Bespoken

April Apparel - planning my weekly outfits for a month.

Inspired by the meal prepping and planning of the truly organised, I decided it might be a fun experiment to see if I could prep and plan my wardrobe each week, the way I would do my groceries and meals.

To document the process and the outcome. To designate days for outfits. To have enough freedom to feed creativity and stave off boredom, but curbed enough to factor purpose and function whilst cutting down on cognitive and laundry loads.

In essence, I want to know if I truly can live more simply. If I can let go, and free myself from the attachment I place on objects, and belongings. I want to free up my space, and my time.

I put together a little trial run of a weekly outfit plan, by hanging the items in my studio, and bringing down to the house the night before a pre-picked outfit to wear in the morning.

I didn't question it. It was tried and true. And yes, it saved me cognitive load and time in the morning.

Now that I know that, I want to fully flesh this plan out. And so, a challenge was born.

For the month of May, which is approximately 5 weeks long, (starting on Monday April 29th and finishing on Sunday June 2nd), I will update my instagram the Sunday before with the week's chosen outfits.

The office

I will be working from a finite collection of clothing, based on my Autumn collection and factoring in each day's tasks. I go to the office 3 days a week, and I like my outfits to be clean, pressed, functional and smart; without feeling fussy, up tight, 'done' or overly co-ordinated.

I leave the house in the dark and cold, and I return in bright sunshine and warmth.

I also walk 40 minutes, and catch buses and ferries. So footwear needs to be comfortable, and practical, and clothing needs to be transitional throughout the day.

Add to this the fact that if I have to give any sort of presentation, I like to have the option of upping the ante ever so slightly, whilst still feeling like myself. Clothing is an armour, a language, and a set of visual cues as to who we are. Because of this, in the past when I tried to 'dress to impress' I hated it.

I hated it because I was dressing in a way that did not reflect who I truly was. I felt like a total imposter, playing dress-ups based on someone else's rulebook. (And in a dress-up box I didn't even remotely like!)

But it's okay, because I know that now; and I have come full circle, as in the hero's journey, to a complete embrace of who I am, and have managed to turn the communication of that into a full-time hobby.

Working from home

I work from home two days a week, and you'll see that both Tuesday and Friday have the same outfit.

I reserve these comfortable favourites for those two days.

When I work from home, I do so in my sewing studio which is out the back of the house, in the garden. It gets extremely cold out there because it has no insulation. I also make a few trips through the garden to the house for coffees, snacks and bathroom breaks. I want to be comfortable and warm, without feeling like I haven't got dressed that day. I don't need collars or blazers, and I don't want to be sitting around the house in anything I am precious about. But you won't find me in my pajamas.

I chose the leggings my mum gave me, which are very thick, with the comfort of leggings but without the look. (I hate leggings, let's just get that out there.) They have a faux fly and back pockets, so they don't make me look like my legs have been spray painted. I am not precious about these at all, and they can be stretched, lounged in, trekked through the underbrush in, and washed to within an inch of their lives.

With these I will rotate any one of my standard, neutral tees, and over the top my favourite wool and cashmere blend sweatshirt, with the uneven hem, cuffs, and buttoned shoulder.

I feel like myself in this outfit, but I can tuck myself origami-like on my little office chair, and not fret about my clothes, or comfort.

Weekends

Each Saturday I go to the markets and a few other local stores for errands and necessities, and so comfort and mobility is key. I will wear my stretch skinny jeans that a friend kindly gifted me, as they're extremely comfortable and flattering, and any one of my standard, neutral tees. Over the top, I decided to stray from the script a little bit, and add to my collection a very old, red velvet blazer.

This was actually a payment for a modelling job I did when I was 18. I have treasured it for all these years.

I thought this would be a fun pop of colour for the weekend.

For Sunday's I thought it might be nice to implement a 'Sunday best' approach, but very pared back and low-key. Comfort is crucial, as I usually spend the day at home, with my family, but occasionally we are out having lunch or visiting friends.

Same jeans for the same reasons, with a more elegant top. I haven't decided if this will change each week, or not.

With further ado, let's see the plan.