Doctor T Designs

The next few phases of the WA Series are a bit more about self-reflection and considering personal tastes.

For Week 7, you are supposed to ponder your relationship with prints and solids.  I tend to wear a lot of knit prints, but usually only towards the top of my body.  I’ve also noticed that a lot of the prints I wear tend to be things I’ve sewn.  The things I’ve bought tend towards solids more often than not.  I also usually like to play with texture more than print, which is interesting to note.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the various types of prints and how I respond to them:

Stripes and Plaids

I typically really like stripes, and I’m growing to like plaids, at least when I positively respond to the color palette.  I’ve sewn lots of stripes, and I’ve got a lot in the stash, so that will definitely show up in my wardrobe plans.

Dots

I’m not as bit a fan of dots.  I’m drawn more to the irregular use of them to create interesting movement.  I don’t have any dotted items in the wardrobe, and very little dotted fabric in the stash.  More drawn to classic black and white than colors with this print as well.

Geometric/Abstract

This is my jam!  Love me some irregular/abstract print with geometric elements.  Most of my print fabric is an abstract pattern.

Florals

Rather than me wasting a lot of time trying to find a floral print I really like, I give you this:

This scene from Netflix’s Original Series Atelier perfectly describes my relationship with florals.  I like floral laces and embroidery sometimes, so I’ll use it as embellishment, but it is possibly the least represented print in my stash.

Animal Print

I really like feathers, and I’ve got a few items in other prints as well.  I tend towards the crazy colors of animal prints – I like the inspiration, but I don’t know if I want to look like I’m actually wearing the animal.  Scale for these prints is also really critical for me.  Not at the top of my list, but a definite possibility.

Novelty Prints

I don’t usually buy/wear these sorts of prints, but if I do I’m going to let my geek flag fly!  The content of the print is just as important as the scale and colors, which means I don’t tend to buy this unless its for some crafty gift project.

I think I’m pretty good about buying prints that I would wear; I don’t have a lot of stash that doesn’t correlate to my actual wardrobe.  Maybe its because I tend to have a very strong reaction to prints – I either love it, or I don’t care.  Which is good because it means my stash is full of things I love.  It’s only sort of bad because I love a lot of things.

For Week 8, I’m supposed to ponder my beauty/makeup routine and answer some questions.

1. I tend to wear my hair long, so I can put it up and out of my face when I’m doing stuff, which is all the time.  I don’t really see myself with short hair – just the thought of having to control a bob drives me nuts.
2. I don’t wear make-up normally.  It’s usually nothing or full-on skater face – a stage performance level of makeup, which is a lot.  I’ve been trying to figure out a more minimal routine for going out, but I’m not quite happy with it.  Maybe I just need to spend more time on YouTube tutorials?
3. My lack of makeup probably says I’m not super invested in my appearance.  Well, that or I’m just so busy I don’t have time for myself.  Which are both sort of true.  Though I’ve been reading Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong, and during the makeover scene the stylist says something about lacking outward appearance relating to a more fulfilled inner life, and I’ve decided I’m going to just borrow that assessment and use it as a mantra.  Or something.
4. I don’t use a lot of product, so I probably don’t want to have a lot of it.  Honestly, I’d like a few basic things that work well for me.  Oh, except eye shadow colors, eyeliner color, and lip colors.  One can never have too many colors.
5. I’ve not been too picky except looking for gluten free products (they give me a rash).  I’d probably do better looking for more natural products, but I don’t use them too often so then I worry about shelf stability. This is something I need to ponder further.
6. I think I tend to look better when I wear neutrals on my face.  I’ve done some crazy colors for skating and cosplay, and while they look amazing to set a mood or create a character, in real life I feel sort of ridiculous wearing that much color on my face.  I’ve worn purples, blues, and sometimes greens to good effect, but browns and greys tend to look best.
7. Yellows and oranges make me look like I’ve got jaundice.  Not the best colors near my face.
8. Realistically I spend about 30 minutes getting ready, and that includes putting on clothes, brushing my teeth, and checking Instagram for updates.
9. I don’t wear perfume and I don’t like wearing scents.  I do like vanilla and some lighter florals, but nothing too sweet.  This is not likely something I’ll add to my routine.

Honestly, changing the lack of makeup is probably something that would go a long way to making me look put together.  On the other hand, it is also not likely to become a larger portion of my daily routine unless I can get more skillful with it.  Maybe once the clothing gets an overhaul I’ll start adding it in more?  I do like the option of wearing makeup, but right now I don’t think I’d regularly incorporate it anytime soon.

Up next we start getting to the good stuff – the Capsule Wardrobe.  I think this is where I need to start cross referencing the spreadsheet of madness that started this whole adventure to help a bit with planning.  Which means I might not be doing wardrobe posts quite as often in the next few weeks, but I’ll definitely be tooling along with it in the background.  Stay tuned for updates!