How many times have you opened your closet door and sighed, "I haven't got a thing to wear," yet the rack is over stuffed with hangers and the floor is littered with shoes. Too often we have plenty of clothes, but nothing suitable for the intended occasion. It may be an old joke having to many clothes and nothing to wear, but it is hardly funny.
We all ignore common sense when planning wardrobes and we can't resist the newest fashion trends. We spend very little time on learning what is really becoming to us. If we do learn this at one time or another, we often fail to update our look as we age. I cannot wear the colors and styles of my youth, or of my early working career. My shape and coloring have changed as I have aged and my wardrobe has too.
Plan carefully include all the day to day business, home life and social activities you participate in in your planning. With thought, you can actually reduce your wardrobe size while extending its' versatility.
Extending your wardrobe does not mean creating an all inclusive mix and match closet nor does it mean having a drawer full of accessories for your little black dress.
Careful planning means choosing items that can have a wider variety of use and changing and replacing only a few items each year to update your look. Finally, let us be rid of the notion that we can never wear the exact same outfit twice in the same season or month. For heaven's sake, ladies, if you look absolutely great in an outfit wear it twice a week!
Everyone has a skirt, jacket or other item that they wear only occasionally and those items tend to go out of style before you get good service from them. They become orphan garments in your wardrobe and ultimately money wasted from your budget. Find these items. Try them on. Do they fit? Are they fashionable? Do you love them? If you can respond honestly "yes" to all three of these questions. Then consider readopting these orphans back into your wardrobe by adding just a few key items. Take a serious inventory and see what your really need.
Here are some examples.
A basic dress and jacket combination can be mixed and matched by adding a tailored skirt to blend with the jacket. Add a print blouse that blends with the jacket and tailored skirt. Finally, consider a pretty gathered skirt in the same print. The printed blouse and skirt can be worn together as a dress and the jacket will now go with the original dress, the new tailored skirt, and the printed skirt and blouse.
A soft tailored suit will get extra mileage with a new solid tailored sleeveless top and again add a skirt and blouse in a muted print. Make the blouse short sleeved for warm weather and perhaps choose an solid color cardigan as another option to the suit jacket.
A casual jacket and pleated skirt can get more wear with pants or shorts added to the mix. Try adding a slim skirt in a contrasting color with a matching blouse for more options.
Beyond the LBD....we all have one and often it's just what is needed for a formal event, but there are times and places where your LBD is not welcome. What then? The cocktail suit is a smart option. This is a dressy, less tailored suit in a beautiful, formal, but classic fabric, something like solid silk shangtung. Add a contrasting colored sleeveless shift blouse to wear with the suit skirt and then add a full length skirt in a darker pastel to give extra wear to either the blouse or jacket. A chiffon shirt blouse further extends your options as does a chiffon skirt in a pretty, but subtle, print.
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