What do I mean by defined aesthetic or specific style? I mean dressing a certain way all the time, everyday. Incorporating all elements in my wardrobe to define a certain type of look. For example, when I think of bloggers who have a very defined aesthetic I think of Gertie and Casey. There are many more, but these two always pop into my head first because I’ve met them both in real life and because they really do wear the aesthetic they espouse on their blogs. They have an awesome wardrobe and they seem to wear and make those things that not only play into their vintage style and aesthetic but completely coincide with their personality. They are through and through vintage with a touch of a modern edge. I love it. I love seeing what they come up with next and I love that even though you expect a certain thing from them, they still surprise you by the ingenuity they have through their personal creative style. It’s very inspiring.

There are lots of defined aesthetics out there – a term that caught my eye from Already Pretty. These two articles in particular (here and here) were very interesting and I love seeing different sorts of defined aesthetics out there. Punk Rock, Goth, Ivy League Chic, Minimalism, etc….

I’ve decided that I’m much more of a dabbler. I do love vintage but I like taking a certain silhouette from a certain era here and there and making it more modern and a lot less costumey and stand out. I want to stand out, but not in that way. I like mixing and matching different styles and colors to create a colorful, yet classic and eclectic look. I have an affinity for prints and styles that are somewhat traditionally masculine – I’m mad for plaids of all sorts, I LOVE loafers and trousers and button up shirts. I totally dig Ivy League Chic styles but find that I don’t want to always look that part either. I like to try new things, but I also know that I’ve found a happier medium through which my personal style runs and I like to think that instead of having a defined outside aesthetic, I’ve created my own aesthetic that speaks to me personally.

I’ve been mulling over defined aesthetics for awhile now and thought it would be fun to hear what you have to say about this topic. I think for many, this type of dressing makes wardrobing – creating actual outfits – a ton easier. In fact, I would say that it makes it a lot easier. I find that when I decide that I want to take a Never Worn Garment (NWG) and create an outfit from it, its a lot easier to wardrobe with a certain defined style in mind however it does not mean that I want that same defined style for all outfits that come from this single garment. What do you think? Do ascribe to a defined aesthetic? Does it help you wardrobe your closet better or easier?

Let’s discuss!
Sunni

Anyways, just in case you think the Everyday Wardrobe was a short-lived thing, its not. I’ve actually been hard at work on a rub-off of my mom’s old boyfriend jacket. I cut the lovely jacket out of a cherry brown ponte knit and at this time am deciding whether or not to partially line it. I’m thinking yes, in a silk charmeuse – which PS if you don’t have Connie Long’s Easy Guide to Linings, you absolutely NEED it! It’s an amazing little book! One of the best books I own I think! In addition, this is not just some fly by night jacket. It’s meant to be paired with this NWG – a real NWG from me old closet.

Now that I’ve got you a little caught up to date with a bit about me and my nutty life at the moment, I thought I would mention that Steph at 3hourspast is having a pre-sale for her very first pattern. It’s a dress……made from KNIT! That’s right folks. Doesn’t it look fabulous? Not to mention, this is sooooooooo everyday wardrobe friendly. Go snap one up NOW! Do have a gander over to Steph’s blog too, where she’s been talking about how to dress for your everyday for a whole bunch longer than I have – it’s so refreshing! Enjoy!

Since the first time I made this skirt, I’ve had a really hard time putting things with it, hence the NWG-ness of it. I love the color so much and its just dying to be worn. I asked myself all of the questions in Step 2 of the Game Plan and determined that I had 2 pairs of shoes that would work quite well with this skirt and they would be shoes I would actually wear, these flats being one of the pairs. Then I went to the stash. I had a bit of a hard time finding anything that really meshed the way I wanted it to with the skirt, so I headed on over to Yellow Bird and picked up this cheetah print cotton and modal knit.

The shell/tank under the cardi is the Pendrell blouse pattern from the Sewaholic. A+ pattern for the Everyday Wardrobe people. Soooo easy to fit and easy to make and its one of those things that I probably would never have made – I would have gone for one of the other versions – except that I’m trying to make complete outfits here. Maybe a little weird, but I really do find that interesting. Since I’m planning a wardrobe, I choose to make things that actually I probably wouldn’t bother with but, I like having the control of making exactly what I want or need and how much nicer I can make it than a big box chain store.

