Building a Wardrobe from the Ground Up

This is something we will all have to face as we reach goal.  A friend of mine recently cleared out her closet and rebuilt her wardrobe and her self-image. She hadn't lost weight or gained weight--she just decided she was in a rut and she needed to start over.  Her thoughts on the process were amazing, and with her permission, I'm sharing them here.

I am not an organized/logical person so was a little daunted at what I'd be facing in a few months (I hope).  This is written for women, but I think with very little adjusting it might work for men, too.  Tell me what you think, and if you have had other ideas and approaches that have worked!

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Identify the items of clothing that have been:

1. absolute favorites of any time in your life
2. things you turn to time and time and time again
3. things you have so loved that you've worn them out

Then see what they have in common. Might be color. Might be what they're made of. Might be the style. Might be where they hit you on your body.

Also ask yourself how you felt wearing them. "Confident." "Comfortable." "Free." "Capable." "Sexy." Whatever adjectives come to mind.

Everyone needs clothes to wear for everyday, everyone needs one or two outfits for dressing up, feelin' fine occasions, and everyone needs something that you can wear to a funeral on no notice. 

Most basic wardrobes involve really easy decisions: X pants (or skirts if you wear them by preference or for social reasons) in basic colors Y, Z, and A. A really comfortable pair of jeans for doing yard work. A really comfortable pair of jeans that looks like you haven't gardened in them all day. Tops in colors they like to wear. Something to keep warm. Some fripperies for being feminine, flamboyant, serious, or whatever different things you might feel like being at a given moment. 

It's not hard; it's loads of fun; the results make one comfortable and happy and able to forget about clothes (if you wish) or to think about them in ways that make you happy (if you wish).

Thanks for this- I'm bookmarking it so I can re-read again before it's shopping time :)

It was interesting to me because I realized that an outfit I tore out of a magazine and stuck on the fridge door is very much influenced by my favorite dress when I was a senior in high school!  The idea of remembering those few special things that I loved and being aware of them as I build a new wardrobe really clicked with me.

Obviously styles change, but if you figure out why you loved something before, it might help you find something you love now.

Thanks for the post. It's a great subject. I found a book called The Luckey shopping guide really helpful when I was buying new clothes because of weight gain. I plan on using it when I get to goal. It has A LOT of great pointers regarding specific styles and cuts of clothes based on your body type.

Love it! As you were describing things (favorite), those items immediately came to mind. I am having a hard time getting rid of my favorites and this helped me realize I can find something similar again - find the common link! I really appreciated the note about 'something for a funeral on no notice'. Terrible to have to deal with but cannot say how many times people are faced with a tough situation and then have to try to find something to wear, too.