Your Fantasy Self & Special Occasion Pieces

I read an article once that stated we only wear 20% of what is in our closet. How sad! Also, if you went into the closets of most women, you would find an array of special occasion pieces and half or more of their closet being date night dresses, evening wear and party wear. However, very few of these special occasion pieces actually get worn, depending on your lifestyle of course.

When a majority of our clothes are worn 20% or less of the time, 1 of 2 things are happening…either we are shopping far too much or we are investing in our “fantasy self.” I call it our “fantasy self”, we buy clothes that reflect the lifestyle we wish we had and the events we wish we attended.

I found myself buying sexy mini dress after mini dress when I was in my 20s. At the time I was living overseas, and that was the environment and culture, and I was also much younger. But most of these items weren’t timeless, and as I became more mature, my dresses all became extremely dated and inappropriate for my current lifestyle (and age.)

Instead of buying clothes based on the women we wish we were, let’s find the best versions of fashion that celebrate the women we are. Because when we do invest, we want to enjoy those items and get the most out of that fashion investment.

Define Your Lifestyle

I recommend making a list of the different events and places that you go on a regular basis and deciding what kind of clothes are therefore, appropriate or inappropriate. For example, do you work in a very corporate environment? Do you attend a lot of formal events or social functions? If not, you may not need many party or evening dresses.

Define Your Environment

After defining your lifestyle, it is also important to assess the environment you live in. For example, if you live in a big city like New York, people are often more accepting of creative fashion choices and you may give yourself more flexibility with keeping bright prints and statement jackets.

However, from my experience of living in Alabama, people tend to dress very basic and casual, and though I love fashion, I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing a “look-at-me” cocktail dress, even in the evening.

Separate All Your Special Occasion

Take all your special occasion pieces and put them in a pile. Try on each one, and decide how fabulous you feel in each one. To keep a special occasion piece, you should feel like a million dollars and feel comfortable wearing the item.

A few questions to ask yourself, as you consider what to keep…Would you grab this piece for your next special event? Or would you rather buy something new over wearing this? What are your immediate feelings for the item as you pull it out of your closet? How do you feel when you try it on? When was the lat time it was worn?

Create a Special Occasion Section

I strongly suggest limiting how many special occasion pieces you allow yourself to keep. For most of us, we only have a handful of special events that we attend annually, therefore, your fantasy pieces should take up the smallest part of your closet, as well as the smallest part of your fashion budget.

For the pieces you decide to keep, create a special occasion section in your closet. Maybe put them all in a higher hanging area, or somewhere out of sight, so you can reserve your most convenient closet space for items you reach for on a regular basis. Once you create a special occasion corner, you will easily pinpoint which special occasion items aren’t within your normal color palette. Those are the items you will probably get the least wear out of.

Selecting Versatile Special Occasion Pieces

Not all special occasion pieces are created equal. And though your occasion piece isn’t an everyday item, it still can be versatile. The color, fit, style, and simplicity or details and embellishments of the item will determine how versatile it is. The shorter and tighter the item, the less versatile it is. Consider this: a sequin pink mini wrap dress is very limited to a epic night out or bachelorette getaway, but a tailored black blazer dress could work for a 5 star dinner date as well as an office party.