Creating your wardrobe: step by step

Before you even think about creating your new wardrobe you should decide on your best neutral and accent colours and whether you look better in cool or warm shades.  This isn't necessarily straightforward. When I've posted photos of myself in both warm and cool shades on this blog, readers haven't always agreed on which colours flatter me the most! Maybe I'm a borderline case, but for the moment I'm going to stick to the Jewel Winter colours that I've been wearing since my colour analysis last year. Luckily I already had several items in my existing wardrobe such as the blue top below.

The next question you should be considering is what shapes and styles suit you best.  As an example, I am short (5' and a bit) and rectangle-shaped (i.e. no real waist) so I know that beautiful floaty long skirts and figure-hugging curvy tops aren't my best looks, even though they can look stunning on other women. Trousers usually suit me and I like jackets and tops that gently curve giving the illusion that I have a waist, so you will find these in my wardrobe.

Finally, what is your style personality? I have written several posts looking at this subject from different perspectives and recently started a series of "Creating from scratch" using Feng Shui Fashion.

Within Feng Shui, there are five different Feng Shui Fashion types:  the creative Philosophers (Water); the sporty Pioneer (Wood element); the dramatic Pleasure Seekers (Fire); classic, traditional Peacemakers (Earth types) and finally the elegant Perfectionists, whose element is Metal. You may want to read my first post on the 5 Feng Shui types if you haven't already done so.

Another post that you might like to reference is my guide to your DIY Personal Style Analysis written after several people commented that they would love to have a personal style analysis but there wasn't anybody in their area. Style icons for gamines include Audrey Hepburn and Audrey Tatou or maybe you're a dramatic like Joan Collins and Iris Apfel. If you're not so flamboyant, you could have a classic style personality similar to Michelle Obama and Gwyneth Paltrow or perhaps you are a natural like Cameron Diaz or Jennifer Aniston. If you're small but delicate and feminine rather than boyish, you are probably an ingénue like Goldie Hawn and Charlene Tinton. Finally we have the romantics, with Sophia Loren and Catherine Zeta Jones being their celebrity style icons.

This outfit illustrates my personal style, which is natural gamine. Don't worry if you feel that none of the above categories fits you though - just create your own personal style and call it whatever you want.

Now that you have decided on your best colours, shapes and styles you can start thinking about creating a wardrobe that will be perfect for you. I have shown several examples of capsule wardrobes - and maybe one of them resonated with you - but at the end of the day you are looking for clothes that suit you, that are appropriate for your lifestyle and above all that you love.

In my next post, I will show you how to gradually build up your capsule wardrobe. In the meantime, I suggest that you pull all your clothes and accessories out of your wardrobe and select those that fit the above criteria to form the basis of your wardrobe.