Inside My Closet and My Thought Process for Making an Outfit

You know, my being a personal style consultant gives people the idea that I never have a bad clothes day. They just assume my clothes always fit perfectly and it’s always just easy for me to look great all the time. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not always easy, and by no means do I breeze into my closet and magically achieve the look I want, the way I want it, with the first outfit I put on – with no prior planning. My little secret is that I DO have a system that works pretty well most of the time. And I’m going to share that system with you now, my little soon-to-be Spring gift to you, my loyal reader.

Ideally, I pick out my outfits for the coming week’s events in advance, and then accessorize each one the night before. I like to select outfits for the week when I’m feeling most creative, and for me that’s usually on Sunday. But appointments sometimes change, the weather often changes this time of the year, and what I felt excited about on Sunday may not suit my mood on Thursday. So sometimes I’ll end up changing clothes more than once before I’m happy with the final look. Here are some of the core concepts I use to build an outfit.

With my calendar in one hand and the weather forecast in the other, I consider these questions:

Does the outfit need to be warm, or layered for uncertain weather conditions?
Will I need a coat, jacket or wrap?
Do I need boots/booties to keep warm and dry, or is the weather warm/dry enough to wear flats or heels?
Will light colors be appropriate, considering the potential for wrinkles, possible food mishaps, dust and dirt in a destination’s closet, or muddy sidewalks?

With these questions addressed, I know whether I’ll be pulling on T-shirts and jackets or my beloved cashmere sweaters and wraps to go with pants, jeans or a skirt. I’m in love with the new, longer skirt styles, pencil, A-line or full. They are almost as easy to wear as pants, definitely more flattering for most woman, and they add a touch of femininity to an outfit. Nordstrom has a Vince Camuto ponte pencil skirt that is perrrrfect.

Sometimes I even wear dresses, but they aren’t my go-to choice, because I love the creativity of mixing and matching outfit pieces. I’ve always loved cotton knits, but the older I get, the more I find that I love to wear most all knits, as long as they aren’t too thin or clingy. They are so forgiving of wrinkling and so cozy and easy to move in. Cozy is one of my favorite words, to say and to feel!

Next I consider setting:

First consider shoes. How much walking and standing will I be doing? How agile do I need to be? My max on heels is two hours and/or two blocks and NEVER more than a 3″ heel (usually a 2 ½” will give me enough lift to be flattering without being painful). I L-O-V-E VanELi for their style and arch supports and very cute flats. Also available through DSW and Zappo’s.
How long is the event? The longer it is, the more comfortable I want to be. I’m beginning to sound OLD, but I smile more when I am comfortable and don’t have to think about my clothes or my feet. And who doesn’t love a smile?
What color theme am I feeling? All neutrals with gold jewelry? Neutrals with a pop of color? A big burst of COLOR? Which also leads to . . .
What’s the type of event? Beyond a dinner or client meeting, who will I be meeting and what sort of person are they? I like to wear something I know my companion will enjoy as much as I do. People expect me to dress well, but I also like the fun of being in tune with the people I’m meeting. You may not realize how much we can affect how others feel with the way we dress. I like feeling sympatico before the meeting even starts.

Last but never least, accessories – and this also relates to #4 above:

In general, my clothes have gotten simpler over the years to give more emphasis to accessories.
For plain outfits I will wear special jewelry or shoes, or a dramatic jacket or wrap. Yes, a jacket can be an accessory if it has a real WOW factor. See photo of this darling red pop of color and the SHOE JEWELRY! Little fuzzy balls ordered from Amazon to add some pizazz my plain pumps.
If the outfit says “WOW!” with lots of color or patterns, then the accessories get to take a back seat.
If someone has gifted me with an accessory or piece of clothing, I make sure to wear it from time to time when I am with them. (I also admit to wearing these sentimental items when I want to feel that person near me.)
And then there is my wild side that jumps out now and again. A few weeks ago I tied a silk scarf into a bow and wore it as a hat because I love the colors, but the fabric was too darned stiff to wear as a scarf on my small frame. It worked really well to finish off a dramatic outfit for a Musical Connections event. That’s the top picture above, and it remains one of my favorite outfit creations of all time.

I hope you have enjoyed this peek into my style process. There’s always lots more to share, starting with My Lookbook. I’ll save that for next time. Until then, I would love to hear your feedback on this post. While I love finding great pics online, sometimes it’s easier to get my point across if I give you real life examples.

If you need help making great outfits from your closet, fill out my contact form – directly to the right of this blog. I’d love to help you with this transitional season or any of your upcoming events. Happy March!