Wardrobe Architect Week 12: Adding Accessories

Rather than making a list of requirements for my functional and decorative accessories and deciding how many I need of each, I’m going to focus on the things I think are missing from my current accessory collection. The items below are more inspiration than specific shopping list, especially since accessories are, by definition, not essential and therefore not as high on my to-make-or-get list.

Hat & Sunglasses

2015-06-24_01_Hats-and-Sunglasses

 

Ultrafino Monte Cristo Straw Fedora Panama Hat // Ray-Ban RB2132 New Wayfarer Sunglasses

I’m fair-skinned and fair-haired with light eyes, so these are a no-brainer. I really like how I look in hats, but I only own one: a lightweight athletic hat I picked up for a trip last summer, more practical than pretty. I think I’d like to get something with a slightly tailored fit (rather than a big floppy-brimmed number), like a straw fedora or a Panama hat.

On the other side of the equation, since I got contacts and can finally wear whatever sunglasses I want, I’ve been paralyzed trying to find a pair I like. Everything I’ve tried either overwhelms my face, or doesn’t feel at all like me. I don’t need trendy or statement-making shades, I just need something that doesn’t make me look and/or feel like an idiot! Suggestions welcome.

Shoes

2015-06-24_02_Shoes

Dr. Scholls Friendly Striped Ballet Flat // Audrey Brooke Newport Metallic Flat
Me Too Buckle Reptile Ballet Flat // Franco Sarto Jinelle Flat Sandal
Franco Sarto Jinelle Flat Sandal // Crown Vintage Marley Flat Sandal
Kelly & Katie Brice Wedge Sandal // Kelly & Katie Madeline Wedge Sandal

I’ve been living in a pair of black ballet flats since the weather turned warm. Before they completely fall apart, I’d like to pick out a new pair or two in my new palette. The navy and white stripes are right up my alley, but gold and red are both versatile choices that I’ve been meaning to add to my collection for a while. I wish I could rock a pair of boat shoes, because I think they’re quintessentially summer attire and I hear they’re pretty comfy, but every pair I’ve tried on just didn’t look right. *sigh*

I’d really, really like to get a pair of flat sandals this summer. I have a pair of white slip-ons, but they’re not great for a lot of walking because they’re slip-ons—I need some kind of security otherwise I’m liable to fall off my shoes. I love that sandals come in a rainbow of happy colors these days. What I don’t love is that so many styles are just so dang uncomfortable! I’ve avoided thong styles and their accompanying chafing, but it’s a crapshoot whether the insoles on most sandals offer any cushioning. Here’s hoping this summer’s search is more fruitful than last year’s.

Finally, I’d like to throw in a pair of low wedges for variety. Anything to occasionally lengthen the ol’ leg line is much appreciated by this petite.

Bags

2015-06-24_03_Bags

Striped Weekender Handbag – Gray // Vertical Buckles Backpack Handbag // Tote Handbag with Strap

Strictly speaking, I don’t need any more bags, but I do love them so, and it’s nice to have a bag suited to every purpose and occasion. For example, Justin and I make a weekend trip to visit family every couple of months, and we usually share a rolling suitcase for our stuff. Sometimes it isn’t big enough, but the next size up in the set is way larger than we need for such a short trip. I used to have utilitarian duffel bag, but it was retired when the strap on it broke; it would be nice to replace it with something pretty. A small, backpack-style bag would be nice for outings to the flea market or along one of Raleigh’s many greenways, because I could bring my usual kit while leaving my hands free and avoiding the switch-shoulders-every-15-minutes game. Bonus: both the weekender and the backpack coordinate with a wallet, purse, and tote I already own—matching for the win! The green purse is just for color, since all of my other purses are neutral.

Jewelry

Anything colorful and a little statement-making. Natural materials and textures, like leather, are fun too. I definitely favor graphic over intricate or ornate. Beyond that, I don’t know. There are so many pieces of beautiful handmade jewelry online that I have no idea how to narrow it down, let alone choose.

That about sums it up. Ours is not a climate for scarves, even lightweight ones (too humid), so these are the things I reach for when I head out the door in the morning.

