August 25, 2010

redefining your basics

One of my favorite parts of the blog format is the comment section; I can say that with all sincerity because you all are unfailingly polite and pleasant, which I really appreciate. And quite often, you make me think, which I also appreciate.

This week, Carrie got my wheels turning; in the comments on the 15:30 post, she wrote, “what really surprised me last time i cleaned out my closet was that my favorites were the impulse buys and the stuff i was sending to good will were the ‘basics’ i felt like i ‘needed.’” I read that and thought ooh, interesting! Because it really is.

January 15, 2008

Some of my most well-worn pieces were “impulse” buys –items that didn’t fit on any list of Essential Wardrobe Basics, and that didn’t fill an identified space in my closet. They are pieces I bought because something about them spoke to me — the color or the texture or the style. They are pieces that make me feel pretty and confident, and they are the pieces I go to over and over again.

Which makes them essentials, if you think about it. Even though, the last time I looked, “ruffled Liberty print blouse” wasn’t on any list of closet basics.

Here is the thing no one tells you: when you have a clear sense of your own style — when you know what you like and what looks good on you and what works for your life — pieces you buy on the fly will very likely become cornerstones of your wardrobe. And while those purchases may count as “impulsive” — because who plans to go out and buy a ruffled Liberty print blouse? — they’re not, really, in the strictest sense.

An impulse buy, in my book, is that piece you buy because it looked good on the model or your sister or that woman from the carpool line. An impulse buy is something you bring home because you are hoping it will change something about you — make you taller or thinner or more confident (usually that’s what you liked about it on that other woman, if you’re really honest). An impulse buy is something that is so dramatically different from everything else you own — a micromini in a closet full of knee-length skirts, for example — that it will never work with what you own, and will never really be part of your wardrobe.

But let’s get back to Carrie and her closet full of impulse pieces that she wears all the time. I would say this: Carrie knows what she likes, and when she sees it, she is smart enough to bring it home with her. And because she knows what she likes, she is able to make her purchases work for her. Where she gets into trouble is when she shops off of a list someone else has made, a list that might, on the surface, seem practical and logical but that doesn’t reflect her style. So Carrie’s “impulse” buys are actually good investments, because she is using what she buys to create a look.

What’s the trick to avoiding the true impulse buy? Know your closet; be aware of what you have and what you wear and what you like. And then buy what works for you, even if it’s not on any stylists’ list of wardrobe essentials.

My impulsive basics include the blouse pictured here, my Gap boyfriend jeans, and a pair of silver ballet flats with big grosgrain bows on them. In fact, that sounds like a cute outfit, now that I think about it …

What are your unexpected basics?

August 24, 2010

personal stylist: Nina Garcia

I love August, the month where a wheelbarrow is required to bring the September issues of my favorite fashion magazines in from the mailbox. I subscribe to Elle, Vogue and InStyle; I read Harper’s Bazaar at the bookstore while the boys flip through comic books. I like to see what trending for fall and winter, even though I know I will never wear most of it. (Leather and lace? No).

On a daily basis, though, I don’t turn to fashion magazines for style advice, but to a carefully culled library of style books. Unlike a magazine, which is both ephemeral and aspirational (they need you to buy the next issue, too, you see), books are permanent, and their advice tends to be more evergreen. In other words, your life will never look like a Vogue photo shoot, but a good shopping or style guide actually can help you hone your look.

So which guides are good?

Recently, I’ve been making my way through Nina Garcia’s fourth book, “What to Wear for Every Occasion,” which is a pragmatic compendium of advice for various milestones in every woman’s life. Garcia has divided the book into broad sections — work, dating, day, night — and then broken those into smaller moments. In the section on work, for example, she covers what to wear for the interview, for your first day at a new job, and to a big meeting. She also talks about what to wear when you work from home, in a section called “The Sweatpants Trap.” (Spoiler: Garcia is not a fan of spending the day working in your pajamas. I’m sure you’re shocked to hear that.)

Garcia’s advice is smart and practical and easy to follow. She believes in finding your own personal style, and she’s here to guide you as you search for it. The book itself is beautiful, with illustrations by artist Ruben Toledo. Toledo has illustrated all four of Garcia’s books; the images are the perfect foil for Garcia’s text.

This is a book you can return to over and over. Garcia’s advice is sound and her tone is upbeat and fun. Having “What to Wear for Every Occasion” on your bookshelf is like having Nina Garcia living in your closet. More or less.

August 23, 2010

the 15:30 closet challenge (Oklahoma rules)

I cleaned out my closet this weekend; I have a pile of things for consignment and another two piles for the tailor (one pile of pieces I can wear now, and another of pieces I will wear when it is no longer hotter than the surface of the sun here). Thanks to Couch to 5K, nearly all of my skirts are too big in the waist now, so I’ve got that going for me.

The consignment pile is made up of pieces that — not surprisingly — were impulse buys. I’ve worn all of them, but only once or twice, and never with any real delight. So off they go!

