Organizing my clothes

[iris lilies]

I am attempting to upgrade my wardrobe. I think of categories of clothing for people my age and status in life and I think of them as being these progressing from low fashion to higher fashion:

1. bag lady-self-explanatory

2. casual -presentable with SOME attention paid to color and texture coordination, wears only classic styles

3, nice casual - presentable and coordinated including jewelry, handbags, shoes; classic styles in some expensive fabrics and makes

4. Sophisticated casual - fashionable and coordinated in all accessories. Expensive fabrics and makers in classic stles with some trendy expensive items thrown in to be fashionable and modern

I am currently at Bag Lady level. I want to move onto “casual “level for every day where with occasional forays into “nice casual. “

I will never be “sophisticated casual.” That’s fine, I don’t want to be that.

I’m out of town at a garden club event so I killed time one evening at the local mall. I actually went into a clothing store and bought clothes in a mall store. I can’t even remember the last time I did that, more than a decade. I bought clothes at the store “H&M. “They have cheap clothes. Cheap cheap cheap.

oh, but I have to tell you my new dressing strategy, which is making it easy to buy clothes. I’m buying items only in these colors: black, white, ivory. Do you know how easy it is to breeze through a store if you’re only looking for a limited color palette? It’s super easy!

Eventually I will branch out to add in tan and camel colored pieces, and after that, two accent colors in warm shades.

So this is my clothes shopping strategy which I can employ at Goodwill as well. Oh, believe me I haven’t given up shopping at Goodwill. I LOVE Goodwill.

[iris lilies]

My trip to shopping mall land was…interesting. This major mall in a big college town was eye-opening. It was not crowded at all. Apparently shopping malls are dead. Anyway, I wondered around the Dillards store looking at their handbag selections.

OMG. A huge selection was available. Just huge, mind boggling. I have always made fun in my mind of the handbag culture, but I can kind of see the appeal of a pretty, smooth leather handbag. I just want to find one that doesn’t have the makers name plastered all over it and that appears to be impossible. At least you can’t get that for handbags that cost a few hundred dollars. I guess if I go up into the multi thousand dollar range of bags I could get one without someone’s name all over it. Yeah, a Hermes Kelly bag for $28,000. That’s the ticket! Ha

[catherine]

I love this--you at a shopping mall is like Stranger in a Strange Land.. And I love how you put H&M in quotes--I think most shoppers are VERY familiar with H&M. At least I am, because my kids and grandkids shop there.

I consider myself a solid #2. I have seasonal "uniforms"... to your point about sticking to one color palette, that is key for me, although I've strayed a little bit. My business travel color palette I called "Guiness"--black and tan. I still like that combo, but since this is Vermont and you're not a Vermonter unless you wear jeans to everything from the garden to church, I've had to integrate blue. And being I'm a "fall" if you remember that popular book a few decades ago that put you in season categories for color, I also buy loden green.

I could never be the type to switch out jewelry and handbags every day. I'm lucky if I comb my hair some days. But I'm starting to use more lipstick in proportion to the degree to which my complexion fades into oblivion.

[pinkytoe]

I have been making an effort lately to weed out clothes and shoes and it is a slow process. I am a solid #2. Reducing to several colors is a good idea - most of mine seem to be some shade of blue. Most is thrifted but lately, pickings are slim. My main criteria is how it fits. I am 5'2 and 105 lbs so finding smaller sizes that I like can be challenging.

[frugal-one]

Was thinking recently about the trends in clothing. Do you wear clothes to be “in style” or would rather wear clothes that look good on you (and may no longer be the current fashion trend)? Of course there are those who wear whatever just for the sake of comfort… not caring how they look. I tend to wear classic styles or those I think that detract from my flaws. I don’t cater to fashion trends. My “uniform” is solid colored bottoms and a multitude of blouses/shirts that can go with those colors. My favorite recently is medium-dark gray bottoms.