Do you use colorful accessories to mix things up and keep outfits fresh, or do you tend to stick to neutral accessories and wear more interesting outfits? Maybe you go for head-to-toe neutrals for a timeless look that goes with anything, anywhere?

Outfit Along 2015

As my Wardrobe Architect exercises have undoubtedly made abundantly clear, I haven’t been so good about buying or making clothes that work together over the last few years…or ever. Like a lot of people, I find a thing I need or a thing I like (preferably something that ticks both boxes) and go for it, without really considering if I can wear it more than one way. Sometimes that’s okay, but mostly it makes me one of those people that has plenty of clothing and yet has “nothing to wear.”

So when Lauren Taylor of Lladybird announced that she and Andi Satterlund of Untangling Knots would be teaming up again to host the 2015 Outfit Along, I was all over it like dog hair on a date night dress. What’s an outfit along? It’s a friendly challenge where you commit to sewing a garment and knitting a garment that are designed to be worn together. Lauren and Andi have picked a dress pattern and a cropped cardigan pattern, respectively, and throughout June and July they’ll be providing construction tips on their blogs. Participants can post their completed garments in the OAL 2015 Finished Outfits thread in the Untangling Knots group on Ravelry; garments completed by the July 31 deadline are eligible for nifty prizes and the adulation of their peers (but mostly prizes :-)).

The official sewing pattern is McCall’s M6887, which I picked up in a recent pattern haul. I’m planning to sew View A, which has an adorable back cut-out. 2015-06-20_1_Dress-Supplies

The fabric, which I believe is a cotton lawn, is something I picked up several months ago from JoAnn intending to make the Simplicity 1419, the Lisette Round Trip Dress. Sadly, that style is just not for me, as several yards of wadded up muslin will attest. Luckily, it’s enough fabric for the OAL pattern, and it’s a good match for my spring/summer capsule palette. I’d like to think I already had a burgeoning sense of my style preferences, but the reality is that it’s more of a happy accident, as I really just wanted something bright and cheery while we were still in the midst of freezing temps.

The official knitting pattern is Vianne, a cropped cardigan with a mesh back panel. It didn’t really speak to me, and I can’t help but think the mesh would look a little strange with the back cut-out. So I decided to substitute Marion, one of Andi’s other patterns.

2015-06-20_2_Sweater-Progress

Not too shabby, eh? I started knitting the first week of June, and I’m already to the point where I can start knitting the bottom band. It’s amazing how quickly something flies off the needles when said needles are US 10s. (The pattern calls for US 8s, which is already at the upper end of the range usually given for worsted weight. I went up a needle size preemptively when I swatched, but it wasn’t enough, so I went up again to get gauge.)

Unfortunately, I discovered an error in the final cable repeat on both sides: I made the cable travel too soon, so it isn’t positioned correctly to flow neatly into the bottom band. I was going to just leave the cable and slightly modify the band pattern instead, but after sleeping on it I realized that it’s going to bug me even if no one else can see it. I’m going to attempt to correct the problem without ripping out all of the rows (about 12), but if I completely flub, that will be my only option. Wish me luck!

P.S. The background of those photos is a sneak-peak at another project, a finished one, that I’ll share tomorrow.

Wardrobe Architect Week 11: Planning My Pieces

Two weeks since my last Wardrobe Architect post, yikes! With only a three weeks left in the series including this one, you may well have wondered why I didn’t post on time, especially when I’d expressed so much excitement for planning garments and outfits. I certainly wanted to, but when Wednesday showed up in the middle of the week (as it has a habit of doing) I didn’t actually have a plan. And I knew if I threw together a list of whatever popped into my head while I was sitting at the computer, I’d end up with a list of pieces I wasn’t 100% thrilled about, which is a recipe for a) making a bunch of clothes that I won’t wear, or b) going off the rails and ending up with a closet full clothes that are just as disjointed as I have now. So I mulled it over, looked through my recent pattern acquisitions again, and came up with something that I’m pretty stoked about.

