Wardrobe Architect Challenge 2015 : February

February Task

The entire series covers Designing and Building Thoughtful Attire. The February task we were given was to Clean Out Your Closet.

As of this writing, I've managed to take several bags of clothing out to the donation center, where hopefully someone will put them to good use. I also used this task as an opportunity to clear out all fo the old and ill fitting clothes that belongs to my family (there are four of us). Altogether we've donated 5 large garbage bags of clothing and thrown out 2 bags of clothing that could not be saved. This has been a huge relief in my house as we are packed to the gills with stuff, clothing and otherwise.

I don't have a good before shot of my closet, but we only have one very small closet in our house and up until this point, most of our clothing has been stored in totes in the basement or in dressers. I'm still working on paring everything down, but great progress has been made.

I'm pretty happy with my progress on this so far, so I'm moving on to the next stage which is Planning my Sewing!!!

Wardrobe Architect Challenge 2015 : January Week 4

Worksheet 4

The entire series covers Designing and Building Thoughtful Attire. The fourth weekly challenge discusses Building Silhouettes. The challenge is creating silhouettes for yourself.

I played around with some styles I really love on Polyvore and these are the silhouettes I came up with.

I love a simple high waist full skirt with simple scoop neck top and cardigan. This is my go to daily work look. The beauty of a simple black circle skirt, is that they can be paired with anything.

This is another great office look. I love the surplice style faux wrap blouse with this pencil skirt. This can easily be paired with a blazer or cardigan if layers are needed.

A second pencil skirt made its way into my silhouettes. Mostly the top here is the key piece. Normally I dislike a stiff button down shirt, but I'll also be the first to admit that they are so versatile that they can be paired with just about anything.  As long as I stay away from shirts that are too stiff, this look shouldn't be a problem.

I wear pants and trousers to work often. I also love a peplum blouse. This one is great with the added peter pan collar and cute cap sleeves. It would be easy to add a jacket or cardigan to if layers are needed.

Last, a simple fit and flare dress with a shrug. This style is easy and translates well for the office or a night out or even just taking the kids to the playground, if done in the right materials. The shrug could be changed out for a sweater, jacket or cardigan. I like the simplicity of this type of outfit.

These last two were just fun dresses that I came across that I would love to have in my wardrobe and how I would accessorize them if I had the funds. Especially the orange one, I'm so in love with the orange one. 

If you aren't familiar with Polyvore, you really should try it out. It's really a lot of fun if you have an eye for fashion.

So there you have it, my silhouettes. These are the styles and types that you'll see translated into my wardrobe this year.

Wardrobe Architect Challenge 2015 : January Week 3

Worksheet 3

The entire series covers Designing and Building Thoughtful Attire. The third weekly challenge discusses Exploring Shapes. The challenge is to determine what shapes make you feel comfortable and happy, and which feel foreign and wrong for you.

This worksheet isn't a series of questions as the first two were. This on is a matrix of various elements that might effect various garments. The challenge asked us to rate them 0-10. 0 being you hate wearing that type of shape. 10 means you feel happiest in this shape. 5 means neutral.

Since I can't copy and paste the matrix here. I'll give a brief summary of my selections.

For Ease

I prefer pants, dresses, and jackets/blazers to be somewhat fitted.

I like my tops/blouses and cardigans to be very fitted.

I prefer my outwear to be somewhat loose.

I do not prefer for any of my clothing to be very loose.

For Length

I prefer my skirts to be knee length, with midi length coming in second.

I prefer my dresses the same way, knee length with midi length coming in next.

For both dresses and skirts, I am neutral regarding maxi length.

I like my pants maxi length obviously, but don't mind midi length for capri pants.

I prefer knee length or mid-thigh length for shorts.

I do not like mini length in anything.

Tops & blouses, jackets & blazers, cardigans and outerwear I prefer above the hip length.

I do not like cropped or midriff length for any garment worn on the top half of my body.

For Fullness

I like my skirts and dresses either very full (circle) or somewhat full (gored).

The next choice for fullness would be very fitted (pencil) skirts and dresses and then A-Line.

I am neutral to straight skirts and dresses. I feel they lack definition.

For Waistline

I prefer a mid. natural waistline for skirts, dresses, and pants.

I also like a high waistline for skirts, dresses and pants.

A low or dropped waistline is nice on some dresses, but I am neutral to it on skirts or pants.

I do not like dresses with no waistline.

For my outerwear, I prefer and mid. natural waistline and then a low or dropped waistline.

I am neutral about a high waistline on outerwear.

I do not like outerwear with no waistline at all.

For Necklines

(I'm just going to list them with the number I chose. Remember the scale is 0-10)

Sweetheart - 10     Halter - 10

U-Neck - 9     Square - 9

V-Neck - 8     Boat-neck - 8     Cowl - 8

Scoop - 7     Off Shoulder - 7

Jewel - 5     Spaghetti Strap - 5

Turtleneck - 3     Strapless - 3

For Sleeves

Cap Sleeve - 10     Short Sleeve - 10     Above-Elbow Sleeve - 10    Three-quarter Length Sleeve - 10

Full Length Sleeve - 8

Sleeveless - 5     Spaghetti Strap - 5

So in summary, my favorite shapes are; 

somewhat or very fitted, knee or midi length, very full, somewhat full, or very fitted skirts and dresses with a mid. natural or high waistline

somewhat or very fitted, maxi or midi length pants/capri pants, knee to mid-thigh length shorts with a mid. natural or high waistline.

very fitted or somewhat fitted tops & blouses, jackets & blazers and cardigans, with an above the hip length.

somewhat loose or somewhat fitted outerwear, with an above the hip length, and a mid. natural waistline.