[pinkytoe]

I read in NYT that Gen Z thinks leggings are gross which made my heart sing. They apparently like baggy now. I am sticking with something in the middle.

[Tradd]

My wardrobe is black bottoms. Brightly colored tops, mostly in shades of pink, purple, blue. A few black and white prints. Shoes are all black except for my purple crocs. :)

[iris lilies]

I love this--you at a shopping mall is like Stranger in a Strange Land.. And I love how you put H&M in quotes--I think most shoppers are VERY familiar with H&M. At least I am, because my kids and grandkids shop there.

I consider myself a solid #2. I have seasonal "uniforms"... to your point about sticking to one color palette, that is key for me, although I've strayed a little bit. My business travel color palette I called "Guiness"--black and tan. I still like that combo, but since this is Vermont and you're not a Vermonter unless you wear jeans to everything from the garden to church, I've had to integrate blue. And being I'm a "fall" if you remember that popular book a few decades ago that put you in season categories for color, I also buy loden green.

I could never be the type to switch out jewelry and handbags every day. I'm lucky if I comb my hair some days. But I'm starting to use more lipstick in proportion to the degree to which my complexion fades into oblivion.
One fashion video I saw claimed blue jeans are a new “neutral “so you really don’t have to think of them as blue.

[iris lilies]

Look at me and how fancy I’m getting: I ordered one of those clothes hanging rolling racks because now I’m going to start actually hanging up my clothes rather than stuffing them into drawers. I don’t have a closet yet in my room since it’s not finished.

Hanging some of the nicer pieces rather than rolling/stuffing them surely will elevate me part way out of Bag Lady Land.

[catherine]

IL, this "outfit (www.shortstorybox.com)" (business--not literally a clothing "outfit") is really great, but I have a feeling not something you would do. I subscribed to them for about 3 months when my wardrobe was pathetic, because I hate shopping. They specialize in clothing for short women, and I was really happy with about 60% of what they sent, and I sent back the rest. I now have nice jeans, one nice business outfit or outfit if we go to a nice restaurant, and a classic blazer. I stopped the subscription when all the gaps in my wardrobe were filled, but if I needed to refresh, I would definitely go back to them.

The clothes are not necessarily that cheap, but you give them your budget and they work with it. My other go-to for online shopping is ThredUp, which is all resale stuff.

[iris lilies]

IL, this "outfit (http://www.shortstorybox.com)" (business--not literally a clothing "outfit") is really great, but I have a feeling not something you would do. I subscribed to them for about 3 months when my wardrobe was pathetic, because I hate shopping. They specialize in clothing for short women, and I was really happy with about 60% of what they sent, and I sent back the rest. I now have nice jeans, one nice business outfit or outfit if we go to a nice restaurant, and a classic blazer. I stopped the subscription when all the gaps in my wardrobe were filled, but if I needed to refresh, I would definitely go back to them.

The clothes are not necessarily that cheap, but you give them your budget and they work with it. My other go-to for online shopping is ThredUp, which is all resale stuff.

I won’t subscribe to a wardrobe building service because I do enjoy the process of selecting clothes myself. I watch videos and I look at tons of photographs in the colors I’m buying. Just today I signed up for a Thred Up account! I’ve been buying used clothes on eBay for years too. I don’t know which is better, but I’ll try Thred Up for a while.

Our high-end charity clothes shop closed several years ago and that’s the last place I shopped seriously, about 20 years ago, when I was in a mood to buy serious clothes. There is one other fairly high-end consignment store. I’ll check out in St. Louis one of these days.

[rosarugosa]

I'm also in the #2 casual camp. It's pretty much always Vista Camp Pants in black or gray (but you knew that), but with a decent top and matching earrings. The matching earrings are a must!

Today for Clay School it will be an older, worn pair of pants, and a pretty colored t-shirt. Going out with sis tomorrow and it will be a nicer version with a prettier top.