The cardigan here is a rub-off from a pre-existing garment. If you don’t know what a rub-off is, its the process of making a paper pattern from a pre-existing garment and its really not that hard to do. I’ll be discussing this much more in depth in another post because I’ve rubbed off several other garments in my closet since this make. This was the first rub-off I’ve ever done and I LOVE the way it turned out. I’ll be sure to show you the original cardigan next time. This modal knit is just about heaven to wear too. It’s just plain amazing stuff – sooooooo soft! I’ll be discussing knits in another post too – where I’ll also give you some great resources for where to find them.

All in all, this was a much more challenging Everyday Outfit. I knew that in order to make the cut, this skirt had to be comfy. It is. It’s not as comfortable as say, jeans, but its not restrictive or binding either – probably because this thing was drafted and made for me to wear! Wearing my little flat loafers was the clincher too. I love these babies! I’m pretty proud of myself here. Two great coordinating pieces that go with this skirt and its a little more upscale everyday – something you could easily wear to work!

And for your enjoyment, here’s a remixed outfit I built on with rubbed off cardi. Here, it gets a pairing with none other than Simplicity 1880′s wrap dress version.

Thoughts?

xoxo,
Sunni

I read each and every comment on this blog and I enjoy all of them too. I really do get so much insight from your thoughts left here. The Everyday Wardrobe idea and Game Plan has really received some amazing feedback and I just couldn’t let today slip by until I had done a quick post highlighting some reader comments. Just in case you haven’t had a chance to read what everyone has said, hop on over to the Everyday Wardrobe post or the Game Plan post and go through all of them. They are a treat! Here are but a few that really stuck out:

From the Everyday Wardrobe,
Alexandra said,
“Oh My Goodness. I AM IN.
Me made clothes that I will actually wear on a regular basis. ABSOLUTELY.”

Nancy said,
“Well, I just love this new project. I’ve been sewing for about 45 years, and for some reason I stopped sewing knits about 15 years ago. Why? You’ve just reminded me that I have a wonderful stack of vintage Stretch-and-Sew patterns from the 80′s. I used to make those all the time with never a hitch, without a serger, mind you. I’m now a grandmother, and I spend most of my time in casual clothes. Time to take my faded, raggedy wardrobe up a couple of notches (or maybe more). Thanks, I’m in with you.”

Jen said,
“Yes!!! This makes me so excited! I am SO all about sewing for your everyday wardrobe, I haven’t sewn a fancy dress since, well the wedding dresses I was hired to do, but for myself it’s been about 7 years. Why? Because I don’t wear them EVER! My new goal is to also start working with knits a bit more so go team knit. I can’t wait to see how this series unfolds, for real so excited!!”

Milena said,
“I love the idea of making the effort to sew things that will be on heavy rotation as opposed to things that are pretty but not extremely functional. I love wearing dresses, which is why I have a closet full of them and have made a few, but what I really, really need are pretty tops that I could wear with cropped pants or jeans for a casual vibe, or dress up under a skirt suit for work. I’ve been sketching at work and looking at J. Crew for inspiration on things to make, focusing on pretty tops.
I’ll still make dresses, of course.”

Tasha said,
“I love the idea of this! I have been coming to terms with the fact that 3 days a week I work from home, and don’t have a zippy night life, so lots of the times I’m wearing jeans and a tank top. Not exactly high style. I’m looking forward to get some inspiration from your journey on how I can infuse some comfy+cute+stylish into my daily wardrobe.”

Capecodnana said,
“YEAH!!!!! Finally…….How many of us really need all those fancy clothes. Let’s get real
people. Comfort with Class.”

Angela M. said,
“Oh. My. Goodness. Perfect! As a stay-at-home mom, I live in casual wear… BUT… I am so tired of wearing the same couple of outfits all the time. To be comfy and stylish would be a dream come true, instead of feeling like a frumpy, middle-aged housewife. While I AM middle-aged and a housewife, I’d much rather get rid of the frumpy look and feeling. I know my hubby would be grateful also LOL!!”

From the Game Plan,
Debi said,
“Such a great post and a good reminder to sew up a mix-n-match wardrobe. For me the real killer of an outfit is the shoes (like you mentioned)…I really need to get some comfortable shoes. I also have a lot of slight mending to do…just little fiddly things that would make all the difference in the clothes I do have in my wardrobe!”

K-Line said,
“This is a genius idea! I love how you bring attention to the unworn, find a way to add it into the wardrobe and create new, highly wearable garments to go with it and to wear independently. Great methodology. Can’t wait to watch this series unfold.”

Becky said,
“Since I am a very practical person, this really appeals to me. I love beautiful clothing, but I rarely wear “dress up” clothes. I am in capri pants and tee shirts almost all the time! But, it would be great to make capri pants and tee shirts that are to my taste and that fit my form well. That’s all it takes to make most of us feel “put together”, don’t you think? And, it makes us feel good about ourselves. Lead us forward, Sunni!”

fangaroni said,
“I think you are giving great advice, and I look forward to hearing more of it! I checked out my closet and I see a lot of orphans, mostly nice pieces that I never wear. I’ll follow along with transforming NWG to EWG, I think my first step= refashion a buttondown shirt to be less stuffy, maybe a sleeveless casual top. Also, what a true point about shoes!!! Thanks Sunni!”

Jane said,
“Great timing, I have just started doing something similar. I have a stash full of silks and instead of leaving them for special outfits I am starting to make them into everyday blouses etc. I firmly believe that beautiful fabric can be made to suit everyday wear and as someone with two small children I don’t have the opportunity to go out wearing special clothes so might as well make use of what I have.”

Kathleen said,
“This is a great distillation – down to something I could actually wrap my head around too. I will definitely look forward to your progress, as my wardrobe quandary is similar: stuff I love that doesn’t really play well with others. I hope to work alongside you doing similar. Thank you!”

More food for thought from all of you! I hope you all are having a spectacular Friday! I know I am – I am dressed, feel great and about to head out the door to put in a few hours working with fabric at Yellow Bird.

Until next week, Loves!
Sunni

When I first started thinking about the Everyday Wardrobe several weeks ago, I decided to test out my strategy with something simple. There were so many articles of clothing in my wardrobe that I really wanted to use the Everyday Wardrobe Game Plan on, but I thought I should give it a go with something classic, something I reach for all the time and never really feel all that great in because I never dress them up or take the time to make coordinating pieces that go with them – Jeans.

I don’t know about you, but I do love a good pair of jeans. I have but two pairs and one of those pairs I really don’t even like wearing that much because they tend to fall down (will probably get rid of these soon, come to think of it). I’m planning to make some jeans very soon, but I thought, why not start with a pair that I already have and like. Enter this pair of Gap jeans. These are basic jeans. I paid full price for them and had to alter them a bit by shortening them (I have fairly short legs) and pinching out some leg fulness. If you are interested in a tutorial, I’m happy to offer one – this is totally not hard to do.

You might be amazed to know that I have very little to wear with jeans. This because I rarely go shopping anymore, unless its for fabric, and so I never know what’s in or out or anything like that and shopping at the mall makes me sooooooooooooo tired. I’ve got some seriously drab tops from college days (that was like 7 years ago!!!), some cardigans with nothing to wear underneath but a ratty see-through tank (what can I say, I love cardigans!) and nary a jacket in sight. It’s a sad state of things. Makes me sad just to think about it.

So tell me, what goes better with a pair of jeans than a t-shirt? And what could possibly be more everyday friendly? So it was that I decided to make a Renfrew. Then I made another and I’ve just cut out my 3rd version. This pattern will have a very long life in my wardrobe, especially as I’ll be experimenting with changing it up here and there and doing a bit of pattern drafting to achieve several different looks. I LOVE this pattern. It’s fabulous! Why sew a t-shirt? I feel there are several reasons. Sewing a t-shirt gives you a great trial run with knits. Sewing a t-shirt is easy to fit because sewing with knits are very forgiving. Sewing a t-shirt is a great instant gratification project because not only does it fit, but you will wear it and you will be impressed with yourself because you made a t-shirt! You can also bang out a t-shirt in about 3 hours, from cut to finish! I highly recommend the Renfrew, but there are other great knit top patterns out there too – Kwik Sew anyone, vintage Stretch and Sew? I also recently enrolled in this rather wonderful Craftsy course taught by Meg McElwee (the Sew Liberated girl!) and she’s included 5 basic knit patterns. If drafting your own is more your style, you can learn to draft a t-shirt from Cal’s book Design-it-Yourself Clothes, which has really easy to follow instructions for how to do it yourself (I like easy for something like this, don’t you?).

Now this was just my first experiment with the Everyday Wardrobe, but allow me to tell you what this did for me. Now I have 2 complete outfits. Both are great for everyday, wearing around the house and even a burger night and cards with friends. I’m also able to coordinate these two t-shirts with a few other things in my closet too. In both versions, I’m wearing shoes and accessories that I can wear all day. Not only do I look presentable, but I feel great. I feel like I actually made the effort. Also, talk about getting my sewing mojo going like crazy – making two t-shirts that feel fabulous and look great and completed an outfit made me feel like a million dollars and gave me the encouragement to start again with another NWG. My next NWG was a bit more challenging, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I have much more lively discussion and inspiration headed your way friends. Much more!

traipsing through the tulips in my new Renfrews!
Sunni

As it happens, this whole Everyday Wardrobe thing came about as I was sewing whilst at home. I was stitching at my machine soaking it all up in my half baked polyester sweatpants and a ratty see-through tank top (sans bra, of course!) when all of a sudden, the doorbell rang. This is not the first time this has ever happened either. But this time, something inside of me just clicked and I thought to myself of the irony of my position. I make beautiful clothing  – lots of items I rarely wear because they are either too fussy or too fragile or I have nothing to go with them – and I bum around in digusting RTW pieces that have lived their full life and then some and then the doorbell rings and I’m just supposed to answer.

To be honest, I could care less what whoever at the door thinks of me and what I’m wearing, but the weird thing is that I care about me and what I’m wearing and how I present myself to anyone. I don’t feel that great when I’m at home alone and bumming around in crummy clothes that I wouldn’t dream of being seen in. Sure, there are days when all I want to do is lay around in pjs. I think everyone has those. But I’m talking about every single day wear. Getting up on a daily basis and just getting dressed either for work or for play or for just plain old that’s what we do as human beings.

So after the doorbell rang and I answered it and there was the UPS man delivering a package, I decided that I needed to figure out why I wasn’t dressed. So I went to my closet and started trying to put an outfit together that I wanted to wear to do things like get orders from the shop ready and shipped and such. What I found is that I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear to an everyday event like life. Instead, I have a closet full of clothing that either is too uncomfortable to wear to my everyday life or needs to be altered to be worn in the everyday or would be a great everyday piece but I have nothing to wear with it. No wonder I’m always wearing my pj’s around the house!

So here’s the Everyday Wardrobe Game Plan that I came up with:

Step 1 ~ Go to your closet. Pick out one article of clothing. ONLY one. Don’t overwhelm yourself to start with – you can defeat yourself before you even begin (I do this alllllll the time). The article of clothing can be a blouse, a skirt, a dress, jacket, etc. Anything that is an actual article of clothing. No accessories. We’ll worry about those later. This garment should be something that you love, can’t bear to get rid of but never wear. It should also be something that is comfortable and that you feel is worthy of wearing everyday. This is a big part of it! Don’t pick that strapless dress that you have to pour yourself into! Pick something you want to wear everyday, can see yourself wearing everyday and actually will wear everyday. We’re going to call this garment the Never Worn Garment or NWG for short.

Step 2 ~ Ask and answer yourself these questions about your NWG:

• Why don’t I wear this?
• What would make this garment more wearable? Can I alter it?
• What colors and styles can I pair this garment with to make it wearable?
• What shoes and accessories can I pair this garment with to make it wearable in the everyday?

One very important point in this step is deciding on what type of shoes you plan to wear with your NWG. This can make or break an everyday outfit for me. If I plan to wear my NWG in the everyday, I have to have a comfortable shoe to go with it.

Step 3 ~ If you need to alter the NWG, now is the time to start that process. If you don’t need to alter your NWG, take the garment to your fabric and sewing pattern stash and now its time to start pairing patterns and fabrics with the NWG to try and make an outfit. For instance, take a skirt and go to your stash and find 2 fabrics and 2 blouse patterns to go with it. Again, start small. Decide on one or two sewing patterns to work with (doesn’t mean they have to be easy or hard), then pick your fabric. Don’t have the right fabric? Head on over to your local fabric store, taking your NWG with you and pick some up!

