Almost Summer Wardrobe Time

It is going to warm up here by the end of the week although we have plenty of cooler days left. Summer doesn't really get started here until late June/early July and lasts pretty late into September or even early October. Layers are still needed all summer but the warmth will get here especially when we spend time further inland.

My friend Liz may already have had 100 degree says in the SE but I'm looking out the window at another June Gloom morning, a predicted high of 69, and running the heat to stay comfy indoors this morning, I'm going to chat about my Summer Wardrobe anyway!

I think I have the clothes to get me through the summer weather already sorted out. Why? I'm getting better at following a process to create a "right for me" capsule wardrobe for the seasons and thus shopping better.

What is that process? My friend Liz Klebba in her Closet Play Image blog lays it out beautifully for  her own summer capsule planning. Here is my version!

What kind of look do I want? How do I want to feel?

Thanks to Imogen Lamport's 7 Steps to Style Program and great blog I am pretty clear about the look I want - I call it Boss Lady, Retired as a shorthand and it is bold, vibrant and modern. Sort of a Relaxed Modern Chic for a height challenged retiree! It is good to have aspirations LOL.

I want to feel like I do when I am having lots of laughs playing croquet with my cousins at their annual July picnic, having dinner with friends outside, or walking by the ocean on a hot summer day. The clothes that fit this feeling, my body and lifestyle are:

- Slightly fitted outfits in comfy fabrics

- Pretty and comfy flats and sandals plus a pair of white tennis shoes

- Dusters, light cardigans, loose pullovers, scarves and zip jackets for layering

- Clothes that work well for being active, walking by the ocean or dining outside

- Pockets, cross body purses and a great summer tote

- Fun earrings, necklaces and bracelets 

Using pictures for inspiration helps to set a mood and helps me with slogging through shopping successfully! Don't get hung up on trying to recreate exact outfits as that can be very frustrating and they may not suit you at all. Colors, silhouettes, mood, accessory use - all are helpful though.

Then it helps to have a color palette that your are working towards. I've picked 4 colors and 4 neutrals from my my own palette for this Summer to use the clothes I have and to carefully add some new items to make this capsule (hopefully) work well for weather, lifestyle and appearance.

What do I already have?  How much do I need? What level of refinement will be best?

In checking what I had from last Summer and will carry over from this Spring's wardrobe, I found that 2 of my 3 summer dresses were past their use date and no longer fit well. I also had to let some sandals go due to foot problems and wanted to add a lightweight cross body purse that would work with everything. Dark navy crops and shorts also got released as they were worn out and too dark.

I know that in Summer my Project 333 capsule needs to take into account more frequent laundering needs. By the way, I don't include hats, sunglasses, belts, jewelry, exercise wear or sleep wear in that count.

I have also pretty much settled into our S. Cal retiree lifestyle and don't need to buy clothes that are dressy as long as I can dress up what I have on the rare occasion that is needed. My life is a mix of smart casual outings, casual activities and dog walking/staying home very casual days.

What do I need? How much do I need?

I've already done this work for this Summer and ended up buying 2 new dresses making sure they would work with the duster from last summer. To there are 2 of my summer colors.

I also bought 2 pairs of sandals (one of which I have on in the photos) and a cross body purse. I'm still thinking about a tote purchase, but will most likely use one I already have as I'm really ready for a clothes shopping hiatus. The exception I may have to make is to buy some exercise clothes for hot weather and to replace items that are wearing out.

I'm ready for Summer weather to get here and to just be able to reach into my closet for an outfit I like to wear and then forget about it the rest of the time! My focus then can be on adding more activities of interest to my days instead of on shopping or spending time figuring out what to wear.

Has summer weather already arrived where you are or are you waiting for it to make an appearance?

Do you go through a process before shopping for the season?

Clothing!

Well, we know its not optional in most situations and ever for many of us but I do wonder why so much advertising, media time and my own thought process gets devoted to it? And I know for sure its not just a woman thing although perhaps more of us think about it and our appearance then do men. There are men who do though and I truly think that wanting to be perceived positively on first glance is not a gender thing although the willingness to spend time on it may be primarily a one gender thing due to all of the societal and parental conditioning women face from toddler hood forward to look "nice". Not going to spend time searching for data to support this opinion so take it for what it is - my opinion right now.

Now that I have free time again (no job, no children to raise, no large yard to maintain lol) I feel like I have reverted back to my teen years in terms of my thinking about clothing and wardrobe issues. This time I am trying to have more fun with it though and treat it somewhat as a problem to be solved crossed with a "decorating" color challenge while still being environmentally and financially conscious. Whew!

I signed up for the Fashion Revolution "Who Made My Clothes? course by FutureLearn to remind myself about the issues with manufacturing, materials and consumption. Week 1 was interesting but not anything really new. I know myself well enough to realize that I'm not going to buy simply based on country of origin of materials and manufacturing, brand or other issues like those. I don't really buy that much and wear my clothing a long time so am not part of the fast fashion industry at least.

I went on a thrift shop scouting adventure in Ventura with 2 new friends and have 2 new shops to go to along with the consignment shop here in town. I also just learned of another one in Oxnard which I will check out. The benefits of thrift shopping for me is that I am not contributing to the churn and full price/sales price cycle of stores, I can try styles and colors with little investment, and if the garment has been washed I'm fairly certain it won't shrink.

I like the idea of upcycling and have taken on blouse I purchased from the consignment store and remade it into one I like wearing. I have discovered that I am not very interested in getting back into sewing what with the fitting and fabric issues but may take a sewing class at the Oxnard Adult School to learn more about working with knit fabrics so I can do alterations more easily.

