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
I wear pants most of the time. I love jeans, mostly blues and greys in just about all cuts. And high-waisted wide-legged pants. And leggings and bike shorts and sweatpants all winter. My tops, shirts, sweaters, and sweatshirts are in lots of colors so I can mix and match everything.
Shoes are something I care about on and off. All summer I rarely wore anything other than my old birks but that’s ending soon. I discovered Zappos (Amazon owns them, no affiliation) – so I got some Gola Elan sneakers. They look great and fit so well that I got Gola all-white Coaster sneakers too. I love this place!
Bags, as in purses, I don’t care about. I usually have one good bag that I use until it literally dies, then get another one. I also don’t want any bag that I can’t sling over my shoulder or use as a crossbody bag. I do have a couple of BIG tote bags. One is canvas that says “WE ALL HAVE EXCESS BAGGAGE”, the other is black and says “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” with the last 3 words written in mathematical symbols that my keyboard doesn’t have but it’s readable.
Gola sneakers are GORGEOUS, congratulations! That’s a shoe that can really make an outfit, you know? And to find something that’s the perfect fit is a chef’s-kiss moment. I have a narrower heel and wider toe box, so I tend to stick to the same brands. Hehe love your totes! I kept a couple of my nice commuter (subway) totes for airplane travel, but otherwise not lugging those around. And absolutely, if it’s not reasonably roomy and WITH A SHOULDER STRAP it’s a hard no from me, I don’t care how cute it is.
March,
I love talking clothes and accessories. I’m more of a maximalist with lots of variety. When I went from dark brown to silver/white hair, I changed from a Bright Winter to a Cool Winter. I wear the jewel tones and icy pastels — lots of blues, pinks, red, green, teal, and purple. My neutral colors are greys, black, navy & white. I change handbags seasonally and for special occasions. For footwear, I have several pairs of sandals, sneakers, flats, boots, and 2″ heels. I wear a lot of jeans in the cooler months (straight, bootcut, wide leg, and flare), and linen palazzo pants in warm seasons. Cashmere cardigans and pullovers are another part of my “uniform.” Lots of scarves, dresses, and skirts, too. Every day when I get ready I have to tick off 5 categories: clothing, jewelry, makeup, hair, and scent. Loved reading about your aesthetic and styling. It sounds very hip and ideal for your surroundings.
Oooh, let’s talk about color season forever! I used to be alllll the jewel tones and somehow … I just don’t like them on me, they overpower my face now. So I had to re-think that; muted tones just suit me better now, which I’d never imagined. But silver-haired winters are STUNNING. Looooove cashmere, I’ve slowly been upgrading a lot of my sweaters to 100% cashmere, it’s so warm AND so light. Your organizational method and morning routine sounds like a dream.
This is a fun post — thanks, March. I love all the new ideas here.
I’m like Alison below, love those Jackie-O sheath dresses and have several for summer. Winter is mostly slim black pants (from JCrew long ago) or Levis with cashmere sweaters, or if I am just home then black leggings and sporty quarter zips.
I’m usually in sandals or flips in warm weather, or my old Cole Haan loafers or trusty Blundstones in cold rainy weather (Seattle). I love the wrong shoe theory as an idea, but need to be careful how I would pull that off. I could so easily just look “wrong” or “weird old lady.” As Cinnamon said, scarves could work for that theory. Or maybe a jacket in a fun color.
If I had lots of money, I’d spend more on bags. I’d love a few more types and options.
I had SO MANY sheath dresses when I worked in an office, such an easy uniform with a blazer or cardigan. I kind of miss them, they were so simple and yet stylish. Lots of cashmere popping up on here today! I mentioned somewhere else in comments that I’m slowly upgrading to nicer 100% cashmere sweaters, they are such a delight when it’s cold. And yes, it’s a bit of a … tightrope walk as we get older? Quirky anything can be stylish or it can look like a big mistake. Probably I’m in mistake territory some of the time, but I’m having fun with it.
I grew up in a barn (really) as an equestrian and have never really veered away from that way of dressing. When I worked in an office it was suits and Jackie-O type dresses which was great, but since then my daily uniform has been jeans jeans jeans with cotton tops in summer and cashmere in winter when I’m off duty. I also wear flowered or geometric print dresses when I’m “Realtor Lady” as my daughters call me. I buy about 80% of my clothes and shoes on eBay or at consignment shops because why pay more for high quality? I’m a standard size so it’s easy for me, I recognize that’s not the case for everyone.
Oh, I love that look! I had a longtime friend who was a dressage instructor and that style of dressing spilled over into her regular clothes, so chic. Ahaha “realtor lady!” You could definitely tell when I was dressed for my former DC job vs. off duty, a lot more office level formality. Ha, another secondhand shopper! There are some astonishing garments out there that can be had for a song. (I’m a standard size too, so it’s easy.)
I don’t think March and I could get much further apart in our clothing tastes.
I am easily bored, so my wardrobe is full of color and patterns and things that make me happy. March finally convinced me to focus primarily on jeans for pants, which was actually brilliant because it means I only have to make ONE clothing decision every morning. Two if it’s cold. Jeans go with everything.
March refers to me as her “Santa Fe Barbie,” and she genuinely enjoys helping me figure out my daily outfits—which is very useful since I still work full time. Getting dressed is now a collaborative project. Clothing, jewelry, the whole thing. I cannot tell you how convenient it is to share housing with my own personal stylist.
Jewelry, however, is not a problem to be solved. Jewelry is my passion. I am a jewelry hoarder and I make no apologies.
