Reinventing Your Image
I am in dire need of a makeover. It has come to the point where sleep is far more important than having enough time to get ready in the morning, and choosing clothing must be done in the minimum amount of time. This usually means I grab the cleanest top and pants I can find and if I haven’t worn them to work that week they become my outfit for the day.
See my problem?
Thankfully for me (but maybe not so much for her) my friend Benhi has the same predicament. This weekend we are planning to rectify that by a day long shopping spree where we will push each others usual style boundaries and dare to be daring. I’ll need to get rid of the mounds of clothes I no longer wear that are all over my house as well.
In order to prepare I need some guidelines, otherwise all that money is going to go to waste.
What to do if you’re in the same situation
- Keep an inspiration folder at all times. I have a hardcopy one with pictures from magazines and mailers, and an electronic one with pictures from the net. if you’re using more than one computer it might be helpful to set up a private folder in Flickr to upload the photos. Don’t forget to record where you got the picture from in case you need to refer to it. I name the pictures with the link I got them from using ~ instead of / so the file name is valid :]
- Have an idea of the style you like and what suits you already.
- Go through the inspiration folder and really absorb what you’re seeing. Is there a recurring theme? Are the colours all the same, lots of waistcoats and pencil skirts? This is what you like and this is what you’re aiming for.
- Make a list of the staple items you need to achieve your look and do a mind dump of colours, accessories and descriptive words that fit within your new look, it’s a good idea to include a few pictures that encompass what you’re trying to achieve. – This is your shopping list.
- Go through your wardrobe and remove anything that you never wear, isn’t flattering, and doesn’t fit into your idea of your reinvented style. Then you can chuck out the gross stuff and give the goodies away.
- Take a trusted friend with you when you go shopping, one who has style you admire or who you’re happy to share your ideas with. They’re going to have to be brutally honest in helping you choose the items to create the new you.
- Don’t buy ANYTHING that doesn’t fit your self imposed guidelines. Try something on and then scan your list, does it fit the new style? No? Put it back. Same rules apply for anything that is too short, too long, too big, or you’ll fit in it when you lose a couple of kgs. Unless you’re an amazing sewer those clothes are never going to be modified and you’re wasting your money.
My latest inspiration has been Lookbook.nu. I’ve subscribed to the feed in my Google Reader so I can easily star anything I like and save it for reference.
At the moment it is showing a lot of ties and shirts, big ruffly petticoats, man style pants, black and white, chunky boots, blazers, thick rimmed glasses, collars and even a few top hats.
Is there a particular style you adhere to? Have you thought about reinventing yourself? Any suggestions or tips?
12 Responses to “Reinventing Your Image”
Ha, I was just thinking of getting some thick rimmed glasses – I will accept geeky but definately not dorky, so we’ll see…
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Hey I’ve been talking about it for ages now. As long as you’re happy to accept that you’re copying me and not the other way around. lol :D
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Great post! I don’t want to re-invent my style as such, I just want to be able to wear it more! I hate going to work everyday looking & feeling crappy- and only getting to dress nicely on weekends. Hopefully with a new job will come a new me!
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Thanks Em. From what I’ve seen your style is great but I know what you mean about going to work looking & feeling crappy. I need to force myself to have the confidence to go to work looking how I want to and not caring what people will say.
You totally don’t need a new job to start being the person you want to be all the time though.
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i love big ruffled petticoats!
i re-invented myself slowly over the past year. i only used to wear band t-shirts and black jeans… now im all about the girly-ness. i love dresses and colours and quirky accessories :)
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[...] First of all the lovely Ms Constantine has written a guide to “Reinventing Your Image“, great if you feel your style is getting a little tired and it’s time for a [...]
What a fantastic post! When I moved countries (from Wellington to Minneapolis coincidentally!) I got rid of 90% of my wardrobe and started from scratch. So much fun! So cathartic! I didn’t really reinvent myself, as I’ve always been pretty happy with my style (‘trendy hippie’ as I like to call it) but I put a lot more thought into colors and cuts and pieces that would be more versatile.
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[...] help with reinventing ourselves we decided that we could do with some new clothes. I really did need some new staples seeing as my [...]
Great post, Ms Constantine – I recently had a massive throw-out, in which I heaved anything that I didn’t 100% love! It was a really good process, and I’m looking forward to going shopping with the knowledge that I must only buy things that make me jump-up-and-down happy!
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this is great! I half-reinvented myself earlier this year after i found a close friend slowly copying my style! I know its not really up to me to change but i thought hey here is my chance! so i just did it cheaply and went to some chain stores and bought some plain basics that I normally wouldn’t wear and teamed them with pieces from my current wardrobe… and slowly I have developed a new-ish style that is more unique to me. So i’m quite thankful for the copier cos she gave me the chance to explore new styles! yay!
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@ Miss Corrine – Great to hear. I think the jumping up and down is definitely key. It can be quite tricky to find those ideal pieces though when all stores buy variations of the same thing. Very frustrating!
@Faerysarah – All’s well that ends well :D
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Ooh, I love this! ♥ I’m looking forward to reading the rest of your blog too, nice one!
I like the idea about having some key words to go shopping with – usually I have something particular in mind to buy, but can never find the exact item in the stores, which infuriates me! I’m the kind of person who feels bad returning from shopping, not having found just what I was after.
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