Sweetheart and Halter, U-Neck and Square necklines.

Cap, Short, Above Elbow and Three-Quarter Length sleeves.

So... that sums it up. My favorite shapes ladies and gentlemen.

Thanks for following along so far.

Wardrobe Architect Challenge 2015 : January Week 2

Worksheet 2

The entire series covers Designing and Building Thoughtful Attire. The second weekly challenge discusses Defining a Core Style. The challenge is to uncover the styles that make you feel like yourself.

When you are wearing your favorite clothing, how do you feel (e.g. confident, sexy, poised, powerful, etc)?

I feel confident and strong when I wear my favorite clothes. I feel empowered and sexy, special, polished and refined.

When you're wearing something that is not quite right, how do you feel? What are the feelings you want to avoid about the clothes you wear?

I feel frumpy when something is not quite right. I don't want to feel dowdy or unflattering. I want to avoid feeling unfinished or half assed. :)

Who do you consider to be your style icons? What is it about them that appeals to you?

My style icons are Dita Von Teese, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, and Bettie Page. They appeal to me because they are the epitome of being sexy with class and charm. They are classy and refined, sophisticated beauty.

What are some words that describe styles that you like in theory, but are not quite you?

I adore the flowing blousy bohemian style. However, it just makes me look bigger and rounder than I actually am. I adore 1920's fashion also, but the rectangular clothes make me feel more rectangular than I am.

Look over your answers from last week on history, philosophy, culture, community, activities, location, and body. List at least 15 words that you associate with your answers. Think about descriptive words, moods, and feelings you associate with these things.

classy     vintage     stand-out

sophisticated     dressy     trendsetter

charming     business casual     comfortable

refined      oddball     polished

modest     demure     ladylike

alluring     classic     mom

different

What other words would you like to add to this list? What other words describe your core style?

sexy     fun     young

fresh     vibrant

Look over the answers to all of the questions above. If you had to narrow your list to only 3-5 words to describe you, which words would you choose?

classy     vibrant     demure

polished     different

Visual Exercise: Collect 15-20 images that represent these 3-5 words for you. 

Wardrobe Architect Challenge 2015 : January Week 1

So I had planned to get this post out before the end of January but that deadline blew right past me. So instead, you're getting my update now! 

I want to share January's #WAChallenge2015 assignments and my answers. I've also been working on putting a list together of Indie Patterns I'd love to try out, cost permitting of course, and also going through some of the patterns I have at home that will work for creating my capsule wardrobe. 

On to the assignments!

Worksheet 1

The entire series coveres Designing and Building Thoughtful Attire. The first weekly challenge discusses Making Style More Personal. The challenge is to look deeper into why we wear what we wear.

The first is History: How has your personal history informed the way you dress? When did you tastes crystallize? Have they changed over the years, and why?

My tastes have changed extensively over the years. I've tried just about every social "style" group. From Ropers and western wear, to punk, goth and athletic casual... if that is even a thing. I can't really pinpoint a time when my style or tastes formed into something concrete but it has certainly become more evident as I'm getting older and now have children of my own, that my style and taste have settled in the comfy classy section.

Philosophy: How does your philosophy, spirituality, or religion affect your aesthetics and buying habits? Or, what aspects of those things would you like to see reflected?

I don't believe that spirituality or religion affect my style at all as I am not particularly religious. I do feel however that my personal philosophy plays a huge role. Personally I feel that there is something to be said for modesty. I'm not saying that every inch of skin has to be covered at all times, but I certainly feel that some things are better kept to the imagination when in public. I feel there is more allure in the demure... if you know what I mean.

Culture: How has your cultural background shaped the way you look? How did the aesthetics and values you grew up with affect your tastes as you got older?

I grew up in the deep southern US and I think that has made a significant effect on how I dress and style myself. I lean more toward the classic lady (Miss Manners) stereotypes. I think that a woman should be classy when seen in public and I think that should be reflected in her wardrobe and the way she carries herself. You can dress up a pig in a fancy dress, but underneath it is still a pig. Manners and personal responsibility are very important. I was raised in a world of etiquette and decorum and my style reflects that.

Community: How are you influenced by the people around you, including friends, family, and other communities you're involved in?

I'm quite an oddball here in my community. I tend to dress in vintage styles and most people in this small town are more casual. I'm not from this area so my social circle is limited and I don't have any family here. I do however like to be different and stand out and my wardrobe style allows me to do that. I enjoy the attention I get when I'm dressed up.

Activities: How do your day to day activities influence your choices?

For the most part, I am in an office Monday through Friday. The dress code is business dress or business casual. This works very well for me as I like to wear dresses and skirts to work. I am also a mom to two and nursing a toddler so I have to take that into account as well for comfort and accessibility reasons.

Location: Does the place you live inform the way you dress? How does climate factor in?

Climate plays a huge factor for me in what I choose to wear. I live in Ohio and it is very cold here for several months of the year. I have to change my style accordingly. I have to have two separate or interchangeable wardrobes due to this. This is unlike anything that I am used to as growing up in the south we do not experience the drastic climate change and most things can be worn all year.

Body: In what ways does body image affect your choices in clothing? What clothes make you feel good about the body your live in? What clothes make you feel uncomfortable or alienated from your body?

I'm learning to love my post baby body. I'm learning to embrace it and be proud of it and of everything it has done. I wish is were a bit less rectangular but it's mine and I stuck with it. I'm not comfortable showing off too much of my midriff but I do not mind other bits of skin showing. I like clothes that are fitted and hug my curves. I do try to stay away from loose and billowy clothes as I feel that makes me look bigger or frumpier... as the case may be.

I'm going to try to get the rest of January's assignments posted this week so that I can move on to the next portion for February by this weekend.