For the past few months, I've been thinking over & brainstorming on a wardrobe reconstruction. I've been mentioning it here & there on Twitter, & if you follow me on Pinterest, then surely you've been clued in a bit to some of the details. Mainly, my closet has been way overdue for a good, honest, cleaning-out, & now that you're seeing this post, it means the wheels have finally been set in motion.
But before I embarked on rebuilding my entire wardrobe, I felt it was important to meditate on what kind of style I wanted to go with, so that I was building a closest I'd be in love with, & I'd always feel like I had something to wear. Not only would this approach cut down on stress, it would also cut down on waste.
So, in what direction did I want to take my personal style? Well, I came up with a few buzzwords first: romantic, preppy, classic, & cozy. When I reflected on the styles I like looking at most on others, I realized I was drawn to traditional styles, with a bit of a feminine twist. So, I decided that I'd fill my closet with structured blouses, playful prints, & items that could be mixed & matched to provide professional looks, casual looks, & cozy-around-the-house looks. It was also important to me that my wardrobe stand the test of time: I wanted my closet full of classic fabrics & styles, not trendy pieces that would flit in & out within a season.
Then, there was the issue of color. In order to allow for the mix-&-match element I wanted in my wardrobe, I needed most of my pieces to coordinate in some way. Thus, I decided on some of my favorite colors to play main fiddle in my collection: navy, gray, yellow, black, cream, & blush were chosen to be the main contenders.
To take the brainstorming to the next level, I took to Pinterest & created a board for each of the above colors, as well as some additional items: stripes, flats, lounge/workout, gold details, & style icons. These boards have been a lot of fun for me to add to, & they've proven such a help in guiding my purchases. I'd absolutely encourage anyone looking to restructure their wardrobe, to take the steps I did. I still have a long way to go, & more items to buy, but I feel like I'm on the right track now, & I'm excited about it!
My wardrobe reconstruction series will include Polyvore sets that I'll put together with my parameters in mind, as well as more & more items being added to my Pinterest boards. Look for more posts, coming soon!
See all of the Pinterest boards here:
navy | gray | yellow | black | cream | blush | stripes | flats | lounge/workout | gold details | style icons
photos: some new wardrobe additions, from my birthday shopping haul \ nikon
25 comments:
I have that same pale yellow RL button down! Love them - I wish I would have known that they had that soft pink in stock when I last went.
<3 Taylor
I need to do this too! My closet is a mess!
I'm going back to college soon so this is a such a good idea for me right now. There's to loads of stuff I don't wear anymore that I could sell at a dorm sale somewhere or give away to friends. I always have a line up of friends waiting for me to give away clothes!!! Thanks for the tips!
I love this idea! I think I'm going to follow your advice and define my wardrobe. I've been trying to overhaul my wardrobe for the past few months, but I think these tips will help me actually get it done! I can't wait to see more posts on the topic :)
I've been peeking at those Pinterest boards of yours. I love this! I've been doing something similar because I went from wearing a casual/ business (casual came before business for a reason) to a very structured, way on the conservative end of "business casual" wardrobe for my work. That made my "casual" wardrobe a bit more like my old "business" wardrobe and there are pieces that aren't structured and too flowy for pretty much anything I do now. I love redoing my wardrobe! So much fun! And I love the colors you are working with!
I've been tossing about half of my closet into a donation pile, so I can relate to the wardrobe reconstruction quest! I like your idea of creating buzzwords to give an idea of the sorts of looks to be focusing on. I'm totally hopping over to your Pinterest boards now...
What a good thing you have going on!
I'd love to reconstruct my wardrobe.
Although, I'd like to lose a bit of poundage first!
Manda from Eat Cake
I love these Pinterest boards but I am noticing a trend that I cannot get myself to look on in -- tucked in shirts. When did that come back in and why do I think it looks hideous on me? Well, maybe it just does because this girl doesn't have a waist! Thoughts? lol
I'm exactly the same way. I like to "look" at new trends, but always fall back on Classics, neutrals and solids. My style has evolved only slightly over the years, but I'm definitely a classic, casual gal!
My personal style is changing so often. I think it goes by the season; Right now I'm leaning towards classic and comfortable as we enter fall. I'm excited to start adding some dark colors and chunky knits to my wardrobe soon!
i'm excited about the chunky knits too - those appear quite often on my pinterest boards!
there's just something so comforting about classics - they're comfy, & they NEVER go out of style. to me, there is nothing worse than a super trendy piece in my closet that has gone out of style only months after purchasing it.
i'm loving the tucked-in look! i bet it looks good on you, but belting it may make it look even more cinched-in.
i'm definitely hoping to shed a few pounds right now, but most of the things i'm adding to my wardrobe will still fit if i lose a few inches.
i'm definitely a person who needs guidance while wardrobe-shopping, so the buzzwords were a must! they've definitely cut down on shopping stress, that's for sure. i just took a few bags to donate today, but i still need to go through my tshirts & lounge clothes - i have far too many!
it is so much fun! i'm really enjoying this project, & i love that it will be an on-going, fluid thing. right now i have a lot of flowy pieces too, so i'm trying to balance that out with some ultra-conservative, structured pieces, like oxfords & pencil skirts. i'm really loving building up that part of my wardrobe right now.
that is the worst! I have a super trendy piece..that may have been worn once or twice and never again
i'm really looking forward to posting more about it - this is a project that i'm really enjoying at the moment! defining my style & creating the buzzwords has helped me tremendously, as has choosing a color scheme to stick to. i'm so bad about choosing pieces that are all over the spectrum, that don't coordinate at all. this is really helping me to build up a wardrobe that jives & with pieces i can mix & match easily.
thank you for reading! i just donated a bunch of clothing, & it feels so good to pare down my wardrobe, knowing that i've held onto only the things in my closet that i absolutely love!
do it! you'll feel so much better. i already do, & i'm not even finished yet!
i LOVE RL button-downs. they're quickly become a staple in my wardrobe. and they will NEVER go out of style.
Love it! I wish I could be so organized in my wardrobe choices. Maybe I'll try to get my act - and my style - together when I start pulling everything out of boxes for our big post-move donation :p
do it! it feels amazing to get organized!
I LOVE your style, woman. Scout's honor. I would raid your closet were we closer neighbors. ♥
i wish we were - then we could double our closets!
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