Tune into the fit and feel of your clothing step-by-step

In this post we’re covering how to tune into the fit and feel of your clothing. We often talk about clothing fit in the abstract or in a Platonic ideal way. But when you’re procuring new clothes or bringing cohesion to your wardrobe, and developing your personal style it’s important to consider fit from your individual point of view.

So that’s what we’ll do!

You can do this anytime you’re trying to hone in on how your clothes fit and feel. It could be when you’re trying a new style (and giving yourself time to get used to it). It could be when you’re trying to figure out why some clothes just don’t feel right. Or when you’re trying to raise your game and pay attention to how your clothes fit you for the first time. (This process also works for not-necessarily-fit things such as skin sensitivity struggles).

This is a data gathering and iterative process. You may not get crystal clear answers right away and that is ok! Keep trying it with a number of pieces of clothing and you will start seeing patterns emerge.

Prepping to tune into the fit and feel of your clothing:

If you can, give yourself time and space for this process. It takes some of the pressure off. A few tips:

Try to do this where you have a large or full length mirror handy.
Grab a note keeping apparatus of your choosing. Could be a pen & paper. Or a notes app. Or a voice memo. Or even a mirror selfie to jog your memory. This will help you remember what you find, and speed up the process of identifying patterns. (You can also add these notes to your wardrobe inventory if you want to formalize your notes.)

Decide: do you want company and second opinions? Sometimes this can be helpful. Sometimes not.

If you do want company, who would be the most supportive people and what would be the most supportive form of communication?

Undergarments. Unless you’re gathering information about your undergarments, wear undergarments that are familiar. You want them to be a known quantity so they don’t exert undue influence.

Finally, put on the pieces of clothing you’re tuning into the fit and feel of. Unless you’re trying to tune into a whole outfit, try and keep any other pieces of clothing familiar.

Moving through your senses to tune into the fit and feel of your clothing

Your body has a lot to tell you about how your clothes fit. So we’ll go through all the senses to find out what your body has to say.

Touch & Feel:

We’ll start with touch because, after sight, it’s the sense most closely associated with clothing.

Close or soften your eyes and sink into your body. Where is this piece of clothing coming in contact with you? How does that feel?
Keeping your eyes closed or softened, start to move around gently. How does this change where your clothing comes in contact? How does that feel? What is your range of movement?

Sound & Smell:

The sounds and smells of clothing are great places to look for clues

As you’re moving, how do your clothes sound? Is there anything you want to note here?
Does the item have a smell? If so, how does it smell?

Taste:

I mean taste in the literal sense. But you could take it in the stylistic judgment sense too.

Is there anything you want to notice about your clothing as it pertains to taste?

Sight:

Like I said, sight is often the first sense we think of when it comes to clothing. So take this part slowly and gently and try to be kind as you notice.

Now slowly and gently open your eyes and notice the very first thing you see.
What’s the next thing you notice?
And the next?
Let your eyes drift gently around your clothes, is there anything you notice now that you didn’t notice before?
We visually process so much information. Are there any final things you’re noticing?

Wrapping up tuning into the fit and feel of your clothing:

As we begin to wrap up this process, is there anything you want to take note of? Either about the process (what worked? What didn’t? What could you try next time?) or about the item of clothing (overall impressions? Things to notice putting it on or taking it off?)

That’s the process! I hope this helps you begin to tune in and hone your discernment in how clothes fit and feel to you.

Keep tuning into the fit and feel of your clothing. As you gain experience, the process gets faster and you start recognizing your personal preferences.

More posts to help you tune into the fit and feel of your clothing: