STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Kitty · Hermes

Stick to the same stuff or all over the map?

Kelly · Hermes

It took me a long time, but I've finally realized that following the "rules" for my body type will make me look a lot better than the really cute garment I find that just won't work with my body.

I think I stick to a lot of the same styles, not religiously, and not the point that I won't try something on just because it doesn't fit with the aesthetic of the rest of my closet. But I guess I just find that when I pick things out that I really like, they tend to work well with everything else that I have. I'm either really boring, or just really have a specific taste.

I mean, I don't stick with certain cuts or colors on purpose, it just happens that way. There are a few things I've realized don't suit me too late to return them, but on the whole I really like everything I have. That might be a result of the major closet purge I did earlier this summer, though...

erin · Chanel

kitty, i feel like i am all over the place as well. i *really* realized this when i took a picture of my closet the first time and i saw a mish-mash of colors, and it didn't go together. i have over the last six months or so been trying to make things more cohesive. i got rid of about 60 dresses, and some other random things, and i am trying to make it my goal to scale down even more. i feel with so many clothes i have too much going on and if i had fewer clothes, it would force me to wear everything more and be more creative.

also:

It took me a long time, but I've finally realized that following the "rules" for my body type will make me look a lot better than the really cute garment I find that just won't work with my body.

i am still trying to realize this, because i am really attached to cute clothes that totally don't work for me.

atlgirl · Gucci

I used to be all over the map. I'd buy fun, cute items and then realize they didn't work with anything else in my closet, or didn't truly work for my body type. In the last few years, I've worked hard at not succumbing to those impulse purchases anymore, and now I have a closet of (mostly! still working on some of it) clothes I love, that I can wear with other things. There's nothing "cute" about spending money on something that just takes up space in the closet.

I firmly believe in buying what looks good on *you*, not on the hanger, or buying a certain style becaue it's trendy or looks good in a magazine photo. That's made a world of difference in my closet and in how I feel when I am picking out outfits. It's much easier to decide what to wear when you actually like the stuff in the closet. :)

From your TS and SD posts, what I love about your style (and think is most flattering to you) are your girly work looks - belted cardis and blazers over skirts, for example. Also your great boot collection, and your bold print tops/dresses. I love the kind of tunic-y tops and dresses you wear, in such fun patterns!

HTH

zeitgeist4 · Gucci

I usually stick to the same kind of stuff all the time. Which in general is kind of boring since only certain cuts/necklines work on my body.

NCshopper · Hermes

I think I tend to stick to the same look. I know which shapes look good on me and which don't and I stick to it, pretty much. As far as colors go, I have a lot in my closet, but again, they're all flattering and they all go with the neutrals that I have.

Kitty--after looking at your stylediary page, I think you actually have a pretty consistent look. Your outfits are always figure flattering, feminine, and unique. You have a lot of pretty colors and patterns and mix it up really well, often in ways I wouldn't have thought of, which is why I like your style so much.

Suasoria · Chanel

Based on your description, if I had to choose between "evolving" and "schizo," I'd choose schizo. No offense. How long does it take you to get dressed on a normal day?

To me, having a closetful of clothes and nothing to wear, or saying I hate everything or nothing goes together, means you don't have enough classic, neutral, basic pieces to build on, items that go with most everything as well as together.

Instead of thinking of basics as boring, think of them as the foundation pieces that make your special items pop out. The frames for your artwork. The crystal platter for your gourmet dessert. The trellis for your climbing roses.

You may have to be insensitive about it, but it's time to purge, and to simplify your life so that getting dressed in the morning is less painful.

Here are just a few suggestions:

- Stick to the same few simple colors on the bottom - such as black, gray, white, denim and tan/khaki/taupe. No orange capris or pink skirts or cream slacks. And NO navy, NO brown, NO olive green. Yes, they are supposed to be neutrals, but if think you have nothing to wear right now, these will just make it worse for you.

- Sometimes you buy or hang onto something simply because it's a color you don't have in your closet already in abundance. It's no surprise that it doesn't go with anything you own. Allow yourself to be drawn only to certain non-neutral colors. For me, it's reds, including pink, burgundy, cayenne pepper, or fifty other variations, as long as it's some form of RED. For a friend of mine, it's any jewel tone, whereas her little daughter likes any color as long as it's purple. Let me repeat that: this is a three-year-old who understands what works for her, and she doesn't vary from it just because she "sees something that looks cute."

- Really limit prints until dressing yourself becomes less of a challenge - and even then, slowly, and only prints that incorporate the colors you're drawn to.

- Embrace dresses as your best friends, and wear them a lot - or avoid them entirely. The in-between stuff is where it gets complicated: you want to wear it but you forgot to shave your legs, you don't have the right shoes or stockings for it, blah blah blah. Either do it or skip it.

- Having shoes and handbags and belts only or mainly in black (or brown if you prefer) is not a crime. If you see something in a store that wouldn't work with your basic black heels (or basic brown), the solution is very simple: don't buy it.

