The 4-5 piece French wardrobe #2

[fashionista-ta]

^ I'm a fan of both Black shoes are really practical because they go with everything, just about ... and colored are great for making a statement. So I'd do some of both ... or do you already have black? Metallic is also really useful ... functions like a neutral, and is good with lighter colors where black is too dark.

What do you feel is lacking?

I've been thinking about fall ... I found out that my favorite runway shoes were in fact produced Now to get my hands on a pair ...

I also have a vision of a skirt in my head, but it's something I haven't actually ever seen, so ... hopefully I'll be able to find it, or something reasonably close.

I have a leopard-print bag that I'll be pulling out ... maybe some more leopard? One can never have too much ... maybe a blouse.

I didn't buy a single pair of tights last year, so I think some new ones will be in order. I did see that Wolford has leopard tights, I could combine those two items

I really am liking the look of this upcoming season quite a bit, more than I have in a long time ...

 

[xing]

ta-ta, are there tailors where you are who can make clothes from scratch? maybe you can make a visit and make that skirt a reality!

 

[PonyShow]

Wow, thanks! Love this thread. I've had to reinvent my wardrobe about 3 times in these past two years. When I was pregnant I was constantly having to buy new clothes, and now I have a new body so I can't wear things I wore before, so I'm basically ahving to start over!! I dont even know where to start, I'm a very random clothes buyer.

 

[fashionista-ta]

ta-ta, are there tailors where you are who can make clothes from scratch? maybe you can make a visit and make that skirt a reality!

There probably are somewhere ... the fabric is difficult too, though ... finding really great fabric is hard. I had some custom lampshades made a few years ago, and I could not find the fabric I wanted ... linen was very hard to come by. So I got raw silk instead ... What I want is in tune with what's happening this fall, though, so I have some hope that I'll be able to find it ...

 

[chanelnumber5]

^ I have a skirt vision, too! I always find it really hard to find skirts I like - especially over the last couple of years where (particularly on the high street) nearly all skirts, other than workwear, are mini and the ones which are longer tended to be frumpy. The one I have in mind is just above the knee, so am hoping I might have luck this F/W, but I'm not holding my breath, particularly finding something in my price range.

On a seperate note, I'm getting really good at not buying things! I've started mentally writing a list everytime I want to buy something thats not on my list as to why I want to buy it, which really helps.

 

[farou7a]

^ I'm a fan of both Black shoes are really practical because they go with everything, just about ... and colored are great for making a statement. So I'd do some of both ... or do you already have black? Metallic is also really useful ... functions like a neutral, and is good with lighter colors where black is too dark.

yes! metallics - i need to get a few of those. i have a few pairs of black shoes - not liking that - need some new ones.
actually one of them is cream but covered in black lace - very sexy! haha :lol

What do you feel is lacking?

a little bit of everything really.. i got a few skirts but theyre so beachy - like the kind of cloth u would find at the kenyan market (im from there so it seems like back there).. very bold prints on bright red or pale blue.
im thinking of getting more, but im very petite so im not sure about that.

I've been thinking about fall ... I found out that my favorite runway shoes were in fact produced Now to get my hands on a pair ...

i live in a very hot country - unfortunately all those beautiful coats, i cant buy - i mean i can, i just wont be able to wear them
what do u have in mind for fall?
i was thinking of going all cream and black with dark turquoise or cerise.

I also have a vision of a skirt in my head, but it's something I haven't actually ever seen, so ... hopefully I'll be able to find it, or something reasonably close.

yes i know exactly what u mean. skirts a bit tricky for me too

I have a leopard-print bag that I'll be pulling out ... maybe some more leopard? One can never have too much ... maybe a blouse.

I didn't buy a single pair of tights last year, so I think some new ones will be in order. I did see that Wolford has leopard tights, I could combine those two items

i LOVE animal prints - i couldnt wait for them to get back on the runway!
i recently bought a pair of leopard print tights by a pakistani designer - maria b.
theyre actually quite nice! nice fit, nice material too.
i think you should go for a blouse with double pleats on both sides with buttons which get camouflaged in nicely. itl look so nice! but with black pants.. or black jeggings. i dont have a pair of those as im not a jeans fan at all, i probably only have 3 pairs - blue, black and white. the white ones are skinnies.

I really am liking the look of this upcoming season quite a bit, more than I have in a long time ...

i agree

i admire ur taste and fashion sense

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Thank you

I am liking the camel and grey monotone themes, but I will probably end up injecting some bright color--like red. Or leopard ... it probably won't be wearable for me otherwise. I mean, I can do it, but I feel very strange, off kilter ... it's that whole feng shui elements thing we talked about a long time ago.