I do have a few pairs of pants that are not Vista Camp Pants for more formal occasions like weddings and funerals. I often wear hoodies as a top layer (but not to weddings or funerals). I wear black sneakers most of the time, but I have a few pairs of nicer shoes and short booties for dressier occasions. I have a great black shoulder bag (Le Sak) that I got from Savers several years ago for less than $3.00. It still looks like new and was probably my best thrift store score ever.

I do my best to limit dressier occasions in my life.

It is relevant to note that my primary interactions with others are at Clay School and working on the Rose Garden restoration, and neither of these are fancy-attire venues. I did corporate attire for years and years, with the suits and the scarves and the jewelry, with nice shoes and handbags. So I've been there, done that, and I'm not interested in doing it anymore.

Pinkytoe: We are the same height and weight. :)

[NewGig]

I'm a #2 as well. One thing I did years ago was try to eliminate duplicate clothes, or use things for more than one season... so I use tank tops and leggings year round. As "long johns" in winter and as appropriate in summer.

Also, mostly I dress in solids rather than patterns, because I found a book which said explicitly that pattern styles change much faster than colors go in/out of style.

I haven't tried your limited color palette, that sounds like a great idea!

[iris lilies]

Rosa, i’ve never had a corporate job, I’ve always worked in library services so dressing there is quite a bit more casual. Scarfs, jewelry, nice shoes—Never did that.

I carry my keys on a lanyard around my neck like a football coach or a first grader,take your pick. So that is part of my “jewelry” and I am upgrading it to beaded lanyards.

[happystuff]

Decades ago someone came in to the job site and offered to do the color pallet analysis. It was free, so I figured "what the heck!". Turns out I am "autumn". My clothes are basically black, tan and some autumn-y greens. Trying to put a bit of color into my tops, though.

[iris lilies]

I'm a #2 as well. One thing I did years ago was try to eliminate duplicate clothes, or use things for more than one season... so I use tank tops and leggings year round. As "long johns" in winter and as appropriate in summer.

Also, mostly I dress in solids rather than patterns, because I found a book which said explicitly that pattern styles change much faster than colors go in/out of style.

I haven't tried your limited color palette, that sounds like a great idea!

I agree about patterns. Even though I’m a bag lady , I’ve always avoided them, and also I avoid any shirts that have lace or cutsy embroidery crap or weird cut outs or angles and stuff like that. The only patterns I wear are stripes because they are classic. I never know what other patterns are in style and clothes without really paying close attention. And I don’t want to pay that close of attention

[frugal-one]

As my body changes, I am wearing more patterns to camouflage. I read someplace that horizontal stripes make a person appear larger and wider. As noted above, I am not necessarily in style but try to minimize flaws where possible.

[nswef]

I'm in the comfort group. My teaching clothes, elementary school were always dresses or skirts and tops. But I retired in 2001 so now I wear pants, shorts, capris, and generally knit tops. Not at all fashionable but presentable. This morning my high school friends were emailing about clothing at least 14 years old still being worn. Pictures came up on memories and we are ALL still wearing some of the clothing in the pictures and who knows how old the clothes were then??? Lots of laughs! I have a hard time getting rid of something that still has good use...Then there are the "yard" clothes -tank tops and raggedy shorts or capris or jeans for the fall. Still too many. I'm round and shorter than I used to be.

[iris lilies]

As my body changes, I am wearing more patterns to camouflage. I read someplace that horizontal stripes make a person appear larger and wider. As noted above, I am not necessarily in style but try to minimize flaws where possible.
Horizontal stripes are a no-no for anyone who’s not slender, but I don’t care. I like the crispness of that pattern.

[rosarugosa]

Here I am howling like a wolf at Wolf Hollow in my more presentable wear. I've had the blouse since at least 2006, and I guess that's a triumph since it's still white. It is still in very good condition and I like it, so I don't see any need to get rid of it. Unfortunately, the picture doesn't really show my beloved shoulder bag very well. I do take care of my stuff and I'm careful with my laundry, so that's frugal for sure.
6485

[happystuff]

Great picture, rr! Looks like you had a blast!