Having just seen the lovely cocktail dress a friend in Ohio got from Rent the Runway (I have decided to use that service for a dress for my son's wedding in September. Interestingly they have you pick 2 sizes in the same dress and a 3rd back up dress to order. I'll also have something as back up from my own closet just in case. No more buy an expensive dress for a single occasion hopefully.

Project 333 still appeals to me in an expanded version that fits our long, similar weather situation as we really only have 2 seasons here with occasional forays into hotter or colder weather as we travel further inland or up to the Bay Area. I'm creating my June-October capsule by seeing what I wear rather than picking them out at the front end and then will try to decide about the items that are languishing unworn or rarely worn.

And last but not least, I am still actively involved in Imogen Lamport's 7 Steps to Style program through its active, international Facebook group which is full of lovely and supportive women. Groups have even met IRL in various parts of the globe including my having met some of the participants here in S. Cal. The value of her program for me started with knowing what colors now work to make me shine with my graying hair and softening skin but extend to fit, style, etc. It has turned into a fun hobby and I am much happy knowing I can pull together an outfit each day that is right for me and also spend my money on what suits me. The group give great inspiration and feedback too.

Not a hobby I thought I'd get into at 68!

Getting a wardrobe that works for retirement - February shopping

I have mentioned that I have been participating in 7 Steps to Style virtual program offered by Imogen Lamport of Inside Outside Style and as part of that program have gotten clear what I really need to add to my wardrobe first rather than shopping and picking up things I liked without a plan. I haven't advanced to the 12 month shopping plan that Mette over at The Yogastic Shopping Planner has perfected but I first need to get the right items in my small wardrobe and then I can plan when to replace them.

So my February wardrobe spending was on necessary, if not necessarily exciting, items.

- Navy socks to wear with my navy loafers and denim jeans. I am fairly short so an uninterrupted line helps lengthen my appearance and as much as I would like to wear orange shoes for example they don't really help my appearance. So matching socks it was at Kohls on sale.

- Two belts (navy and black) to match my jeans and slacks as well as upgrade from the old black belt I was using. LLBean was the source this time.

- This wasn't for Spring but I have been cold going to the gym just wearing yoga pants and found a pair of warmer gray knit narrow leg pants to wear for workouts and days lounging at home. On sale at Sears and spotted while shopping for something else. It so pays to have a list or needed items.

- My warmer weather clothes have started to wear out and I found two short sleeve tops online at Eddie Bauer in my "colors". I haven't worn them yet as it has been too cold but they fit and look great. They look even better on this model LOL.

 

That's it for February. Small steps towards having a small wardrobe that works for the life I live now.

 

How I created a Spring wardrobe in my colors by shopping my closet

As I've mentioned I am in the midst of the 7 Steps to Style virtual program offered by Imogen Lamport of Inside Outside Style and not only enjoying the program, process, and private Facebook group but learning a lot about how to maximize my clothing budget at this time of my life.

So in the midst of thinking about my wardrobe and figuring out what to spend my clothing budget on this year I happened upon this article, A bunch of pretty things I did not buy, which is also now a book. Pretty funny as a juxtaposition to the amount of time I am spending thinking about clothing right not - more than at any time in my life except the teen years by the way.

Anyway, I now have a lovely swatch of 50 colors representing the 50,000+ that would look good on my at this time. I'm dealing with spending where I have shirked in the last couple of years - belts, bras, everyday winter coat, shoes, gym clothes and lounge/sleep wear. I will need to replenish my cold winter wardrobe a bit next Fall too.

The bulk of my wardrobe shopping though needs to be for a spring and summer wardrobe for those warm to very hot months we have a lot of in Atlanta. I want to spend my money very well this time around. My shopping time too as it is one of my least favorite activities and even more time consuming now that I am taking color into account as well as lifestyle, size, fit, style, ease of care and price.

So I am shopping my wardrobe first to see if I truly need anything to make it through early spring when it is cool to warm. I was able to create a potential color palette from the colors in my eyes and came up with these eye enhancers.

 

The red and coral are the closest colors in my swatch to the colors near my iris and were a surprise to me as I thought it was brown! There are also tiny flecks of teal to my surprise.

Three neutrals and four colors - I could live with that but I'm also waiting for a sunny day when my husband is home so to take the appropriate photos so I can get Imogen to pick out my signature colors. Also, I don't own many items in these colors for spring/summer although I wore them a lot back in my teens/early 20s. So back to shopping my closet I go.

I did find enough clothing for early spring that blend with colors in my swatch.



The overall color scheme for early spring

  And a few closet orphans that will work too with each other, denim or soft white.

I love the versatility that my color swatch gives me and have been pleasantly surprised at how many clothes I own that blend but please notice there is no black. Charcoal is my new black. So black is gone as is bright white, fuschia, and cool red, but there are plenty of colors left and they do look better with my current hair and skin coloring. I did sneak in a too white zip hoodie until I can replace it.

Overall I have a trench coat, blazer, zip hoodie, 3 cardigans, 16 tops, 2 jeans, ankle pants, 2 capris and a skirt for a total of 28 items plus 3 pairs of shoes and 2 belts for a total of 33 without including accessories. Not bad for shopping my closet.

It's not a perfect wardrobe eye color wise but I have plenty of clothes for the transition from cold to hot weather. I may need to add one or two smart casual outfits for going out or those occasions that require more dressing up. I definitely need those shoes, belts, and accessories mentioned earlier.

Onward to creating a wardrobe that works for hot/very hot & humid weather that will be here way to soon.

I'm going to add to that wardrobe using my signature colors/eye enhancers as much as possible so I expect to end up with two capsule wardrobes that don't work together very well. One will use the existing pieces that have at least one more season in them but won't have anything added in those colors. The other will be my new or thrifted purchases in my signature colors or colors that blend with them.

I'm looking forward to the journey and will share my learning with you as I go.