And liking the long skirts very much. That's what I wear, no matter what's on the runway, but now's my big chance to be on-trend for once I am long-waisted, so a long skirt brings me into proportion. I have always been more comfortable in them.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Wow, thanks! Love this thread. I've had to reinvent my wardrobe about 3 times in these past two years. When I was pregnant I was constantly having to buy new clothes, and now I have a new body so I can't wear things I wore before, so I'm basically ahving to start over!! I dont even know where to start, I'm a very random clothes buyer.

Well, if you want to stop the random thing, this is the place to get help

 

[chanelnumber5]

Do people count lingerie as part of their 4/5 pieces?

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Nope.

 

[mousquerader]

Not sure if I said this before, but I like this thread! I just never followed it, but I think I'm going to start practicing the philosophy now.

I realized lately that I often have trouble putting and outfit together is because many of my pieces don't go all that well together. Well, they all look good with jeans/pants, of course, but it gets to be a problem when I want to wear a skirt. I have quite a few skirts, but I rarely get a chance to wear most of them because I can't find a top that goes with them. A lot of the tops I have are ruffly, floral, lacy, flutter-sleeved, flow-y, or some combination of all of those (yeah, I like all of that and can't seem to stop!), so it makes it hard when I'm trying to go for a "different" look.

I don't know if I can stick to the 4-5 piece thing, but I'm going to try!

I think it's really important to have good basics down in my wardrobe. While I do have most of them, I think most of these pieces are low-quality and are getting worn out. For example, I bought a bunch of sweaters from Express last winter and they pill very easily and don't keep their shape very well (and they kind of make me look fat! >). So I'm going to have to replace those basics I guess.

I made a list of things I thought I "needed" for this fall/winter season, but it's like 15 items , so I think I'll come back when I trim it down more.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Maybe you can try prioritizing it and see how that goes

We have some combination threads here where people can help you out with suggestions ... maybe you can post pix of a couple of your skirts & get some ideas.

I agree that it's important to give some focus to quality for the very reason you mention ... you don't want to get to the new season and have all your work from last year destroyed--you want to have something to build on. It utterly annoys me when quality is lacking like that ... and I have had the same experience (long ago) with Express.

And the fit/flattery thing is important too ... that's what I spend a lot of time on. I usually shop by myself, but recently I had a friend with me & she was totally fed up as I went from store to store trying on a bunch of things and buying almost nothing. When I finally did find the right fit, I bought several things at the same store. I couldn't think of a nice way to say, Yes, it can be time-consuming when you insist that everything look good It can eat through your patience at the time, but it's so worth it every morning when you go to your closet ...

You can take it up one level from Express & find good quality ... you can get a good quality sweater for less than $100. I've had good luck with cotton sweaters at that price point (like from Boden), and I have some cashmere blend from Banana Republic that I like. Some people say to never buy cashmere blend, but I'm not worried that BR has thrown cat hair or newspaper into the mix Since I'm allergic to wool, I find a blend to be much better for me ... the blend sweaters I have are comfortable and don't itch.

You might try shooting for about half basics and half statement pieces ... I like that ratio, keeps things interesting I also like to find a way to combine fun & practical ... like this season I really needed another pair of flats, but I bought them in a fun color.

 

[quimby]

^ It's funny when you say that now you try on a bunch of things and buy almost nothing. I find that I do the same thing now!
I feel sorry for the salesgirls when I hand back my entire load of clothes.

I'm trying to psych myself up for this whole method, since I have resigned myself to a slowing metabolism and I'll be moving soon. Perfect time to start over. I'll have a good reason to divest myself of all the clothes I never wear but feel too guilty to get rid of.

 

[mousquerader]

Yep, I agree about fit. That's really important to me too. I've always made a point to buy fitted clothes that flattered me, but I kind of overdid the flow-y things that also look good on me. I have an assortment of belts I use to cinch those kind of tops.

So here's my more refined list. I tried to select items for simplicity as well as versatility.

1. Long-sleeve fitted sweater dress in a neutral color, preferably charcoal. I'd love for it to be cowl-necked and have a chunky cable knit detail going on, as well. I actually tried on a dress exactly like this at H&M (which is probably why I want it now...), and it looked really good on me except that it was the last one of its kind, and it had a snag on it. I hate when things like that happen! But a sweater dress that's versatile and warm enough would be great since it's cold where I live all the time, and I can use a sweater dress to layer under stuff (if the dress is thin enough), and I imagine it'd look adorable with legwarmers or boots and tights and a slouchy knitted beret. Very comfy for going to class!

2. A ruffle-hemmed slip. Just a basic layering piece, to wear under longer sweaters so the ruffles peak out from underneath the sweater, and two pieces combined would have a sweater dress effect. Would look cute for the same reasons above! Maybe this is redundant.

