I'd like to add my own revelations and resolutions to the growing list.
2012 was my first full calendar year on the forum; I joined in May 2011 so I'd already had one summer/ fall season, but I date my full participation really from the autumn of 2011.
I started that season with a fairly empty closet, apart from some consignment clothes and others donated by friends. I've made quite a lot of purchases in 2012. Some of them, in retrospect, were great purchases . And some were sort of dumb. But it's all part of the learning process, and mostly I've been able to wear the clothes I bought with pleasure.
Allthough at times it seemed as if my style was going nowhere, as a new year begins, I think I"m much closer now to a true personal style -- one that feels like an expression of who I am and that fits with my actual needs.
Some key revelations:
I've come to believe that while it's nice to buy quality pieces, not every article of clothing needs to last for years. It is okay to retire items after a couple of seasons or even after one season if I've worn the heck out of it in the first season's go-round. I've also come to realize that I'm that kind of dresser. I pick favourites and wear them repeatedly in a season and really enjoy that; but by next year I will be onto something new.
I discovered taupe as one of my neutrals, along with navy, ink blue, and denim. It plays well with my blues and greys and also gets along with the black that I can't quite eradicate from my wardrobe.
I figured out my signature colours -- fuchsia, peacock blue, cranberry red, orchid.
I embraced the slouch. While I still wear two pairs of legging jeans (mostly tucked into boots and/or with oversize sweaters) on the whole I'm preferring my slouchier jeans and trousers.
I found myself more and more attracted to modern and fairly minimal items and outfits. Although I still rely on scarves to add some pattern and neck warmth in winter, I'm even looking for ways to reduce my use of that accessory -- which means looking for more pattern, texture, and shine in my footwear, belts, and bags, and also looking for individual clothing items that pack a punch. They may be essentials, but they also need to make a statement.
I fully embraced booties.
I paid much more conscious attention to what I ACTUALLY wear and feel comfortable wearing in my day-to-day life, and also began to subdivide my activity capsules in way that helps me make sense of my continuing discovery of wardrobe holes. Heck, until very recently, I could never even identify wardrobe holes as such!
Going forward, a prediction and a resolution:
Prediction: I'll go even further along the menswear influenced direction. It's a look I really like, and one that works pretty well on my small busted, long-necked, fairly straight figure. It's consistent with my love of jackets and jeans. And it can always be feminized a bit with fuchsia. :-)
Resolution: I am shopping in advance for the fall/winter season, hopefully with an actual NAS trip. This is the first year I feel I might be able to predict my wants and needs with any accuracy. So I'm saving my pennies for that, starting now.
