That's the short version. The long version can of course be found on the Coletterie blog, and after talking about how useful the short version I used over the winter was, I have decided to follow the long version just that little bit more closely to help me decide on what I need in my wardrobe and what I want to plan for my spring of sewing.
So get ready folks... This one might be a bit more talky than I usually do...
Season...
So Spring is around the corner, but I live in England (rain), and the north of England at that (cold rain), so I decided it was probably right that I took the expected climate into consideration as well as the shapes and colours that I want to wear over the summer. I joke that we get mostly rain up here, but it's really not far from the truth. The weather is changeable and can be tropical one day and freezing the next. It's no surprise really that I am an avid cardigan wearer. My spring wardrobe really needs to include layers that can be pulled on on the chilly days, and discarded on the warm days.
I have been seeing a lot of the heavy cardigan/coat hybrids over winter, and I wonder if a summer version could be made, just that little bit lighter but still big and snug.
Places...
I've thought a lot about where I mostly wear clothes (I know, I know, on my body is the most obvious answer). While I am not a workaholic, I do spend most of my time at work where I am required to be smart, and need to feel comfortable. T shirts and slouchy trousers are ideal, with the obvious cardigan. I also really like to wear blouses and love floaty fabrics in the summer. When I'm not working I spend most of my time wearing casual clothes, enter skinny (but stretchy) jeans and baggy tops. I very rarely dress very smart or fancy, even when I'm going out for drinks or food, so I can keep very fancy sewing for special occasions.
Comfort...
Now I'm not just talking about stretchy clothes and slippers here, it's important to feel comfortable in what you are wearing in order to feel confident about yourself. This is the topic that I have thought the most about after the realisation that I'm not very comfortable in dresses at work (while I do love to wear them out of work). I have also thought about how I feel in the clothes I wear at the moment. One thing that really stood out was that if I am going to remove the cardigan at any point (sometimes a good cardigan can feel like armour), I really prefer to have my shoulders and preferably upper arms covered.
So thinking about the blouses that I do love to wear, they all seem to hover around the same basic t shirt blouse shape.
This thing about comfort has really brought home to me the things I don't like to wear (or don't feel comfortable wearing) more than the things I like. For example, I have been surprised by the fact that I don't like low cut necklines, or very tight tops (even t shirts). I don't mind short skirts but only with tights (or much more excercise, which we all know isn't happening). And I prefer my waistlines to sit slightly on the hips (even in skirts that are meant to be high waisted).
I guess knowing what to avoid is half the battle.
Shapes...
I have mentioned the shapes of clothing that I like to wear quite a bit already so I won't bore you with this section again, but I shall simply stick to the shapes of last season...
Ooh look a giant cardigan too... Ahem... How did that get in there..
Colours and patterns...
Here is another section which surprised me the more I thought about it. I have always been a pattern girl, I would find at least one thing with patterns on for each outfit and feel very happy. But recently I have realised that I only wear patterned clothes every now and again (usually in the form of a frock or a t shirt), and I much prefer matching nice colours together. I do really feel drawn to texture in fabrics though, and naturally feeling fabrics.
The colours I have been drawn to are very... Gentle? That's the only word which kept springing to mind. I'm drawn to greys, and have accepted that I am a grey person, and that this is ok in spite of what people used to say at school.
So my colour palate includes neutrals of grey, cream, white and black.
My mid neutrals include blues, navy and sea blue.
No this is not me indicating that I will knit all of my mid neutrals... I just loved the pictures.
And my colour for a bit of pop can still be red, because I loved it last season.
Planned makes...
So where does all of this leave me? Planning my makes around what I feel is missing from my wardrobe would really mean this is the year of the blouse and cardigan. But I would really love to challenge myself by making my first ever pair of trousers.
So please talk amongst yourselves while I go and find some fabrics and start making lists. This has been a very talky post, so I shall leave my actual planning until next time.
All photos have been 'borrowed' from Instagram unless otherwise stated, just in case you're wondering
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