wardrobe overhaul

Ivar is into his 6 month outfits now. People. This is his third complete costume change in his almost 4 months of life and I am green with envy. You know why? Because I want a complete costume change too. I want some new duds. My closet is filled with tops and bottoms that have been around for eons. So long that today while I was standing in front of the mirror for the bazillionth time with my baby boy, I noticed my elbow had popped out of my long sleeve tshirt. It's time for new clothes.

It's not like I haven't shopped in eons. I have. But when I come home from a shopping trip, it's usually with one or two articles of clothing that quite likely were on sale and don't necessarily make an outfit with anything else other than my trusty jeans. There is a large part of me that wishes my outfits were sold just like Ivars- pants, socks, hat, shirt, hoodie all connected on one fancy hanger.

I've been thinking about how I might strategically build a wardrobe. Rory and I have a practical budgeting system worked out so that I get a certain amount of "Becca Fun" money each month. That money is to cover all clothing, shoes, hair, meals/coffee out with friends, personal gifts, music and anything else that isn't quite "Joint Spending." If I'm really going to build a wardrobe, it will be done out of that money, and probably mean that each month I can get one or two pieces to add to the fun.

I've been looking up helpful tips on where to start, what pieces are the most important etc. etc. And then I remembered a super helpful and wonderfully insightful conversation I had on this very topic with my sistah Sara. I was packing for Slovakia and asked her how she packs for her time on the tour bus. She'll be out for good chunks of time and has to be pretty picky with what she brings along because there just isn't that much room.

She told me she always starts with her shoes. She picks her casual shoes and her dressy shoes, and all outfits must go with those two pair of shoes. If her dressy shoes are black, then every concert outfit must go with those black shoes. Her casual shoes will dictate what pants can come, and finally what tops. When it comes to tops, she brings layers along. Long sleeve shirts that can go under t-shirts, and finally hoodies, cardigans and jackets that coordinate.

Shoes first. Brilliant. Doesn't that sort of surprise you? When I pack I always begin with tops first. And then I'm always so caught off guard when I can't fit all five needed pairs of shoes into my suitcase.

So I am thinking about taking this same approach to my wardrobe overhaul. I want to get quality pieces that can mix and match with each other. Not all of the stand-a-lone clothes I see in my closet and then complain, "I have nothing to wear!" Or require me to run out to find another pair of shoes that would make that outfit complete.

Has anyone done this before? Updated your closet? Any favorite pieces in your closet that you can't live without?

Now I'm not planning on buying everything brand new. Of course I have clothes to wear. My very first step will be to go through my closet and take an inventory of what I do have. And then figure out what pieces would help build the most outfits. (By the way, my cousins Sarah and Kathy were in 4H growing up and for their Little Miss Fashion competition they had to take pictures of each piece of their wardrobe, write about how much it cost, what else they could wear with that piece, what accessories they would need, and what they would purchase to further their clothing options each day. They did this for years, and you know what? They have incredible skills! They always look so put together. What a smart and practical life skill to learn!)

So this will be me this weekend. Channeling my inner Little Miss Fashion.