Today’s FBFF Questions are all about outfit planning. Or, as I like to think of it; why I wear
what I wear when I wear it. And given
yesterday’s conversation about psychotic weather and today’s outfit, these
questions are actually pretty timely for me.
Please to let me explain below.
First, this is what I wore today:
Black leggings (Target) layered under a navy and blue skirt
(also Target) with a black micro-ribbed tank (yes, more Target) layered under a
coral waterfall cardigan (Nordstrom). I
added cuffed boots (Chinese Laundry), a tassel pendant (Old Navy), vintage
bracelet (Lil’ Gypsy) and earrings (Nikki Jacoby Jewelry via 2011 Crafty
Wonderland). Sure that’s a lot of Target
for one outfit, but it was comfortable.
And colorful. That’s a win-win in
my opinion.
Now to the questions:
1. How
do you go about picking your outfit for the day? (Do you lay stuff out the night before? Do you plan a whole week's worth of looks Sunday night? Do you wing it every morning?)
It depends. My
outfits are generally a combination of planning and winging it. In fact, today’s outfit is just one such
example of a combination of planning and winging it. The winging it portion
comes from the fact that this outfit is a direct result of my not having put my
laundry away. As it turns out, the skirt
and cardigan ended up next to each other on my desk chair, I liked the look of
them together and went from there.
The planning portion comes from the fact that I ride my bike
to work and therefore weather considerations force me to be a least somewhat
thoughtful in what I wear.
Terri asked me yesterday how I stay dry riding to work.
I don’t.
And I don’t even try.
I’m lucky
that my ride is only about 10-12 minutes each way.
Yes, if it’s pouring I get soaked, but I’m
usually able to get away with only getting a little damp.
And a little dampness is manageable because I
make sure I wear clothes that dry quickly.
I am in skirts and tights most of the winter in part because they dry more
quickly than jeans.
Leggings also dry
fairly quickly – which is another reason for today’s outfit.
It’s supposed to rain off and on and just in
case it’s on while I’m on my bike, I chose leggings and a skirt instead of
jeans.
I will say though, that I’m trying to be better about
planning outfits. At least to the point
of having something in mind if not laid out.
To that end, I keep a list of outfits I’d like to try. These may be outfit ideas that I get from a
blog or in a magazine, or just those that I come up with while staring into my
closet. Of course, many of the outfits
on the list are often better in theory and often don’t make it out of the
house.
I have never, ever planned a whole week’s worth of looks on
a Sunday. I can’t even plan a week’s
worth of looks to go on vacation. I just
throw a bunch of stuff in a bag and pray I have enough underwear.
2. Do
you try stuff on and then take pics to see how it looks, like Cher in Clueless?
Anybody who has read my blog knows I don’t do this. No, instead, I like to be surprised by how
terrible an outfit photographs right before I post the pictures. It’s more fun that way.
3. And
are you consistent in your planning or lack thereof, or is your planning limited to special events?
Planning?
What planning?
Seriously, I don’t even always plan for
special events.
This outfit, for a
girls’ night out and friend’s birthday party?:
Yeah, I came up with that half an hour before I was supposed
to be at the bar (which is an hour away).
But, even for this event, I think I only figured out what I
was going to wear the week of the event.
And I was still not that confident in my decision. At least not until I saw the pictures, so
that was a nice change.
4. Do
you have a way of keeping track of which outfits you wore when?
Yes. I have a
blog. It’s called Fashion for Giants and
word on the street is that it’s hugely popular among tall people and/or people
who appreciate the sublimely ridiculous.
All kidding aside, I don’t worry too much about when I wore
an outfit. I’m more conscious of when I
wore a particular piece, especially if it’s something noticeable. For example, I am going to try not to wear my
hot pink pints every week. I’m going to
limit them to every other week.
5. How
do you come up with new clothing combinations? (An app? Computer program? Trial and error?)
Wait? What? They have an app for that? Huh.
Technology, it’s amazing. But, I
don’t use it. The list I mention above
is a hand-written list, which I keep in my handbag, of ideas for new clothing
combinations.
Sure, it’s old-fashioned, but when the zombie apocalypse
happens, I’ll still have that list of ways to look fashionable while fleeing
the living dead and everyone else will just have to wear whatever comes to mind
because they lost their fancy app/program.
Want ideas for actually planning outfits?
Visit Katy Rose at
Modly Chic for a list of
this week’s FBFF participants.
There is
bound to be someone who actually plans their outfits.
And have a wonderful weekend, Everyone!
Gracey
