A wardrobe that functions

Craving for a new look? Go ahead, throw out those clothes you haven’t used in the last two years, and keep only a pile you actually wear. Then go shopping, using your brains more than your heart. Reethika Azariah Kuruvilla gives you more tips on acquiring that dream wardrobe.

If clothes were related to mathematics, how good you look would be indirectly proportional to the way you feel.

Feeling good about yourself is simple enough theoretically, but face it, Bjork’s ‘swan dress’ at the 2001 Oscar Awards red carpet has had a rather lasting aftertaste on people’s fashion sense ever since.

Never again has anybody ever tried to look like a bird, much less have one that looks like it broke its neck around yours, to avoid getting targeted by fashion police the world over.

Fashion police or not, the first step towards a more confident you is simple enough.  A quick glance through your closet would tell you if your regular ‘everyday clothes’ were a part of that fine line that marks the 20th percentile of your wardrobe that actually looks good on you. 

Wearing what you’re most comfortable in does not necessarily equal what looks great on you at the best of times.  Simply said, the sweatpants and t-shirt that you love lounging around the house in is amazingly not the best option when you go out shopping at the local mall — for all you know, there could be that one Oprah-defined “aha! moment” when you feel like the frumpiest mannequin on the move.

Much like one of those reality-based shows on lifestyle channels with fashion gurus dramatically walking into your home and throwing out everything you own, all it takes is a very practical impersonal look at what exactly is going on in your wardrobe. This does not mean, of course, that you randomly throw out every single piece of wearable clothing that you can lay your hands on just because you need a smarter wardrobe, but rather that you go about this objectively. 

Start sorting out your cupboard with a pile for clothes you plan to keep and actually wear, and another pile for the local charity closest to where you live.  Things that you have not worn in the last six months are not necessarily going to get worn in the next six months either —  move them over to the pile for charity.  Easier said than done, but those tiny t-shirts that looked so cute on you a decade ago are not really going to work on you today no matter how much you love them.

Be sensible about your jeans — if you haven’t managed to lose enough weight in the last two years to get into them, you are probably better off buying a new pair that fits you better instead. 

Shop using 98% of your brain and just use 2% of your heart.  If you already own five shirts of the same style in various colours, you most certainly would not need a sixth!  Think more along the lines of what sort of a look you are trying to achieve when you shop.  Office wear should be smarter formal clothes that fit well and look good and not make you look like you were going to an audition as background dancer for “chikni chameli”. 

Take your time shopping, trying out everything you intend to buy for that perfect fit.  Go shopping with your best friend (only if you’re going to get the truth about how something looks on you) or look in the mirror for a reality check on whether what you’re trying out looks better at the shop window instead.  If something is on sale, do a quick mental check to see if you really need it and if you would still have bought it for the full price.  Less expensive is never equal to less stylish.

  Look for things that fit and suit you instead of which store they are stocked at. More importantly, avoid impulse buying or shopping for clothes just to get you out of that cloud of depression that sometimes tends to loom over everybody’s heads.
If Tim Gunn was known as Tripati Ganesh instead, his list of ‘must-haves’ for every person on and off his television series would probably read something like this:

*The eternal sari.  If there’s one thing that’s awesome about Indian fashion, it’s the agelessness of a sari. A good sari, whether Kancheevaram, tussar or cotton, bought new or a hand-me-down from your mother, lasts more than a generation, has all the sentimentality of a lifetime of memories and is always in style.

*Formal office wear.  Whether desi or western, what you wear to work says a lot about where you want to be on the professional hierarchy ladder.  Take stock of what you own and what tends to look shabby and too informal at the office as opposed to what looks smart and urbane.

*A well-fitting pair of jeans.  The perfect jeans make you look good from any angle, are great to wear out at night (when in darker shades), look terrific with simple t-shirts or pretty blouses, and of course work best with white shirts when blue.

*A pristine white shirt that looks like it’s out of an advertisement.  If your shirt manages to look just slightly creamy or yellow, go get another one.  White shirts look great when paired with something as normal as your everyday jeans or make you look more sophisticated and classy with a smart skirt or trousers.

*The little black dress.  The matchless LBD fits seamlessly and works just as easily with flats or high heels for any occasion.  On the off chance that you don’t wear dresses, a smart pair of dark coloured pants work just as well too.

*A good jacket and sweater.  Most parts of our subcontinent are lucky enough to have fairly mild winters when compared to the biting European cold for instance. 

Whether blazers and cashmere sweaters or pashmina stoles, when worn with jeans or skirts, always make an otherwise drab outfit look elegant and more importantly keep you warm so you’re not shivering on the sidewalk instead of looking like Marilyn Monroe.

What you wear says a lot about how people perceive you in society today.  The reason you need to take stock of what your wardrobe consists of is that you want to attract attention for all the right reasons, so, go ahead and divide, discard and develop your dressing sense into something you’d rather be known for: Your impeccable taste and chic timeless sense of style.