Dressing My Truth: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Final Plans for My 30 for 30 Closet Remix

9:07 PM |

Posted by Mystic Comfort |

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So tomorrow starts the big 30 for 30 Remix extravaganza, where the goal is to choose 30 items and wear only those items in 30 different outfit combinations for 30 days.

And though I am still uploading pics and waiting for some of my stuff to get here, I am excited to begin. I can’t wait to see what I discover about my style preferences, and about what works best for me.

To plan my wardrobe choices, I used a combination of the 30 for 30 Remix guide and Heather Claus’ 12 Simple Separates guide.

Here’s where I think I have landed, though last-minute substitutions are still a possibility. Also, some of the pics are from the online catalog, which means they may not be the right color.

CARDIGANS

Brown short-sleeved lace

Grey

Water (blue)

Cloud (light blue)

Denim, ¾ sleeves

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com

TOPS

Tea rose ruffled, long-sleeved

Brown ruffled, short-sleeved

Water tank

Sky blue tank

Cloud tank

Grey tank

Pale sand tank

Pearl pink tank

Dusty green tank

SKIRTS

Maplewood (light brown)

Brown prairie

Brown paisley (multi)

Blue paisley (multi)

DRESSES

Brown, short-sleeved

Water tank dress

PANTS

Dark chocolate

Dark brown

Grey

Maplewood

Desert khaki

Denim palazzo

SHOES

Grey flats

Brown buckle shoes

Brown flats

And there we have it, 29 items! (Still looking for one more pair of shoes)

And I have planned 30+ outfits, but will probably only wear 20 or so, because I am taking weekends off from the challenge. I have made sure to have outfit possibilities to choose from, in case I go to church or somewhere else on the weekend, but probably won’t post about it.

What changes, if any, are you planning for your closet?

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"When you are not dressing your truth, you send a message that conflicts with who you truly are. What you are wearing sends a message to other people which influences their first impression of you. You may be judged in a negative light because your true nature is not being honored by your appearance."
~~Carol Tuttle

Labels: 30 for 30 Remix, Closet Remix, Defining Personal Style |

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Creating a Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget

12:18 AM |

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I am an inveterate shopper. I've shared that as a result of my recent clothing challenge, I have thrown out a lot of clothes that didn't work. And I've begun to replace them.
But these are tough economic times and not everyone can spend the money to create a brand-new wardrobe. So if you need to start on a budget, and create a capsule wardrobe, here are some tips...

Budget-Saving Tips

(1) Obviously, you will first want to explore your own closet for anything that fits your energy type and begin building your capsule wardrobe with whatever you find that you love that loves you back.

(2) And you also can shop low-budget stores such as thrift stores and consignment shops.

(3) Choose one or two colors and build on them to create a wardrobe a few pieces at a time.

Starting Over
But if you know you are going to need to start over, here is a slightly-pared down list adapted from recommendations from StyleYOUniversity.
"With as few as 9 pieces in your wardrobe you can create 20 outfits. The most versatile core wardrobe begins with the following items…" ~~StyleYOUniversity

(1) Two suits (or combination of cardigan and pants if your lifestyle is more casual) in your best neutral shade (solid) (4 pieces)

(2) Two matching blouses (patterned or solid) (2 pieces)

(3) A jacket or cardigan in one of two accent colors you have chosen for your core wardrobe (1 piece)

(4) A skirt or pair of pants in that same color (1 piece)

(5) Blouse in your version of white (your best color) or the other accent color (1 piece)

She suggest that you can get 20 outfits out of the different combinations you can put together. I tried it and I think she is right, thought there may be some combinations you are more fond of than others and thus, are likely to wear more often.

Need to pare down even more than that in your planning? Choose a cardigan, shirt and bottom (skirt or pants) in one color and the same in another color that matches.

Six pieces ~ ten outfits!

See you next time!

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Labels: capsule wardrobe, Core Wardrobe, Dressing Your Truth |

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Saturday, February 26, 2011

Fashion vs. the Type Two

1:09 PM |

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The whole process from planning to participating in a wardrobe challenge is a great way to get to know what you love, what loves you back and what, upon reflection, turn out to be "mistakes" made in the heat of passion.

During the Six Items or Less challenge and just after, when I began planning my next two challenges, I was amazed to discover that the clothes I struggled with the most were clothes that did not fit my type.

Some of them I had known were compromises. I had thought I could get away with them and found that they were the ones that "just weren’t right" when I tried them on or tried to take a picture in them. But others were clothes I had thought were okay and it dawned on me over time that they weren't.

Learning what's best for me as a Dressing Your Truth type two has been a gradual process and I think it is ongoing. But I'm grateful for it, even the mistakes, because they showed me that what I learned in the Dressing Your Truth online course was right!

There are colors and fabrics and styles that are far better for me than others and if I compromise, not only am I unlikely to love it, it's not going to be that into me, either!

What are the mistakes in your closet?

