By now you should be left with an edit of clothes and accessories that you love and enjoy wearing. By clearing away the clutter, other positive aspects will emerge. Hopefully, you will see that your favourite items have similar necklines and skirt lengths, or a particular cut or colour.
You will also be able to spot things that are missing. A great shirt, perhaps? Or not enough tops - aim for five tops to every pair of trousers or skirt. Start making a list of gaps.
On Saturday I showed you the initial stage of my wardrobe detox as I edited and culled my closet. Now we move on to Part 2, where we access what is left in the aftermath.
If you're also undertaking a wardrobe detox this January, how did you get on? Find there's not much left? But with fewer clothes it is now far easier to see what's there and what's missing. I seem to have "edited" my t-shirts the most during this detox! Taking a good look aT what is left, all of my old favourites are those with a high neckline and anything that doesn't fit too tightly. I'll be bearing that in mind when I go shopping next. Anything that doesn't fit properly across my (flat) chest will go back on the shelf and not with me to the checkout!
With such an edited "pile" of pieces to keep, you should now be able to start to define a sense of personal style. Geneva - of A Pair and a Spare - says:
Well, hopefully this pile says something about how you like to dress and what your style is. The clothes that are there you obviously enjoy wearing and (should) look good on you. Ask yourself, what are their characteristics? What do I like about them? What principles of what is in this pile can I apply to my future shopping so that everything in my wardrobe is immensely wearable and enjoyable?
My "keeps" pile seems to be filled mainly with:
 |
| Not my actual clothes - these are just for illustration! |
What items do you find repeated again and again in your wardrobe?
I have also noticed whilst doing this detox that the majority of the remaining items in my wardrobe are in neutral colours: black, white and navy. In her Defining Your Style post, Geneva of A Pair and a Spare, says that her wardrobe motto has to be "keep it simple, stupid". Pretty accurate to how I feel too. This post, which discusses the secret to the elegant of French girls, over at Dead Fleurette is just perfect for a girl looking for a simple minimalist approach to dressing. This is what is said about the French approach to a neutral colour palette:
What does a French mother tell her daughter? “She discusses colors. The basics — black, white, navy, burgundy, and beige — are the foundation of an outfit. Black is especially good because you can wear whatever you want with it. American women tend to mix too many colors, which is distracting, not chic. I’ve also noticed that they often wear trendy shoes, rather than investing in classic, well-made styles."
For years I have felt guilty for buying black when there are other fabulous and bright colours in the same style available but now, looking at my wardrobe, I am glad that I have chosen black on those occasions as those pieces are the ones that stick, the pieces that I wear again and again. I think that I am more comfortable when I accessorise an outfit with colour (like the belt in this outfit) rather than having colour in my outfit.
What colours, or styles, do you find make up the majority of your wardrobe?
Come back later in the week for Part 3. Make sure you don't miss it by following Sugar and Spice on twitter, bloglovin' or feedburner.
*Photo source