The 4-5 piece French wardrobe #1

[scara]

ok, so i bought my first item for winter:
boots (credit: vagabond)
i hope that they will dress down my skirts and dresses a little bit.

so that makes no. 1 out of the 5 pieces for winter.
we'll see if i'm able to stick to that. however, i'm proud of myself of resisting to by a dress and a skirt at h&m. they both looked pretty but were made of polyester, and i prefer to dress in natural fabrics and not wrap myself in plastic.

 

[chanelnumber5]

I'm not sure what you mean by having limited ways of being styled ... do you have an example? I'm not sure I believe in these limits ...

As I've mentioned, I try to balance shopping for 'needs' and 'wants' ... and right now I suppose my recession style has the pendulum swung very much to 'needs.' Of course, when you really need something, you also begin to want it ... hardly anyone wants to open a closet that doesn't have a good pair of black pants hanging in it.

An example would be a bed jacket style (although intended for outer, not sleep, wear) shrug made from a cream-y chiffon covered in gold beading - its hard to describe but I can't take a pic atm as it needs to be ordered in from another store so I'm still waiting.

I think another problem I find with clothes I find beautiful is that they are often impractical in terms of fabric/colour/cut/climatic suitability.

 

[Susann]

One problem for me is that I often see items on other people and they look great, If I see those items in a shop and try them on and they even fit and look good I buy them. And then when I want to wear them for the first time I notice that they dont really go with the rest of my style and clothes.
I really try to avoid this now. And I really try to buy very few things, but thats not always easy.
If I habe just the slightest doubt if I should or shouldnt buy something, then I wont buy it.
A good sign is when you keep thinking about one piece of clothes a lot after you have left the shop. The I go back after a few days and buy it.

For Fall/Winter Im almost through with shopping. I got 2 pairs of really good leather boots at a thrift store (right word?). They were really cheap and Im happy.
I still want a coat (dark blue) and a big scarve in white (not too white, sort of powder colour), maybe I would still need a cardigan, but Im not too sure about that

 

[Sun_Goddess01]

Im actually re-doing my entire wardrobe and this is something I could possibly follow. I think this is great because it will save me money! My clothes right now have holes and isnt age appropriate I dont even wear more than half of them. Im turning 22 in October and my current wardrobe makes me look like Im 16 because I have so many bright patterned colors.

*Im going to stick with certain colors like grey, black, white, beige, brown, teal, and just basically darker colors no pastels or neon.

*More solids and a few patterns/designs

*Lots of accessories!

For winter Im really craving black studded ankle boots and a warm cozy coat!

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ If you love color, though, no reason to give it up Color really pops against dark colors ... I like brightly-colored accessories. I don't do neon, but there are lots of women older than you who do

 

[Sun_Goddess01]

^yeah you are right I guess I was thinking about what I have...they just look out dated on me and makes me look a lot younger than I really am.

 

[aldn]

It comes back to repurposing things. You need things to tone down or highlight your wardrobe. You want to get some neutrals like gray, black, navy, there are a few other colors that can be used on the sly but I'm not sure of the exact color scheme you have going on.

 

[pucci_mama]

I have found getting items tailored for that perfect fit really gives the item new life, I am debating whether to get this balenciaga blazer I have tailored, I have had it for such a long time, I have completely stopped wearing it because it does not fit quite right, such a shame as it is a great piece.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I'd say definitely yes!

 

[The_Ida]

pucci Do it. I think you should get all the wear you can out of such a fantastic piece.

 

[The_Ida]

I'm already thinking about summer again But I'm always thinking a season ahead... I've seen a lot of blue for SS10, but kind of warmer blues - like cornflower blue, my favourite! Especially mixed with white and other blues. Yum! I hope it will mean that there will be lots of cornflower blue in the high street shops, kind of like how coral was sooo popular this summer.

EDIT: I think it was Cynthia Steffe SS10 that made me think of this. Loved the colours, could do without the ruffles.

 

[scara]

@pucci_mama
i can't post on your page because it is private. but anyway: thank you for the karma!


on this whole basic colors discussion:
I'm really into black, white, grey and navy for clothes. but ocassionally i find it nice to wear a red skirt like today -just to add a bit of color.. because sometimes i think i can't wear another white shirt with dark pants again...

 

[cheepmunk]

[FONT=&quot]Help! I fell in love with this utterly boring pair of black ankle booties the other day. [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]I mean love -- I wore them around the house even though there was no one around to see me. When I didn't have them on, they were sitting in their box on the table, and I would pet them every time I walked by. But I also recognize that in a couple of days, the honeymoon will be over and they'll get put in the rack with the other shoes. Now I've started thinking about whether I should keep them or not.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
I really want to keep my wardrobe manageable, and part of that is not buying things unless I need them. And I'll be honest -- I don't need these boots. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]If I'm only going to wear the booties twice, or only wear them around the house, or if they're going to be horribly passe in five months -- I shouldn't keep them. The first two aren't going to happen (I seriously love them so much, you guys. It’s like we were meant to be ), but I am worried that my little boots will suddenly look ridiculous come April.

Do you think I'll be able to use them for a year at least? People still wear square-toed shoes, and that trend died about 10 years ago, so my high-heeled ankle boots should be okay for another two or three years, right? They're seriously very dull; I doubt anyone would look at them and think, "OMG! Trendwhore!" The thing they have going for them is that they are so plain that they're more versatile and wi'll last longer than, say, my pink strappy shoes.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]So can someone please hold my hand and tell me I'll get years of use out of these? I know I'm being ridiculous, but I can't help it. I've been so good about not being a conspicuous consumer for the past year that I'm a little freaked out by this feeling of WANTWANTWANT that came out of nowhere.My brain needs some sort of rational justification for this purchase; otherwise, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]I feel like it might lead to a slippery slope where my wardrobe will balloon out of control and I'll end up having to buy another house just to store my shoes and clothes, all because I couldn't help myself when it came to a pair of shoes. And not even an interesting pair of shoes! *sigh* It's turned into some kind of existential crisis or something. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Anyway, here's a pic of similar boots, if it'll help.

Edited because why the heck was my font so small?

macys.com
[/FONT]

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I don't see why you couldn't get years of use from them

 

[timber]

I think you shouldn't worry about black heeled boots going out of style. There are definitely some clothing items that will never become passe - trench coats, dark wash denim and simple, clean leather boots are without a doubt on that list. If you take care of them there's no reason why you can't wear them for several years to follow.

 

[Womanolo]

I - and I suspect most other people on this site, even you! - have a very similar pair of boots to yours. Like you, I love them. Unlike you, I've had mine for three months and wear them about once a week to work, and every other weekend for a part of the day. They go with everything from jeans to leggings to skirts. Don't get rid of them.

 

[jeya]

Sometimes i feel like what i perceive as "good style" is what everyone else says is good style.. such as the more conservative trends of the moment/age (for example, not many people will protest against black blazers, skinny jeans, ankle boots, striped shirts but more frequently tout it as 'basic' and 'chic'). i'm a bit afraid of liking these trends (and having general approval solidify this liking - since a bit of me WILL care about what other people think no matter what) and build upon my wardrobe based on this CURRENT notion of what a perfect wardrobe is. What if I end up, 5 years later, outdated and unsatisfied because a new wave of fashions have arrived and i like those equally as much too? I remember thinking that flats and skinny jeans were both unflattering and ridiculous - but somehow, the fact that everyone wears them and lots of people look good in them has convinced me otherwise.

Occasionally I make myself afraid of how much I buy, even though compared to others, I don't buy so much. 5 pieces per season, 4 seasons per year, every year I get 20 new items? in 5 years I have 100? I suppose this system assumes that you'll throw stuff out every year. But then what's the point of getting 5 'investment' pieces? Should a girl in her 20s really be investing for the upcoming decades? You have to admit, people don't dress exactly the same in their 20s compared to their 30s, 40s, and beyond...

Sorry if I come off as rambling, I don't organize thoughts very well!

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ What you're saying assumes the things you buy will last forever ... but if you have relatively few things, you're wearing them frequently, and even when you buy good quality, they will wear out. So I wouldn't worry too much about what you buy today weighing you down in 5 years Yes, you should still have some things, but many will have also worn out and need to be replaced.

 

[fashionista-ta]

An example would be a bed jacket style (although intended for outer, not sleep, wear) shrug made from a cream-y chiffon covered in gold beading - its hard to describe but I can't take a pic atm as it needs to be ordered in from another store so I'm still waiting.

I think another problem I find with clothes I find beautiful is that they are often impractical in terms of fabric/colour/cut/climatic suitability.

I can see that item being practical for someone who's out in the evening all the time ... a rather rarefied existence.

It's true that this approach is not about buying impractical things ... it's about buying clothes you'll really wear on a frequent basis.

I don't buy things just because they're beautiful ... they must also be useful. I have a few evening things ... few being the key word. If something is beautiful but impractical, many times I can simply admire it ... I don't need to bring it home.

 

[salomelovesjohn]

Interesting quote from this article.

The message is clear for NY Fashion Week: spend, spend spend
By Michelle Nichols, Reuters


"The average U.S. consumer purchased 64 articles of clothing and seven pairs of shoes in 2008, down from 67 articles of clothing and eight pairs of shoes in 2007, according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association."

I wonder if anyone knows how much an average European buys? I'd assume much less, but better quality, judging by the Europeans I've known and lived with.

I know last year I got about 90 pieces and this year I'm under that. I guess for me an investment piece is something I get more than one season's use from. Or rather than buying a bunch of cheaper items I buy something more expensive or of higher quality (maybe not even more expensive) and I use it more often. Less stuff, more streamlined of a wardrobe.