My Wardrobe, Myself

When I started Full Life Reflections in January 2018, I thought I was mostly done writing about wardrobe-related issues. I had become burnt out on that topic after four years of writing my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic, and I was ready for a change. I saw this blog as the perfect next step on my journey, as the tagline for Recovering Shopaholic had been “Trade your full closet for a full life.” I felt ready to commit more to the “full life” part of the equation, which was why I named this blog Full Life Reflections.

While I’ve enjoyed reflecting upon and writing essays about many different topics related to “Striving for happiness, peace, and fulfillment… in a chaotic world” (the tagline for Full Life Reflections), I’ve also struggled more with writing this blog than any of my four previous ones. Since I could conceivably write about any topic under the sun, I wrestled with “the paradox of choice” because there were just too many potential subjects to muse upon. Additionally, I often found writing about some of the life-related topics quite emotionally draining.

Returning to a Familiar Zone

Consequently, I found myself veering back into the familiar territory of wardrobe management, shopping, and personal style more and more frequently. In doing so, I discovered that I wasn’t done with those topics after all. I actually still enjoy exploring wardrobe-related issues, and I still have a lot of room to learn and grow related to my clothing and style.

As this blog has progressed, the proportion of posts dealing with wardrobe-related topics has gradually increased. In 2020, more than half of my essays – 12 out of 20 – addressed wardrobe management or personal style, and 14 of my 21 posts so far this year have also centered on those subjects. Clearly, I’m not finished writing about wardrobe and style just yet! It’s also apparent that readers continue to enjoy perusing these posts and weighing in on them, as they’re often more popular than my essays on alternate topics.

A Shift in Focus… and a New Name

As 2021 went on, it became evident to me that some changes were in order for the blog. After a lot of thought and consideration, I’ve decided to basically “flip the switch” on the blog three and a half years into the game. Instead of being primarily a life-focused blog that sometimes veers off into wardrobe-related posts, it’s now going to be a wardrobe-focused blog that examines other areas of life from time to time. Actually, that’s already what has happened with the blog, but I’ve now decided to own and embrace that shift in focus.

In truth, wardrobe and life are not entirely separate zones, for several reasons. For many of us, clothes are not just clothes. They’re a means of self-expression and a way to exercise our creativity. They’re also heavily connected to our sense of self and our self-confidence. We often dress differently based on how we’re feeling about ourselves, and conversely the way we adorn ourselves can impact our moods.

Because the blog is changing direction, I’ve chosen to rebrand Full Life Reflections as My Wardrobe, Myself to reflect my new priorities for what I’ll be writing about. You can expect to read mostly wardrobe-related posts moving forward, but I’ll also weigh in periodically on other life-related subjects that were covered more extensively on Full Life Reflections. Some of these topics will actually be woven into the wardrobe-focused posts, especially when it comes to things like aging, self-esteem, and intentional living.

Will This Be Just Like Recovering Shopaholic?

You may be thinking that this is essentially Recovering Shopaholic redux, but that’s not the case. That blog existed as a way for me to be accountable about my shopping and as a means of connecting with others who shared my struggles with compulsive buying. I was happy to provide a forum for discussing that important topic, but along the way I became a sort of “poster child” for compulsive shopping, which ended up being a burden for me in multiple ways.

Although I still consider myself a recovering shopaholic (although greatly improved from when I started my previous blog in 2013), My Wardrobe, Myself isn’t going to center around that topic. While I’ll definitely share shopping tips and experiences periodically, the main focus here will be on wardrobe management and personal style, which were also regularly discussed on both Recovering Shopaholic and Full Life Reflections.

What to Expect on My Wardrobe, Myself

What can you expect on My Wardrobe, Myself? I’m sure the blog and its direction will evolve over time, but below are some of the topics that I see myself delving into here.

Wardrobe-Related Topics:

If you’re a longtime reader of mine, you’ll recognize some of the subjects that I plan to cover here, including:

• Wardrobe experiments – I plan to take on a variety of challenges related to what I’m wearing. This may include Project 333 and similar capsule wardrobe challenges, as well as other experiments created by me, other bloggers/writers, or readers.
• Personal style – I plan to work through several books/workbooks and share my experience and lessons learned with readers.
• Closet additions and purges – What I’m adding to and removing from my closet – and why.
• Closet favorites – What are my favorite pieces and why have they achieved “all-star” status?
• Wardrobe “benchwarmers” – What am I not wearing – and what can I learn from those less-worn pieces?
• Purchase reviews – I’ll take a look back at items that I purchased previously and share how well they have – or haven’t – worked for me.
• Outfit journals – What I wore, where I went in each outfit, how I felt about it, and what I might improve in the future.
• Alterations – I take a look at how tailoring my clothes improves my closet pieces, and also examine mistake alterations that should have never been made.
• Wardrobe statistics – These won’t be at the same level as those written for Recovering Shopaholic, as I’m no longer tracking wears. But I’ll periodically do “by the numbers” posts related to what I’m buying, what I’m wearing, and what I’m purging from my closet.
• Shopping tips – I’ll share what I’m learning as I continue working on becoming a more intentional and successful shopper.
• Resources – I’ll share – and review – various resources related to our wardrobes and our lives. Some readers have stated that the posts in which I summarize key points from other writers are among their favorites, so this is something I’ll continue to do.
• Recommendations – I’ll recommend wardrobe items that have worked well for me, as well as good options for those with particular shopping challenges (e.g., tall, petite, and plus-sized options; age-appropriate clothing; trend-proof options; etc.).

I’ll also periodically revisit some of my old posts on both Recovering Shopaholic and Full Life Reflections and share new thoughts and perspectives on those topics. Sometimes there’s no need to “reinvent the wheel;” I believe that checking back in on some of my own “words of wisdom” can be beneficial for myself and readers.

Life-Related Topics

In the realm of “myself,” here are some topics that I see myself covering on this rebranded blog:

• Aging – As a woman in my mid-fifties, I’ve definitely been dealing with many challenges and emotions around aging, so I’ll share some of my thoughts here.
• Body image – This is definitely an area of intersection between my wardrobe and myself, and a subject that I previously centered an entire blog around called Body Image Rehab (most of those old posts were migrated to this site under the body image category). Body image strongly impacts what we choose to wear, as well as how we feel in our clothes.
• Gray hair transition – My posts on my “going gray” journey have been among my most popular essays. Although I considered starting a new blog dedicated to this subject, I ultimately opted to center on wardrobe-related topics instead. However, I’ll continue to occasionally weigh in here on my experience of transitioning to – and living with – gray hair.

I’ll also periodically write about some key themes from Full Life Reflections, including intentional living, life balance, relationships, self-esteem, time management, personal fulfillment, and the impact of technology on our lives and our psyches.

Welcome to the Next Chapter!

In line with the shift in focus here, I’ve added a number of new post categories, which will make it easier for readers to check out essays about their key interest areas. If you’d like to peruse specific types of posts, you can easily do so via the sidebar on each page of the site (see the “browse by category” section). I’m still in the process of reclassifying all of my old essays, so you’ll see things continue to change over the coming weeks. You can also view a full listing of my posts from most to least recent in the Article Archive.

I’m going to keep making additional modifications behind the scenes as part of the blog rebrand. If you notice any broken links or other problems with the site, please let me know. Also, if you have any questions or would like to make a suggestion for a future post, feel free to comment below or contact me privately via my “Contact Page.”

I hope you’ll enjoy the new direction of this blog. Welcome to My Wardrobe, Myself!