Lessons from Style Workshop, part 2

So Style Workshop was the best kind of jump start/reset to the way I think about my clothes and my stuff, and if I'd gotten nothing else out of the exercise other than the words "sustainable, authentic, put-together, and "&" it would have been enough.  But there was more to it, and the ways in which more persists are life-giving and lovely and I am grateful for them.  Sometimes the biggest take-away is that when we're searching for more, what we actually need and want and desire is truly LESS, and more space, and the other word that comes to mind in that is "effortless" which I don't love, but I can see where the natural appeal of the thing that you have worked toward becomes so much a part of you as to be more instinct than effort.  

And I definitely can see wanting that.  So, with some amount of effort at digging through, I give you some things that have been a delight to behold:

-My newly lightened up closet/wardrobe. Before Easter I started the process of putting away 2 bins of fall/winter stuff, and I also bagged up 4 (FOUR!!)13gal trash bags of things to donate as I put away fall/winter. I have 2 trips coming up, so as I build suitcases for spring travel I expect that number to keep going up. I want to make room for more ‘YES’ energy and that means letting go where I’ve hesitated.

-My WIP bags and the mending/alterations pile. A dreamy rayon Zadie is just waiting on hems and maybe a little decorative stitching. There’s a black linen Laurel dress(hacked to have French darts- I just wanted to try!) that I want to sew up. A couple pairs of thrifted RTW linen pants/shorts-all with good pockets- that need to be taken in. A skirt I will love a lot more if I give it pockets. A dress I will love a lot more if I give it better straps.  A dress I need to send along to a new person, but not before I figure out how to hack it and add pockets.

-Functional details, good fit and strong coordination. Strong coordination comes from me listening to back episode of the podcast… and Haley’s rule of 3 is a win!

But also. I don’t want to fuss with my clothes. Bottoms need to fit and stay on, even with things in the pockets! And there should definitely be pockets, or provisions for when there are not.

-Accessories are fun! So I will be making sure these outfits work with sandals! And FUNCTIONAL! Another thing I will be noodling with is a very small purse- like, cell phone, keys, and chapstick- and whether this is a thing I make, or a thing I source as a buy-once item in good leather, or a thing I thrift in a fun bright color... I might even have to switch wallets but it also might be really worth it. 

And finally… my old Trello boards/reminder lists/digital queue. These are showing me ways in which my core style has been around for a long time, and it’s empowering me to start with what I have as distill that as I build a more cohesive wardrobe.

So, that's where I am in the process- noticing what details matter and figuring out where that meets up with the time and the wardrobe I have.  

Going in: Style Workshop and... why now?

 So.  I am gonna do a thing that's kinda weird because internet and, well, society, and I'm just gonna say it... I am 35.
And 35 has been way more... with all the feelings about age/appropriateness/identity than 30 was for me.  There's also the part with juggling a big move right before that big birthday and the changes that came with that, which is all to say that it's been a topsy-turvy year, and I have been on a hunt for fewer choices and more bandwidth.
So, wardrobe planning is a part of that.  
But who even am I at 35? 
So, Style Workshop gave me space to think about that.  I did have to stop and start, but this is where I landed, quoting my post in the Design Your Wardrobe community: 

I have gotten to a place of a closet full of nothing to wear and am realizing that when we moved, and I had this walk in closet for the first time in years, I did some mindless filling up of the space.
I haven’t gone on a hard buying/making freeze but have found myself trying to be more mindful of why I’m spending so much time in thrift stores searching for more and doing style workshop was a really affirming exercise in that it reinforced some of that mindfulness.

