Oh. This is a great topic.
Like Carla, it took me about 6 years on YLF to get this sorted. Despite the superb advice I got in the interim from Angie and multiple forum members. Blame my thick noggin. And then I needed to find the right pieces, and be able to pay for them.
One excellent piece of advice I got here, early on, was to consider my roles. How I actually spend my time. And I should budget for my wardrobe accordingly. That's why, for me, paying for jeans I really love makes sense. I wear them almost daily for several seasons. Whereas if I can find a sparkly top at discount or thrift -- that's probably a good way to go -- I'll only wear it twice a year.
Another -- and seemingly contradictory -- piece of advice -- was to make sure I had weather-suitable outfits for every single thing I actually do -- even if I rarely do it. Which of course...duh...meant at least occasionally spending money for clothing for those infrequently adopted roles. This was hard for me!
Until, that is, I realized that my most panicked wardrobe related moments happened precisely because I didn't have the right clothes for the occasion. Never because I had "nothing to wear." But rather, because I had nothing appropriate for this particular activity.
Also...it took me a while to fully appreciate that we're all different in this regard. Even though most of my life is work from home/ parent on the go, I also have to dress for a lot more varied situations than those labels might suggest. Unlike some people who work from home, I'm also in the public eye a fair bit. I have to give presentations/ readings/ moderate panels/ attend ceremonies from time to time. In addition, I'm a teacher, who's also a student. I exercise indoors and out...and so on and on. That's just me. For another person, the issues might be completely different.
Having identified my key roles I made sure (over time) to have at least one weather appropriate outfit (or a small capsule) for each main type of event in my life.
Because I wear a lot of separates, it's largely mix and match. Again, like Carla. For teaching I can wear my work at home outfit with the addition of a jacket or a scarf and long cardigan -- basically moving from casual to smart casual. For a presentation, that same jacket might be worn with a slightly dressier or more colourful top and statement footwear. The blue dress I wear with bling for a winter date night can also work with more sober jewellery for a funeral.
But there are also items that don't really crossover. Those sparkly tops, the exercise gear.
My main functional capsules then are:
- Work from home/ teach/ casual dates. (Casual to smart casual).
- Exercise gear. (This includes indoor gym wear and outdoor gear for skating, hiking, snowshoeing etc.)
- Sleepwear/ loungewear.
- Dressy and occasion -- this includes pieces bought for presentations/ public facing events and "fancier" going out wear.
