Introduction to Style: Wardrobe Building

Okay. So. Wardrobe building, yeah?

 

First, you need to take a look at your lifestyle. What kind of clothes do you need?

• Where do you live? City, country, somewhere in between?
• What is the weather like there?
• What are your daily activities? School, sports, office job, grocery store runs? Do you travel?
• What kind of events do you attend? You probably don't need anything more formal than some nice dresses for special occasions. You can work your way down from there.
• My example: Where I live, I can use any warm-weather item. While it can get cold in the winter, I don't need too many coats. I need outfits for school, church, babysitting jobs, working out, and going to outdoor events.
• Eighty percent of your closet should be made of basic items that go with all your other clothing. The other things you like make up the other 20 percent.

Learn what you like.

• Do some research on fashion blogs, Pinterest, etc. You could also buy a couple books on fashion. I recommend Seventeen's Ultimate Guide to Style or Lauren Conrad Style. (These books aren't perfect-- not all the outfits are modest, the advice is not infallible, and LC Style has one mild use of language-- but they are really good overall.)
• Go through your closet. Donate or sell what you don't like or don't wear, and examine what you do. What does that say about you and your tastes? When you shop, keep that in mind, and don't buy things that you won't know how to pair with the stuff already in your closet.
• Remember that beauty without modesty isn't really beauty.
• My example: I like clothes that are Audrey-Hepburn-meets-fun-21st-century-teenager on a budget. I like a mix of classic, girly-girl, and creative. I like pretty shoes. And color. I don't like things that are ill-fitting or too "funky" and I don't take huge fashion risks. I generally can tell when something just doesn't work (that is, when it comes to everyday fashion... high fashion is still somewhat foreign to me, although I can appreciate it).
  

   

  
  
• While you're styling outfits, note which pieces you don't have that would really come in handy. Consider purchasing a few of those. (But make sure you don't get into that zone where what you have is not enough, if only you had more options, etc., etc. Not a godly place to be. Remember you already have enough. Talking to myself here as well.)

 

xoxo,

Ireland