3. Strappy low-heeled sandals, in brown or black. Not so high that they're impractical, but enough to give height to the leg to still give that longer, leaner effect. What annoys me most after I've finally pieced together an outfit is when I don't have the right shoes (and I often don't). I want these sandals to look good with dresses, skirts (with tights or none) or jeans. I browsed for pictures of people wearing skirts for examples of what shoes go best with any type of skirt, and strappy sandals/heels were the best, most versatile looking ones. I would prefer brown because that is also a versatile color, but black is okay, too. I have yet to find the perfect ones though (haven't even tried looking yet). Also, these must be comfortable! So maybe I should find one with a hidden platform, as those tend to be more comfy.

4. A chunky knit sweater/cardigan. All the cardigans I have now are thin (well, the sweaters too, but that doesn't matter too much right now because I layer those anyway). I love the look of a chunky cardigan. So cozy! I want it to hit at the hip, and it should have one of those attached belts--if that makes sense--in the same material as the sweater. Probably try to find this in grey.

5. An off-the-shoulder top. I was going to make #5 be a coat that goes with everything, but I just decided to make those "unlimited" because I always have trouble finding jackets or coats that fit me (always too big, even if they're petite) so I'll probably end up buying just one or none this season. Anyway, I think off-the-shoulder tops are simple yet sophisticated and classy at the same time. I actually just bought one yesterday on eBay after searching for a while.

(ebay.com)

But now I kind of regret that choice and wish I got this instead because the fit is more relaxed:

(ebay.com)

Ehhh. I guess I could try it on when it gets here and if I don't like it I could return it, or use it as a layering piece of something. Next time I should consult this thread before buying something, eh?

 

[sill]

I find this thread so interesting, I'd really like to try to minimize my wardrobe.. I'm thinking about putting some items up on ebay to get rid of things that I feel doesn't suit me and my style anymore. Problem is I don't quite know how to sell on there so I have to make some research before.

I've actually been good at not buying stuff recently (don't think I've bought anything clothing-wise, in july), and my list for FW is quite short. I just want to keep my style simple and beautiful with some twists. The items I'd like to buy for fall are:

- A nice, simple jacket. The Bator coat from Isabel Marant is the closest to perfection I've seen. The only problem is the price tag.. and the fact that I don't have anywhere to try it on before buying... oh and it's from last season

stockholmstreetstyle.feber.se

- A pair of grey jeans (as I already have a pair of blue and black)
- A knitted sweater, which I can cross off my list because my mum is knitting me one just like this one (only better, the yarn is a mohair/silk blend so it's super soft

net-a-porter.com

- A pair of knitted gloves in a nice beige colour.. like these:

jakandjil.com/blog

- A big, cozy scarf
- A pair of good quality black ballet flats
- A pair of good quality shoes for fall/winter (I'm still not sure what I want them to look like though)

 

[chanelnumber5]

^Where are you planning on looking for your ballet flats? I'm looking for some good quality ones too, but I'm not totally sure where to start looking.

I've had another look through my wardrobe, I really need some more colour, and I've realised everything on my to buy list is either black, grey, dark blue (jeans) or nude. I just don't know what colours suit me, I have such a hard skin tone to match (quite pale, but with yellow-ish undertones).

 

[sill]

I might make my mother buy me a pair of Lanvin ballet flats when she goes to the US because the dollar is quite low Although, they're still very expensive and I'm not sure if I'd like to spend that amount of money on a pair of ballet flats.. Other than Lanvin, I haven't found a pair that I'd want.

 

[chanelnumber5]

Yes, I love the Lanvin ones. But they are around £300 in the UK, which is way too much for me. Lucky you if you manage to get them!

I'm considering getting a pair of French Sole ones, as they are meant to be long lasting, but I can't say I absolutely love them

 

[fashionista-ta]

^Where are you planning on looking for your ballet flats? I'm looking for some good quality ones too, but I'm not totally sure where to start looking.

I've had another look through my wardrobe, I really need some more colour, and I've realised everything on my to buy list is either black, grey, dark blue (jeans) or nude. I just don't know what colours suit me, I have such a hard skin tone to match (quite pale, but with yellow-ish undertones).

We have a few color threads that might be helpful to you ... you could try one of the color analysis methods, it would at least be a jumping off point for you.

I have Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui ballets ... like them both, but don't find them perfect. I have not yet been able to bring myself to spend Lanvin $$$ for flats. I do regret not getting the silver python ones Michelle Obama has--metallics are so versatile, and they really are gorgeous. The python, of course, was even more expensive ... Have had Hollywould in the past--disappointing. Not sure they're still in business ...

sill, I bought some long knitted cashmere gloves not long ago ... I like them, the only thing that bugs me is that they're slippery for driving. Now I know why some gloves come with leather stitched onto the palms

 

[PonyShow]

I literally have no idea where to start..