This week, I’m supplying 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 yr comes an opportunity to begin recent, notably along with your closet.
Possibly you do a winter cleansing and make area for brand new objects or mournfully see the one merchandise that also has the tags on and also you haven’t worn all yr.
Our closet impacts our lives straight. It may be considered one of our best allies or our greatest monetary foe, and addressing it within the new yr will be life-changing.
For this submit, I’ll let you know how planning my weekly outfits for six months helped me get monetary savings, simplify my life, and achieve a better appreciation for my very own private fashion.
Fascinated about making an attempt this your self within the new yr? Learn on for all the main points!
What’s Outfit Planning?
View this submit on Instagram
Outfit planning is exactly what it appears like: deciding upfront what you need to put on on any given day.
We truly do that extra usually than we expect, particularly for particular events. We additionally do it casually. Some individuals lay out their outfits for the following day earlier than going to sleep and select what they’re sporting earlier than occurring a aircraft or earlier than an necessary assembly or interview.
It’s a present-yet-dismissed space of our day by day styling.
My Life Earlier than Outfit Planning
View this submit on Instagram
I’ve recognized 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 yr, my weight has fluctuated, and it quickly turned obvious that a lot of what was in my closet both didn’t match me or had stopped wanting pretty much as good on me because it used to.
Opening my closet to dress within the morning obtained overwhelming and irritating. I had too many garments. So many issues didn’t match, and others weren’t snug anymore. Actually, I couldn’t even keep in mind many of the issues I had.
Purchasing and stitching quickly turned a crutch—an costly one. Every time 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 muddle and didn’t repair the issue.
View this submit on Instagram
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 per week. For the primary time in nearly six years, I needed to contemplate the area and atmosphere of an workplace.
I work in tech, so the costume code is sort of non-existent, although clearly, no matter I put on must be office-appropriate. However inside my workplace apparel, I needed to nonetheless costume 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 stress off as I adjusted to my new position. It went so properly, and I wore extra objects in my closet than I had all yr. I additionally felt extra inventive and impressed by it.
So, I made a decision to plan my weekly outfits for the following six months.
How I Deliberate Outfits: Targets and Tips
I had two objectives with my outfit-planning experiment:
- Make life simpler – I needed to take the stress off getting dressed within the mornings and concentrate on different issues.
- Maximize and decrease – I needed to maximise the usage of the objects in my closet and decrease the cash I spent and the frustration I felt.
View this submit on Instagram
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 objects – Every week, I vowed to listing a minimum of three objects I hadn’t worn shortly and elegance them by the week. I needed to see in the event that they nonetheless match, if I nonetheless appreciated them, and/or in the event that they nonetheless labored for my fashion.
- Gadgets I needed to put on – Possibly I had a model new factor I needed to put on for the primary time or a selected merchandise I actually needed to concentrate on. I might make an observation of that when planning for the week.
- Flexibility – I gave myself area to maneuver issues round in case issues got here up in the course of the week, like occasions, climate, comfortability, and so on.
- Take an image of each single outfit – As a result of I knew I needed to put in writing about it for CF, but in addition as a result of I needed to have the ability to reference what labored and what didn’t work for the long run.
How Outfit Planning Modified the Recreation: A Case Research
View this submit on Instagram
So, I deliberate my weekly outfits for six months. I went by nearly half a pocket book’s value 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 research for this weblog submit’s functions. Once more, I might plan each outfit all the way down to the equipment.
Principally, I might apply every thing I realized over the previous couple of months.
A Journey’s Price of Outfits
That is how I deliberate my outfits for my journey and an instance of how I deliberate my outfits by these six months.
Week #1 (November 28th– December 4th)
For the primary week of the journey, I had six outfits in whole, 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 test in on the resort 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 observed after sporting the outfits I had deliberate was the reduction I felt on the finish of a protracted, tiring, however enjoyable day. I didn’t have to consider what to put on the following day or get up earlier to create a glance. Each night time I simply learn my paper with my outfits, took out what I wanted for the following day, every thing else went again into the suitcase, and simply relaxed afterwards.
There was not a day during which it wasn’t extra environment friendly to simply have it already deliberate out.
Lesson: Study your Colours
Via the six months of planning my weekly seems to be, I observed that my favourite colours differed from the colours I *truly* wore probably the most.
For instance, my absolute favourite shade is pink, however I put on crimson extra usually and have many extra crimson objects in my closet than pink.
I quickly realized I might put on an merchandise extra usually if it was crimson, blue, or inexperienced.