Step 4 ~ Make the garment that you’ve picked to go with the NWG – we’re going to call this the Everyday Wardrobe Garment or EWG for short. Next accessorize. You’ve already thought of the shoes, so now have fun with belts, scarves (maybe you can even make a matching one!) and jewelry. And just like that, you’ve made magic happen – you have an outfit instead of a Never Worn Garment!

Step 5 ~ Once an entire outfit has been made, utilizing the NWG from your closet, now its up to you if you want to:

• make something more to go with your NWG
• start the process again, but this time use your new EWG
• or, start with another NWG from your closet

Here’s the crazy thing: Once you start the process, you find that your new EWGs start coordinating with more NWGs in your closet! It’s addictive and this type of wardrobe planning gives you a wonderful sense of accomplishment, makes you feel like a rockstar because you’re actually wearing clothes that go together and that you love and you can wear them everyday and feel comfortable. I’ve also found that this helps destash your fabric stash (who would’ve thunk?) and utilizes garments you already have!

Please note that I’m not saying that you have to throw out glamorous pieces of clothing (or any piece of clothing) that you want to wear for a special event. Keep them. I’m also not saying that I would just stop sewing those types of garments altogether either. I might sew them, but a whole lot less (if at all). I’m also not saying that you can’t wear dresses and silk and wool and other such upscale types (on the contrary, in fact – you know I love natural fibers), but maybe its time to rethink how these types of things are worn in the everyday. I’ll be showing many many ways to incorporate beautiful fabrics into your everyday. That’s what I’m doing. I’m working with what I’ve got first and thinking up brand new garments second. This is actual wardrobing instead of making a closet full of white elephants which is exactly what I tend to do. I’m not saying that you have to have a closet full of knits either, because I still love wovens and will be utilizing both over the course of my journey. I’ll be going over each of the above steps more in depth over the next little while showing you exactly how this has worked for me.

What do you make of all this? I would love to hear your thoughts! My first attempt at this strategy and its outcome will be up tomorrow!

Later Taters,
Sunni

PS ~ the above photos are actually of something I’ll be showing you in the future (though not tomorrow) – a real bona fide NWG!

I’ve been playing around with knits a whole bunch lately. After my swimsuit, I think I finally realized that knits are a) really easy to sew and b) incredibly forgiving especially as concerns fit. Not only that, but knits are so easy to wear and move around in. I’m so in love with them. I’ve started to hoard knits like they are going out of style now and I’m very excited at the prospect of making pieces that look fabulous and make me feel like I’m wearing pyjamas. Working with knits has really had me analyzing the state of my wardrobe too. This summer, the thing I turned to wearing the most were shorts and t-shirts and I don’t have many t-shirts or shorts, readers. I love the idea of always looking glamorous and stopping traffic, but in reality, my life is not glamorous and I have much less occasion to wear upscale clothing. Yet, this is what I tend to gravitate to when I’m thinking up a new project to make. So, on the off chance that I have a fabulous evening out with the mister to some upscale event – those are few and far between, mind you – I have nothing to wear in the everyday and I’m tired of it.

Still, this does not stop my desire to want to look chic and amazing in the everyday. No more going to the grocery store in sweats or half baked pyjamas! I’ve decided to start a movement. That’s right. A bona fide movement. It’s going to start with me being real with myself. I’m going to create an everyday wardrobe that has the ability to look amazing and flattering, yet also gives me free range of motion and the comfort I need to wear this wardrobe on an everyday level. In addition, I’m planning to spread this desire on to you. I’ll be posting tutorials, giving tips and tricks, selecting, testing and rating sewing patterns and fabrics and interviewing the sewing community about this topic. We’re going to have a lot of fun and we’re going to learn together, how to make and create an everyday wardrobe.

So, if you too, are tired of slaving away making evening gowns and dresses with boned bodices and glamorous clothing that never gets worn, join me. The Everyday Wardrobe is about building that wardrobe that you can wear every. single. day. And feel good in, look good in and still move in. Are you with me here?

If you can bring yourself to believe it, I’ve already started this journey and I have a strategic plan on how it works and I’m seriously excited to share it with you. So excited I can barely breathe! Yay! So here’s to the fall season ahead and a wearable, everyday wardrobe hereafter!

xoxo,
Sunni