Tag Archives: outfits

The Best of #OOTD

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On the heels of the recent Me Made May marathon (applause to all of the participating sewists with brilliant handmade wardrobes I developed crushes on), I was inspired to assemble my own round up of ensembles that feature garments I’ve made (as documented on Instagram with an ‘outfit of the day’ hashtag). Mostly to prove to myself that there really are seven days worth of gratifying outfits in my closet after its February diet.

These seven outfits weren’t worn consecutively, but they could be. They include my favorite makes (read: the ones with tolerable flaws) paired with my most appreciated RTW pieces. I really need them to play nice together while the minority population grows.

mondayMonday. Linen floral dress with skinny floral belt.

ootd collage

Tuesday. Liberty dress with belted, gray linen blazer (popped collar, optional).
Wednesday. Green linen, leaf-print skirt with RTW top and bolero (DIY smile required).
Thursday. Pale day dress in signature silhouette with RTW bolero.
Friday. Kimono tee (unblogged) with RTW knit pencil skirt and DIY necklace.
Saturday. Yellow plaid cotton dress with blue plaid RTW shirt (worn under or over & tied)
Sunday. Patch pocket linen dress with RTW cardigan and Monday’s floral belt.

And there it is. A full week of pre-planned wearables to rescue me from indecision, pack in a suitcase, or simply bore my Instagram followers with as repeat #OOTDs….at least until I sew up another week’s worth.

Wanna Be Sewing: Happy Silhouettes

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I’m back with more wardrobe building nonsense. My sewing mind (and scrolling finger) has been consumed with it lately. But, I think I have finally settled on some core shapes and silhouettes to go with my recently articulated core style.

I used the Wardrobe Architect challenge’s Exploring Shapes worksheet to rate the types of garments that I feel happiest wearing. I thought about each garment in terms of the elements that affect it (such as ease, length, waistline, or fullness) and how its shape can change if one of those elements varies.

Discovering which shapes rock my world and combining them into different silhouettes (outfits) was my mission. I used polyvore to assemble several four-season garments, kept the colors neutral, and left out accessories to simplify planning.

One dress, two skirts, 2 pants, four tops, and 2 toppers worth of core shapes. Each of these basics could have 3 or more variations (sleeve length, neckline shape, etc.), but for now I’m focusing on these shapes that I rated a 9 or 10 on the happy scale.

A complete silhouette includes garments and shoes. Like the fit and flare silhouette below of dress (fitted bodice, full skirt) + cropped cardigan + leggings +  riding boots that’s become my uniform this winter.

Winter Silhouette 02

But, sharing all of the shoe combinations would take days. So, I’ll leave the shoes out and just show some of the garment-only silhouettes that I’ll be building with my “happy shapes”.

Silhouette #1

{Dress (fitted bodice, full skirt) + cropped cardigan}

Basic Silhouette 01

Silhouette #2

{Fitted, elbow sleeve t-shirt + full skirt + cropped cardigan}

Basic Silhouette 1

Silhouette #3

{Fitted classic shirt + full skirt}

Basic Silhouette 03

Silhouette #4

{Dolman sleeve peplum top + pencil skirt}

Basic Silhouette 05

Silhouette #5

{Sleeveless peplum tunic + skinny jeans}

Basic Silhouette 4

Silhouette #6

(Loose-fit wrap blouse + skinny jeans)

Basic Silhouette 04

Silhouette #7

{Fitted, elbow sleeve t-shirt + leggings + long cardigan}

Silhouette 06

7 silhouettes from 12 shapes is just scratching the surface. There are a gajillion outfit possibilities for my favorite shapes. I’m still narrowing down the patterns I’ll use to sew all these shapes and silhouettes (except for the jeans, I’ll leave that to Levi’s for now), but getting this far in the process is hugely empowering. I’m even excited for this month’s closet purging task.

What are the favorite outfits or go-to silhouettes in your closet?