Project Wardrobe

So what is project wardrobe? And why am I going to blather on about it to you?

Project wardrobe is the pretentious name given to the management of my clothing situation. It allows me to make sure there aren't any wadders lurking beyond their necessary time span (i.e. it will have to do until I have made a new one), cull clothing that is in a very bad shape (a few holes won't necessarily put me off wearing something!), donate anything that is fine but not worn, see what can be recycled into something wearable, and spot any gaps I have in my clothing needs.

Once or twice a year I have a thorough inspection of my clothes. I try to do it when most of the washing has been done so there is a more accurate picture emerging.

It is pleasantly surprising to see how much of my wardrobe is handmade, and that when in season so to speak, a good proportion of it is worn regularly.
Without going to the uber nerdy lengths of writing down what I wear each day, I can make a very good guess at my most popular items. Without a doubt the grey leopard print ponte dress is worn at least once a week, perhaps twice if I'm quick with the laundry. It is perfect for summer and winter and I personally think it bridges casual wear and occasion wear pretty well. I bought the fabric with some Christmas money, so would hazard a guess that this was sewed up January, and it is still in good nick with no bobbles or fading.

Photo taken on holiday in Switzerland

 In the latter half of the year my Ginger jeans have almost never left my butt, I don't have a photo though, you'll just have to trust me! I usually pair them up with a black t-shirt, or if I'm feeling fancy perhaps with a blouse. They will see me though the whole year too, except for the hottest days when only shorts will do.

Borrowing from the Wardrobe Architect series over at Colette, I have a set of colours that (I think) suit me and if an item is sewn up in one of the colours, it has a better chance of being a hit even with other flaws. My set of neutrals are black, grey, navy, and khaki/olive green.

My accent colours are red, purple, and white, although for white it is usually just the colour of the polka dot, or the stripe rather than being a white cardi or anything. Purple is usually just relegated to party wear, and the red is a more comfortable addition with cardigans and accessories, not to mention the lipstick and nail varnish colour of choice.

I should also add that leopard print is a neutral....but I don't typically go out in "natural" leopard all over, the Bet Lynch look is being saved for when I reach my 50's ;) I have a coat that is sadly a bit too small that I will crack out when it fits but otherwise I stick to accents of "natural" leopard. But I have no problem with a leopard print in grey like my ponte dress, I have a skirt in the same fabric, and also two RTW relics in a lighter grey leopard print too. I guess I am just not that rock n roll anymore folks!

So there is the basis of project pretentious, I look at my stuff, and get rid of some of it - genius huh?!

I will go through the cull in my next post, this post is more to do with an overview of the process (pointless maybe, but I blog for myself and I wanted to do it so whatever really!).