The Clothes, the Shoes, and the Wardrobe
See what I did there? 😉
Yeah I have a lot of clothes, as I’ve mentioned before my wardrobe is fairly diverse, but also very affordable, what with the number of pieces I have been given, and the number of clearance deals, I find, add on top the fact that I’m not growing out of hardly anything anymore. It doesn’t show any sign of downsizing. That said, I’ve also been scared of getting rid of items for lack of knowing what my work wardrobe would be upon getting a full-time role. Now that I know I can wear anything from smart casual to jeans and a vacation/company t-shirt, to even a dress or skirt if I wish, really anything my style I plan on getting rid of a couple of older items that aren’t very me.
So what is my style? Classic, Chic, Edgy. I like to think of my personal style in these three words, but there’s certainly room for more explanation, and perhaps change as time goes by. It allows for how much I like to dress up for dances, how much I like simple styles/fashions other times, and how much I like pulling out my high heels and leather jackets as well. Yeah, my wardrobe’s diverse. I love it. I love finding a new shirt, dress, and/or pant about once or twice a month (if I can afford it) that strikes me as something I can pair with something I already have and branching out from there.
Sometimes I think we can limit ourselves to our own collections is unhelpful ways. Recently I picked up a light bomber jacket at a consignment shop, it seemed almost outside my wardrobe but upon wandering around the store thinking about the purchase, I realized I had recently bought a different shirt to go with my jeans that would work just right with the jacket. I ended up buying it and after bringing it home and found that it matched at least two shirts and made both more versatile all for 6 dollars. The thing is, something might seem outside your syle but if you can take what you have a step forward over time, that’s when your style can evolve and you can still be true to what you like while making a wardrobe work for you over time.
Other tricks include keeping shoes around a while. I probably wouldn’t’ve bought 3-inch black leather booties 4 years ago, but after having bought my heeled sandals, it was a fun way to take a similar style to a new season, and a new city for that matter (see: my trip to L.A.). I still have both pairs and even the shoes I wore to prom because I haven’t outgrown them and I have space so I want to have all the options I think I could use, plus it prevents me from having wardrobe excuses not to try going to more unique events.
Obviously you should be careful to be practical as your budget and lifestyle allow, don’t buy high fashion, or fancy gowns if you wouldn’t know where or how to wear it, but maybe consult your style inclined friends or the world wide web about how your personal wardrobe could work better for what you like and want to explore for your own sake.
I the case of that bomber jacket I’ve already taken it on an out of state trip and even worn it to a networking event where I got the chance to have what’s called a “fashion print” drawn of the look. See below.