2015-06-17_1_Capsule-Wardrobe

1st Row Four fitted t-shirts: one white, one aqua, one with navy and white stripes, and one red with a white print.  I’d like to try out the Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick Tonic Tee pattern—it’s designed specifically for petites, and it’s free!

2nd Row Two drapey camis made with McCall’s M6359, one in coral and one in yellow. One drapey sleeveless button-down in green; I really like the Portofino shirts from Express, so I’ll keep my eye out for one in a nice cheery Kelly green.

3rd Row Two drapey open-front cardigans, one in navy and one in smoke. It’s a toss-up whether I’ll make these with McCall’s M6084 or buy them from Express. I have two of the latter already that I really like, but I may not be able to get them in the color I want; on the flip side, I know good sweater knits can be tricky to find in fabric stores.

4th Row Three fitted cardigans in green, yellow, and white. I’m knitting the green cardigan already, and will probably knit rather than sew the other two as well. I haven’t picked specific patterns yet, but have plenty of options to choose from in my Ravelry queue.

5th Row A woven khaki pencil skirt made with Simplicity 1465; a knit navy pencil skirt made with Simplicity 1465; and a woven, elastic-waist swishy skirt in some print (not necessarily the fabric or even the color pictured) made with Simplicity 1662.

6th Row A Lady Skater dress, a woven McCall’s M7156, a knit McCall’s M7116 View A, and a knit McCall’s M7116 View C. All of the fabrics are just placeholders, although I’ll probably be looking for things in similar colors and patterns.

7th Row Two pairs of shorts, one in navy ikat (totally ripping off Lauren here) made with the Grainline Studio Maritime Shorts pattern or similar, and one in white, which I already own. Two pairs of leggings, one in smoke and one in navy, made with McCall’s M6173. And—if can miraculously find them in a store, be it retail or fabric—one pair of coral jeggings.

That’s a pretty ambitious list, to say the least. I doubt I’ll get through all of it by the end of the summer. The biggest hurdle will be sourcing and buying fabric and yarn, since I’m trying to sock away money for a big upcoming purchase at the same time. But I’ll go crazy if I don’t have a steady stream of projects, and my wardrobe desperately needs an infusion of new pieces, so I’ll be looking for economical ways to make this capsule wardrobe a reality. I’m open to suggestions if you’ve got them!

Wardrobe Architect Week 10: The Capsule Palette

Easily the best part of the Wardrobe Architect series is the way each assignment builds upon the previous ones. No task feels frivolous, and as I’ve worked through them my confidence in my choices, in my overall direction, has grown. Back in Week 5 I identified a color palette that speaks to me; in Week 6 I organized my palette into neutrals, nearly neutrals, and statement colors; and today I’m going to narrow my palette down to the colors I want to focus on for my spring/summer wardrobe.

Neutrals

2015-05-27_1_Neutrals

White was a given. Next I added Camel, but when I started thinking about the other colors I wanted to include, I realized that Khaki makes more sense, so I made a substitution. Justin suggested adding Graphite, but I went with Smoke instead for something a little softer and, I think, more suited to warmer weather.

Nearly Neutrals

2015-05-27_2_Nearly-Neutrals

 

This was a no-brainer: I knew weeks ago that my palette was going to be anchored by and revolve around Navy. I feel happy every time I look at it.

Statement Colors

2015-05-27_3_Statement-Colors

I kid you not—I agonized over this section at first, which is silly, because the whole point of this exercise is to make wardrobe-building less stressful.

Initially I was thinking Red, Mustard, and Kelly Green, but I felt like I needed a fourth color and I couldn’t settle on one that matched enough of the others. I entertained the idea of adding Purple, but the truth is, while purple used to be my favorite color, and I have several pieces of clothing and jewelry that are purple, I find it difficult to pair with other colors. (This is probably because I’ve avoided yellow for a long time. I thought I couldn’t wear yellow because I’m a fair-skinned blonde, but I’ve since been disabused of that notion by my dear mother and husband.) I’m happy to have a few special purple pieces, but I just wasn’t excited by the prospect of making a bunch of things in that color.

