The 4-5 piece French wardrobe #1

[tifa]

I'm such a typical British young girl shopper. Hit Topshop in your lunch break, buy lots of cheap unnecessary stuff. That's me.

I do love the idea of having a spring/summer/autumn/winter wardrobe but that'd never work for me. I just buy things as I go along which is silly as I never get the wear out of them. I think I may try it for this season though, I'm trying to make lists of what I actually need and buying it.

 

[fashion_boi_01]

I'm going to give this a try for spring 2007. I already have almost all of the basics in my wardrobe, so just buying a few high end pieces every season would be nice (I'm already eyeing stuff I want from the runway shows.)

 

[darlingnicki]

My friends and I are kind of hardcore party kids, so if I go out on Friday evening, I frequently don't come home until midday Sunday, which means a three-day run in the same clothes. So like, from my perspective, if I can't get home to change on the weekend, then whatever I'm wearing has to be *really* fantastic looking. Because I'm going to see everyone I know, and the clothes have to be able to look fabulous not just for a few hours, but to *stay* looking fabulous for days. I make a point of buying clothes that don't crinkle easily, that 'breathe', and have a very streamlined look to them.

I have a really good collection of basics, so I don't buy too many new things each season. For fall I bought a beige Gucci monogram 'charmy' medium hobo, a pair of high-waisted Ghost skinny jeans, a pair of leopard-print ballet flats, a pair of black patent-leather Louboutin-style peep toe heels, and I'm going to get a pair of black knee-high Chanel boots.

 

[Mink]

oh=kay

 

[ilaughead]

Completely off-topic, but darlingnicki, do you sleep over the weekend at all? Weird question, but I've never really understood the 'clubbing' world, being more of a quiet type myself.

On-topic again, fashion_boi_01, that's exactly what I want to do once I get all my basic clothing. But that may take awhile, because I am very picky with clothes. (Plus I have an incredibly precise wishlist for F/W 06 and S/S 07, ranging from a pair of Goyard trunks to one of the shiny Prada jackets....of course the total is over $35,000, which is several times what I make)

 

[fashion_boi_01]

Pickiness is good! I think and rethink every purchase before I make it and never have impulse purchases.. that way I make sure I like the clothes and know I'll wear them a lot. I have a wish list for myself too, but I find that it always changes. I obsess over one thing one moment and then the next I like something else! It's all good though.. eventually I'll figure out exactly what I want.

 

[gius]

I'm amazed people in the US will look at you weird if you wear the same outfit twice in a row! Is it just for a girls? That seems so harsh. I've never seen that happen here...

I think 4-5 new items for ONE season is actually TOO MUCH shopping lol.
spring, summer, fall, winter?!

 

[darlingnicki]

Completely off-topic, but darlingnicki, do you sleep over the weekend at all? Weird question, but I've never really understood the 'clubbing' world, being more of a quiet type myself.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. A lot of the time what happens is I'll snooze a bit on Saturday in the morning. I'll end up with friends at someone's house and sleep a little bit there. But it's usually not great quality sleep because there's a party still going on around me and I'm on some random person's futon/couch/floor.

 

[JATE]

Omg thats a season i buy more then that a month .. oops maybe im not cut out for thuis french lark

He I thought this quote was from THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA..not MEAN GIRLS!
If I am mistaken forgive me. ..if I am not Don't ever do that again Just Kidding No for real I think that is from TDWP

 

[fashionista-ta]

I'm amazed people in the US will look at you weird if you wear the same outfit twice in a row! Is it just for a girls? That seems so harsh. I've never seen that happen here...

I think 4-5 new items for ONE season is actually TOO MUCH shopping lol.
spring, summer, fall, winter?!

Generally fashion seasons are just spring and fall In my fashion world, there are two seasons a year ... I may do a little something for summer as it's just so long here ... but I consider that an extension of spring, or a headstart on fall

 

[Pastry]

i think the bottom line is that this philosophy only works with an already existing wardrobe. no blouse/skirt/pant will stay the same if you wear and clean it on a daily basis

*it should also be mentioned that no matter how hard you try, this approach cannot be done with cheap clothing. cheap blacks won't stay black, cheap cotton and wool will shrink, etc.

nothing lower than the quality of Lanvin, i'd say
which makes this way of dressing unrealistic for A LOT of us.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Pastry, you make some interesting points ...

Maybe it helps to not expect your clothes to stay absolutely pristine. Some items I discard/demote (i.e. to sleepwear) after a single season. White t-shirts, for instance, seem to never last for more than a year. I need to buy a new ivory top at least once a year. But I've gotten a lot of wear from those basic pieces by the time I discard them.

I think it does work with mid-level clothing (though your point on cheap is well-taken), like basics from Talbots, Ann Taylor, etc. (I know because I have basics from those very places that have lasted multiple seasons I've had really good luck with some things from Ellen Tracy lasting a really long time ...

 

[hitzpink]

I think this is a great way to shop if you already have all the basics that you need AND if you are secure in your style. If you're still experimenting and figuring out what you like and don't like, this philosophy probably won't work for you. Cheap items are great for experimenting but when it comes to actually building your wardrobe, I think buying a few high-quality items each season is a great way to go. I also think it's important for your wardrobe to be steamlined in order for this to work. You have to be able to mix-and-match what you've got so that you don't end up with just 4-5 "outfits."

 

[fashionista-ta]

I think this is a great way to shop if you already have all the basics that you need AND if you are secure in your style. If you're still experimenting and figuring out what you like and don't like, this philosophy probably won't work for you. Cheap items are great for experimenting but when it comes to actually building your wardrobe, I think buying a few high-quality items each season is a great way to go. I also think it's important for your wardrobe to be steamlined in order for this to work. You have to be able to mix-and-match what you've got so that you don't end up with just 4-5 "outfits."

Well, a modified version of this works for me, and I don't think I already have all the basics I need. For one thing, the moment you get them (if you ever reach that nirvana ), something happens. Your perfect black pants start to fray at the hem. Or you fall on the ice and rip the hell out of them. Or the cleaners ruins or loses them. So it's a constant cycle where you're adding/replacing basics or items that will work as basics for you. I generally plan to acquire one or more basics each season.

I love to mix and match, one of the reasons why I wear separates almost exclusively. I promise you I can make far more than 4-5 outfits And I've got a bunch of different colors in my wardrobe.

 

[pavement]

So it's a constant cycle where you're adding/replacing basics or items that will work as basics for you. I generally plan to acquire one or more basics each season.

This is a huge problem with me too. Maybe I just need to visit more stores, but I still don't have a perfect pair of jeans to replace my dying ones. I just bought an OK pair, but then they shrunk in the dyer.

In theory you're supposed to buy the highest quality of something, and then it will last a long time. But I'm a novice at spotting true quality, and I'm too poor to take expensive risks. Sometimes I just feel like my wardrobe is empty. So I go and buy cheap temporary clothes, thinking that maybe I'm too picky, and then I end up not liking them very much. It's all kind of defeating.

 

[fashionista-ta]

This is a huge problem with me too. Maybe I just need to visit more stores, but I still don't have a perfect pair of jeans to replace my dying ones. I just bought an OK pair, but then they shrunk in the dyer.

In theory you're supposed to buy the highest quality of something, and then it will last a long time. But I'm a novice at spotting true quality, and I'm too poor to take expensive risks. Sometimes I just feel like my wardrobe is empty. So I go and buy cheap temporary clothes, thinking that maybe I'm too picky, and then I end up not liking them very much. It's all kind of defeating.

Maybe others will disagree with me, but I'm of the opinion that you don't need to spend more than $100 on jeans. Jeans are one of the more challenging things to shop for, for sure ... sometimes you really have to be persistent. Does the label of the ones that are dying not make anything you like right now? I usually have good luck at Nordstrom's ... you might ask for recommendations of stores/brands right here at tFS.

Ever since high school, I've invested as much as I could afford in key pieces. I would also buy from what my grandfather called the "not new shop"--for awhile I thought this was an actual place, but it turned out to be a generic term )

I think the bottom line is you kind of have to become an expert on what works for you and what you like. It's always important, but never more so than when your budget is constrained (and hey, for most of us that continues to be true, even if the constraint is only one's conscience )

 

[J'aime_la_mode]

Generally fashion seasons are just spring and fall In my fashion world, there are two seasons a year ... I may do a little something for summer as it's just so long here ... but I consider that an extension of spring, or a headstart on fall

Ya, thats exactly how I plan my wardrobe, with 2 seasons, it's more practical and easier.

 

[pavement]

Maybe others will disagree with me, but I'm of the opinion that you don't need to spend more than $100 on jeans. . . . Does the label of the ones that are dying not make anything you like right now?

Yeah I don't plan on spending a lot on them. I've bought a few really great things for a little money, and some crappy things for a lot. Finding the cheap stuff is more ambitious and fun. I actually bought my last jeans at Kohls, so I went back there and tried on all the jeans there, and none of them are a perfect fit. Guess I'll have to expand my horizons. I really don't get to go to a lot of shops.

 

[LeonieAlexandria]

Things I wear I buy about 3-4 pieces every season )

1 pair of jeans
1 pair of black pants
1 skirt
3 pair of shoes ( converse,uggs,espandrillos)
3 pair of sweaters ( light blue, grey, black )
1 blouse
1 black coat
1 jacket
1 bag (gucci)
2 shirts
1 top
1 light blue scarf

 

[pinksatin]

Maybe they get together with their girlfriends and borrow each others' clothes and accessories. SO they only actually buy 4-5 items but have a working wardrobe of 40-50 new pieces a season???

eta: just as long as their friends wear the same size in clothes and shoes of course.