So then, after drafting that seemingly narrowed-down list of key garments to be made in the nearest term possible, I began trying to put onto paper all of the various outfit combo possibilities those garments open up. I can draw outfits one helluva lot faster than I can make the clothes, but I can’t draw them half as fast as I can think them up. (I need to consider the possibility that I may actually be addicted to Fashionary.) Reeling it in, I thought I’d do what I did last April and take it one bottom at a time — this time concentrating just on winter outfits (while trying to be vaguely mindful of how things transition) and using only garments that I either own already or are on the immediate to-make list. (That was where my April efforts failed me: too vague.) Maybe I’m a lame-o who ran immediately to her comfort zone, or maybe I’m a genius who subconsciously thought it would be wise to start with her uniform first, but after the above Bottom Number 1 outfits were on paper, I realized I had, in fact, started with my uniform first. Intentional or otherwise, in retrospect I can recognize the genius of that. This is really wardrobe triage I’m doing right now, more than wardrobe planning. So by all means, uniform first!
What that really means — to me, at least — is I’m starting with the one “silhouette” (am I the only one who cringes at that word?) that comes most naturally to me, especially in the depths of winter. The skinny pants in these drawings are a super-thick black ponte pair I bought at J.Crew several years ago. I actually have two pair. Every winter I think I’m done with them, and every winter I wind up living in them. They’re somewhere between leggings and pants, and I do believe in keeping my rear-end covered in them, no matter how dense they are, but I also just love the long-over-skinny silhouette. My legs are a little short for my height, so the best overall look for me is a shorter, boxier top layer — whether a sweater or vest of some kind — over the long top, over the skinny pants, with chunky boots.
So I’ve got the pants. I’ve got multiple cardigans that work here (my Amanda, my trusty old camel cardigan, and my Bellows is borderline long for this, but I can get away with it). I’ve got many vest options (knitted, denim, cargo, trench …). I bought two long-sleeved wool workshirts a few weeks ago at Hey Rooster, made in the US by Fischer; one is heather grey and looks awesome with every vest I own, including my Cowichan-ish vest. What I’m lacking are the three core pieces from last week’s list that are now officially my starting point: the tunic-length tee, the sleeveless band-collar tunic and the woven alt-sweater. As soon as I make some final decisions about colors/fabrics from my stash, I’ll be ready to start cutting!
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PREVIOUSLY in Wardrobe Planning: Mind the gaps
