Outfit of the Day Wrap Up

30 Jul Outfit of the Day Wrap Up

For those who are serious about sewing their own clothes, I highly recommend a 30 day (or longer) Outfit of the Day exercise.

Greetings. I’m ending the summer Daily Mix in my Luau Maxi, perfect for sipping Skinny Piña Coladas by the pool. I made the dress for Hawaii 2018 and bring it out on hot summer days. The Burda 7110 pattern is featured in A Stylish Guide to Classic Sewing. My lightweight stretch cotton fabric is from Promenade Fine Fabrics.

Let’s talk Outfit of the Day……

Is this a vanity exercise?

I believe we all want to look our best, and in order to do so you need to know what your clothes really look like on your body. How we spend our time should be worthwhile no matter what we do, and the investment of time and effort involved in making one’s clothes is huge.

Photographs can be brutal and admittedly some of my clothes no longer made the cut after seeing a photograph. But, overall, what a successful learning experience it was.

I did not send out daily emails, but if interested you can see it all by clicking on the Outfit of the Day photo to the right, or this link, and you can read about my intention here.

In doing an Outfit of the Day exercise, you’ll discover:

• Your sewing strengths and weaknesses. What techniques do you avoid?
• Your preferred colors – you may be surprised!
• Your most flattering silhouettes
• The proper proportions for your body type
• Your most flattering hemline for shirts, skirts, dresses and pants.
• Your Wardrobe surplus & deficit. Do you have variety?
• Your accessories surplus and deficit. Do your accessories enhance your outfits? Are they thoughtfully chosen or do you wear the same pieces everyday?

Personally, I discovered:

• I need to work on sewing pants – fit, fabric and pattern selection.
• My favorite summer color must be pink. There was a time when it was coral.

• I wore no yellow.
• I’m attracted to bold prints, colors and florals.
• I do not sew in capsule. Lots of dresses and orphan separates which need companions.
• For the last 10 years, I’ve sewn slim silhouettes. They’re flattering but I’d like to add some variety.
• I also discovered that I need to select accessories with more intention. Most of my gold accessories are gifts, but the others are random purchases. Lots of fun accessories are available at great price points, and I will continue to explore options.

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If you’re ready to take a 30-day inventory of your handmade or even RTW wardrobe……

• Select an outdoor spot at a time of day with good light. For me it was between 9:30 AM – Noon EDT. Soft morning light is flattering, late afternoon light harsh and aging.
• Get fully dressed for the day.
• Use a tripod or selfie mode with your camera, relax and shoot.

• Don’t wait until the end of the month to look at your photos. Review each day’s photo on the same day you took it and post it in a document.

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I promise that if you do this, you will cultivate a wardrobe you enjoy, and sewing clothes that never make it out of the closet will become a thing of the past 😉

Many thanks to those who followed along!

PS…… In case you’re wondering about the Skinny Piña Colada 😊

A few favorite Summer Accessories ~

Bags

Ears

Arms

Feet

Lips