Friday, July 5, 2019

Autumn Wardrobe 2019

1) Decide the color


Two neutrals; golden brown and teal (yes, teal counts as neutral, just as navy and burgundy)
Two accent colors; red and burgundy
Golden brown leather, bronze metals

Things to note:
- the style and impression I wish to make: Baroque, Mother Earth, warm, playful, sensual, soft natural, folklore
- lifestyle and needs: I'm living on a disability pension. I am chronically ill, with fibromyalgia. I basically do nothing. I like writing, crafting and making art. I like cooking and baking. I need clothes that are comfortable and easy.
- climate: humid continental. The weather is SLIGHTLY colder (a couple of degrees, not more) in Stockholm than in Boston, but practically the same.
- body type: V/O - I do have a waist, but it's very, very short, and disappears between my large chest and a big tummy. I also have square hips and not much bum. I'm fat. Size 52-54EU. Figure problems? Nah. But I would like to look less fat and like I have a waist. Best features; face, cleavage, hands.

* Building up a capsule wardrobe as Janice from Vivienne Files

Step 1

1) 1 bottom, 2 tops, of which one is layering top, shoes

"A pair of wrinkle free cotton pants". So boring I'm ready to cry! No!

I have used pants as my "uniform". I had a pair of black jeans, then I had a pair of brown jeans. I fixed the black jeans by sewing pretty fabric on the hem, so that I could wear them turned up and the colorful lining would show up. I also embroidered a dragon climbing up my leg.
Frankly, I don't know why I stopped wearing those pants. I wish someone had told me that all I have to do is to stay skinny, and I can wear those jeans for years. I only wore them like 5 years. Plenty of mileage in those. I just didn't stay skinny.

So, let's say, a pair of jeans. I have to fix them to be special, though. Let's say light golden brown pair, with painted leopard spots.
And add the printed lining in teal and pink... like Chinese silk... tassels? Embroidery? Maybe embroider some leopards on the jeans.

 And I want a bronze sequin cardi, in the twin-set style, with v-neck, slightly fitted, so that it can be used as a cardigan, sweater and jacket.

Anyway, after the pants, you are suppose to get.... loafers.
Yuk! Those are among the ugliest things you can wear and no woman should have them! THEY ARE UGLY!!! It is possible to get comfortable shoes that are NOT UGLY!!!

But - let's say a pair of comfortable promenade shoes one can walk the whole day and barely notice one is wearing shoes. These should be golden brown, the color of all leatherwares.

And then a t-shirt. Long sleeves, because it's Autumn. This one is teal. I mean... my Autumn wardrobe is supposed to be teal, and so far I have no teal items.

2) bottom and top

Then Janice adds another pair of pants and a shirt. Now, she is the kind of a woman who wears pants and shirts and ugly shoes. I am not. So I am going to choose as my second bottom, a skirt. This will be teal corduroy. I will take the white buttondown shirt, though, but mine will not be crisp, it will be soft linen.
So... here I have some outfits...
1. white shirt and jeans
2. white shirt and skirt
3. teal shirt and jeans
4. teal shirt and skirt
5. cardi and jeans
6. cardi and skirt
7. white shirt and jeans with cardi
8. white shirt and skirt with cardi
9. teal shirt and jeans with cardi
10. teal shirt and skirt with cardi
Now, I could be wearing the cardigan both buttons front or back, and basically that's two different tops. I could be wearing the t-shirt backwards also, though that might not work too well :D Perhaps under the cardigan or under the white shirt.
I could be wearing the white shirt in several different ways, even as a skirt.

Step 2

3) Accessorise...

So... plenty of tights :-D And a bodysuit. But that's not the kind of accessory Janice is talking about.

She talks about jewelry, scarves and belts and such.
I would choose a simple, feminine watch. I would choose bracelets. I wish I was the kind of person who uses bracelets.
Scarf, of course.
Maybe something like this? It's made after Gaudi's mosaic

Spats would be fun.
Gloves and a hat.
Umbrella.
Belts? I'm apple shaped. Right now I'm fat. Do you really think I should wear a belt? I don't. (Though it looks rather nice to put a belt on my true waist, which is basically straight under the breasts...

Brooches. I would like a rather big one I could use as a belt buckle, as I don't have a belt. Somewhere on the hip area.
Glasses. I need glasses... it would be nice with leopard spots or tortoise shell (of course fake), maybe with some sparkle and color, too?
Mobile phone as a fashion accessory. If the world was my oyster, I'd have a bronze colored peacock themed Art Nouveau style phone case I can carry around my neck.
I really need to make my Mucha ear phones. :-D For Autumn... Autumn leaves... a crown of Autumn leaves... or maybe panthers in a rainforest... though they don't live in rainforests... maybe a jaguar, then?
Now, I have big, chunky hands, but they are beautiful, graceful and I have long fingers, so I can wear big rings and get away with it :-D
And then big earrings. Like oriental earrings.

