10 Outfits You Need To Have In Your Wardrobe

An Instructive Exercise

When it’s time to get dressed for the random, sometimes important, occasions that occur in all our lives, what’s your knee-jerk wardrobe reaction?

  • Mental review of suitable outfits to choose which one you want to wear
  • Mental scanning to see what outfit would “make-do” to get by
  • Mental scanning of what you have and what you MUST buy/borrow to make it work
  • Oh, **** I have nothing that fits, MUST SHOP NOW!!!
  • Oh, **** I have absolutely nothing to wear, MUST SHOP NOW!!!
  • How important is this event anyway? No clothes, not going

Here’s Another Exercise:

Put together a complete outfit for each of the following events.

  1. A formal dinner or awards ceremony
  2. A wedding
  3. A funeral or memorial service
  4. An interview or important presentation
  5. A cocktail party or special date
  6. A gala
  7. A Western party, rodeo or C/W dancing (Texas must-have!)
  8. A beach/lake/pool party
  9. An afternoon of sightseeing
  10. Proper pajamas, robe and slippers for travel

Here Are The Components For A Complete Outfit:

  • Dress OR Jacket + Pant/Skirt + Top OR Pant/Skirt + Top
  • Undergarments: Bra, Panties, Shapewear, Slip, Tights or Hosiery
  • Shoes or Boots
  • Purse
  • Accessories: Jewelry, Scarf, Belt, Hat
  • Coat or Wrap

Making This Work In Real Life:

  • Do the above exercise in your closet so you can see what you have and what’s missing.
  • Make a list of what you need for each outfit and keep it on your phone/in your purse.
  • The pieces for some of these outfits may be part of your everyday wardrobe.
  • Some of the outfits are specific to an event and need special items.
  • You will need to duplicate some of the outfits on the list for summer or winter events.
  • Review this list before going shopping so you remember what you NEED when you see it on sale. FYI, my list stays tucked in the back of my wallet.

NOTES:

Not every outfit will need all the items listed above. But if you don’t have all the items needed for an outfit, you can’t call the outfit complete. You will be “making do” and being self-conscious about it. Example: Wearing the purse you carry for everyday with a cocktail dress just looks off. A cute, beaded clutch would make the outfit, and you, feel more special.

Sales can be amazing IF you know how to play the game. Example: I found a great evening dress in a flattering champagne gold (one of my best colors!) for pennies on the dollar, had it altered so that it fit me perfectly and it is there ready to go when I need it. So far, I have worn it twice in the two years I have had it. If I had waited until I needed such a dress, I would have been lucky to find it for under $600. What I paid including alterations was less than $50. I already had the shoes, bag, and wrap, so check and check!

Make a Lookbook. Go through some magazines and find pictures of outfits you LOVE (never just LIKE) that would work for each of the occasions listed and would look amazing on YOU. Cut these out and make a lookbook. You can get fancy with a notebook and plastic sleeves or pasting them into a pretty journal or just use a folder. Analyze what you love about the look and how you can recreate it for yourself. Then list out the components you already have and those you need purchase for each outfit. Depending on your love of clothes and fashion, you could have several (many) pictures for each occasion and use dividers to help you organize all your looks.

How many outfits of each type you need will depend on YOUR lifestyle. YOU do YOU. Some people are committed to dressing differently for every type of event, some people less so. I just want you to have a pro-active wardrobe so that you can say YES to whatever opportunities come your way, no stress! The clothes are supposed to make life MORE FUN, not to be something to freak out about if someone invites you to a week in Paris on short notice. (Yes, I know a woman who had that happen!)

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