design your wardrobe – what’s dancing in your soul?

I’m halfway through the first week of Seamwork’s Design Your Wardrobe challenge. And wow. I’ve learned so much! Brainstorming, pinning, analyzing, more pinning, and finally an inspiring plan for a cohesive wardrobe collection. So much so that my collection even has a name.

My favorite task this week so far has been to create a Pinterest board and fill it with over 50 images of inspiration – outfits, fabrics, and color combos. Then the hard part. Study it. Uncover common elements, notice repeated motifs or silhouettes, and listen for your voice.    Here’s what I heard.

Loose-fitting tunics, vintage florals, wrinkled linen. Hence the name I coinded for my collection – Boho Smart. The word “boho” is overused today, I know. But I was bohemian before I even knew what that word meant. In high school my favorite jacket was my mother’s suede car coat from 1950. And hanging in my closet – at this moment – preserved in an airtight garment bag is the little gauze dress I wore to every Grateful Dead concert I attended.

But here’s the thing. Although I love a casual, comfy style, I’m seeking to reign it in a bit. Free-spirited but polished. Bohemian but refined. Think Janis Joplin as a New York book editor. Jerry Garcia as a stock broker. You get the idea. Bohemian all grown up. Boho Smart.

Monday I’ll have lots more to share with you, including a mood board. In the meantime, you should give this a try. Collect some inspiration and let it speak to you. Mine did. And it whispered there’s still a little Grateful Dead dancing around in my soul.