How to build a practical wardrobe!

I’m fast approaching my one-year anniversary as a style blogger, and I cannot begin to tell you how much I’ve learned this year. The main thing I’ve learned, really, is how little I know! But I’ve also learned that getting dressed for my day is more than just buying the latest trends and accessorizing with all the things.

There has to be a way to build a wardrobe that consistently works for me. And that was my goal this year and will continue to be my goal in the coming year also.

More importantly, today I want to take you through the journey and equip you to build a wardrobe that works for you. A wardrobe that fits your personal style, your season of life and your budget.

Whether you’ve undergone a recent life change or not, I think you’ll enjoy the information on this article. Over the course of the few months of next year, we’ll explore several of the 9 keys I’m presenting to you today.

But several of these keys were already covered in my previous blog posts. If you’ve been with me at Lyndah In Style for a while now, you’ve already got these under your belt. Yay you! Otherwise, you can simply check my previous blog posts to catch up.

Key #1 – Body

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To create a closet full of clothes that really work for you, you’ll need to know your body. Identify your body shape or type, your proportions and your unique variations. Then learn how to dress your unique (and beautiful!) body so that you create a lovely, feminine silhouette that is pleasing to the eye. (Check out the post I’ve linked to for more information.)

Key #2 – Days

You could have a fabulously fashionable wardrobe and still not have a thing to wear. Yep. If your wardrobe doesn’t work for your average day, it doesn’t work for you. Ladies, it’s time to get real about how we spend our days. I don’t think this requires a full post on my part. But it may require a little homework on your part.

Let’s pause and look over our calendars. Note how you spend your days. Do you work in a hospital, a school, a greenhouse, an office? Are you a student, a model, a receptionist, a C.EO. a realtor? Do you work at home, travel, play with your kids, work your garden, etc?

Factor in your typical days and you’ll be able to open your closet and find the perfect pieces to wear…every single day.

Key #3 – Approach

Your fashion approach is your personal style aesthetic. We all need to figure out what kind of clothing accurately expresses our personality and gives us joy. In other words, do you like to dress casually and relaxed? Or maybe you prefer classic clothing with a contemporary edge. Or you could be all lace and ruffles and frills because…well you just like to look and feel feminine.

When we fill our closet with clothing that fits our personal approach to fashion, we’ll not only have something to wear each day…we’ll actually look forward to putting it on! We’ll look in the mirror and smile. And we’ll truly feel dressed for our unique day…our unique way. Fun!

Key #4 – Essentials

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I used to think of essentials as this extensive list of clothing I had to have…for some reason. I didn’t even know the reason.

Now I realize that essentials are the underpinnings of a functional wardrobe. These are the key pieces – sometimes seen as rather boring – that we have to have in order to even wear the fun stuff. Think jeans, a basic white tee, sneakers, a denim jacket.

When you have a closet full of cool, interesting, colorful clothing, but you lack the essentials, you’ll stand in front of your closet perplexed. You’ll realize you don’t have the glue you need to pull an outfit together.

But here’s a key I’ve recently discovered. Your essentials – for your body, days and approach – may not be the same as my essentials. So, let’s figure out how we can each decide the essentials for our unique wardrobes.

Key #5 – Neutrals

I don’t want a huge wardrobe. I’m tired of having too many clothes. It feels wasteful and unnecessary. But if my wardrobe doesn’t come together around a couple of well-chosen colours, I’ll end up with far too many pieces of clothing crammed into my closet.

The key to being able to put together interchangeable outfits is hinging those outfits on a couple of well-chosen and consistently adhered to neutrals. I’m talking black, grey, brown, camel or navy. I suggest you choose two. To streamline, even more, you can decide to stick with either white or black or beige (depending on your skin tone.

Key #6 – Signature Colors

Don’t worry. You’re not limited to just two neutrals. But when you’ve chosen and stuck with two neutrals, you’ll have the backdrop for your signature colours. Yes, a beautiful wardrobe will also consist of two to three well-chosen signature colours. These are colours that look beautiful on you, but also that you love wearing.

Your signature colors can change over time. You may go with the hot colors of the season or you may stay with your personal forever favorites.

Key #7 – Budget

A workable, beautiful wardrobe does not have to be expensive. In this post, this one too and finally this post, I discussed how to build a beautiful wardrobe within your budget. The bottom line is that if you exceed your budget when building your wardrobe, you won’t enjoy wearing it. Instead, learn to shop creatively and slowly build a wardrobe that endures, one that you don’t have to build from scratch every season.

Key #8 – Now Pieces

Another key to building a wardrobe that works for you is to limit the number of “now pieces” or trendy items that fill your closet. Choose the trends you’ll participate in. You absolutely do not need to wear them all. But select trends and current styles that reflect your approach and that work for your days. And make sure they are pieces that bring you a little joy. That’s what trends are all about. They’re fun!

Key #9 – Accessories

Accessories are not necessarily synonymous with now pieces. Often we choose to participate in trends through our accessories (think leopard print shoes or handbags with bows or jewelry with seashells), but a wardrobe that works for you will also include some more classic accessories. For instance, it’s wise to have a handbag that endures several seasons, a pair of boots that you wear year after year or jewelry in classic gold or silver.

More to come…

I hope this post and these 9 keys gave you something to think about. In fact, as you anticipate changing your wardrobe to make it work for you, you might want to analyze each piece of your wardrobe in light of these 9 keys. As you give away clothing, ask questions like:

• Does this piece work for my body type, proportions and unique variations (large bosom, wide shoulders, etc.)? Does it really make me look my best? (Body)
• Is this something I can wear often? (Days)
• Do I feel and look like myself when I wear this? (Approach)
• Is this item in good shape so that I can wear it with confidence? Or does it need to be replaced? (Essentials)
• Is this one of my two neutral shades or does it coordinate with one of my two neutrals? (Neutrals)
• Is this one of my two or three signature colours? Does it make me happy? (Signature colours)
• Is it time to replace this item and add it to my shopping list? (Budget)
• Does this item look dated? Does it make me look out of step? (Now pieces)
• Do I have the accessories I need to pull this outfit together? (Accessories)

I’ll be posting about these 9 keys in a variety of posts in the coming months. But I’d love to hear if you have any comments, insights or questions today. Let’s get the conversation started!

Which key is a new concept to you? Which key do you already live by? Which key is the most challenging for you?

I’ll ‘fess up. Sticking with two neutrals is difficult for me even though I already love white. I want all the neutrals! But I’m determined to streamline this year and go with just white, red, blue and coral pink. I’d love to hear from you.