Investing in Self: Developing a Wardrobe

Everyone knows that you only get one first impression in life: One chance to impress that potential boss; one chance to showcase your best assets to a date; one chance to walk in with a bang and walk out with a win. And that one chance is based a lot on how you present yourself through your wardrobe – which can seem both daunting and expensive at the same time.

However, your clothing choices can be much simpler and less expensive than it seems. As we move forward in a new mini-series about putting your best (beautifully clad) foot forward, we’ll take a look at ways to build that wardrobe without breaking the piggy bank.

The Basics of Wardrobe Necessity

To begin your new wardrobe endeavor, you may need to assess how you want to present yourself to the world. Do you want to be seen as a savvy business person? A laid-back yet chic mom? A fashionista? All three (or more)?

Often, when presented with this question, the answer differs by the situation. At work, you may want to convey yourself as a put-together business mogul. Home or the store may call for that laid-back mom appeal. And that fashionista ideal may cross over both lines. Whatever the case, we often wear many faces.

Where does this leave us? Well, we may need to construct a multi-purpose wardrobe for our multi-faceted lives. We might need pieces that can tackle double-, triple-, or quadruple-duty. Does this make your task seem even more daunting? Fortunately, a full wardrobe that melds all aspects of your life in just a few pieces is possible.

Out with the Old

Okay, so we know we need a closet full of multi-purpose items, but how can we do this? We can start by tossing everything that is not useful. Leggings from 1980 that have seen their prime: goodbye. Any clothes that you have not worn in a year: adios. Any clothes that no longer fit properly: au revoir.

Saying your final farewells to those items will help you figure out what works in your wardrobe and what needs to be added. It also makes your hurried mornings less hectic; when you have fewer pieces to choose from, picking an outfit in the a.m. can be completed in 20 seconds rather than 20 minutes.

Out with the Unflattering

Now that we’ve pared back our old wardrobe, we might need to pare it back just a little more. It is now the time for the dreaded task of trying on clothes with a discerning eye. This can be cringe-worthy because as you look at a skirt you might have worn to the office for many years, you could notice it really isn’t all that flattering. “Ugh. I wore that for how long?!” you might ask yourself.

Remembering here that our bodies change throughout our lives can help us move through the task without fear. Really, an outfit purchased in our teens just might not fit the new us: people who have embraced life, nutrition, children, love and happiness. We know a little more about the world and about ourselves, and we can fully embrace clothing that flatters us now, not hold onto pieces from the past.

So toss those unflattering pieces without worry! I guarantee you will find better pieces that flatter the new you at an affordable price. As we move forward in the series, we’ll discover ways to outfit ourselves in clothing that tackles the one chance to impress in a lasting, positive, face-forward way.

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