Day 84: How to Look Your Best For Less

What: Clothing

Why: Do you ever stand in front of your clothes wondering what clothes to wear? Do you find yourself spending minutes upon minutes, mixing and matching colors, wondering if a certain color goes with another? Is getting dressed, cause you stress? I am here to tell you it should not. How do you view your clothes? Do they define who you are? Are they a status symbol? What if you viewed clothes as simply something to wear? For all the women out there, do you ever wish your closet could resemble that of a man’s, where there aren’t as many choices? Getting dressed can become one of the most simple tasks in a day – here’s how:

How:
1. Find your core color. What is that you ask?

• Blonde hair and blue eyes – Navy
• Dark hair and brown eyes – Black
• Dark hair and blue or green eyes – Black or Navy
• Red hair – Brown

2. Buy clothing that coordinates ONLY with your core color. For example, I am blonde hair and hazeled eyed (according to my driver’s license). Therefore, my core color is navy. When I discovered this core color idea, I went through my closet and decided if it was worth getting rid of all of the clothing that did not coordinate with navy. I realized that I often wore black pants. That put me in a dilemma. I quickly realized that some colors went with black and navy and some did not. Some hues of purple did not go with both – so out went the purple shirts. The next time you go shopping, ask yourself if the clothing item coordinates with your core color?

3. Pick a clothing style that is YOU. Do not spend time trying to keep up with the trends. As soon as you buy that new shirt, know that in a few months it will probably go out of style because the store will have a new line of clothing in. Don’t waste your time or money. By picking a style, you save yourself so much time – no decisions need to be as to “who” you want to be that day. When you pick a clothing style that is comfortable and is you, you narrow down the choices when shopping and getting dressed.

4. Everything coordinated? If you enjoy coordinating every accessory, more power to you. In trying to live with less, having matching accessories may not be at the top of the list. Some have a different colored purse for every outfit they own. In doing this, think about how much time is spent switching purses? Same with shoes – some have different shoes to go with every outfit. I am not saying you should sell them (unless you feel you should), but is it worth the space they take up? Is it worth the decision every morning? I have brown and black shoes. Some dressier and some casual. I steer clear of the colored shoes because I know they will only add choices (which I am trying to lessen) and add clutter to my closet.

Confession of the Day: I am not saying that those who have 100 pairs of shoes are in the wrong. What I am doing is posing the question: is it worth it? If it is to you, that is okay. For me personally, in trying to live with less, I am learning about areas of my life where I have way too much excess. Clothing was one of them. I had shirts sitting in my drawer that I had not worn in months – in fact, they really didn’t go with anything. Now when I shop (and it’s typically at a secondhand store), I try to find clothing that will only go with navy. In doing so, I save myself the hassle of wondering if something matches. This also makes packing easy – bring a few shirts and a pair of pants or two and I know they will all match. Living with less means making conscious choices to make the most out of what you have – it may take time to purge of the excess, but it will be well worth it in the end?

Have you ever thought about your core color before? Do all of your clothes coordinate with your core color?