Fall Wardrobe Inspiration

Happy day, Reader Dear!

Have you ever been rolling along on autopilot and then looked down and wondered How did I get here?

Every time I ask that question, the Talking Heads starts playing in my brain and I start humming Same as it ever was…

Which is exactly what happened recently when I sat down to make a quick video about my fall wardrobe inspiration.

I mean, how hard is it to chat for 5 minutes?

I opened up my Powerpoint to see what I’d been thinking.

Then, I opened up my Pinterest to see what my subconscious had been up to.

Hot mess alert!

The two were not at all in alignment.

Which felt like a good topic about which to chat today! From where did the mis-alignment come? And can they fix that at the tire store?

Van Gogh Experience

No, I’m not blaming it on Vincent! He had enough self-esteem issues.

Did you have an opportunity to attend the Van Gogh Experience? Mr. CP and I talked about attending when the exhibition visited Atlanta, but Covid and restrictions to hubby’s travel by his work meant that the opportunity got away from us. As life does. But then the VGExp was scheduled for our very own humble Augusta! We lined up tickets. It was fabulous! I couldn’t get over the colors. The moment we walked in, wardrobe inspiration swam past my eyes. ALL those gorgeous colors! And textures! I even took Mama the following week; she loved it, too. (And she’s hard to impress.)

Here’s the inspo board I started right after the VGE. (No, this board was not fully fleshed out. You’re seeing no more than the beginnings of a draft.)

It was good! I could see where it was going and although some of the colors aren’t my best, that was okay with me. The FEELING was there and I could see building this out with what I own! (And maybe an addition or two…)

Trends Report

Then I peeked at the Trends Report blog post I was writing and at the post about how I might make those trends work for me. Combining my Van Gogh inspo and the trends I want to play with left me with a train wreck.

I love all the pieces and ideas here, but… What a mess! There’s absolutely no coherence. And I’m looking at more color than even I can handle. To make matters worse, when I add the pinks, the color palette looks like someone threw up a crayon box… How to sort this mess out?

Subconscious…

To the rescue! (Cue superhero landing music.) It was time to check in with my subconscious. I love planning, and the data and numbers, analysis and thinking-the-wardrobe-process through, but when it comes down to daily dressing, Ms. Sub-C needs to be happy and inspired when she looks in the closet. She wants her wardrobe to be filled with old favorites AND enough newness to prevent boredom. (The new usually comes from the out of season storage box, so it’s not so much new as re-new!) She also needs a tight color palette to prevent visual overwhelm. (It;s a real thing.) The best place to find out what Ms Sub-C is thinking is to pop on over to Pinterest…

Wow! This doesn’t look like either board! I think I made the mess worse rather than better.

Pattern Hunting

So I spent some time looking at the patterns. What am I seeing on Pinterest that I like and how might that play out? Watch and see!

What’s Next?

It’s not quite back-to-the-drawing-board time for me. But it IS time for a closer look at these patterns AND it’s time for a realistic look at my wardrobe and how what I already own will work. And what I may need to add to pull togeher my capsule and firm up my French 5 Shopping Plan. Note: If anyone out there wants to gift me that glorious grey Christian Dior dress, I’m open!

How About You?

Have you given any thought to your fall wardrobe? When do you start thinking about the next season? Before it comes? Or do you wait until it is full upon you? Do you like fall dressing? How do you want to show up this season? Are you feeling it’s time for a change? What is inspiring you this season? Art? Film? Nature? Are any of the trends speaking to you? Do tell! I love to hear from you…

Stylishly yours,