If you have your own personal style, it is not important what is in or out of fashion. If it’s part of your particular look, then you will want to wear it for as long as it gives you pleasure. Tamsin Blanchard
A closet full of clothes that are never worn is a waste. Yet no matter how frugal or responsible we profess to be, most of us wear a very small percentage of the garments we own. Perfectly beautiful garments hang forgotten at the back of our closets simply because they are no longer trendy or simply do not suit us. Sadly, most of us will add more victims to this forgotten stash with our next shopping spree simply because we do not know how to choose clothing that we can and will wear. We buy what the magazines say is the “must have” item of the season. We buy hoping to look like glamorous women we have nothing in common with. We buy because our best friend says it accents our eyes (chest, waist, etc…). By studying ourselves as we are, we can learn to choose clothing that will complement our figures as well as our personalities.
The simplest way to do this is to go to the closet and pull out the garments and/or outfits you feel amazing in. Chances are they flatter your figure and say something about who you are. Play a game of dress up and study yourself in the mirror, jotting down every like and dislike. Once you’ve had every garment on at least once, study the list of notes you’ve just taken. There is likely to be a few themes that point to your best silhouette and personal style. On your next trip to the mall or thrift, try to choose items that fall into the themes you’ve just established.
Since you’ve already got all your faves out, take a bit of time to do some mixing and matching to make new outfits (in essence, shopping in your own closet). Consider taking digital pictures of each new look to have on hand for that blah morning when you have “nothing to wear.” When it’s time to put your clothes away, put these pieces in the front of your closet so that they are easily accessible (we are going to get to the back of the closet in a future post).
If you are still feeling clueless, don’t panic. There is plenty of help available. Watch a few episodes of TLC’s What Not to Wear or visit The Chic Fashionista for a whole site full of wardrobing advice. Remember to that although these are great resources, their word is not gospel. If you feel the need to break the rules, by all means break them. That is what fashion is all about.
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