Your Personal Guide To Developing a Versatile and Functional Wardrobe
Like many things in life, your wardrobe should serve you a purpose. If you’re experiencing closet chaos, having difficulties putting together the right outfits, or have a closet full of outdated items you no longer love, it’s time for you to re-evaluate your wardrobe! Shopping for your closet is an investment, which requires time and money. Therefore, it is essential to build a wardrobe that is versatile and functional consisting of items that you love and want to wear.
What is a functional wardrobe?
A functional wardrobe is versatile and incorporates clothing and accessories that best fit your lifestyle needs as well as your personal taste. Building a functional wardrobe is essential and is the foundation of having a sustainable closet. When developing a functional wardrobe, it is important to consider your inner essence, personal taste, lifestyle needs and fit.
4 Key Building Blocks for Curating a Functional Wardrobe
1. Lifestyle
One of the most important components of a functional wardrobe is your lifestyle. Your lifestyle is your way of life; it reflects how you spend your time on a day-to-day basis taking into consideration activities such as work, school, socializing, and hobbies. The way we dress tends to be a direct reflection of what we do or enjoy doing; therefore our wardrobe should serve this purpose.
For instance, a business exec's wardrobe may contain a majority of professional attire such as suits and ties, whereas a fitness guru's closet may contain more comfortable active-leisure clothing.
Tip: Assess your lifestyle by thinking of how you typically spend your days. List the different activities or ways you spend your time within a given day, then consider the level of dress style for each. For instance, your activities may include work, school, errands, meetings, socializing, chores, and exercising. Whereas your level of dress might be professional, smart, casual, or athleisure.
2. Inner-Essence
Personality is another element to consider when building a functional wardrobe which is linked to your inner essence. Who we are and how we feel often goes hand in hand with how we choose to dress and without a doubt, aid a functional wardrobe development. For instance, think of a time when you wore an outfit that expressed your authentic self, now think of how it made you feel. Staying true to your core essence while curating your wardrobe will not only boost your confidence but can make building outfits feel like second nature.
Tip: Consider your authentic self and essence, and then think of styles you are naturally drawn to or ones that embody who you are. Identify colours that elevate your mood, and even ones you don't feel connected to. Curate your functional wardrobe with these thoughts in mind.
3. Fit
Have you ever tried on something in your closet that you hated the fit of? Or an item that felt unflattering? Due to the mass production of clothing these days, fit is an important consideration when shopping or curating a functional wardrobe. With unique physical features, fit determines how an item looks on us as well as makes us feel. Consider key physical features such as body shape, type, proportions, and height in order to find the best fit that complements and adds interest. As an example, women under 5'4 are considered petite, so a functional wardrobe should consist of clothing designed and fitted for petite women.
Tip: Assess your body type, silhouette, and height as these are usually the basic elements relating to how a garment may fit. Although every body is unique, there are a few universal shapes that can serve as guides for identifying your signature silhouette. You can then curate the wardrobe that not only suits your lifestyle but your body type as well.
4. Fashion & Taste
Fashion trends may not be a top component of a functional wardrobe, but they still allow us to express our taste. Some trends last and tend to become classics, while others become fads once the seasons change. The key is to thoughtfully select trends that align with your inner essence and suits your lifestyle, which adds freshness and relevance to your closet, ultimately resulting in a well-loved and functional one.
Tip: Consider your lifestyle, personality, and key physical features when shopping trends. Then think about the different ways you can utilize a trend-inspired item or the number of seasons you can wear it. Ultimately you should aim for a healthy balance of classics, statements and on-trend pieces.
Final Thoughts
A functional wardrobe serves a purpose. Developing a functional wardrobe is beneficial as it allows you to:
Save time searching for what to wear
Have the right items for your lifestyle needs
Easily put together outfits that you love
Save money, in the long run, curating clothing you plan to cherish for years to come
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