All of the words kind of fell under 4 umbrellas so I’m trying to distill them and that in and of itself is an adventure.
my words, right now…
SUSTAINABLE- thrifted, vintage, classic, genuine. Part of sustainable for me is environmental- which first means turning to the wardrobe I have- but also sustainable, as in… it’s important that I’m able to care for the things and they fit in with my life.
AUTHENTIC- rooted and grounded, Southern, instinctive, fun, feminine, strong, wild hair, maintaining self expression. This isn’t going to work if I don’t feel good in my skin and whole in my body. I don’t want to feel like or dress like “just a mom” “just _____” because who I am is never just anything. Who I am is enough.
PUT-TOGETHER- appropriate, fitting in, classy, chic, capable, professional, attractive, red lipstick, capable. Because my vocation and place in the community call for these things, and because the baggage of growing up a woman in the South comes with Expectations and that’s not something I am going to shed overnight… but it’s also a piece I want to claim and carry with authority. I want to show my daughters how to navigate bodies and clothing and the way we go about doing the “put together” thing with authenticity. With strength. With sustainability.

&- not a word but it’s the best thing I could come up with short of saying split personality. Because every week spans getting dressed in athleisure and in a suit and heels, plus a couple of stops in the middle. While I’m never going to rock a sports bra and yoga pants in a board meeting, I do want to find/embrace some chameleon pieces that can fill multiple functions to lean into more simplicity and sustainability.

- - -

So grateful for good tools to identify values as they show up in my clothes, so I can work towards showing up as myself!

Oh, hello there.

 So! 

Not sure anything will come of dusting off a blog that's a million years old... who even BLOGS anymore?

But I am thinking I'd like a longform spot to dig into thoughts about design and wardrobe and round up some of the things happening in my head around redefining style.

I love clothes.

I have real, honest-to-God closet space for the first time in 4 years.  

And I am putting on yoga pants more than I am getting dressed.

So thanks to Seamwork Radio and all of their oh-so-accessible (in some ways) thoughts on wardrobe and style I have been diving back in.  First came The Style Workshop.  Making plans, getting rid of 4 trash bags of clothes at a first pass. You know, the usual.

I will throw posts up in the community, and expand upon them over here.  Because this craving for authenticity and simplicity isn't going anywhere.  

The Queue: Revised

Looking at that long list of projects, I realized that I have about a million things in the Work-in-progress bin, and a lot of them are likely to be declared UFOs- unfinished, never-to-be-finished objects I need to up-cycle or let go.  But some of these things really are worthy things.

Part of what the Stashbusting Sew-Along, which I joined on Facebook, encourages is setting some yearly goals.  I think one of mine is to come to grips with the giant WIP bin, and be realistic about what I find there.

So, with that and my current life in mind, I present my Wardrobe Queue, to be placed back on its page, only a day late.

Wardrobe: Items that will work with at least 4 things I already have in my closet, which fill specific needs, and which fabric and pattern already exist for.  A mix of quick projects and things that will take a little longer.  Properly finishing seams as much as possible.

 Winter

Thurlow pants, by Sewaholic in Hunter Green They're cut, and in a color I've had on my pants wish list.  Everything is together for them.  Just gotta do it to it.
Charcoal dress and jacket.  I have fabric and lining, and even a relatively well-fitting pattern for a professional dress... I just need a simple jacket pattern to accompany it.
 Moji pants, by Seamwork in black. For those nights when I'm teaching or have meetings.
Already have fabric.  I know I will wear them. Without the drawstring but with the cuffs, I think.
Scout tee by Grainline, in red and(if I like it and if/once it fits well) in Liberty.  Heck, if the first one fits well, I'll make several!
Blue Moneta knit dress(Colette), or Mesa knit dress(Seamwork).  Will transition nicely to Spring, and work for some of the same situations the Moji pants will.
Pencil skirt trio in blue, red, and camel wool, all from the same vintage pattern; to be assembled assembly-line style where possible, which will require lots of hand marking.

Spring

Anna Graham's Envelope sleeve dress from her book, in red chambray
Thurlow shorts in twill
Tiny Pocket Tank by Grainline in several cuts of rayon I have waiting for this pattern, also sewn up assembly line style
Easter Wrap Dress in crazy rayon