I would like to say that I cleaned the closet because the weather is turning and it’s time to get out the fall clothes, but I would be lying (see above, re: hotter than the surface of the sun). No, it’s all Felicia Sullivan’s fault I’m cleaning my closet. And I cannot thank her enough.

I am, as you know, a diehard fan of the Carefully Edited Wardrobe. I don’t believe in shopping just to shop (in fact, I don’t even really like shopping — I would rather see a movie or read a book or flip through a fashion magazine); I think everything you purchase should work with what you already have. I believe that getting dressed should never be something you agonize about, not even for a special occasion, and your clothes should never overshadow you.

I also really believe that less is more, and that too much stuff just makes you feel heavy and dull. Or at least that’s how it makes me feel.

So Felicia had me when she announced her 15:30 Challenge: “Simply put, here’s the concept: 15 items worn in 30 days — the ultimate wardrobe remixer. 15:30 is a return to chic minimalism, an embrace of fall’s siren call for refinement.  Because haven’t you stared at your closet and been overwhelmed by it? Ferretted out clothes that came from another decade and are not foxy enough to be considered vintage? Pilfered through a dozen shirts with the ominous feeling that you still have nothing to wear.”

Yes. Yes I have.

I’ve done various no shopping, remixing challenges before, but never one quite like this. Felicia has posted full guidelines here (my absolute favorite is  #4, the COMMIT LIST: “Stain on shirt? DEAL WITH IT. Cat ripped your pants? Get a SEWING KIT.” Amen, sister) but after hearing from some of my Oklahoma neighbors, I need to add some caveats. Because, as I may have already said, we are currently living on the face of the sun here in the Sooner State. But by mid-September? It could be in the 50s. God willing.

That’s a lot to plan for.

Felicia will be committing to a list for the entire month of September; what I would suggest to those of you living on the face of the sun in Oklahoma, or in other places where September is the transition month from hot as hell to cool, crisp fall is this:  take the 15:30/4 challenge. Choose 15 pieces, and then reevaluate weekly, based on the weather forecasts, what you will need for the next week.

Felicia’s 15:30 rules, with the Oklahoma Loopholes in italics, are as follows:

1. Select 15 items from your closet: These can include shirts, trousers, jeans, cardigans, dresses, etc — in short, clothing. Make your final selections by August 30th. Each Wednesday, check the forecast for the next 7 days and adjust as needed, but ONLY in response to the weather. In other words, if the temperature drops from today’s near-100 high to something more appropriate for September (say, highs in the 70s) you can trade a tank top for a long sleeved tee. But you cannot trade one tank top for another just because you’re bored. That’s a no.

2. Use unlimited accessories: Remix your outfits relying on all of your jewelry, shoes, scarves, outerwear (blazers/suit jackets do not equal outerwear!), and belts.

3. Captain Obvious: your pajamas and lounge-at-home clothing do not count, undergarments do not count, gym clothes do not count. I’m going to add my weekend pre-shower wardrobe of shorts and tees that are fit only for housework to this category; I’m also lumping my running clothes in here, for — as Felicia says — obvious reasons.

4. Make the COMMIT LIST: Document your list on your blog, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, loose-leaf paper, etc. Feel free to snap photographs of the items, list them — get creative! This is your commit list, and you can’t stray from it. Stain on shirt? DEAL WITH IT. Cat ripped your pants? Get a SEWING KIT. If you amend based on the weather, update your list. Keep the total to 15 pieces, and stick with those pieces for at least a week; only change them out if the temperature soars or drops dramatically. As it hopefully will in September.

5. Keep a diary: Document your outfits each day, whether it be via an “outfit of the day” photo or a log of what you’ve worn and how you’ve mixed it up. Don’t forget about The Working Closet Flickr pool, too! Share your outfits there — we’d love to see them.

6. Ask for help!: Call your friends, pen a blog. Don’t be afraid to ask friends for help on creative ideas on keeping your wardrobe fresh!

I would add one last thing: don’t be afraid to make your own rules. If you only want to do this for work, or only for the weekend, then do it; the idea is to get you to think smarter about what’s in your closet and how you can wear it, and to give you a break from the slog of getting dressed.

I’ll be posting my 15 pieces, just as soon as I have my skirts back from the tailor. And I will also be praying that the weather cools off soon because I’m really completely over my sundresses. Totally.

What say you — are you in? 

August 20, 2010

The Working Closet: minimalism

Calvin Klein, Fall 2010

Minimalism is back for Fall 2010 and I for one couldn’t be happier. The last time we saw clean, minimalist lines on the runway — or in the stores — was in the 90s, as a reaction to the over-the-top 80s. These days, minimalism has more to do with the recession and a sense that less is — well, less, and thus morally superior to more.

But minimalism isn’t just about having — or wearing — less; it’s about choosing carefully, or engaging in what the New York Times recently referred to as “calculated consumption.” In a provocative piece titled “But Will it Make You Happy?” writer Stephanie Rosenbloom dissected the connection between money and happiness, with particular attention to consumer culture.

In other words, she asked if shopping made people happy. The answer? No, not really.

Read more …