Analyze your wardrobe
Have you seen what I've been up to on Instagram recently? I've had a little challenge for myself which I've shared on Instagram. I, throughout January, should use more things from my wardrobe. You can read more about the challenge in my last blog post, but it's about finding new ways to use my clothing and discovering what I do and don't do and why.
It has been a lovely challenge for me. It has made me think of a lot of things regarding my wardrobe. I've needed to reconnect with myself, find the core of my style, and find out what works for me and my body.
In December, I presented the four alter egos in a blog post. I've tried to understand my alter ego better during this challenge. It's a way to look my wardrobe into its eyes and learn something about myself, my style, what feelings an outfit gives me and what it makes me feel. And the things that don't make me feel good, why is that?
Building a wardrobe is a journey that will never end, and I find that exciting. I look forward to guiding you into how I build my wardrobe and how I look my wardrobe deep in the eyes.
I've learned so much from this process. The wardrobe is a visual image of who I am. It says a lot about me as a person, and that's why this topic is very serious to me and why I keep talking about the personal wardrobe voyage. It's a way to say something about ourselves without using words – that's beautiful, don't you think?
What I've done and how I've done it
I've had a lot of questions in my inbox over the past couple of weeks, so I decided to try to answer some of them here and keep it all together in a blog post. Later I would also like to make a guide for you to follow so you can start this process yourself. So keep an eye on the blog and Instagram.
Has it been difficult?: Yes and no. I love to play around with my wardrobe. I'm in a renaissance of my wardrobe and my life. Everything feels like it's starting over, and it can be hard parting with stuff I've loved for years. Throughout life, you go through phases, and you change your style. It happens naturally; it can be because of life phases, family stuff, love, or your body changes. And so your mindset and style change. But we have a core, and that's what I've been trying to find even though everything feels like changing. All of these changes make it essential to stop for a moment and take a serious look at my wardrobe, and that's what I've been doing.
So, to sum up, it has been hard emotionally because I use a lot of hours sewing all of my clothes, and to realize I don't use some of it, it's getting too small, or a third thing has been challenging. But it's also been fun to experiment with my wardrobe and be creative. It's been a long time since I've felt this way getting dressed in the morning. It's so powerful that clothes can make you feel this way.
How did I get an overview?: Every morning, I've taken a picture of the outfits I've been wearing. Then, when the day ended, I looked at the picture and reflected on how the outfit made me feel and how I'd felt throughout the day. Have I been comfortable? Have I been happy? Have I felt sexy, cute or lazy? Ect. You get it. This way, I've had a photo diary in my camera roll of all my outfits and saved them all. At the end of the month, I looked at them all together and made a small analysis. Was anything familiar among all the outfits I loved the most? And what about the “bad” days? – I'll talk more about this later in this post!
Remember, it's all about experimenting! So I've been wearing all kinds of outfits; dresses, trousers, skirts, knitwear – you name it! Try testing different cuts, colours, loose, tight, etc. Everything needs to be tested and preferably for a whole day, so the outfits get used to different situations and emotions. How do YOU feel when wearing it? You are the main character; it’s not about how other people see you.
Have I learned anything?: Oh yes, I have! Big time! It was very quick for me to see my good and bad habits when getting dressed. And what I needed to do to make me feel like myself. When I sit here and look at the photos, I clearly see a pattern and habits. The days when I felt the best were in outfits that has at least two of the things listed below:
Focusing on the waist and bosom
Lots of accessories
Colours that make my skin glow: green, pink, blue
V-neck, big round neck or anything open in the neck area
Tight at the upper body showing off my curves
Big prints and pattern
The days when I've felt least as myself and very off have been when I've been lazy and too "slack" in my outfit. For example, on days when I don't have meetings and see other people. It's the days I've worn too-loose pants and a sweater, hiding my curves. I need to think about dressing for me only. A good dressed day has so many other qualities, like eating healthier and being more productive; it just makes me respect myself more.
So in the future, the list above is the things I need to focus on when I get dressed in the morning and what I need to look for when I'm sewing new things. When wearing the things above makes me the happiest and most comfortable, I feel like myself and let my alter ego shine through. Then I'm Nanna, and I don't compromise.
What can you use it for?: Very simple: To get the perfect wardrobe and feel better about myself. Getting the perfect wardrobe combines many things, such as style, fit, body shape, colours, etc. And all of that is complex.
We can come a long way towards the ideal wardrobe if we feel and analyze our outfits. But, we must remember that, in the end, it's all personal and depends on your style and alter ego; what works for me might not work for you. And most important, what you feel and what makes you comfortable should be about you and NOT what others think of you. So please don't let others influence your style. I speak of experience; every time I've been inspired by something and tried to incorporate it into my wardrobe, I always end up feeling wrong. It doesn't match my core – my alter ego. This is one of the things I've realized after analyzing my wardrobe. I'm not saying it's not allowed to be inspired! What would the world be without inspiration from others? But I'm telling you to know yourself the best, and what makes you comfortable is to listen to that voice inside yourself. Not everything that I like and inspires me suits me, and I need to realize that. It was a very long explanation, but short: I can use this analysis to reflect on my wardrobe and what's MY style and not someone's opinion on my style.
When I look back on December, when I presented the alter egos, I said I was a mix between Playful elegance and the sensual classic. Looking at my pictures from this month's outfits, I see that I'm the happiest when I'm most playful elegance with a hint of graphic glamour. I'm more graphic glamour than sensual classic. The sensual classic style inspires me, and I've tried to copy the style, but whenever I do, I don't feel like myself. It's the same with casual chic. I need to be more "noisy" in my outfits than I thought. But in a cool and sophisticated way, I feel comfortable in big prints or block colours. Something feminine but also cool with a graphic twist and some big jewellery – and it points towards graphic glamour and playful elegance. I always learn something new about my wardrobe and style, and I must say I was shocked to learn that I didn't know my style as well as I thought. But now that I know, it makes so much sense, and it's been much easier to feel at home in outfits now that I've realized what I need to do to feel like me.
Looking forward, now what?: Well, I can use that analysis to look forward and avoid wrong choices regarding shapes and fabrics, and I can use it to plan my wardrobe and make things for my perfect homemade wardrobe. I can use it to wear outfits that make me feel like flying and getting closer to the ideal wardrobe! My personal capsule wardrobe - in my way!
I'll go into detail on what YOU can do to do this yourself, so stay tuneIn addition, d! I'll share tips on how you can analyze and plan your wardrobe for future sewing projects!
Two different outfits from january, one is one i felt realy good in the other not so much. can you guess the favorite look.
