This week, I’m providing you with a deep dive into my expertise planning my outfits and the way you are able to do it, too.
It’s decision season, and with a brand new 12 months comes an opportunity to begin contemporary, significantly along with your closet.
Possibly you do a winter cleansing and make area for brand new gadgets or mournfully see the one merchandise that also has the tags on and also you haven’t worn all 12 months.
Our closet impacts our lives immediately. It may be certainly one of our best allies or our greatest monetary foe, and addressing it within the new 12 months might be life-changing.
For this submit, I’ll inform you how planning my weekly outfits for six months helped me lower your expenses, simplify my life, and acquire a better appreciation for my very own private type.
Curious about attempting this your self within the new 12 months? Learn on for all the main points!
What’s Outfit Planning?
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Outfit planning is exactly what it feels like: deciding prematurely what you need to put on on any given day.
We really do that extra usually than we expect, particularly for particular events. We additionally do it casually. Some folks lay out their outfits for the subsequent day earlier than going to sleep and select what they’re sporting earlier than occurring a airplane or earlier than an essential assembly or interview.
It’s a present-yet-dismissed space of our each day styling.
My Life Earlier than Outfit Planning
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I’ve identified for some time that I spend an excessive amount of cash on garments, but it surely hit a brand new excessive in early 2024.
Over the previous 12 months, my weight has fluctuated, and it quickly grew to become obvious that a lot of what was in my closet both didn’t match me or had stopped trying nearly as good on me because it used to.
Opening my closet to dress within the morning received overwhelming and irritating. I had too many garments. So many issues didn’t match, and others weren’t comfy anymore. Truthfully, I couldn’t even keep in mind many of the issues I had.
Purchasing and stitching quickly grew to become a crutch—an costly one. At any time when I couldn’t work out what to put on, I both purchased or made one thing new to clean up my closet, which solely added extra litter and didn’t repair the issue.
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Then, one thing lastly pushed me to alter how I handled my closet.
I left my beforehand 100% distant job for a greater, extra steady one which required me to go to the workplace three days every week. For the primary time in virtually six years, I needed to think about the area and atmosphere of an workplace.
I work in tech, so the gown code is nearly non-existent, although clearly, no matter I put on needs to be office-appropriate. However inside my workplace apparel, I wished to nonetheless gown like me: colourful, put collectively, and a bit eclectic.
Earlier than I began my new job, I made a decision to plan my outfits for that week, simply to take that strain off as I adjusted to my new function. It went so properly, and I wore extra gadgets in my closet than I had all 12 months. I additionally felt extra inventive and impressed by it.
So, I made a decision to plan my weekly outfits for the subsequent six months.
How I Deliberate Outfits: Targets and Pointers
I had two objectives with my outfit-planning experiment:
- Make life simpler – I wished to take the strain off getting dressed within the mornings and give attention to different issues.
- Maximize and reduce – I wished to maximise the usage of the gadgets in my closet and reduce the cash I spent and the frustration I felt.
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Then, I created a few floor guidelines to essentially give this an opportunity and make this work towards my objectives:
- At all times begin with: What are my actions for every day? – Possibly it was an workplace day, or I had an occasion after going to the workplace, and so on. This could be my first consideration.
- Uncared for gadgets – Every week, I vowed to record a minimum of three gadgets I hadn’t worn shortly and magnificence them by way of the week. I wished to see in the event that they nonetheless match, if I nonetheless favored them, and/or in the event that they nonetheless labored for my type.
- Objects I wished to put on – Possibly I had a model new factor I wished to put on for the primary time or a selected merchandise I actually wished to give attention to. I’d make a remark of that when planning for the week.
- Flexibility – I gave myself area to maneuver issues round in case issues got here up throughout the week, like occasions, climate, comfortability, and so on.
- Take an image of each single outfit – As a result of I knew I wished to jot down about it for CF, but in addition as a result of I wished to have the ability to reference what labored and what didn’t work for the long run.
How Outfit Planning Modified the Sport: A Case Examine
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So, I deliberate my weekly outfits for six months. I went by way of virtually half a pocket book’s price of annotations and penciled-in concepts. In numbers, we’re speaking about 25 weeks and about 180 outfits, give or take. That’s a LOT to undergo in a single submit.
Fortunately, I had a visit in late November and early December with just one medium suitcase at my disposal. It was 12 days, so I made a decision to make this journey my case examine for this weblog submit’s functions. Once more, I’d plan each outfit all the way down to the equipment.
