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October is "Does this work?" month at The Working Closet Flickr pool; we've been pulling things out of the closet and trying to decide if they work, or if they need to go. With that in mind, I wanted to invite you to join the pool, and point you to a few other places where bloggers are dealing with just that same issue.
In July, Erin at A Dress A Day wrote this magnificent post about making your wardrobe work for you.
The first, and hardest part, is to find out HOW you want to dress. What makes you feel capable, confident, attractive? What makes you happy? Sort out the clothes you own now and separate them into 'happy' and 'bleh' piles. What do the happy things have in common? Cut? Color? Fabric? Fit? Make lists of your happy and unhappy clothes and try to figure out where the gaps are. Feel like you 'need' black trousers, but every pair you own is on top of the 'bleh' pile? maybe the ones you have don't fit. Or are the wrong fabric (if they are that horrible poly-rayon, they are the wrong fabric). Or are the wrong cut (low-rise trousers that you have to keep tugging up, maybe)? Maybe you don't need black trousers. Would you prefer a nice knee-length black skirt? Check the congruence between your clothes and your Actual Life. Do you have a bunch of silk trousers but you spend all your time on the floor playing Legos? Work in a creative field but have nothing but navy-blue suits?
Erin offers fantastic advice about how to determine what your style is and how to shop -- on the cheap! -- for pieces that work.
Speaking of shopping on the cheap, I'm sure you are already reading Want Not, written by contributing editor Mir of WCS. Mir gives great shopping advice; recently, she wrote about how to redo your wardrobe on a budget.
Invest in classics. So where should you spend money? You should have a winter coat that you love, that fits you well and is weather-appropriate for your area and dresses up or down with ease. You should have at least one pair of jeans that fits you perfectly and can pass for business casual if need be. You should have a skirt or two that can be casual or dressy depending on what you pair it with, and ditto for pants. You should have at least one blazer-type jacket that goes with all of those bottoms. You should have a few tailored blouses, if that’s your thing, or some lightweight, tailored sweaters if they’re not. And you should have some awesome shoes.
Oh yes, everyone needs awesome shoes. If only because in November, Chris and I are bringing back our Show Us Your Shoes Flickr pool. Yes really!
Finally, Leah, at Style for the Stay at Home Mom, offers a ten point list for wardrobing on a budget. She includes this timely reminder:
Finally, take the time to "grow" your wardrobe. You do not need to have everything right now. Some things that you decide that you just don't have the budget for may go on sale in a few weeks and then they might work better for your budget. Pay attention to when sales usually occur and look for wardrobe basics at these times. Be careful not to fall into the sale trap. Just because those supercool black pants are $40, do you really need another pair of black pants? I have three pairs of black trousers and a pair of black capris so I don't even look at black pants - no matter the price. Really keep yourself focused on the items you really need.
The moral here is this: you don't have to spend a lot to look terrific, but you ALSO shouldn't be wearing things you don't love. Find a good middle road, and then join the Flickr pool and show us what YOU are wearing. And get help, if you need it, because sometimes an impartial eye is exactly what you need to make that outfit work.
Susan Wagner writes about fashion at Friday Style and The Working Closet, and about everything else at Friday Playdate.
