The Science of Dressing

[Beth-Lock]

Obviously, dressing is an art, even an art form, but can it not also be a science.
Recently I spent an evening recording in a text file on the computer, much of my clothing and accessores, categorized as to colour and/or theme. It proved to be very useful in knowing what to get next. The reason is apparently that it is hard enough to remember what you have, but remembering what you do not have, that is what you lack to form a matching outfit, is just about impossible.
Example #1: Colour pink, light but not too salmon or very raspberry: Have purse, wallet, change purse, cellphone case, glasses case, but no pink shoes other than pink-trimmed runners. Pink skirts, yes. But what kind of top to go with them, pink, or white blouse over which one can put a white or pink sweater coat. Have white sweater coat, but not pink. Have pink windbreaker and jacket/coat. Conclusion, need pink shoes, or will substitute white ones. Look for pink car coat.
Example #2 Theme: Camoflage green/khaki. Have canvas purse, wallet, no jacket except plain khaki, no pants or skirt, except a non-camo, in similar colours but more femme. Conclusion: Look for khaki blouse, some sort of runners that match better than white, and buy camo bandana right away. Camo cellpone case, and other accessores, are of a lower priority. Consider camo backpack.
Example # 3 Theme: Floral/leaf fall print, green, cream/white and brown
Have skirt, have good brown T-shirt, have nice brown purse with brown wallet, Have brown shoes. Have nice quite matching kerchief. .... and on it goes.
Anyway, I enjoyed the evening and found that I have some themes to build on which I have a variety of clothes to match, and some with just isolated clothes, which it would be too difficult and costly to form into complete outfits of that colour or theme. Now I know more, what to look for and what to pass over.

[Joanne f]

That's OK if you are an organised type of person , but i have to say that i am a happy go lucky type :doh: so i am not so organised as you , must be my fuzzy brain , as my wife says to me " you could never be a woman as you are to untidy":eek: and i say "yes but i enjoy it . :D.



joanne :daydreaming:

[tamarav]

Sounds like a great idea to me. I also use a spread sheet listing all of my wigs, shoes, outfits (tops and pants, dressy or street wear) jewelry, lingerie and everything else I own.. Then I do a cost-benefit analysis of the composition of every conceivable outfit and allow the comptuer to tell me what to wear for each occasion. I put in the query the night before I am going out dressed, but usually the computation takes about three days so I just grab what I think might look good and head out.

Damn slow computer, maybe I will just ask my wife....

[jennifer41356]

a female friend once told me all a woman really needs is a brown and a black purse and for shoes, black brown and an off white....to be stylish and frugal:love:

[Daintre]

In guy mode, when you dress it is piecemeal, slacks a shirt and so on...in fem mode, the experience is so different, I find that the dressing revolves around an outfit rather than individual clothing. The outfit will include the dress/skirt/blouse/slacks or Tee AND the accessories to go with it, shoes/purse/jewelry etc. Everything needed to present a certain look. With experience we can train ourselves to "know" what parts of our wardrobes are interchangeable, it is a trial and error process.

[Kate Simmons]

Wow, that's organization. I just count on my fingers, eenie, meenie, miney, moe or if I really can't decide, I flip a coin. I took my cue from Fran Dresher anyway.:)

[Jannette H]

My SO kind of set up the my wordrobe as to what goes together and a list of "Do Nots" I try to blend the colors.

[Fab Karen]

... as my wife says to me " you could never be a woman as you are too untidy":eek: and i say "yes but i enjoy it . :D.



joanne :daydreaming:

HA! Another woman trying to sell a myth of what women are like. There ARE slobby women, don't let her get away with that superior nonsense.

[Angie G]

Sounds like way to much thinking hun I'll just shop and pick some thing out I like. way easier Beth. :hugs:
Angie

[PheonaP]

Oh to be so organised AND have the time to be so organised. Much easier to say to the SO, "does this look right??". Whatever floats your boat, I really don't have the time or inclination to be that organised, but Hey!, if it makes you happy then do it Hun. :hugs:

[Alice B]

I just put on what I feel like wearing, sometimes not deciding until the last moment. I'm far to lazy to list everything I have. For me it is more fun that way.

[Cristi]

The OTHER method, just as scientific, is to own one of EVERYTHING.

Then, unless there is such a thing as a piece of clothing that doesn't go with anything else at all, you will have all your bases covered.

Well, then I guess you have the issue of how to organize your warehouses full of clothes. By type? By color.... season? Hmmm, back to the database software.

