About “My Wardrobe Myself”

Introduction

Welcome to My Wardrobe, Myself! This is a blog about the intersection of clothing, emotions, and life. We often think of these three things as entirely separate zones, but they actually impact each other more than most people believe. Anyone who has spent an important life occasion wearing an outfit that just didn’t feel right, or even felt completely wrong, is aware of that fact. Our clothing matters, as do our feelings about it.

For so many of us, clothes are not simply pieces of fabric that we use to cover our bodies for the sake of modesty and not breaking the law. They’re also a means of self-expression and a way to exercise our creativity. Our clothes are heavily connected to our sense of self and our self-confidence. We often dress differently based upon how we’re feeling about ourselves and, conversely, the way we adorn ourselves can impact our moods. Our wardrobes and our lives are not two distinct topics after all!

For years, I’ve written about a wide array of subjects related to both wardrobe and life, so this blog is the perfect evolution of my interests and passions. I’ve always written about clothing from a different angle than most other bloggers in this space, as my main concern is not on the current trends, sharing my outfits, and telling people what to buy (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with those things). I like to look at wardrobe-related topics and their relationship to our inner workings: how we feel about our clothing and how the way we dress impacts our body image and self-esteem. This exploration has become increasingly important as I get older, as I have a lot of feelings and struggles related to the aging process, as I’m sure many of you can relate to.

My essays will mostly be about my wardrobe and myself, but it’s always my intention that you’ll be able to apply my insights to your closets, emotions, and lives. Like you, I’m figuring things out as I go along, so I’ll use this blog to highlight what I’m learning as I continue to work on my wardrobe, my style, and myself. I also enjoy engaging in periodic wardrobe and style challenges to aid in my evolution and growth, and I always welcome readers joining me in these types of adventures.

Besides the primary focus on wardrobe-related topics, I’ll also periodically weigh in on other subjects, such as personal fulfillment, intentional living, life balance, the aging process, relationships, navigating change, time management, and self-esteem.

A Bit of History…

This blog evolved from two previous blogs that I wrote over the course of eight years, from 2013 through early 2021. I started the first blog, Recovering Shopaholic, in January 2013 in an effort to heal my decades-long compulsive shopping problem and to connect with others who were also looking to trade their full closets for even fuller lives. The primary areas of focus for Recovering Shopaholic were conscious and responsible shopping, wardrobe management, and personal style. As I examined those subjects, worked through various wardrobe and style experiments, and posted regular accountability updates on how much I bought and spent, I was able to significantly reduce my shopping, downsize my closet, and improve my style aesthetic.

After four years of regular posts on Recovering Shopaholic and publishing two books related to smart shopping and wardrobe management solutions, I decided to take a hiatus from blogging. After close to a year, I found that I still had more to say and a lot more growth to do in terms of living a full and fulfilled life, so I came back with a new blog called Full Life Reflections. The best way to describe that blog was that it was about striving for happiness, peace, and fulfillment in the modern chaotic world. While I continued to delve into wardrobe-related topics from time to time, the primary areas of focus were intentional living, life balance, relationships, productivity, self-care, success and failure, and the impact of technology on our psyches.

While I enjoyed reflecting upon, and writing essays about, the above topics over the three and a half years of Full Life Reflections, I also struggled more in writing that blog than any of my four previous ones (I had three other blogs prior to Recovering Shopaholic). 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. I also found writing about some of the life-related topics to be quite emotionally draining, so I increasingly found myself turning back to the familiar zones of wardrobe management, shopping, and personal style. In doing so, I discovered that I still enjoyed exploring wardrobe-related issues and still had a lot of room to learn and grow related to my clothing and style.

Therefore, in July 2021, I decided to rebrand Full Life Reflections as My Wardrobe, Myself and basically “flip the switch” on the blog. I shifted its focus from being primarily a life-focused blog that sometimes veered off into wardrobe-related posts to a wardrobe-focused blog that also examines other areas of life from time to time.

What to Expect on My Wardrobe, Myself

What can you expect? 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:

Some of the wardrobe and style-focused subjects that are covered here include:

Wardrobe experiments – I 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 work through various style exercises, books, and workbooks, and share my experience and what I learn.
Closet additions and purges – What I’m adding to and removing from my closet – and why.
Closet favorites – What are my favorite pieces and for what reasons have they achieved “all-star” status?
Wardrobe “benchwarmers” – What am I not wearing – and what am I learning from those less- worn pieces?
Purchase reviews – I 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 look at how tailoring my clothes improves my closet pieces, and I examine mistake alterations that should have never been made.
Wardrobe statistics – I 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 share what I’m learning along the way as I continue striving to become a more intentional and successful shopper.
Resources – I share – and review – resources related to our wardrobes and our lives. My posts in which I summarize key points from other writers have been among many readers’ favorites, so this is something that I’ll continue to do.
Recommendations – I 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.).

Life-Related Topics

In the realm of “myself,” here are some topics that are explored:

Aging – As a woman in my mid-fifties, I’ve dealt with – and continue to deal with – many challenges and emotions around aging, so I 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 separate blog on this subject, I ultimately opted to center on wardrobe-related topics instead. However, I’ll occasionally weigh in here on my experience of transitioning to – and living with – gray hair.

As mentioned in the introduction, I’ll also periodically write about key themes from my previous blog, Full Life Reflections (which was rebranded as My Wardrobe, Myself), including intentional living, life balance, relationships, self-esteem, time management, personal fulfillment, and the impact of technology on our lives and our psyches.

I’m Open to Suggestions!

As is the case for many blogs, my essay topics will shift as I publish posts and get reader feedback. As always, I’m open to your suggestions for posts. Please feel free to get in touch with me via my Contact Page if you have questions, feedback, or suggestions for me.