Defining My Style

More on the Me Made May Experiment

My Zero Waste Photinia Top pattern with matching Clyde Pants

Well, here we are in week two of Me Made May. How are you feeling about it? Are you even participating? Do you even care? Lol.

Well as mentioned before, I didn’t either until this year. In fact, I was purely against it because it was so trendy. However the past two weeks have really taught me a lot about myself and my wardrobe and whether you’re interested in the challenge or not, I think you’ll find this post interesting :)

I started Me Made May thinking, “This will be easy, I already have a lot of handmade items I coordinate”. And to be honest, it has been simple - and fun! Playing with prints, mixing and matching so I can take advantage of one pair of pants three different times… learning what colors I need in my closet to replace the ones that simply aren’t working… yeah it’s been fun. So here’s what I’ve found that’s helped me a lot in defining my style.

HOW I DEFINED (and refined) MY STYLE

I DID A COLOR ANALYSIS

I’ve always been against paying a lot of money for a color analysis. By doing your own you can really get to know yourself and your body. I did my own using THIS LINK and found out I am a soft autumn. (Note: if you are a person of color I recommend reading this post by the same author however I must say right off the bat that the words “why do people of color pose a problem for color analysis?” are very cringe and the wording in this article is slightly privileged as it denotes there is a problem with US and not the system created for white people, but I digress, information is information and the article was informative). Where was I? Oh yeah, soft autumn. Lol.

My tones are very muted, earthy and warm. Below is the palette that matches my color analysis. Being a soft autumn means I’m between a summer and autumn so I’m able to borrow from either color palette but to these colors and add in mustard and purple.

Doing this changed everything for me clothing wise. Most of my closet was already in this color scheme, but I feel more confident in what I’m wearing and know that I look good in it because I have on paper what works for me and why. My clothing complements my skin and because I’ve tailored it so much, most of my clothes interchange with each other. This helped a lot when creating outfits.

Having a palette that shows corresponding colors helps me to not be afraid to mix and match color schemes and play around instead of being afraid to wear the wrong thing.

I AM COMFORTABLE WITH MY BODY

I am what is considered “pear shaped” meaning my chest is smaller and my hips are larger. I’m also curvy in my chest, waist and hips and this is why I started sewing for myself. I know my body very well. I know the amount of ease in a garment I like. I know how things will fit me just by the measurements. Instead of trying to change my body with the ongoings of life, I simply dress it according to what’s comfortable for me and makes me look good to myself.

I GOT RID OF WHAT WASN’T WORKING FOR ME

In choosing pieces for outfits I did not try to negotiate with my clothing. If they didn’t work for me or weren’t comfortable I had three options; fix the piece, turn it into something else that works for me, or sell it/donate it. In doing so I was allowing myself to be sure of the clothing I wanted to wear and thus I was sure of the wardrobe that was defining me.

Some of the clothes I’ve opted to let go of are in the Studio section of my website, check it out HERE.

I LEARNED WHERE MY CLOSET HAD GAPS (AND FILLED THEM)

For a long time I stayed away from tank tops and sleeveless tops because I wasn’t a fan of my arms. Now I love my arms, and my whole body really, so I have been exploring this layer again. I found that creating outfits at first was very difficult because of the lack of simplicity. Too many blouses with details and not enough easy layering pieces.

One of the key focuses of Me Made May is not accruing MORE pieces, so I did in fact not adhere to that rule. However, the Nikko tops I made weren’t just garments being added to my wardrobe willy-nilly, they actually made it easier to wear more of my closet. Many of my simple tops were thrifted and not simple or they weren’t weather-appropriate. Adding just three simple sleeveless tops made the rotation of my wardrobe much easier and mixing and matching became a fun experiment that worked out seamlessly.

Nikko Top paired with a thrifted summer wool skirt

Nikko Top paired with a pleated skirt from my pleated skirt tutorial (coming to this platform soon)

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I’ve had fun creating outfits everyday in my closet, and for the first time I’ve truly worn me made clothes every day since May began. The act of mindfully deciding what I’m going to wear everyday was a chore at first but now it’s become a fun part of my day that I look forward to. Having my style defined for myself and knowing I’ve put in the work to do it has made me take pride in my clothing and in every hand made thing I make from here on out.

How’s your me made May going? Are you reaching your goals? Are you enjoying the process or is it more daunting? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

Talk soon,

Alexis