I haven’t posted anything in nearly three weeks because I’m frozen with indecision. I’m on a budget right now and trying really hard to work with what I already own but I can’t quite decide what to make. I’m craving something with pattern (as would be appropriate considering Oonapalooza is happening right now) but everything I have in my stash is boring solids.
To help find some inspiration I took a look at a Pinterest board I started to help me define my style (inspired by this post by Tilly and further encouraged by some of the Wardrobe Architect posts).
I’ve found three distinct styles that I’m drawn to (that may or may not be represented in my current wardrobe).
1. Bohemian
This should come to no surprise to anyone who read my sewing retrospective post since I spent a good part of my teenaged life searching thrift store racks for Bohemian finds. I don’t think I have a ton of this in my wardrobe right now, me-made or otherwise, though I guess my latest maxi picks up on the tie-dye.
2. Vintage/Mod
Like many fellow sewing bloggers I have a definite vintage lean to my tastes but I don’t like anything too twee (just learned that word, LOL!). I tend to like vintage looks that have a bit of a mod look to them and I’ve definitely got a fair amount of this in my RTW wardrobe including a dress I’d count as my “signature style”.
3. Nautical Military Punk
Nautical military punk. Because that’s a style, right? What I notice most about the garments in this category is that, with the exception of the occasional skull, stripe or submarine, this inspiration manifests mainly in outerwear and accessories.
Looking at my three main favorite style categories, any two put together compliment each other. You can go Bohemian mod, or Bohemian military, but probably not all three. Growing up tall I’ve always felt self-conscious whenever I try to dress too cutesy and I tend to use the nautical military punk style as a way to avoid this. A dash of cheekiness added to a dose of adorable.
I’m not really sure how this analysis will inform my future sewing decisions, or if it will at all. And of course, this only takes into consideration what I lust after, not what I actually wear. Maybe I’ll just use this all as inspiration. I’ve already been thinking it would be fun to make a gathered Mathilde blouse with Bohemian embroidery embellishments. And as I reflected at the end of MMM’14, I look better when I’m not just wearing jeans and a tee.
Maybe I should go through the Wardrobe Architect exercises and work on a color palette for my wardrobe to try to nail things down more? Has anyone else done an exercise like this? How has it informed your sewing and pattern choices (or has it)?
Crafty Little Secret... 
Hi! I hope you do figure out a way to join us for Oonapalooza! I worked on my dress today, and it was fun to get out of my comfort zone!
You mentioned colour palettes – I figured mine two years ago and it’s been such a HUGE help in figuring out what fabrics are worth stashing and what garemtns will actually get worn! I don’t make myself stick to it slavishly, but 95% of what I want to sew really does fit into it. I did a tutorial a while back on how I make colour palettes for myself/friends… Maybe it will help you! http://crafting-a-rainbow.tumblr.com/post/61163429028/create-your-own-personal-colour-palette
(For what it’s worth, your pinterest boards have a really consistent colour palette already – why not just start there? Cream, navy, brown, charcoal, forest green/olive, and denim, plus bits of red and yellow!)
That’s a great tutorial for figuring out colour palette, thanks! I usually use Photoshop to edit my blog photos, so I bet there’s a way I can just sample the colours directly from my photos.
Very interesting observation about the colours in my inspiration boards, I hadn’t noticed that there really is a very obvious (apparently not) colour palette there! I have a lot of jewel-toned garments in my wardrobe (mostly purple, magenta, teal and emerald) and I always think of myself as liking bright colours. But I just went and opened my closet with your comment in mind and noticed that while those jewel tones are definitely there, they tend to be darker richer tones rather than lighter bright shades.
Hmmmm…….[places hand under chin in thoughtful pose]
Hee hee, nautical military punk!
I did the earlier Wardrobe Architect assignments and really liked them. I especially liked the first two exercises, where you delve into your personal history, lifestyle, style icons, etc. I worked up to Week 4, but the work I did helped me direct my sewing efforts!
I took a quick look at the Wardrobe Architect stuff but haven’t actually sat down and gone through the exercises. I should probably do that. I’m trying to keep myself to a very strict fabric budget and don’t tend to accumulate much stash fabric, so it would be nice to have that extra bit of thoughtfulness behind my purchases…