How to train yourself to accessorise

3) And then two more tops and a scarf more... I think I might want to choose a shawl. I like shawls.
These two tops should be somewhat simple tees in accent colors, so red and burgundy.
And just simple long sleeve t-shirts. Now, I might want to have tunics, but I have used ordinary long sleeved tees, too, and they are more useful, as they can be used with anything. I mean, it's hard to fit the white shirt and the cardi over tunics or elaborate tops. A peasant top might do as one of these, though.

4) Then she adds one more layering piece, one more pair of pants and boots.

Now... I am planning on sewing myself a skirt, a pinafore dress, a pair of pants and a kimono jacket of the teal corduroy. So I suppose the pants and the kimono jacket pass as pants and layering piece.
I have a pair of burgundy boots.

The pants are going to be a bit like this

Let's see what can be put together of all this:

jeans
-  with a cardigan
-  with top 1
-  with white shirt
-  with top 2
-  with top 3
-  with cardigan and layering top
-  with top 1 and layering top
-  with white shirt and layering top
-  with top 2 and layering top
-  with top 3 and layering top
-  with top 1 and cardigan
-  with white shirt and cardigan
-  with top 2 and cardigan
-  with top 3 and cardigan
skirt
-  with a cardigan
-  with top 1
-  with white shirt
-  with top 2
-  with top 3
-  with cardigan and layering top
-  with top 1 and layering top
-  with white shirt and layering top
-  with top 2 and layering top
-  with top 3 and layering top
-  with top 1 and cardigan
-  with white shirt and cardigan
-  with top 2 and cardigan
-  with top 3 and cardigan
corduroy pants -
-  with a cardigan
-  with top 1
-  with white shirt
-  with top 2
-  with top 3
-  with cardigan and layering top
-  with top 1 and layering top
-  with white shirt and layering top
-  with top 2 and layering top
-  with top 3 and layering top
-  with top 1 and cardigan
-  with white shirt and cardigan
-  with top 2 and cardigan
-  with top 3 and cardigan

That is 42 different outfits of 9 pieces of clothing...

now... I could add all the tops with the cardigan AND the layering top,
AND I could use the white shirt as a layering top
AND all the tops with white shirt AND the layering top.

I also could use the cardigan backwards and get another impression, and I could use my top 1 backwards and use it as a boatneck top, but then I would need to use it with a layering top, any one would do.

THEN I could try out all the different ways of wearing a white button-down shirt and get some more mileage of it.

THEN I could try out all the different ways of wearing a sweater or a cardigan...


Step 3

Funny that she says: "Ah, this capsule wardrobe is starting to have some personality!" :-D

Personality of a dishrag... No. I'm being mean here. This is a dependable, no-nonsense person, who values quality over quantity, practicality over style, and comfort over flair. She would not dance on the tables, but she could still be funny. I think she's good at her job, what ever it is, but it's probably not creative, artistic job.
Anyway, not me. I am an artistic person, sensitive, passionate, emotional, drama queen, not so dependable, no... I do value quality over quantity, but style, beauty and flair over practicality, no question about that. Comfort is important to me, but it is defined highly subjective. I don't necessarily deem high heels uncomfortable... :-D I am not good at my job, which is the main reason to why I don't have any.

But, back to third step.
5) She adds two more tops and a "flash of color" in the shape of a necklace.
One of the tops is a layering piece.

Now...  if I were smart, I'd choose a multiuse piece like Cozy, but... it really isn't my style. So, I choose a boatneck sweater and a long, big, comfy cardigan, like these two.
They were my favorites at Polyvore, used them all the time... but then they closed Polyvore just like that, and it wasn't possible to save anything. Or, yeah, they let you get some files, but it wasn't like you could choose and save what you wanted, and then my computer crashed and took the files with them, so - yeah... I hates them. Don't go to ssense.com. They were in it. Anyway, this is what I could "salvage" from a few sets that are still around. Hates them. May the a-holes stoke on the money and may their clothes be itchy and chafe. I loved Polyvore. :´(
Yes, I know there are others, but I don't want to get attached to something to then have it snatched away like Polyvore did.
Sorry about the rant. 

So, back to wardrobe. Again.

6) Next addition to the wardrobe is a dressy outfit. It can be a dress, it can be some silk slacks and a blouse, it can be a skirt and a blouse. Now, if it's more than one item, it can be used together with the others. Now, for example, if I chose a pretty blouse, I could use it with my jeans and corduroy skirt and pants to make them dressier. In fact, they would be dressy enough for most occasions with a nice, dressy blouse. But I love dresses. So I will choose a dress and heels. My dress would be a "little red dress", which can be used both in parties and in everyday life, depending on how it is dressed up.