Principally, I’d apply every thing I discovered over the previous couple of months.
A Journey’s Value of Outfits
That is how I deliberate my outfits for my journey and an instance of how I deliberate my outfits by way of these six months.
Week #1 (November 28th– December 4th)
For the primary week of the journey, I had six outfits in complete, three of which had been for days I used to be touring.
The primary look, a full-burgundy ensemble (backside and prime left), is each my first- and second-day outfit since I misplaced half a day whereas flying due to the time distinction. I arrived so early that I couldn’t examine in on the lodge and didn’t need to open my full suitcase. However I had deliberate for this, so I had a change of blouse, make-up, deodorant, toothbrush, equipment, and a hairbrush in a backpack.
The very first thing I seen after sporting the outfits I had deliberate was the reduction I felt on the finish of an extended, tiring, however enjoyable day. I didn’t have to consider what to put on the subsequent day or get up earlier to create a glance. Each evening I simply learn my paper with my outfits, took out what I wanted for the subsequent day, every thing else went again into the suitcase, and simply relaxed afterwards.
There was not a day wherein it wasn’t extra environment friendly to only have it already deliberate out.
Lesson: Be taught your Colours
Via the six months of planning my weekly seems to be, I seen that my favourite colours differed from the colours I *really* wore probably the most.
For instance, my absolute favourite colour is pink, however I put on crimson extra usually and have many extra crimson gadgets in my closet than pink.
I quickly realized I’d put on an merchandise extra usually if it was crimson, blue, or inexperienced.
Primarily based on this, I selected a cohesive, three-to-four-color palette to tackle my journey. I selected main colours (crimson, blue, and yellow) with black and white as neutrals.
I selected these three colours as a result of I knew I used to be most comfy in both crimson or blue, and yellow is a pure colour to pair them each with to create put-together, eclectic, cute seems to be.
You may see this completely within the tops I selected for these three outfits. They’re virtually the identical look: a pair of loose-fitting pants, a snug, colourful prime, and equipment. However I knew they’d work, and I’d be comfy it doesn’t matter what as a result of I knew these had been the colours I gravitate in direction of probably the most.
Lesson: Be taught Your Match
One other factor that grew to become obvious whereas planning my each day outfits was exactly what varieties of silhouettes and matches I gravitate towards probably the most.
For bottoms, I favor an A-line, barrel, or straight match, largely in lengthy skirts, denims, or tailor-made trousers. For tops, I exploit extra something outsized, menswear-inspired, under the waist, or with a excessive, spherical neck.
This data narrowed down the gadgets I’d think about whereas planning my journey outfits. I ended up selecting two A-line lengthy skirts, two pairs of straight-fit trousers, and a pair of barrel denims. For tops, I took two turtlenecks, one mock neck prime, three button-down shirts, and one spherical neckline prime.
Once more, you may see in these 4 seems to be all the weather I do know I like: menswear, tailoring, comfy tops, loose-fitting pants, and A-line skirts.
Week #2 (December 5th– November 9th)
The next week wasn’t a full 7-day week, however I’m nonetheless counting it. Two out of 5 seems to be had been for touring, and the final outfit was as soon as once more the full-on burgundy ensemble from the primary two days.
This second week, I seen how a lot quicker I may pinpoint precisely what wasn’t working in an outfit and methods to enhance it.
This week, I spotted how clear my type had turn into. I purchased a couple of issues whereas on my journey, and seeing how a lot much less I purchased was eye-opening. I knew not solely what would work properly with what I had however precisely what was lacking from my closet and what these new gadgets can be changing.
It was a tremendous feeling simply to know the way these items blended with every thing I had again dwelling based mostly on what I took. Goodbye, purchaser’s regret!
Lesson: Be taught to Pivot
Whereas my deliberate outfits normally labored out, I allowed myself to alter my thoughts if my actions modified or one thing didn’t go based on plan.
The seems to be I deliberate for each week had been a wholesome mixture of informal and put-together. So, for instance, I’d have the ability to change the informal Wednesday outfit for the put-together Saturday outfit as wanted.
More often than not, adjustments occurred as a result of an occasion or assembly got here up that required a extra put-together outfit. However generally, it was as a result of an merchandise merely didn’t work out. Possibly the denims I selected wouldn’t go previous my thighs that day, or the skirt and prime didn’t really go collectively like I had envisioned.
Through the journey, there have been three situations wherein I needed to pivot to make the outfits work for me. One was quite simple: I didn’t plan on sporting the burgundy tie with the all-denim outfit, and I made a decision it will look higher with that one than the opposite outfit I had deliberate for.
