The Brown Dress Project

This woman wore the same brown dress every single day for a year as part of performance art project. My first thought looking at the photo was "damn, why that sack of a dress?" but really I admire the spirit of the piece. I know that I buy things on impulse that I really don't need. In spite of all the clothes I have in my closet and in boxes, I still end up wearing the same outfits pretty frequently. For me, it's either my completely unimaginative combination of skinny black pants, flats, and a light sweater with a scarf; a shift; or my trusty denim. Very boring but it works for me, especially with a toddler running around my knees.

The Quest for the Perfect Wardrobe II

I'm still going through boxes of clothes, trying to narrow down my wardrobe into something more manageable. This is much more difficult than I anticipated for several reasons. First of all, anyone looking at my clothes packed away not so neatly in those boxes would think that they belonged to a lunatic. A hundred conflicting crashing prints, patterns and fabrics with nothing tying them together. Piles of clothes with the tags still hanging on reminding me of how foolish I have been with my spending. Things that don't fit, never fit and never will fit. It was enough to give me a massive headache. I am committed to the concept of a "capsule" wardrobe but I feel now like I don't even have to basics to build from. I shoved my box into a corner and was ready to leave it out on the curb when I read this post today by fashionista-ta in the "French Wardrobe" thread on TFS:

• Segregate in one closet a capsule wardrobe for the coming season. Wear it and see how it works for you. If you find gaps, go "shopping" in your storage area to fill them.
• Include a couple items you haven't worn or haven't worn much, and give yourself an assignment to see if you can integrate them. If it's not possible, that may pave the path to the next step ...

Hallelujah! It makes sense. Instead of fretting over how to incorporate my flimsy summer clothes into my wardrobe, I'll just focus on Fall instead. It sounds like such a small thing but it has really helped me to focus. I know I already have dresses covered but I think investing in a good quality cashmere sweater or two, a coat and some nice slacks will head me off in the right direction.

The Quest for the Perfect Wardrobe I

My husband and I recently moved back to the US after two years of living abroad. While packing up my clothes, I was aghast at the number of things hanging up in my closet that I either did not recognize as my own or that had tags still attached.

The disturbing thing was that in spite of all the clothes in my wardrobe, I usually ended up wearing the same thing everyday because I could never find something to wear. While I don't think of myself as a shopaholic, I am definitely guilty of buying things out of boredom or just because they were on sale regardless of how the color looked against my skin or the size. A good sized chunk of my closet is stuff that I couldn't pass up because of the savings!

When I really started to think of all the imaginary money I'd "saved" buy buying clothes that I've never worn, I felt a little ill. During the last few months I've been making a concerted effort to reign myself in, figure out what my personal style is, and buying quality key pieces accordingly.

I've become a little obsessed lately with the concept of a perfect capsule wardrobe, containing key pieces that I will wear for years to come and that coordinate well with each other.

When the movers finally arrive with the rest of my clothes I plan on having a day of reckoning and donate or sell things that I can't justify. I'm also anxious to see the things that I already have laid out so I can see what I own and put outfits together. One book I read suggested taking pictures of different looks for my own personal lookbook on days when I can't find a thing to put on. Fortunately, I already have another lookbook of ideas I cribbed from magazines and online for reference.

Two websites that I've used for inspiration are Retail Recovery and A Perfectly Small Wardrobe. I can't be as extreme as she is and our personal styles don't match but it is refreshing to know that it is possible to get a lot of style out of a little wardrobe.

I thought it would be really difficult but by taking a few extra moments in the dressing room to ask:

1. Do I really NEED this?
2. Is it made well?
3. Does it flatter my figure?
4. Does it fit into my "perfect wardrobe" vision?

Honestly, those few extra moments have made all the difference. I've talked myself out of buying heaps of clothes that I know I wouldn't have worn or that would have fallen apart by now. My last two clothing purchases were a Robert Rodriguez High Waist Grey Skirt and a Mociun Tie Front Dress, both of which I am really pleased with.




This is something I am still researching and pulling together so I'm sure I'll continue posting about it. If anyone has something to share on the topic, I'd love to read it.