As I stumbled into the abyss of YouTube fashion videos yesterday, I was inspired with awesome thoughts about possibilities, which rapidly awakened the trusty Dubious MinimalistTM in me. She’s never very far away.
Before realizing that part of me is damn cynical, but often right, I was thinking to myself, “I can do this, yes, I can…all I have to do is watch a couple of videos and get on with it!”
Then Dubious MinimalistTM spoke to me…
“Wait, what the hell is a capsule wardrobe? 30 items or less…?”
I know…shit, I’m beyond guilty of not even being close to that # of items. What about the underwear and sock drawer, or the pile of poorly fitting bras – do I count those in the 30 items? Will I have to walk around without them if I chose pants and shirts first?
That can’t be right, can it!?
I searched again to find a video on that topic and I found that – “Whew!…it doesn’t count undergarments! Hallelujah! The girls shall remain concealed.”
After a short period of time – say, minimally about…3-4 hours of wasted time – I continued on talking to myself or DM who was talking myself out of the whole idea. I really have better things to do kept ringing in my head?
Oh…cute, I found a young girl with fake gray hair…she’s an expert on what type of jeans to wear.
I sat back down, mesmerized again. Startled back to reality when I heard Mr. clear his throat in the doorway to my office.
Busted, caught sitting in the comfy chair watching staring at the monitor screen on my standing desk across the room. I had converted my office into a TV room. Thankfully Mr. was delivering the afternoon popcorn snack so it looked planned. He’s so sweet to support my addictions. YouTube watching is fatigue inducing so sitting helps, and nourishment keeps me going when I’m on a research mission.
Mr.: “Here you go, dear. What are you watching anyhow?”
Me: “Oh, just a few videos on what to wear or how to choose your wardrobe?”
Mr: “Again…? I thought you were doing that earlier?”
Me: “Yeah, I was…I’m still watching them and wasting time…”
Mr: “Um…okay…I’m heading out to the grocery store…have fun…”
Feeling relieved by lack of pressure to end my bingeing session, I clicked play again as the voices in my head continued to spout about the conflict of right and wrong clothing knowledge and the reality of what exists in my closet…an impossibility to reconcile with all the rules of the process.
The post-it notes to keep track of tips were flying about…
What? Don’t judge…first, don’t you talk to yourself too? Secondly, if you want to improve on something don’t you have to do research and write down what you find on a note that will get lost or crumbled up because it won’t make sense later when you read it? Jeez, get over it – EVERYBODY talks to themselves and everybody will research something they don’t know much about, right?!
So…I continued listening to the conversations in my head as I judged and watched and popped between different expert opinions. It’s important to do that if you really want to mess with your thoughts.
If you want to be really great at something, you kind of have to know your sh*t about it, right?
Yep – the experts (with over 300k followers) on YouTube invested their education, TIME, and talents, and then they were noticed as experts and can now reap the rewards as being trusted advisors who, by the way, have also become very clever in their click-baiting.
Duh!
You can’t just go spouting off, thinking everyone is going to believe you, right?
Duh, unless you’re convincing. Or funny…or both…I click back three videos…because by then I had forgotten to write down what that person said, realizing this one contradicts it? Oh, just click subscribe, (…301k followers) then you don’t have to remember who it was who said what!
Now I was even more confused…am I a rectangle shape or a what shape was that called? …Shit, I can’t even remember now? Should I wear mid-high or low-mid waisted jeans? I’m petite (under 5′ 4″) and supposedly skinny jeans are okay, but “You should never have any fabric bunching at the bottom, that makes you look even shorter…” WTF…I love my bunch at the ankles skinny jeans??? I thought that was normal?
You can’t just be a fashion consultant without any knowledge, right?
Duh? No brainer here! Even the lovely young ladies that trapped me in their dreamland of telling knowing what the hell I should wear both have a background in clothing design. They know their shit about fashion.
Damn…I should really stop swearing…!
