Building a Wardrobe: Identifying your closet's colors, prints, and proportions

Lately I've been really bored with my closet and have been struck by the old "I have nothing to wear" feeling more often than not. As I learned a while ago, this probably indicates that my closet isn't fitting my current needs and style. I've been reading up on the idea of minimalism and capsule wardrobes, and the first step to creating your closet is determining your style.  

Here are a few images that represent how I would like to dress: 

Based on these images and the items I wear most commonly in my closet, I can determine my wardrobe's color and print palette, as well as proportions of clothing that my eye is drawn to.

Colors:

• An overall foundation of black basics. I've learned that I'm never going to favor wearing tan or navy over black, so it's time to clear those items out of my closet and replace them with black-based items instead.
• For accent colors I like to wear jewel tones or bright colors, like my green leather skirt or hot pink pants. I tend towards blue-toned colors (i.e., magentas or hot pinks rather than oranges or reds; emeralds instead of lime greens).
• I typically wear a pretty neutral outfit with one or two pops of color.
• I like silver and gold toned jewelry equally.
• I love me some denim, particularly as a top--jean jacket or chambray shirt. 

Prints:

• I love a good stripe, typically in black and white.
• I like accents of animal prints, but not typically large pieces in that pattern (i.e., belts or scarves rather than pants or a t-shirt).
• I like to mix prints, like florals and stripes, or stripes and leopard prints.
• I don't wear a lot of geometric prints--I tend to keep it to stripes, florals, and minimal animal accents.

Proportions:

• As seen above, I like to wear a couple layers on top with minimalistic pants or skirts on the bottom.
• I don't like to wear all-tight clothing--if my top is tight, I'll wear a flowy maxi skirt; if my pants are skinny, I'll wear a looser top. 
• I tend to steer clear of complicated tops--the simpler the better for me. I play with different cuts and fits more on the bottom, like structured skirts or loose, sarong-style pants.
• I love to wear dresses with or without a blazer.
• I wear minimal jewelry--I always wear a ring I bought in Chile, but only occasionally wear earrings or a necklace.
• Common proportion: slim-fitting top with cinched-waist flared skirt
• Common proportion: looser-fitting top with skinny jeans or pants

Now that I've identified my favorite looks, it will help me to determine what I have to build on in my closet, what I need to get rid of, and what I need to add to my closet. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on how to define the number of items needed to make your closet fully functional!