7) Next is a jacket and another top. The jacket is supposed to be something one can use inside and outside, an everyday jacket.
Now, I don't use jackets inside, but I have always wanted to have a blazer, a tweed jacket. I used to have one, when I was like 12 or so. It was dark grey wool with black satin collar, and I loved it to bits. 60s style, my mother's old one. So, I would like something similar, but in golden brown tweed, for my Autumn wardrobe. Now, there's more of this golden brown tweed coming on this list, because I would really like to have a suit in golden brown tweed, in 40s style. 

For the top... I suppose another slouchy long-sleeve tee is an option. I'll have to think about that.

So far we have:

1. a bottom 1 - pair of jeans - golden brown, leopard spots
2. a layering top 1 - cardigan that can be used as a layering piece or a top - bronze metallic
3. a top 1 - simple, flattering long sleeve tee - teal
4. a bottom 2 - skirt - teal
5. a white shirt - white (perhaps colored? Maybe striped?)
6. a top 2 - peasant top - burgundy
7. a top 3 -long sleeve tee - red
8. a layering top 2 - kimono jacket - teal
9. a bottom 3 - a pair of pants - teal
10. a top 4 - V-neck sweater that can be worn in different ways (see the video above)
11. a layering top 3 - long, comfy cardigan - red, could be bright mustard, too
12. an LBD - red
13. a tweed jacket/blazer - golden brown tweed
14. a top 5 - long sleeve tee - teal

3 pairs of shoes; teal walking shoes, burgundy boots and red heels.

Stage 4

8) So... first a whole outfit for purposes that aren't covered yet with those clothes on the list. In my case that would have to be loungewear, but - let's use normal clothes, OK :-D
I really don't have anything I would need another outfit for, but I would like to have a tweet skirt and vest. Perhaps a blouse as well. 40s clothes suits me.

9) An Autumn coat is the trenchcoat. My perfect trenchcoat is red, rather deep red than bright red. It is double breasted, with coated metal buttons, and it has napoleon collar and wide lapel with throat latch, gun patch/storm flap and rain guard at the back, epaulettes, belt with D-rings, loops and buckle (metal), buttoned storm pockets, breast pocket sleeve straps and loops, wedge back vent with button tab and it would be long, half calf. It would also have a detachable wool lining and hood. The material would be wool gabardine. It would also be A-lined, and not straight, like men's coats are.
One day I will have it.

I would need a hat with it, a scarf and gloves. I would also want oxfords.

10) Then the "leisure wear" outfit. I think there her idea is very nice.
I used to have a pair of "jeans" made of white knit, the stuff college shirts and jogging pants are made of, but these were "real" pants. I also wouldn't mind a simple t-shirt, another boatneck and another cardigan.

Another dress? Yes, please :-D
This one will be the teal pinafore dress

Jennifer Lauren's Ivy pinafore pattern - this is basically exactly what I want :-) One can use it as a dress on itself, or as a pinafore dress which is basically a vest and a skirt.

15. a bottom 4 - skirt - golden brown tweed
16. a top 6 - blouse - ?
17. a layering top - vest - golden brown tweed
18. a trenchcoat - red
19. a bottom 5 - jersey "jeans" - white
20. a top 7 - t-shirt - white?
21. a layering top 4 - cardigan - white?
22. a bottom 6 - pinafore dress - teal
23. a top 8 - ?

Step 5: balancing out

BTW... If you don't feel comfortable wearing a color near your face, DON'T USE IT IN YOUR CAPSULE WARDROBE!

Another article about balancing the wardrobe


Hmm...
golden brown, 4 bottoms, 4 tops
teal, 2 bottom, 3 tops, 1 dress
white, 1 bottom, 2 tops
red-burgundy, 4 tops, 1 dress
bridge garment; 2 tops
Is the red-white striped top red or white? :-D

So... I would need one more teal bottom... maybe change the jeans to teal instead of brown?
I would need another pair of flats, golden brown ones.
I also think I need a couple of short sleeved t-shirts.
The golden brown (or mustard) tweed suit is a guilty pleasure... It really doesn't need to be there.
But... there's 7 bottoms (8 if the corduroy pinafore dress counts. Practically it does.)
There's 13 tops that can be used alone as tops
There's 6 layering tops (the vest and the sweater included)
There's 2 jackets, that could be worn as layering tops, if one could. I couldn't. They count as outerwear for me.

That gives us 104 outfits with just 1 bottom + 1 top.
there's 64 different layering combinations. Combined with the 7 bottoms, you get 448 different outfits. Add 55 for the pinafore dress. I could use it with everything but the sweater, and principally there isn't anything that stops you from pulling the sweater over the pinafore dress, too.

So... with these 25 items, you'll have over 600 different combinations... 8-o
And I forgot to count the using the sequin cardi as a top... oh, well.

And the more I look at this, the more I notice that this is too much clothes. Basically, I should be able to manage the whole Autumn with just 7 tops and 7 bottoms, and if I add a couple of layering pieces, even more so. The purpose is not to manage 90 days without wearing the same outfit twice.
7 tops and 7 bottoms gives one 49 different outfits.




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