[docrobbysherry]

Why I have 12 "little black dresses", that all look alike. And only pink shoes to go with my salmon outfits! And why I left the fresh roses in the other room when I shot my Easter outfits! And why I have one of almost everything, but nothing that matches exactly! Jeez, I'm SUCH a guy! I don't know why I even try!

[Karren H]

That's wild..... Your obsession has an obsession... lol I am a pig.... clothes everywhere.... yet I still manage to put together outfits that work for me.... No science involved... more dumb luck...

[Sally24]

I try to stay organized too. I have pack lists for my luggage and a timeline list for what prep things I need to do days before an outing. Example; I have to get my arms eppilating finished several days in advance. The next day they are pink and dotted, 5 days later the new hairs start to grow out. I usually do them Sunday or Monday for a Friday outing.

[melissacd]

I get enough rows and columns thinking in my male life, I do not want that to bleed over into my femme side. You just need to go with the flow, be creative and expressive and just enjoy the experience.

[marie354]

I like to keep my clothes organized in a closet and 3 dressers...
A dresser for casual skirts, arranged by length & style.
A dresser for tops, arranged by sleeve length & color.
One for underwear. (Hard to keep it neat because it's jammed packed full)
My dresses & skirt suits all hung neatly in the closet with loads of shoes below them. Purses & hats on the shelf above.
A Kaboodle for my jewelry, one for nail care, and one for hair accessories.
Don't forget a sewing box.
Include some safety pins or a buttoneer for your purse for wardrobe malfunctions. (I had a strap break on a sun-dress while entering Out-Back yesterday.)
Yup! With all there is to be a woman, you really need to be a bit organized.

[Beth-Lock]

Problem is the one of everything method did not work. I ended up with tons of clothes, but could never find everything needed to put together a matching outfit, at least not in a reasonable length of time.
So now, I have worked out some concepts on paper, and then can go from there into the managing the physical garments. The second step in the organizing process will be to group things that form matching outfits together physically. A lot also could then be put in storage, if it does not seem immediately useful. Things that would be useful matches, can be taken out of storage, correspondingly.
Also, I was buying too many things that would not match anything. It is amazing how long you can hunt for things that match. Some colours seem impossible. I met a woman who broke one of a pair of green earrings, and had to get it repaired, no matter what the expense, because green earrings are hard to find. After some thought and discussion, I have concluded that green anything, except skirts or dresses, seems to be hard to find. It is either a cultural or a fashion thing about green it seems. So, if you buy a green skirt or dress, you may very well find it impossible to build up a matching set of accessories, no matter how wide your shopping trips venture and how long you shop. It has taken me years for example, to spot a green folding umbrella. (Turquoise-green does not count.)
It seemed a pleasurable way to spend an evening, going over some colour and theme concepts and going over in my mind some of the clothes I have that might go together. I still find it pleasurable to go over the analysis in my mind, in idle moments.
So, maybe I should have put it, 'Is dressing en femme, easier if done scientifically?'

[Kenix]

I am "systematically unorganized" :) but I am trying hard to keep my femme clothes organized, you never know when you have to hide them in a hurry.

www.polyvore.com is a great site to put outfit together to see how they look. Wet Seals has something similar but it is limited to its products.

[Beth-Lock]

Kenix, I am not the organized type in physical reality, but organizing things on paper (now computer using word processor), seems to come naturally to me. When I was a student and under pressure to get things done, I compiled endless lists of things to do. But I did not necessarily do them. But it took some of the pessure off to think that I had organized them on paper.
I struggle to look good, but you look very good in your avatar Kenix. My recent picture post, as one example, shows I have a very long way to go.
So, I am not the organized type, but just a 'paper' organizer. However, organizing things in your mind, can save you steps. In shopping, one has to range over a really large gamut of things to find items that match. So this method, sharpens up what to look for.

[Donna Michelle]

My wife said I should have black, navy and brown slacks. I should have shoes in black, navy, brown and white and matching purses. I can borrow some of hers. Certain items require the perfect match, so she would match tops and skirts. I don't need to match tops with slacks beforehand. She shows me what colors go together. She even got me a bolero jacket to cover the tattoo on my arm.

[Vieja]

Ahh how wonderful to have so much to wear that you need an inventory list to keep track of it. Maybe one day.

Vieja :love:

[Beth-Lock]

I guess, on thinking of it, that is the difference between the GG approach to dressing of many GG's and the CD approach. The GG is trying to mix and match to get the most out of a limited wardrob, to cover the bases, while the CD is into exprimentation, maybe with unusual colours that cannot really by mixed with others. At least, that would seem to be what is behind my 'system.' Since I buy a lot of my stuff at dolar stores and thrift shops, especially in sales at thrift shops, I do not end up spending as much money as one would think.