Developing Style Versus Wardrobe Planning

There is a fundamental difference between developing style and wardrobe planning.  Learn what it is!

We are endlessly fascinated with the subject of personal style and how to achieve it.  And rightly so!  Discovering and then developing your style expression is key to looking great from day-to-day.  But this is not wardrobe planning. 

Before we talk about wardrobe planning,  let's first examine what style development is all about.  Finding and developing your personal style is all about figuring out what looks best on you.  It involves choosing the colors that flatter you the most and the silhouettes that enhance your figure.  It covers discovering your style persona and how you want the world to see you.  It involves learning how to put outfits together.  It also includes deciding what makeup and hairstyle best compliment your whole look.  This is what most image consultants focus on, and what most articles in magazines like to talk about. 

But just because you have all the above figured out does not guarantee that you will have a great wardrobe.  We self-sabotage our efforts to look great when we stop short of the next level -- wardrobe planning. 

If you've ever had an overabundance of certain items in your closet (let's just say black turtlenecks) and you find yourself buying yet one more because you know you like them; or if you've ever purchased a fabulous pair of pants only to discover after the fact that nothing you own goes with them and so they go unworn; or if you are counting on wearing that amazing LBD to your Christmas party only to discover at the last minute that it no longer fits; or if you open your closet door and ten years of accumulated clothes stare back at you:  you are the victim of a lack of wardrobe planning. 

What exactly IS wardrobe planning?

Wardrobe planning is:

• Taking your style and strategically translating it to your actual closet of clothes. 
  

• Making sure that all the pieces of your wardrobe are functional and in rotation to be worn sometime this season.

• Knowing that you have all the elements of an outfit planned out in advance  so that you never have to worry about whether something looks good with something else.

• Seasonally reviewing your wardrobe to decide what stays and what gets replaced so that your wardrobe remains current and fresh.

• Caring for your clothes so that they stay in the best possible shape for the longest time possible.

• Being aware of current trends so you can decide if and how you wish to incorporate them into your existing wardrobe.

• Staying in touch with your image and self-expression needs so that you always feel comfortable in the wardrobe that you have, and so you are always certain that the image you present to the world is consonant with who you are and where you are going.

• Continuing to improve the quality of your wardrobe over time.
  

Now that you know what wardrobe planning is, you can see how it is vital to having a functional wardrobe with optimum performance.   In the next article on capsule wardrobes, you'll see just why one popular method of wardrobe planning falls short.


Jennifer Skinner, Wardrobe Planning Expert


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