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Labels: Defining Personal Style, Dressing Your Truth, My Dressing Your Truth Experience, Six Items or Less |

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Friday, February 25, 2011

A Month of Style w/ 15 Pieces from the Perfect Spring Style Capsule Wardrobe...

10:00 AM |

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"Smart style is all about strategy and knowing how to find the right items to create countless outfit options! There’s no need to break the bank. With a little creativity, just a few items can go a long way to exponentially expand your wardrobe. By mixing both subtle and statement pieces with basics you may already have in your closet, 15 items can create at least 30 different looks!" ~~CAbi blog

And so many of those items are jackets, Heather Claus, from 365DaysofStyle.com would say you could create up to 80 or more. Finding way to mix and match a minimum number of pieces is the key to style on a budget and not taking forever to decide what to wear!
It also maximizes your choice of accessories because you can choose within the same color families and each accessory will accentuate each outfit you create.

Go here to see the outfits for each week. I wish I had the entire capsule wardrobe! (Or, almost)

See you next time!

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Labels: capsule wardrobe, Core Wardrobe, Defining Personal Style |

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Three in Thirty: How Did You Do This Month? Here's What I Did...

7:46 PM |

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My Goals for the Month…

(1) Spruce up my blog! I am giving it a makeover and trying to get rid of any dead weight. I also want to get more clear about its purpose & develop a fairly permanent posting plan.

(2) Continue making connections with and supporting other bloggers. I'm not sure exactly what that will look like yet. Probably continuing to visit blogs every day, retweet & share posts, etc.

(3) Get more rest ~ and by that, I mean more sleep and more quality time away from work. Weekends off, family time, time alone & sleep.

Next Month...

Just wanted to mention that our 3 in 30 leaders are recommending a focus on our blogging and suggesting the book about taking 31 days to build a better blog. I am participating in a challenge (second time around) that starts in March, takes weekends off and will end in April.

And it uses that book as its focus. They will have questions based on the book that you can answer on their blog if you want.

Wanted to invite you guys to participate, too! That would be great, to have people I know from 3 in 30 participating in this, too, because I try to visit the other blogs of the people in the challenge. And it doesn't matter where you buy the book from, if you were planning to get it from Meghan or Ashley.

For more info about it, go to http://31daysblogchallenge.com/ .

My Three Goals for March…

(1) Choose three items a week for my upcoming Project 333 challenge in April. My plan is to try out five outfits a week this month (although it’s a 30-day challenge, I am going to take weekends off, I think) and pick my three favorites from them. Then, at month’s end, I’ll have a capsule of 12 for my 3-month Project 333 extravaganza.

(2) Use this 30 for 30 Remix to identify/clarify my signature style. From the last challenge, I got pretty clear on long, flowing maxi skirts and dresses. But I want to continue experimenting with outfits to se what else is part of my preferred style.

(3) Take weekends off and nurture my relationships with myself and my family. We don't need to mention that ugly word (*cough* workaholism *cough*), but I have a hard time stopping myself from working, even on weekends.

My Progress for February…

Overall, I'd say I have done pretty well this month, especially considering that February always seems to challenge me. I love my blog's makeover and I have been having a blast connecting with other blogs!

Sleep has gradually improved (though there is certainly still room for improvement!) and I have done better, generally, at taking time off. So all in all, I am pleased with the way my month has gone.

How was your month overall?

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Labels: 3 in 30, 31 Days Blog Challenge, Defining Personal Style |

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How to Plan and Create a Capsule Wardrobe

12:11 AM |

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Nothing to Wear?

Do you ever wander into your closet and feel discouraged because there are clothes in there but it still feels like there is nothing to wear? I used to have that feeling all the time!

The Rewards of Sixing

As you know if you have been reading along, I recently completed the Six Items or Less challenge and that worked wonders for helping me weed out the crap in my closet so that what was left is a closet full of clothes I want to wear.

Fewer clothes, but more choices!

Life as a Type Two

I thought that once I knew my Dressing Your Truth energy type, all of my chosen pieces would mix and match well together because all of the colors would be in harmony. Though that was true, not every piece was right (there was a learning curve to figuring out what was right for me as a type two & what wasn't) and not everything loved me as much as I loved it.

Some of my clothes just weren't that into me!

Creating a Capsule Wardrobe

So, crafting a capsule wardrobe, from what I have learned, so far, has evolved into several steps...

(1) Identifying my energy profile type

(2) Getting rid of anything that isn't my type

(3) Creating a smaller subset of things I love

(4) Letting go of the things that just aren't that into me

(5) Identifying a "uniform" or two that works for me

(6) Putting together a capsule of mix-and-match pieces & accessories

It's that last one that I hope my upcoming challenges will help with because I am going for it! I intend to have a closet full of clothes I adore!

Here's a guide for getting started with adding pieces you will love...

12 Simple Separates

"The goal behind this PDF is to teach you to purchase (or thrift or sew) just 12 basic garments that can be combined into 80 combinations. That’s FOUR MONTHS of work weeks without duplication. 12 garments make 90% of a work wardrobe. Just add shoes and accessories." ~~Heather Claus, 365DaysofStyle.com