Next I considered Powder Blue, Mint, and Petal Pink. I consider them all solid spring colors, and I’d definitely like to have them represented in my closet, but as the high heat of summer approaches, I’m craving bright, peppy colors instead of pastels.

I started to wonder if I’d made a horrible mistake when assembling my initial palette, since I was no longer feeling certain about the options I’d given myself to work with, and then I found Crafting a Rainbow‘s Me-Made-May 2013 wrap-up, which included a palette with several of the colors I’d been considering, plus a few I hadn’t thought of. So I shamelessly lifted some of her choices. (Thanks, Gillian!) Suddenly, everything clicked into place and I felt confident once more.

With that solved, I assembled a final palette showcasing the colors I’ll be aiming to work with over the next few months:

2015-05-27_4_Spring-Summer-2015-Palette

Seeing it all in one place makes me so excited, I kind of want to squee. I’m already daydreaming about the outfits I’ll be able to create, but I’m resisting the urge to purchase any fabric or yarn until I’ve got a more concrete plan. Soon, soon…

Wardrobe Architect Week 9: The Capsule Wardrobe

Like Sarai, I was initially skeptical of the capsule wardrobe, a collection of 20–33 items of clothing that function as the basis of your wardrobe. Her issue was a lack of confidence and, as a result, enthusiasm: she was never sure if she’d picked the right items to make up her capsule wardrobe, so she tended to deviate from her plan, which perpetuated the issue of having nothing that went with anything else.

My issue, which stemmed from a misunderstanding of how it works once assembled, was concern that it would stifle creativity, both in dressing and in shopping/making. Since capsule wardrobes are often talked about in the context of minimalism, there’s a lot of stress on “paring down” or “purging,” and an unspoken expectation that once you’ve completed your capsule wardrobe, there’s little need to buy or make new things except for special occasions. In fact, there’s nothing left to do but cycle through perfectly mixed-and-matched outfits every day and breezily exclaim about how much easier it is to get dressed and how much time you’ve saved (or something like that).

Of course, none of these things are entirely or necessarily true. The truth is that a capsule wardrobe doesn’t have to be the end of your wardrobe unless you want it to be. It’s simply the thing you’re trying to match up to when you’re considering buying or making a new garment and ask yourself, “What would I wear this with?” It would, in theory, provide most or all of the pieces you needed if you had to make an emergency weekend trip and had 15 minutes to pack your bag.

To get the most out of a capsule wardrobe, you can and should set your own rules. The number and type of items isn’t something to be handed down by an “expert;” it varies based on the number and variety of activities you’re regularly involved in. You can re-visit and tweak your capsule wardrobe at any time. You’re not even limited to a single capsule wardrobe—based on your climate, you might have two, three, or four capsules to reflect the seasons.

And the best part about it? Having a capsule wardrobe is not incompatible with sewing frosting, or splurging on the perfect accessory that only matches one outfit. The capsule wardrobe is a foundation that you can build upon with more unusual or niche pieces. It’s not all-or-nothing. Whew!

With that said, here are some silhouettes that I’ve been thinking about for building a Summer 2015 capsule wardrobe:

2015-05-20_Capsule-Wardrobe-Silhouettes

Following Sarai’s example, these aren’t the exact outfits I want to make or the colors I’d want them in—for instance, I’m not sure if I’m keen on the neckline of the dress, but it was the best example I could find of a fit-and-flare dress with a circle skirt not modeled by a person—but I think they capture the spirit of the things I like to wear in late spring and throughout summer. I’ll probably throw in drapey cardigans as well. (The only reason I didn’t include them here is that I thought of them after I’d already started to put together my collage and didn’t want to disrupt the symmetry.)

I got stuck after two silhouettes, even though I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with so few, so Justin very helpfully suggested #3. That, in turn, reminded me that a coworker had been wearing an outfit very similar to #4, and I took notice of it because I liked it so much, so I added that as well.

Reviewing everything together, I feel like I have solid options to work with. I can hardly wait to start matching silhouettes to colors and patterns so I have a guide for future fabric shopping and sewing projects!