Dressing For Your Current Lifestyle
“Building a proper wardrobe is like building a home. Indeed, you should think of it like a home, because it is something you’re going to live in. It must be comfortable and suit all your needs. — Edith Head”
In an age of style influencers, celebrities, fashion runways, Instagram posts, and Pinterest Boards it is easy to get caught up in style envy when it comes to fashion. I’m as susceptible as the next gal to lusting after a gorgeous evening gown complete with 4” heels, but those looks go straight into my “fantasy lifestyle” folder because they have nothing to do with my current lifestyle. If your closet is filled with clothing from a past lifestyle or one you just dream of for the future, it may be time to consider a wardrobe re-alignment.
In the last two posts in this series we focused on Dressing Your Unique Body Signature and Dressing Using Your Seasonal Line-of-Design.
Building a wardrobe that is reflective of your current lifestyle is one more key to developing an authentic personal style.
Do you spend most of your days at home mucking about in the garden and walking the dogs? You’re going to need sturdy garments that are wash & wear in breathable fabric.
Or perhaps you spend your days meeting with clients out of your home office and you need to have business casual outfits that reflect your services or products.
Maybe you love to visit museums, attend workshops or meet up with friends for lunch. You need something relevant & chic but not overdressed, something appropriate for each venue.
Whatever your current lifestyle, you’ll want to make sure that your wardrobe is able to truly support it.
A great place to start is by coming up with a key word for your lifestyle. A few examples might be: Active, Professional, Fashionista, Outdoorsy, Homebody, Entertainer, Adventurer, Urbanite, Beachcomber, Ski-bunny etc.
Also take note of the climate where you are currently living. Do you need clothing for mostly warm weather, cold weather, or all four seasons?
Maybe you have 2 distinct lifestyles, one for your business and one for your leisure time or one lifestyle/location for Fall/Winter and another for Spring/Summer.
Once you’ve identified the essence of your lifestyle and location then it’s time to start researching who might be designing, modeling and selling outfits for women with similar lifestyles/location to yours.
By focusing in on style influencers, designers and retailers that are modeling/creating the kind of clothing you need for your current lifestyle & location, you’ll find lots of inspiration to take your style to the next level. If you aren’t sure where to start, try typing your lifestyle + outfits (i.e. outdoorsy outfits) into a Pinterest search or even a google images search and see what comes up.
And don’t forget to look at retailers that are just out of reach of your budget for additional inspiration — that way you’ll develop an eye for the finer nuances of the styles that work for your current lifestyle & location so you can recreate those looks with some savvy shopping at thrift stores or during the end- of - season sales.
How would you define your current lifestyle? Does your current wardrobe support it? Where do you find your style inspiration and who is designing and selling the garments you need to build your stylish wardrobe?