September 16, 2009

10 things you need in your closet (martini not included)

Manhatten and martini at Cheever’s Cafe. Not a closet requirement. Necessarily.

I had a lovely time at The Motherhood today, talking about shopping your closet and how to avoid the dreaded Mom Jeans look and why pashminas are the Best Things Ever. The full chat will be permanently archived, in case you missed it, but I have one thing to share with you here. Before the chat started, I wrote out my Ten Must Haves, but then the formatting got all messed up (wah) and the list was hard to read. And since I am a little bit type A organized and love a list, I’m republishing it here so you can see it all nicely numbered. You’re welcome.

Disclaimer: This isn’t everything you need, it’s just a starting place — these are building blocks. Start here and work your way out to a really functional closet.

1. Mid-rise, dark-rinse jeans, in a cut that flatters your figure and works with the other pieces in your closet. A boot cut is typically the most versatile, although my go-to is a skinny jean.

2. Day dress, again in a cut that flatters your figure, and in a fabric that works for your life. A sheath or shirt dress works for virtually everyone and can be dressed up or down; a wrap dress is good for the office. Cotton and cotton blends can be machine washed, as can silk blends, which makes them really versatile.

3. Black pants or skirt in a dressy fabric (not chino or denim, please) for occasions — job interview, funeral, dinner out — that call for something more than jeans. Choose a shape that flatters your figure and works with your closet (my go-to black pants are cropped velvet; I wear them with EVERYTHING).

4. One great blouse. This can be something tailored (the classic menswear-inspired shirt, for example) or more feminine (a Liberty print). This year, you can do both, with ruffled menswear shirts everywhere. But keep in mind that too much of a good thing is, well, too much — opt for ruffles OR a big print.

5. A fantastic t-shirt. This can be basic white or a fun color or a funky print — my favorite tee is embellished with beads — but it should fit you perfectly and be in pristine condition; no pilling or yellow armpit stains. Seriously.

6. A really great bra. Actually, you need at least three really great bras, and by “really great” I mean the right size, for starters, and a color that works under everything you own (skin tone is best, but skip white at all costs). Give your bras a rest between wearings to keep the elastic from stretching out.

7. A trench-style coat. Honestly, as much of a cliche as it is, the trench is the Best Coat You Will Ever Own. It goes with EVERYTHING and is always appropriate.

8. Yoga pants. Are you shocked? Because I said you needed yoga pants! Tim Gunn talks about the Sweatsuit Alternative, and while I like that idea, let’s be honest: Most of us just need one pair of yoga pants for all those Saturday morning errands. Make sure your yoga pants fit properly and don’t cling in the wrong places.

9. A beautiful, versatile bag. Choose one that is big enough to hold what you need to haul around but not so big that you can’t really carry it.

10. A pair of pretty, versatile flats. Driving mocs, ballet flats, peep toes, whatever — you want a pair of shoes that are NOT athletic shoes. Wear them with your jeans or your dress pants or a skirt — they’ll go with everything (EXCEPT the yoga pants — athletic shoes with the yoga pants, please).

And now I’ll tell you something hilarious: Wade and I have a(nother) date on Friday night, and I have no idea what to wear! Ha ha! So funny! I also have no time to shop between now and Friday, which means that I will be compelled to make my Carefully Edited Closet work for me — or else. So I’ve got that going for me.

Awesome.

September 15, 2009

I’ll have the haggis, please

Last night, Leigh emailed me with a Very Serious Question about my life list: “Ok seriously … order haggis in Scotland?  Surely you could find another reason to go to Scotland … maybe golf?”

She has a point. Although really, my plan is just to order the haggis. I’m going to make Wade eat it. I’m adventurous, but not that adventurous.

Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Daveybot, Flickr

Wade and I have always talked about going to Great Britain; sometimes we plan to go to London and sometimes to the Lake Country, and sometimes to Scotland. And then we look at our calendars and realize that tonight’s football game is at 6:00, not at 7:30, and that we’ll need to get dinner on the table in there somewhere and get homework done and …

You know how it goes.

And that’s precisely the idea behind the life list — it’s so easy to get caught up in the minutiae of the everyday, to while away the hours sorting laundry or picking up toys or sitting in carpool line or doing the eleven million other things that have to get done before it’s time to go to bed and get some sleep and then do it all again tomorrow. The life list is all the things I find myself daydreaming about while I’m pairing up hundreds of wee sweat socks and listening to a detailed plot summary of Star Wars: Episode Four and wondering which one Episode Four is again and why there’s always an extra sock and how many hours until the day is over.

Instead of daydreaming about all those great things I wish I were doing, I’m writing them down. And doing them, or at least as many as I can manage, which feels like a big undertaking on the days when I only barely manage to have a shower and eat some lunch. Which is a lot of the time, honestly. But on the days when I’m overwhelmed by the socks and the deadlines and the rush to carpool, the life list is a way to stop and breathe and plan something bigger and better and different.

What about you — what’s on your life list? What are the big — and small — things you’ve always dreamed about doing? And, more importantly, how are you going to actually do them? What can you do in the next month to make the list a little shorter? Start now and see where you are when October comes. I promise you won’t be sorry.

Hat tip to the very mighty Maggie Mason for the inspiration. Maggie is crossing things off her life list, and has challenged her readers to do the same. Are you in?

September 14, 2009

mark your calendar: I’m live at The Motherhood this week

Do you have plans for lunch on Wednesday? No? Great! Then join me for a live chat at The Motherhood, from 1:00 - 2:00 pm EST — I’ll be dishing about what to wear this fall, how to shop your closet, and why we need to get past this whole recession-inspired shopping-isn’t-cool vibe that’s going around.

And also possibly talking about Fashion Week. Just a little. Maybe.

I love this badge, especially the part about how I’m a “celebrity host.” Because you know nothing says “I’m a celebrity” like getting up at 5 am to make sandwiches for the kids and wash last night’s dinner dishes and start the laundry. I’m almost positive that’s how Angelina Jolie starts her day. Right?

Come chat on Wednesday — it’s the next best thing to having me actually get in your closet with you. Although I would love to do that, too. Really.

September 10, 2009

grace in small things: forty five

I’m so ready for fall; I’m tired of hot weather and my summer clothes and whatever it is that is making every single inch of me itch all the time.

Pollen. Feh.

There is one stretch of my block where the leaves are turning and starting to fall; for that three-house stretch each morning, my walk feels less like the bedraggled end of summer and more like the promise of a new season. My office is oddly cold, which is great because I can put on a pullover and pretend it’s cool outside while I’m working, but eventually I have to leave the house to go get the kids and then I remember just how not-fall-like it is outside.

But soon, soon it will be fall, for real.

Five things I love about fall …

1. Cardigan sweaters.

2. Boots with a skirt.

3. Cold mornings.

4. Scarves, just for pretty.

5. Food that needs to be cooked in the oven and served hot. Not doing that until the humidity drops, though. No way.