Based mostly on this, I selected a cohesive, three-to-four-color palette to tackle my journey. I selected major 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 snug in both crimson or blue, and yellow is a pure shade to pair them each with to create put-together, eclectic, cute seems to be.
You possibly can 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 might work, and I’d be snug it doesn’t matter what as a result of I knew these had been the colours I gravitate in the direction of probably the most.
Lesson: Study Your Match
One other factor that turned obvious whereas planning my day by day outfits was exactly what forms of silhouettes and matches I gravitate towards probably the most.
For bottoms, I choose an A-line, barrel, or straight match, principally in lengthy skirts, denims, or tailor-made trousers. For tops, I take advantage of extra something outsized, menswear-inspired, beneath the waist, or with a excessive, spherical neck.
This information narrowed down the objects I might contemplate 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, snug 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 observed how a lot sooner I may pinpoint precisely what wasn’t working in an outfit and learn how to enhance it.
This week, I noticed how clear my fashion 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 objects can be changing.
It was a tremendous feeling simply to know the way these items blended with every thing I had again residence primarily based on what I took. Goodbye, purchaser’s regret!
Lesson: Study 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, modifications 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 truly go collectively like I had envisioned.
Throughout the journey, there have been three situations during which 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 could look higher with that one than the opposite outfit I had deliberate for.
The opposite occasion was a bit more difficult to unravel. Because it was a visit the place I might spend quite a lot of time exterior the resort, I took a backpack as an alternative of a handbag. By day two of the journey, I noticed 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 in the course of the day and left the backpack for touring days solely.
Lastly, it obtained 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 purchased and wore gloves for the final two days. They weren’t a stylistic alternative however a sensible one that actually made my day extra snug.
Lesson: Study Your Model
Lastly, the previous six months helped me to essentially nail down my private fashion.
For the previous 4 years, I’ve been drawn to maximalism, however when making use of it absolutely to my seems to be, it didn’t really feel utterly proper. I’ve been bouncing round making an attempt to make maximalist, eclectic, girly, preppy, cozy kinds work collectively.
By planning my seems to be, I may lastly pinpoint what I appreciated about every of these kinds, what labored for *me*, and what issues I appreciated in principle 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 needed to be as snug and blissful 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 fashion distilled to perfection.
All of it represented how I costume, however extra importantly, how I need to decorate day by day. The outfits mixed layering, enjoyable patterns, menswear-inspired objects, outsized coats and sweaters, colourful garments, and cozy components.
Remaining Ideas
Basically, outfit planning is one thing that we will all profit from. It is going to offer you a extra full image of your closet and elegance. Plus, it can lower down in your stress and people “I’ve nothing to put on” moments.
The very first thing I observed from this experiment is that my spending progressively 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 procuring in half. Child steps.
On the finish of my six-month experiment, I lastly made a significant closet declutter. It was straightforward since I already knew what I used to be not sporting, what was simply not my measurement anymore, and what didn’t match with my fashion. I took out about two-thirds of my closet.
Nonetheless, I’ve quite a lot of garments, and I believe I’ll preserve enhancing what I’ve by the next months. Now, I can *truly* see what I’ve, and I’m positive every thing is a minimum of the correct measurement. Essentially the most thrilling factor was seeing uncared for objects shock me and return to the worn rotation.
Going ahead, I’ll preserve planning my weekly seems to be with nearly 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 life-style changes, and it resulted in quite a lot of stress, nervousness, and concern.
I had already been planning my outfits for 4 months when my life circumstances modified, so I simply stored outfit planning as part of my new routine. It wasn’t till now that I noticed how a lot it helped me set up when every thing appeared extra unsure. Within the closing months of this experiment, I used to be planning my outfits and annotating medical doctors’ 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 per week. Now, I’m adjusted to my new routine, and I’m so a lot better, bodily and mentally.
Whenever you make the time to sit down down upfront and take into consideration what you’re going to put on, you additionally run by what you will have and what objects 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 correct one. It offers you area for errors or changes with out feeling the frustration of “I want to go away in 10 minutes”.
I might advocate outfit planning for those who’re feeling annoyed or overwhelmed along with your closet whilst you dress, for those who’re frightened you’re spending an excessive amount of on garments and nonetheless can not appear to seek out one thing to put on, or when you’ve got an necessary week forward of you. It is going to enable you focus higher and see what it’s about your closet that’s or isn’t working.
I hope it modifications your life prefer it did mine!
What Do You Suppose?
Would you attempt planning your outfits? Do you do it now? Do you will have any styling questions? Tell us within the feedback beneath!