- Mend or alter anything that needs it in order for it to be wearable. If you can't, or won't, get rid of it. Discard/donate things that you can't stand looking at anymore, for any reason. They're just complicating the getting-dressed thing.

- Launder/iron more often so your 'go-to' things are more likely to be available when you need them. Doing two small loads instead of one large load in a week will not cause the planet to shrivel up and die overnight.

- Refuse to let any sales person or even well-meaning friend talk you into buying anything.

You may know your rules, but you seem to vary from them too much. Maybe make a new rule that only one out of ten times will you venture outside of the rules, and even then, it's going to be worth it, like great shoes or a coat, not just a random top you could wear out to a bar on a Friday night if anyone invited you. Or worse, something perfect for a cruise to Alaska that you'll never go on.

I wear about everything that fits and is seasonal, and I don't really impulse-buy, which helps. I'm very thrifty and bill/debt-conscious. For me, saving up for a beach house in Mexico is nearly always more important and soul-fulfilling than a new sweater. I mean, when I retire at 45 and am living in Mazatlan, where the average temperature is 80 degrees, what do I need a sweater for?? Or shoes, for that matter? Maybe for you it's a new laptop or an apartment with a lake view, but in any case, there's almost always something more important to spend money on than a piece of clothing that doesn't work perfectly for you. That's my two dozen cents.

lynnie · Chanel

i'm pretty consistent. my style has changed because i'm growing up and my lifestyle is different. Maybe you should put yourself on a mini shopping ban so that you can figure out what you REALLY want to reach for and don't have. I have about 4 different navy or blue tank top tunics- some casual, some dressy. Now, i wear all of them, but if i bought the same thing again, even in a different color, it would most likely serve the same purpose. No matter how cute it is- it would be a variation on something I already have, causing all my outfits to feel the same. I think we all only really need a few things (at most!) of pieces that serve the same purpose. For example- no one needs 6 pairs of black skinny leg jeans- unless you are so committed to that look that you wear nothing else. That's an extreme example, but same goes for anything- A line floral skirts, long grandpa cardigans, cropped structured jackets..etc. Sometimes I like to browse magazines, online boutiques, or style.com to find looks i like, and I can almost always complete them- maybe with the addition of one piece. Personally, I like things that aren't super feminine- slouchy layered looks, j crew type stuff, grungy things, interesting silhouettes.. so i am realistic about my style when i shop. it doesn't matter how cute something is on Rachel Bilson- if i feel like a flower in it- i won't wear it. i'll never reach for it. There are far better uses for money than that.

theotherjess · Chanel

Eh, I don't think it's a bad thing to have a schitzo wardrobe (I definitely do!). I don't like to limit myself to certain colors or cuts of clothing...I like it all! I used to only buy colors that would go with everything else (like black or brown) but I would never wear them. Now I just buy things in colors that I'm most attracted to and I feel a lot happier when I get dressed.

Suasoria · Chanel

theotherjess wrote:

Now I just buy things in colors that I'm most attracted to and I feel a lot happier when I get dressed.

You say it a little differently, but that's exactly what I mean too about being drawn to certain colors. That's such an important lesson - and such a hard one to learn! I'm middle-aged, and only in the last few years did I finally make a rule: no more blue except for denim. No navy, no teal, no royal, no French blue. No mas azul. Ne bleu pas. Nyet blueski.

For a laundry list of psychological reasons, such as getting out of a so-called "comfort zone," I used to force myself to buy things in colors that were somehow different for me. And of course, I ended up not wearing them, not liking them, and not liking myself for buying them in the first place! Who needs this aggravation?

I purged over the summer and left myself with only three blue items - a button-front shirt in a style that I own in four other colors, a comfy cotton sweater I generally only wear around the house, and a cute turquoise halter, which I bought because I love its Asian print more than the color. I'm left with things I want to wear and none that I don't, and it's a whole lot easier.

ViViDogWear · Kate Spade

I DEFINITELY have a s*schizo* closet and I like it! Although - there may be a good reason besides the fact that I just love all sorts of styles andam a comltete shopaholic!

In the last 5 yrs or so since I graduated university, I have:

* worked in an uber-conservative (closed-toe and pantyhose in CA?) office

* returned back to school (for fashion) as a F/T student and returned to retail for a brief stint at nordstrom

* worked in some very casual office environments

* worked in "fast fashion/mass market/juniors&missy apparel" where I have amassed more clothes than I can wear in a year!

* and now - working for an upscale luxury line/couture clothing company where the dress code is decidely more spohisticated as well (no jeans in my dept. except Fridays)

Sooo... you can see how my schizo wardrobe is a result of my schizo life! Although it can be much easier to streamline colors and silhouettes, I think it take so much of the fun out of getting dressed. I've often had *purging remorse* after I have given or donated something away.