The opposite occasion was a bit tougher to resolve. Because it was a visit the place I’d spend a variety of time outdoors the lodge, I took a backpack as an alternative of a handbag. By day two of the journey, I spotted that my backpack was uncomfortable, and I didn’t like the way it affected my outfit basically. On day three, I purchased an off-white crossbody bag to make use of throughout the day and left the backpack for touring days solely.
Lastly, it received too chilly, much more than I had deliberate for (I wore thermals and tights beneath on the coldest days). So, I lastly caved in and acquired and wore gloves for the final two days. They weren’t a stylistic selection however a sensible one that actually made my day extra comfy.
Lesson: Be taught Your Fashion
Lastly, the previous six months helped me to essentially nail down my private type.
For the previous 4 years, I’ve been drawn to maximalism, however when making use of it totally to my seems to be, it didn’t really feel fully proper. I’ve been bouncing round attempting to make maximalist, eclectic, girly, preppy, comfortable types work collectively.
By planning my seems to be, I may lastly pinpoint what I favored about every of these types, what labored for *me*, and what issues I favored in idea however didn’t actually like in follow.
Since I may solely put on what I had in my suitcase for 2 weeks, I had to make sure that no matter I took and wore can be *me*. I simply wished to be as comfy and joyful as attainable with out having an ill-fitting pair of pants or a too-tight sweater behind my thoughts.
I can say confidently that each single look I wore throughout this journey was my private type distilled to perfection.
All of it represented how I gown, however extra importantly, how I need to decorate each day. The outfits mixed layering, enjoyable patterns, menswear-inspired gadgets, outsized coats and sweaters, colourful garments, and comfy parts.
Closing Ideas
On the whole, outfit planning is one thing that we will all profit from. It’ll offer you a extra full image of your closet and magnificence. Plus, it can reduce down in your stress and people “I’ve nothing to put on” moments.
The very first thing I seen from this experiment is that my spending regularly decreased. I finished earlier than hitting the ‘Purchase Now’ button, checked out my deliberate outfits, then checked out my closet and checked if I had another in it.
I believe I’ve managed to chop my purchasing in half. Child steps.
On the finish of my six-month experiment, I lastly made a serious closet declutter. It was simple since I already knew what I used to be not sporting, what was simply not my dimension anymore, and what didn’t match with my type. I took out about two-thirds of my closet.
Nonetheless, I’ve a variety of garments, and I believe I’ll preserve enhancing what I’ve by way of the next months. Now, I can *really* see what I’ve, and I’m positive every thing is a minimum of the proper dimension. Essentially the most thrilling factor was seeing uncared for gadgets shock me and return to the worn rotation.
Going ahead, I’ll preserve planning my weekly seems to be with virtually the identical pointers as a result of it has modified my routine for the higher.
These previous six months have been life-changing for me, not solely due to the outfit planning or the brand new job. I’ve needed to make some main way of life changes, and it resulted in a variety of stress, anxiousness, and worry.
I had already been planning my outfits for 4 months when my life circumstances modified, so I simply saved outfit planning as part of my new routine. It wasn’t till now that I spotted how a lot it helped me manage when every thing appeared extra unsure. Within the remaining months of this experiment, I used to be planning my outfits and annotating docs’ appointments proper beside what equipment or pants I used to be going to put on.
In a bizarre manner, outfit planning additionally grounded me. It helped me ease my thoughts for a minimum of half an hour every week. Now, I’m adjusted to my new routine, and I’m so a lot better, bodily and mentally.
Once you make the time to take a seat down prematurely and take into consideration what you’re going to put on, you additionally run by way of what you’ve and what gadgets you favor with a clearer head. Because you don’t have the clock ticking, you may take your time to make any variety of outfit combos till you discover the proper one. It offers you area for errors or changes with out feeling the frustration of “I would like to depart in 10 minutes”.
I’d suggest outfit planning for those who’re feeling annoyed or overwhelmed along with your closet whilst you dress, for those who’re nervous you’re spending an excessive amount of on garments and nonetheless can’t appear to search out one thing to put on, or you probably have an essential week forward of you. It’ll enable you to focus higher and see what it’s about your closet that’s or isn’t working.
I hope it adjustments your life prefer it did mine!
What Do You Suppose?
Would you strive planning your outfits? Do you do it now? Do you’ve any styling questions? Tell us within the feedback under!
