The idea of a perfect wardrobe is idyllic, isn’t it? The idea that you could always have the picture-perfect outfit waiting for you every time you open your closet. But reality, though, stranger than fiction is hardly ever as amazing as played out in our imagination. What we get is a cupboard bursting at the seams but with never enough wearable clothes. It’s a case of the too much. We always have nothing to wear even when we have so much. A tale as old as time but not one without a happy ending.
How I know, you ask? After navigating the same troubled waters for a very long time, I put myself in what I call my fashion recovery program and I realized that discovering (or rather rediscovering) your style can be simple enough to achieve, provided you are willing to do a few key things.
Repeat after me, being picky is good
The first step is always the toughest and the scariest, especially if you are faced with a mountain of clothes. The only thing to do then is tackle the problem head on. Throw out clothes that don’t fit, are too raggedy, haven’t worn in years, or have turned a dull shade of being from their original pristine white condition. The idea is to be selective about what you wear and how long you wear it for.
Define what you like and find out it likes you back.
I love crop tops. It’s just the right amount of sexy but crop tops and me are a complete no-no. I just can’t pull them off. But give me a pair of palazzos, a high-slit kurta, and a kitschy jacket, and I will turn heads. Try different styles of clothes and pick what works best on you. If you don’t trust your own opinion, take a friend along who won’t mince words. Work on your favourite style and or adding your touch to different styles. Don’t make fashion trends your shopping list, instead make them a guideline; a way for you to experiment with your style not transform it.
Shop but not as yourself
That may seem like strange advice but when you shop for yourself as someone else would do, you may just pick that work for you but are still a deviation from your regular fare. If you, like yours truly, are always in black, then try out colours like jewel tones. Also, be wise in your purchasing choices. Flea market shopping is great and the place for unbelievable finds but in some cases, quality stumps quantity. So, don’t scrimp when buying staples. Go cheap with accessories.
Say bye to clutter
Once your shopping is all sorted and your clothes all picked right, it’s time to get the wardrobe right. The I-don’t-have-anything-to-wear refrain also comes from not finding anything new in your wardrobe because the same clothes are in the front of the cupboard. So organize your closet. Designate outfit shelves as per occasions. Rotate clothes by keeping a mental note and then placing outfits that have been laundered at the back of the shelf rather than the front. Plan outfits the evening before for lesser early morning stress.
Building the perfect wardrobe is a question of answering the why, the how, and the what. The why because no more outfit-related anger or tears, the how is why this article was written, and the what was my reaction to the recovery program, too. Lame attempts at smart aleck(ness) apart, give it a try. After all, we all deserve a wardrobe we love to wear.
- Shirt Skirt Dress - September 1, 2017
- Dangling Dungarees - August 31, 2017
- Suited Pastel-y - August 30, 2017
