Wardrobe Ponderings
It’s possibly a bit early to be thinking about plans for Me Made May… but I’ve started pondering it this week! I don’t do it every year, and the last couple of times I took part I did it a bit differently. As well as wearing at least one handmade item per day throughout May, I was also limiting myself to a capsule wardrobe.
I’ve maintained a limited wardrobe for about five or six years now and I think of it as an ‘edited wardrobe’. Most of us only wear about 20% of the clothes we own regularly and this was definitely the case for me in the past.
I’ve edited my wardrobe down to only include clothes that I wear, and I also give a huge amount of consideration to any new garment I buy or make. I mostly only buy underwear and sportswear these days and would definitely recommend Project 333 as a good starting point if you’re looking to edit down and simplify your wardrobe.
I always find it inspiring seeing what everyone else wears during Me Made May. Taking part always helps me find new ways to wear my handmade garments… and motivates me to let go of those that aren’t working for me.
The thing I dislike about Me Made May it is taking selfies! Last time I took part I planned my outfits and took photos in advance. It made life so much easier, but it did feel a bit like cheating and felt significantly less interactive.
I also dislike the pressure I feel to wear something different every day. This pressure is completely internal and the little voice in my head saying ‘you wear that all the time!’ takes me back to my school days.
This year I’m going to ignore that voice and take part more honestly. Yes I sometimes wear the same dress three to five days in a row… because it doesn’t need washing yet! Washing clothes less is better for the environment and better for keeping our clothes is good nick. So you can look forward to some terrible mirror selfies of me wearing my (un-ironed) denim shirt dress on repeat for most of May!
When I took part in 2019 I was working from home a lot and therefore wearing lots of lounge pants. Back then - I felt like I needed to make an effort to put on ‘proper’ clothes more often… but this Me Made May will definitely involve more lounge pants, leggings and stretchy waistbands!
Whenever I knit or sew something new these days I definitely think about comfort first. I’ve been looking at skirt and culotte patterns and will be adding elastic to the waistband and I’m also making my Isla jumper from KIY a bit longer so that I can wear it with leggings.
Most of us have been at home so much more over the last year… has it changed the way you dress? Have you felt less need for new clothes and less pressure to wear different outfits throughout the week? I definitely felt a shift when I started working mostly from home so I’d be interested to hear your experiences!
