Hey friends – I had a cold for the last week+ which left me feeling poorly; I still have a bit of residual upper chest drama which is abating, thankfully. So no perfume adventures, instead I’ve been organizing (Winter is Coming) and getting the last of my plants indoors before the first frost this week. Come back tomorrow if you’re not interested in clothing/wardrobe which is today’s topic (hey, that’s 20 minutes you just freed up!) If you are interested, read on and let’s discuss.
my selfie game needs work
I find it fascinating what and how people choose to adorn themselves through clothes and makeup and fragrance, a combination of utility and art and self-expression. About a year ago, I started revamping/refining my wardrobe into something more cohesive for the life I’m living now. Most of my “fashion” wardrobe is secondhand and I’m an inveterate thrifter, so I’ve wound up with pieces that are great in theory but unworn, plus some nicer things like blazers I’d held on to from my former work life, etc. I have a small closet in a small house, and limited storage, and I like things organized. I’m pleased enough with what I’ve accomplished at this point to talk about it.
Clothes: I wanted my style to be a combination of separates that are easily layered, especially for fall and winter; easily worn (no fussing, nothing itchy, no arranging and rearranging); cohesive in hue/value/chroma; and full of interesting textures and shapes and shades. Going silver in hair color moved me from a winter (if you’re into seasonal color analysis) into a soft summer, but I stay in the deeper, murkier, more muted end of that spectrum, with some borrowing from soft autumn. For the colder months there’s a lot of tees (short and long sleeve), button-up shirts, and sweaters that can be added and subtracted as needed. Between my closet, dresser, and two under-bed sweater storage bags it’s organized and easily accessible. I am THRILLED. There’s a photo of the closet down below. It may look boring (?) but the combinations are endless and the shades are interesting because I’ve overdyed so many things to be the hard-to-define -ish shades I love – greenish gray, blue-greenish brown, brownish-gray, greyed-out pinky-mauve, etc. The shades are soft, deep, and weird. Pants (denim, knits, and chinos) are varying kinds of weird, too – wide legs, oversize, odd pockets, cropped, whatever.
Footwear: I just counted and I have ~35 pairs of shoes / boots / fashion sneakers, which I think is perfectly reasonable (not counting summer sandals and workout shoes). Have I mentioned how much I love shoes and boots and footwear in general? They really do get switched up daily. I finally took a deep breath and let go of anything that wasn’t comfortable in size or fit or heel height. If the outfit still isn’t quite landing how I want it to, generally a pair of mustard-yellow sneakers or western shoe-boots or over-engineered loafers does the trick (I’m a big fan of Allison Bornstein’s wrong-shoe theory.)
organized!
Handbags: I’m a bag-switcher, I have a bag insert with my stuff in it, and all my bags are roughly the same size, mostly hobos, that make the switch easy. They used to be stashed all over the house (which drove me nuts) and are now occupying, post-cull, the formerly useless shelves to the left in the closet. Scarves, socks, and some other small items are tucked in the shoe hanger on the door.
When getting dressed I generally start with one item – the focal piece or just something I feel like wearing – and build out from there. I’ve made small organizational tweaks after setting up for colder weather, but by and large it’s working in a way I really appreciate. I pretty much know where to look for a particular item, and color sorting allows me to split hairs among my weird greens and murky blues, browns, and greys.
Is this the “perfect” wardrobe? I think it would bore some folks to tears. But it’s perfect for me – the “fashion” is often in the layering, or odd shapes and fits, and lots of texture. The layers are key; living at this altitude and climate, I can strip down to a tee shirt when it’s sunny and 50 degrees, and then the wind or clouds show up and everything changes in an instant.
All right, your turn! Are you a capsule wardrobe person? Do you enjoy playing dress-up with your clothes? (I assume so if you’ve read this far.) Are you in any kind of transition in terms of what you wear (retirement, different climate, weight, etc.) and how are you handling that? Are you a shoe- or bag-switcher? Do you wish you had more options? Less?
photos: mine
Well I guess I am in a transition in that since I lost weight I have been getting rid of anything that is Omar the Tentmaker sized. I also thrift and use eBay for clothing. I’m a bad gay- I don’t do the latest designer anything and just replace worn out clothing with the same thing. I’ve even been buying the same brands of shoes for decades. I learned long ago what fits (Sperry Topsiders, adidas Samba sneakers, Brooks loafers) and what doesn’t (Vans, which stinks because I like the look but they don’t fit my “Greek Foot”). I’m a winter who has become winterier with my Distinguished Silver Hair (10 points for getting the literary reference) so it’s jewel toned Lacoste or Brooks polos and chinos or jeans every day and neutral button downs and a jacket if I need to dress. I wear a lot of clear greens and blues to attempt to set off my peepers since I think it’s about the only really pretty or interesting thing I have going, looks wise. And I’m not fishing; I’m realistic.
i think your look is fairly fab. You look chic and put-together without looking showy or like you’re trying too hard. You look like someone that Parisian woman on YouTube would show as elegant.
And I love bags. But always end up just stuffing things in my pockets.