Friend Friday: Planning Outfits

There has been a lot of talk that people plan their outfits out in advance so this week Katy decided to focus her questions on that.

1. How do you determine what you will wear that day?
This depends on what my day will hold. If I am going to the gym in the morning, I most certainly pick out my clothes the night before. I hang them by my gym bag and put what can go in the bag in the bag. I also pull out my workout clothes that I will wear in the morning and stack them right there too.  If I am going to the gym after work, I pack my gym bag the night before but 90% of the time do not pick out my outfit at that time.

Every now and then I have an outfit in my mind and think I want to save time the next day so I pick it out in advance.

2. Do you plan outfits out in advance for a whole week, month, weekend? No. I don't plan. See above. I wish I planned though. It would save time.  I always have not enough clothes and too many clothes at the same time so it makes picking things out take forever and a half.

3. Do you have any specific way of tracking outfits and items already worn so you don't repeat?  I don't care about not repeating unless I'm doing a challenge that doesn't allow repeating. But I do want to at least keep my repeats spaced out a few weeks. I use my calendar site (that I should rename to OOTD site) to help me see when I last wore something.  I often want to space out wearing my red pants or something bold.

4. How do you discover new combinations of items in your closet? (Trial try-ons? Hanging items together?)
I ask other people. You may think I'm kidding but I email people a picture of my skirt or new thing I want to wear and then send them my calendar site asking what else it will go with.  I'm pretty sure everyone thinks I'm nuts (but I am) so I continue to do this.

Sometimes I go through my closet and try on the things I haven't worn in years and then try them on with other stuff to decide if I want to get rid of them or not. I usually come up with some good outfits that I wouldn't have come up with otherwise. Usually I think I don't have a shirt that matches my skirt but really 3 years ago I didn't and now I do.

The outfit to the left was discovered using a new shirt and an old skirt. I have worn the combination a few times since.

5. To streamline the process for 2011 what is one new thing you can do to cut down your dressing time?
I'm not sure. Can I learn how to match better in 2011? I don't think so.
In the morning I wake up and am out the door in 30 (or 40 minutes if I shower) so I think I am pretty good. This counts my makeup and also packing a lunch (and petting Poly).

I often think I should plan outfits in advance. It does save a lot of time.  After I went through my closet almost 2 years ago, I hung outfits that I found together in my closet. I still haven't even worn 2 of them. I have since decided I don't like skirts that hit me in the calf. I didn't like them then but thought I would keep them.

Soon... and I hope very soon... my friend, Brie will be coming over and we will play mix and match in my closet to come up with new outfits.  I was sick and then she was sick so we didn't get to do it yet. I hope soon though. Maybe next week!