I hope you can make occasions to wear some of those items you love so much!

10 years ago

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I like shedev's analysis! I am not sure what you're doing that ruins clothes, but I have to say I wear a lot of black, have a mostly white dog, and have lint rollers everywhere,

10 years ago

Style Fan

Veteran

Are you buying for a fantasy life or is it difficult to wear your clothes? I am very familiar with number two. I buy great clothes and continue to wear my dog walking clothes.

10 years ago

Summer

Veteran

I can empathise with your frustrations, Always Trying. Actually, I think our life-styles may be very similar. For my everyday life I need practical clothes that can cope with everything that dogs and a muddy garden can throw at me, but I also like to look presentable at the very least - quite a challenge! I used to spend most of my budget on the basic jeans, tops and sweaters that I wear every day, but then get caught out when a dressier occasion cropped up. My solution now is to put most of my money into versatile smart-casual clothes that can take me just about anywhere outside the home - nice jeans, ponte pants, good-quality tops and knitwear etc. Then, when they are still good but just a little past their absolute best, I demote them to my everyday capsule. That way, I always have something nice to wear when I'm out and about, and also a presentable, worry-free everyday capsule that takes care of itself, without extra outlay.
I hope this makes sense and that it may be of some help.

10 years ago

Anonymous

I hear you. As a dressy person with a casual lifestyle, I do what I can to create events so I can wear the things I love. I'm also often the most dressed up person in the room but don't care. Right now my clothing care challenge is that I'm adding more light neutrals. Our dog is both black and white and very furry. Luckily she doesn't shed, get on furniture or jump on me.
When anyone asks you what you would like for a gift, be ready with ideas for event tickets, season passes or restaurant gift cards. These things give reasons to wear your nicer things.

10 years ago

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