You can’t be a fashion photographer without all the proper tools, right?
Crap…(see, I can write without swearing) before I answered that question, I looked at the time, damn dang…I had to get dressed for the dinner party I was going to. So I ran to my closet of wrong clothes to wear, grabbed my ol’ faithful dress (the only dress I ever get compliments on…or the only one I’ve worn in the last year), threw it on with my little black sweater – because I hate the top of the dress. And…
As I looked in the mirror…I chuckled…not quite the perfect outfit. I hadn’t changed out of my comfy shoes yet.
Do it…be brave…take the first step…capture 1 (or…100) photos of your quirky fashion journey…
Try a few more…by the end of this zealous photography session, the comic relief was a pleasant surprise. The lines in my dress look like the fan…and the spot I’m standing in is as awkward as I am feeling…and this is the best I’ve got to show for my efforts? Oh…jeez…at least I know how to break every rule in the fashion diva wannabe abyss…!
But, with the right attitude…I know how to have fun pretending, and that is something that makes me laugh.
Oh, what the hell, I gave the side pose a swirl…if you’re going deep into an abyss, you might as well go to the bottom, right? And to top it all off, I’m still confused…
Today…maybe I should shred papers instead…!
Post inspiration – #AugustBreak2018 – Makes me laugh
PS – Do you ever let yourself be totally goofy? Or waste a day? Or just be real? What makes you laugh when you do that?
LOL timely post for me. We were invited to a wedding that is semi-formal attire! I have been working at home for the last 20 years, my attire is hardly semi-formal. Do I want to buy something that is semi-formal for a one-time event? At least it is not until November so I have some time to research options. Love your dress.
I can’t wait to hear what outfit you pick! Semi-formal…oy…that makes me sweat thinking about it! Guys get to rent tuxes…do they have something like that for gals? Not that I’ve heard of? Thank you – it is a nice casual dress, I still go back and forth about keeping it or not, but, in a pinch, it works!
Working from home, I think I probably only wear 30 items total, but I’d be hard-pressed to give up the rest, even though it’s just stuff that hangs there! Good luck with your fashion journey. You’re so cute–everything’s going to look great on you!
Yes, Rebecca, I’m right there with you on the at-home wardrobe, and I frankly like it, and I hang onto stuff too…just in case! Thanks for the encouraging wishes for the journey – it’s going to be interesting, but today, I’m thinking it is not my top priority unless I’m in the mood for it!! 😉
Totally enjoyed your foray in fashion research. ☺️
Aw, thank you, I appreciate your kind words of encouragement!
You are welcome.
The side pose is great! I get so uncomfortable taking those selfies…it takes multiple tries. The capsule wardrobe is a great idea, but I found it ultra stressful. It’s too much to limit to certain number of items, but when I shop now I’m more mindful of quality, mix and match, and classic pieces.
Can’t wait to see how your fashion journey goes…
Thank you, I appreciate your encouraging feedback! I found a video that talks about the capsule wardrobe and explains that you need to base it on where you live and the weather – so if you have 4 seasons like I do in Wisconsin – then it is 30 pieces per season! That is way more doable and less stressful. Now I’m more excited to ponder it more instead of toss the idea aside! You’re right on target with the concept by being mindful of quality, mix and match and classic pieces – I bet you’re well on your way to the perfect capsule wardrobe!
Oh man! I saw you going down that rabbit hole and I was gonna go get a rope to help you out. But then I thought “Nah. She’s doing fine. She’ll be ok. Besides, she seems to be enjoying it.” You’ve done much better than I did. But all I did was Google “fashion for women over 50”. It was horrifying. I can’t really talk about it.
LOL – thanks for being ready to send in a lifeboat to rescue me! Oy…thank you for the hot tip – I’ll make a note to self not to search for fashion for women over 50!! Sorry to hear it was such a horrible experience, glad you’re recovering and are able to share what not to do with those who get lost occasionally! 😉