Saturday, May 5, 2018

How to Curate your Perfect Wardrobe

Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography
Photo by Rachel Dwyer Photography

Hello! The journey to discovering your signature personal style and curating your perfect wardrobe can be a long one but well worth it. Fashion constantly changes but style doesn't. I've worked hard on getting my signature sense of style ~just right~ and have built my perfect wardrobe in the process. It's taken a lot of work to get there but it makes getting ready in the mornings much, MUCH easier. 

The key to curating your perfect wardrobe? Editing your wardrobe- and often. I go through my wardrobe on a monthly basis (sometimes even more frequently!) to edit it down to MY essentials. It's important to note that everyone's wardrobe "essentials" will be different. 

There's nothing that I hate more than those lists of "wardrobe essentials for everyone." You know what lists I mean- the ones that list the most B-O-R-I-N-G garments that everyone "needs." The writers behind these lists act like everyone dresses the same and usually suggest pieces like a white tee shirt, dressy flats, a denim jacket, etc. as wardrobe essentials. Basics shouldn't be your wardrobe essentials (unless that's your style- then you do you.) Please never let anyone tell you what pieces you "need" in your wardrobe. Like nah, boo, wardrobe essentials differ from person to person. Editing and curating your perfect wardrobe will help you discover which pieces are YOUR wardrobe essentials. 

Schedule a couple of hours to go through your wardrobe and delve into your own journey to your perfect wardrobe. Do your laundry before you start editing so you can see truly everything in your wardrobe. If you haven't gone through your wardrobe in a while, this initial edit will be a lot of work. A lot of work but work damn well worth it. You're going to want to look at every single item in your wardrobe. If this seems intimidating at first because you haven't gone through your wardrobe in a while, try breaking it up into categories and work on those categories at different times. 

As you're going through the items in your wardrobe, there are a few questions to ask yourself: when did I last wear this? am I excited to wear this again? does it fit? do I like how I look/feel when I wear it? It's wise to try on items that you aren't sure about either. Put items that you haven't worn in months, aren't excited to wear again or items that don't fit to the side. Try taking them to a local consignment shop, selling them online or donating them to a thrift shop. 

It's great to be practical but you should LOVE every single item in your wardrobe. Don't hold on to items solely because you feel like you ~need~ it in your wardrobe as an essential. If you don't love it, it's not a wardrobe essential for you. Get rid of those pieces that you don't love and replace them with garments that make you feel like a million bucks every time you wear them. 

You'll probably notice patterns as you edit your wardrobe. Maybe you're getting rid of a lot of a specific color or style of garment. Take note of this and buy less like those pieces. You'll probably also notice that you have more of a certain style, color or print in your wardrobe. Those pieces are YOUR wardrobe essentials. Editing your wardrobe frequently enough will allow you to create your perfect wardrobe. And do you know how much easier it is to pick out an outfit in the morning when you're in love with your own wardrobe? Much, much easier! 

My wardrobe essentials include sky-high platform heels, printed mini dresses, garments in pretty pink hues and obnoxious sunglasses. They might not work as essentials for a lot of people but hey, they work for me. What are some of your wardrobe essentials? 

Photos by Rachel Dwyer Photography. You can browse through more of her work on her website here or her Instagram here

Bell sleeve top: c/o SheIn
Black and white star skirt: Shop Evolve
Pink jacket: Vintage, c/o LA Retro Girl
Statement bag: Thrifted Guess
Statement sunglasses: c/o Giant Vintage
Black heels: Jeffrey Campbell via Poshmark

Follow

5 comments: