The 4-5 Piece French Wardrobe #10

[eizhowa]

Random ramble ahead..

For some odd reason I feel like I should buy work pants..

My only pair of pants (started out writing paInts - Freudian slip much?) that I wear currently are a pair of distressed Levi's. I don't really like wearing pants and I can dress perfectly appropriate wearing a dress or a skirt. I do have some tops that don't get a lot of wear since I am mostly wearing dresses and they dont go well with the few skirts I have, but still I suppose that getting a skirt or simply stop buying separates would be a better option.

I definitely think you should buy work plants. They make work more fun

 

[fashionista-ta]

Random ramble ahead..

For some odd reason I feel like I should buy work pants..

My only pair of pants (started out writing paInts - Freudian slip much?) that I wear currently are a pair of distressed Levi's. I don't really like wearing pants and I can dress perfectly appropriate wearing a dress or a skirt. I do have some tops that don't get a lot of wear since I am mostly wearing dresses and they dont go well with the few skirts I have, but still I suppose that getting a skirt or simply stop buying separates would be a better option.

Well ... you could put pants and/or a skirt on your mental shopping list. If you really feel like wearing dresses right now, I think that's fine. Can you wear the tops with jeans on the weekend? Maybe you can give yourself an assignment to make an outfit with one of the tops every week or two ...

 

[eizhowa]

I ended up returning the Ganni white coat. It was too bulky.

Currently I am eyeing some black high rise trousers from Acne. These ones: FN-WN-TROU000005

My two concerns are that they are dry clean only and that they might wear out too quickly. I usually get my trousers from Filippa k, but they are only doing long&tapered trousers this season, it seems. That Filippa k trousers are a thin, smooth, stretchy wool (2% elastane) that holds its shape really well (and survives the washing machine). The Acne trousers are a thick, coarse, stiff wool. It is lined, so the coarseness is not an issue. I am however worried that it will not hold its shape. I sit in front of a computer a lot. I can't have trousers that will only look good if you stand in them... They are 100% wool, no elastane.

Has anyone had wool trousers from Acne before (or wool trousers that sound similar in quality)? How did they hold up? Did they require a lot of dry cleaning?

The fit was so good, and they felt very sturdy, but still, I can't afford a one-season pair of Acne trousers...

 

[Nymphaea]

Those Acne trousers look stunning. Their quality is usually top notch, most of the time better than I expect from the price they are asking for their products. Unfortunately I don't have any wool trousers from Acne, can't help there. You can try to pinch the fabric and stretch it to see how the fabric behaves. Also wearing the pants one day at home is an option, if you're not happy you can return them. I still have and use all my Acne items and they still look good.

 

[eizhowa]

Thank you, Nymphaea!

 

[Betinapple]

@eizhowa: shame about the coat. I think I have a 100% wool dress in a similar very sturdy fabric, which holds it shape perfectly. I think Nymphaeas advice on trying them on at home is good.

Re me and pants: I generally don't like wearing pants, neither in terms of comfort or aestethics, so while work pants are probably a staple for others, I don't think it will be for me. I guess a skirt is better

 

[twistelette]

Hey guys, it's been a while! Hope everyone's ok.

Eizhowa, those pants look amazing, hope they work out for you!

As for me, during the heatwave we had in the summer I was sure I'd run out of clothes, it's not usually that hot here so I don't have a ton of high summer clothes. I thought I'd surely be bored wearing the same thing over and over and/of having to do laundry every other day. And neither of those things happened. I did wear a lot of the same pieces but I was suprised at how 'far' I could make my wardrobe go.

 

[eizhowa]

Hey guys, it's been a while! Hope everyone's ok.

Eizhowa, those pants look amazing, hope they work out for you!

As for me, during the heatwave we had in the summer I was sure I'd run out of clothes, it's not usually that hot here so I don't have a ton of high summer clothes. I thought I'd surely be bored wearing the same thing over and over and/of having to do laundry every other day. And neither of those things happened. I did wear a lot of the same pieces but I was suprised at how 'far' I could make my wardrobe go.

Welcome back!

I have realized I actually have way too clothes, despite having very little. I have less than 10 summer tops (ie. 10 top items that are not wool..., and I only used 8 despite the long summer.

I bought the trousers

 

[twistelette]

Hurray for the trousers!

About the summer tops, do you think you'll wear them at some point in the future? Maybe next summer, maybe in the coming seasons as layering pieces? I'd say, if the answer is yes or even just maybe, that's not too many pieces to have.
I have a black silk skirt that I thrifted years ago, and for the longest time I rarely wore it. And then last spring suddenly something clicked, and now I wear it all the time. You just never know

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Glad everything worked out with your account

I agree ... I never throw anything out, unless I think I'll never wear the size again. (Somehow that kind of thing seems to move in one direction ...) But formal occasions vary from year to year, as well as mood, as well as colors schemes. I have black velvet trousers I bought many years ago that have had gaps of years in my wearing them. But I did this past winter ... so I think those rules should be ignored. For most of us, when you get rid of something, there's no getting it back

 

[twistelette]

Thanks again for your help with that, Ta-ta!

Picked up some olive coloured espadrille sandals for next summer - I know I can use a new pair of sandals next year. So these will be waiting, like a little gift from past-self to future-self . I also got an Agnès B. black wool top from the thrift store. Both were impulse buys, but I have to say it's been a while since I've really liked anything in a store, you know, the feeling. So I'm rolling with it.

Eizhowa, how are the trousers doing?

 

[eizhowa]

@twistelette I wish my local thrift store had bargains like that! I am considering donating one of the white tops. I am looking for a home for it I have only worn the trousers twice because I am still biking half way to work, and it rains a lot! They don't seem to crease too badly though, which is great.

I am currently eyering this coat from Rouje. 80% wool, 20% polyamide, unlined. It looks exactly like the Acne coat I tried on in august, which I doubt is a coincidence.

Coat link: Rouje

(thumbnail, because I don't know how to resize pictures in the new layout and the original was huge)

rouje

 

[Betinapple]

^coat looks great! I wouldn't be able to stay warm enough in a unlined coat though.

I'm usually all for re-selling or donating items that I dont wear, but lately, items that I havent worn in ages have been in rotation quite a lot (Ganni polkadot skirt, Isabel Marant Dicker-like boots, a suede jacket etc.).

I got my money back for the Mango sandals. They were falling apart after only a few months of wear - trying to remind myself not to buy fast fashion footwear again.

 

[eizhowa]

^coat looks great! I wouldn't be able to stay warm enough in a unlined coat though.

I'm usually all for re-selling or donating items that I dont wear, but lately, items that I havent worn in ages have been in rotation quite a lot (Ganni polkadot skirt, Isabel Marant Dicker-like boots, a suede jacket etc.).

I got my money back for the Mango sandals. They were falling apart after only a few months of wear - trying to remind myself not to buy fast fashion footwear again.

Whats the point of being warm when you look great

 

[eizhowa]

...And the coat is sold out.


Hoping they will restock...

 

[fashionista-ta]

A friend of mine is raving about StitchFix, and I'm also interested in the data science aspect for professional reasons, so I have scheduled one for January. (It's a box of 5 items they pick for you.) So far in my note I've said I'm looking for an ice pink T, and also described the kind of WFH clothes that are useful. You can apply the $20 fee to extras, so I added a couple pairs of black tights in case I don't like anything else.

 

[Betinapple]

@eizhowa: I know that Rouje restocks some items - fingers crossed!

@Ta-ta: what is stitchfix more exactly?

I am considering booking an appointment with a personal shopper. I really do not have the patience for shopping ATM, especially not for work-pants, where I also feel kind of lost in terms of what suits me.

 

[SouthernVogue]

Stitch Fix | Your Personal Stylist

 

[fashionista-ta]

@eizhowa: I know that Rouje restocks some items - fingers crossed!

@Ta-ta: what is stitchfix more exactly?

I am considering booking an appointment with a personal shopper. I really do not have the patience for shopping ATM, especially not for work-pants, where I also feel kind of lost in terms of what suits me.

I thought you didn't want work pants I have used stylists before at Nordstrom, with somewhat decent results. I must admit I'm always disappointed, because I think they could do better The advantage is that they have more pull to get things transferred for you that otherwise you'd have to pay for outright before you could see them and try them on.

Have you tried a cut that's similar to what you like in jeans?

For Stitch Fix, you fill out a questionnaire, add a Note for each 'fix' saying what you want (I have a wedding coming up, need jeans, etc.), and then you can also go to the site and train the model by telling it what you like and what you don't. You try before you buy--you only check out in the 3 days after you get your package. And you get a discount if you buy everything. I'm not sure about coverage for other countries ...

 

[Betinapple]

I thought you didn't want work pants I have used stylists before at Nordstrom, with somewhat decent results. I must admit I'm always disappointed, because I think they could do better The advantage is that they have more pull to get things transferred for you that otherwise you'd have to pay for outright before you could see them and try them on.

Have you tried a cut that's similar to what you like in jeans?

For Stitch Fix, you fill out a questionnaire, add a Note for each 'fix' saying what you want (I have a wedding coming up, need jeans, etc.), and then you can also go to the site and train the model by telling it what you like and what you don't. You try before you buy--you only check out in the 3 days after you get your package. And you get a discount if you buy everything. I'm not sure about coverage for other countries ...

Well I can see that I pin a lot of outfits with pants, so while I dont always feel comfortable wearing them, I clearly like the look of them on others. I am thinking that I might just need help to find the right pair. I have considered just buying a black pair of the Levi's jeans I have, but I really want something different than jeans.

Sounds like a cool concept - please report back I've booked an appointment with a personal shopper, looking forward to seeing if it is any good.