Back to Basics, figuring out what you actually wear
8:00 AM
Have you ever stopped and thought to yourself, its great that these bloggers get all fancied up and take photos of their sews. But, I wonder, what do they REALLY wear every single day?
That was actually me thinking to myself this past week. What do I really wear? Because participating in the Back to Basics series with the Creative Counselor meant I had to figure out, what ARE my basics. Depending on your style and career, your basics could be VERY different from mine.
If you remember, I did a full closet purge a few weeks ago. It was a hard thing to do, but it cleared my dressers for clothes that I can and will actually wear. And if you also remember, my short sleeve drawer was basically empty. Now, I have since filled it with my sews from my Diving Into Dolmans series, but most of those were NOT tunics. So basically I have a drawer full of t-shirts to wear with jeans. I sort of hate jeans. They're not comfy like leggings. Don't get me wrong, I wear them, sometimes.
Mostly I dress as pictured. Leggings. Tunic Length Shirt. Zip up Hoodie. Boots. Of course this has variations. You have the winter version which is fleece lined leggings, long sleeve tunic, zip up hoodie, boots. And also the summer version. Capri length leggings. Sleeveless Tunic. Zip Up hoodie (for super cooled air conditioned places) and sandals. I know what I like and I like what I know.
So how do I proceed to recreate this "look" for my basics series? Easy.
#1- Tunics. Today's outfit has a very fitted version. I'll update you with a not so fitted version soon too. But for today, the Vesta Grail Tee is what I am wearing here. Now the Grail does NOT have a tunic version. :( But it does offer, sleeveless, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve and long sleeves. I extended the hem on the Grail and added a band. EASY. That said, I might go back to the P4P Layer Me Up for this look. My hack didn't get a nice neat side seam and I'm sort of too lazy to play with the front and back pattern widths.
This fabric is this Art Gallery Knit that I got from Phat Quarter Shop on Etsy. Maybe you noticed my new "sponsor" section on my blog. Maybe not. But rest assured, you're going to be seeing a LOT more from Phat Quarter Shop. I'm very thankful to them for partnering with me to make my blog even more amazing. :)
This fabric totally counts as basic in my book and it isn't even black. The Art Gallery Knits have actually left me a little underwhelmed. For the extra price, I was hoping for something amazing. These are just OK. Don't get me wrong, they wash well. Are soft and stretchy, but they're just knits (unlike their wovens that are totally amazing!). Unless I loved the print I don't think I'd pay the extra for them. But of course they do have great prints, so I'll probably be buying more, LOL.
And, when I want to mix it up, I wear a Raglan Tunic (hahaha I'm killing me. that's hardly mixing it up). I know wearing a raglan tunic isn't "mixing it up" but that's as far as I can really get for variety in my every day wear. I actually need to go back and review all my posts from my Raglan series as I really think I need to mash up my favorites to make the perfect tunic raglan.
#2- Leggings. I usually buy leggings. The juniors sizes fit me fairly well and I'd rather buy $3 basic leggings at Walmart. That said, if I wanted a crazy print (or super bright pink, remember these?) I do sew my own leggings. I like the Jocole Leggings. They're easy and fast. That said, I do usually size down since I like all my leggings to be 100% stretch cotton/lycra and the jocole pattern is drafted for use in jersey and interlock.
#3- Hoodies- I actually own several Hoodies (no surprise). I've got 2 gray ones. 1 heavier (the one shown here) and one lighter. Both are RTW. I also have 2 fleece hoodies (Paprika Jasper and EYMM Asymmetrical Hoodie and a fleece pull over (5 out of 4). I really need to find a pattern for my super basic no fuss, front zip raglan hoodie. But for now, my rtw one is fine. Plus it has fuzzy sherpa inside and cost me $6. That makes me happy.
Too bad I can't make boots. Or may be it is a good thing. I'm up to 8 pairs of boots/booties. I love every pair but am partial to the ones show here. They're my first pair of boots and they fit "just right". A little bit of heel. Not too loose in the calf. Not too shiny. Not too dull. And they're not heavy either. perfection.
I actually wore this outfit, today, to take my kids to Girl Scouts, minus the side braid. That was an after thought. I'm digging the side braid. I think I'll do it again some time.
4 comments
I often wonder at the people that make lots of dresses. Do they actually wear them? I do wear everything that I have made, and most of my "styling" for my blog posts are quick pictures before I go to work. There are a few things that haven't gotten worn much, though. I need to go through my closet and start purging. My job is about to be pretty much just me in the office most of the time, so I think I will be getting a bit more casual in what I choose to wear. No one to impress, so I might as well be more comfortable!
ReplyDeleteI'm a frequent dress wearer. After I had kids, figuring out my pants size and finding time to shop for pants was just too much hassle (I wasn't sewing for myself then--but even now, pants fitting is the deep end of the pool and I'm not really comfortable there yet). Yoga pants and sweats are fine most of the time, but when I want to feel put together without investing a lot of effort, a throw-on-and-go dress is just the ticket. I'm not making anything fancy, though, mostly t-shirt dresses or fit-and-flare styles.
DeleteMy daily wear is similar to yours, usually dress + leggings + flip-flops for the warm season. This has made me realize I need to add several capri length leggings to my wardrobe.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing I would love to make more than pretty dresses. My lifestyle does not included them unfortunately. Maybe once or twice a year I'll do something special for a wedding or other event, but that is it. I live in what many would call wilderness in a tiny village on the Canadian Border in NY state. This is not a fashion mecca. I work full time but professional clothing around here is jeans and jewelry. My basics are jeans, linen skirts and pants and punchy tops to go with them. I love to tailor and that is where I try to put a lot of my effort. We need lots of coats up here, even light ones for summer evening which are often in the low fifties. So I do get to make lots of glorious coats, something my more Southern sew sisters rarely do. It is not easy figuring out a good basic wardrobe that works with what you like to sew but I give it my best shot.
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