(Photo Credit: Arri George. This is one version of my uniform.)

There’s nothing like pregnancy to give you a moment to step back and look critically at your wardrobe. Half of it doesn’t fit, and the other half won’t by the time you have your baby.

That’s where I was this time last year. To further complicate matters, I had donated or given away all my maternity clothes after our sixth baby because he was the “last” one, until an unplanned miscarriage broke our hearts and we decided to go for number seven.

Since I knew Seven really was our last, I couldn’t justify buying a ton of maternity clothes, so I aimed to use the clothes I had as long as I could, and make sure I got as much bang for my buck as I could with the maternity clothes I purchased.

Reading The Curated Closet (not an affiliate link) and doing the activities while I was pregnant was a great way to help me feel like I was making an effort with my appearance, and also deal with my clothes while I had enough distance to look at them without too much sentimentality. The goal of the book is to help you identify your personal style, and get your closet and shopping habits in line with that style.

My first assignment was taking a selfie every day for two weeks of me in whatever I was wearing. I am not a fabulous selfie taker, so that in itself was a challenge. I also had to be consistent to take the photos each day.

After the two weeks were up, there are a series of questions in the book to answer to help you figure out your style. You answer questions about the fit, colors, and silhouettes you like the best from the two week period. You also get a chance to identify your uniform. I discovered I had a winter uniform: Pants, shirt, vest or cardigan sweater, scarf, funky socks, leather shoes.

Doing the challenge isn’t what gave me the uniform, but identifying it was a big thing. Now I don’t just wear it without realizing – I put my uniform on with purpose, and it makes getting dressed confidently in something I like wearing that much easier.

After you answer the questions, you make an idea board based on what you wrote. Here’s mine:

Some of the clothes on it I own, and some of the images I chose because I liked the style.

I had already done Kon Mari and gotten rid of things that didn’t bring me joy a year or two ago, and despite the claim that this is a one and done process, I had slid back a little. The Curated Closet process helped me be honest with myself about things I wasn’t wearing. It also helped me better understand what I liked so I could put together outfits that suited me.

For instance, I almost NEVER wear anything with a print or bright colors on my bottom half, but I was still sometimes buying things like that – and not liking or wearing them. Since I typed my responses to the questions in the book, I could see in print what worked for me and what didn’t, and I could be more purposeful about clothes shopping. It makes it easier even now, a year later, to say no to clothing impulse purchases that don’t fit my style.

There is a section in the book that helps you make a list of “holes” in your wardrobe, so you fill them.  If you read this post, you know that I’ve given some thought wardrobe “holes.” While I did the section and ended up purchasing a few things, the main benefit from the book for me was doing a better job putting together outfits I really like from what I already own.

The one exception to this is pants. For many years I kept buying jeans despite the fact that I hate the way they feel. By happy accident, the one pair of maternity pants I purchased for that last pregnancy was a pair of chinos. I wore them all the time, and discovered chinos are the perfect blend of put together and ease of movement that I needed. I now have several pairs and wear them most days of the week. With a pair of thin long johns underneath, they are comfortable for winter and way better than jeans or sweats in terms of how I feel when I’m wearing them.

Since I finished the book and activities, I try much more often to look put together for the day, but make LESS of an effort doing it. I know what I like wearing, and I wear it, instead of defaulting to sweats or choosing something that I only sort of like.

I got my copy of the book from inter-library loan, and I definitely recommend reading it if you want to hone or discover your personal style, and be more successful when you’re deciding what to wear or buy.