Bored with my wardrobe

[hrj]

Bored bored bored. 90% of my wardrobe is several years old. That's the problem with making nice sturdy blouses. (The pants have a higher turnover, but they're also intentionally boring.) Not worn-out enough to move to the rag bag, but worn too often to still be exciting. I realized this problem when I went to pack my "nicest casual" items for Kalamazoo and realized that I'd packed essentially the same clothes the last three years in a row. I don't want a completely new paradigm, but I want something new. I just don't know what. I want something new and different that's exactly like what I already like. Except not. Yeah, right. (And I just don't do dresses for everyday. That's a non-starter.) Usually when I'm in a mood like this I make a new suit jacket, but I already have more suit jackets than days in the year when I wear suit jackets. Fabric, I've got; ideas, I don't.

Comments

[wulfsdottir.livejournal.com]

I have discovered a thigh-length sleeveless ghawazee in my "SCA clothes someone gave me that I don't wear to events any more" collection. I'm thinking with the right plain blouse and my sassy pants, it will be an interesting thing to wear to work when the weather turns cold again. I need to put new clasps on it, though.

Perhaps you have something similar for inspiration?

[hrj.livejournal.com]

I do take historic inspirations for some stuff -- especially for coats and jackets. And of course, during colder weather there's a bit more variation possible. There are some pragmatic limits because, while the work environment is moderately casual around here, I prefer being slightly to the more formal end. My 20-something co-workers can get away with strappy sandals, midriff-baring hip-huggers, and "I'm a princess" rhinestone-studded t-shirts (well, ok, that was the intern, but still), but I'm more happy in the, "Why yes, I'd be happy to move into a management position some day" range. And since everyone knows I do historic costuming, I have to be careful to not wear anything that screams "I'm wearing a costume to the office." To the practical considerations, add in my bicycling to work and on lunches.

During the winter, I lean towards cotton knit turtlenecks and the like with vests and/or scarves to accessorize. But during summer I've gotten into a rut of two basic patterns: an extremely simple rectangular shell (it's all about the fabric), and a raglan-sleeve t-shirt pattern cut on the bias. For both models, the variety is all in what fabric inspires me, although I lean pretty strongly towards linen for the shells and silk for the t-shirts.

I have a hard time seeing beyond the things that I know work -- it's the same problem with haircuts. I'd love to walk into the salon and say, "Do something wildly exciting and different" but with no guarantees tha the result would be "me", it's always "trim half an inch all over evenly."