Shoes are another story. I don’t particularly like spending money on them and would happily wear the same three pairs for the rest of my life. And yet I looked at my shoe rack the other day and somehow I have acquired a ridiculous number of sandals. I didn’t even wear most of them last summer because of an ankle injury. So apparently a shoe purge is coming.
Fortunately, March and I usually wear the same size and have similar taste in shoes, so “decluttering” often means walking into her room and saying, “Here, these are yours now.” Very efficient. Nothing actually has to leave the house.
Purses? Ideally I would own exactly one. Switching everything from one purse to another is a level of administrative work I simply do not need in my life. I somehow own several now, but I tend to carry the same one for weeks or months at a time until I suddenly remember the others exist.
Oh hello there, love! Hey, I think an important step in wardrobe is deciding where you want to put your effort and invest your dollars. Nothing wrong with focusing on the shirt/sweater part of your body! And it does make everything else so much easier. I gave you shoes/boots because I thought, oh! these are fun! But I agree that they should go now that I understand they’re just not “it” for you, especially with your foot issues. I love you, Santa Fe Barbie!
It’s nice to see you on here! Hope you’ll continue to chime in!
My name is Alison & I am a hoarder.
There said it out loud!
I still have most of my work wardrobe. That’s despite having been retired almost 10 years & wearing uniform when doing clinical Matron duties.
I wore small print fit & flare dresses, shift dresses in black, grey or clear bright colours or wide leg black trousers & with good Ts long or short sleeves. Shoes were matching heels or black boots. Bags were BIG. I often had to schlep from site to site taking relevant paperwork with me. Coats & jackets were short so I could drive in them.
Now I wear jeans in varying shapes, wide leg jersey trousers or heavyweight jersey leggings. Still the Ts but now add sweatshirts & hoodies with some lightweight cashmere thrown in. It’s largely tonal, blacks, greys, occasionally taupe, khaki & leopard print. Footwear is trainers, Birkis, FitFlop clompy boots. All flats, neuropathy means no heels or wearing shoes in anymore.
Largely tonal is such a delightful spot to be in. And honestly if I had the closet space I’d have kept a LOT more stuff, so no judgment here! Love a clompy boot, “they” keep saying they’re out but not in my world. I have plantar fasciitis so I need to be careful with footwear as well. Your dresses sound so pretty — could you wear them in the summer? In the fall/winter with a sweater thrown over top?
Ah, a clothes blog. Yeah! Now, lipstick please.
i loved my NYC workwear period. Eclectic, great shoes (I could still walk in heels). The London workwear was strangely boring. Did not miss that clothes period.
Now … retired, hair is darker brown than it used to be shot through with grey/silver. I sometimes get asked if I dye it which I don’t. No clue what season group I am in. colours … deep blues, burgundies, greens. A bit of black, but mostly navy and espresso (easier than black).
Regular autumn/winter wardrobe: cords of varying styles and colours. They feel more put together than jeans (I do own two pairs), tees long and short sleeved. This past season I loaded up on jumpers/sweaters. So, now I have a myriad of colours.
Jackets. My fave recent purchase was a brown suede one. Elevates, in the jargon, things.
Shoes. Summer is sneakers and fisherman’s sandals. Have a pair of Birkens too. Colder weather is boots: Chelsea, knee high, etc.
Summer is loose swing dresses in cotton and linen. Linen trousers. Loose cotton button downs.
I use scarves to change stuff up or down. All seasons.
Wrong shoe theory… ok. I think I use scarves for that.
Ooh, bags. Forgot bags. I only have four which I rotate between. I have to really love a bag to drop money on it. The high summer one is bubble gum pink.
Oooooh, I love the idea of a bubblegum pink bag! I have a bright bag that’s somewhere between orange and pink, probably a similar effect.
You haven’t gotten the lipstick post because I’m just not at a place where I’m wearing specific new lipsticks that I LURVE so here’s some shade recommendations. I wear lipstick every day but the shades are more muted now, generally layered, maybe topped with some gloss. I just don’t think I can make that into a post? Oh, I LOVE cords! I haven’t unpacked them yet, hoping to stave off how tired I am of winter clothing by … April into May. We sound like we have a lot of overlap in the types of shades we like. Lord, how I LOVE SWEATERS. I don’t have room to hang them but at least now they’re folded and organized and easily accessible. Ha! I was just looking at brown suede jackets online yesterday! They’re “in” right now so good time to shop, I of course will continue wearing things even when they’re “out.” Anyway, it sounds like you’re doing (in a way) what I’m doing — comprehensible items mixed in interesting ways with beautiful shades.
Love the layering approach. That sunny-to-windy swing in a single afternoon is exactly what makes me rethink my fragrance rotation this time of year too: the citrus and green things start feeling thin, but it’s not quite heavy-amber weather yet, so I’ve been leaning toward soft woods and a bit of spice as the in-between. Do you adjust your scent choices the way you adjust your layers, or does that stay separate?
It’s tricky this time of year for a fragrance-lover! I admit I tend to lean into heavier fragrances more fall/winter in feeling, because that’s where I am in my head, even if it’s sunny and 65 and no wind and I’m walking the dog in a tee shirt 😀 But yes, the more in-between type of scents you describe. Summer scents are tucked away at this point. If something doesn’t feel right by afternoon I’ll probably throw something else over it and hope for the best!
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.
I was thinking about you when I wrote this — I figured you’re in a whole different size of clothing. I like your style, it’s got that familiar East Coast prep I’m fond of — not me typing this while wearing a pair of Topsiders lol (hey, they’re like slippers.) Yes, you can still rock the jewel tones even with your silver hair — it’s weird, they just started washing me out, maybe because I don’t have your lovely blue peepers. And thank you — it felt weird posting a pic of myself, which I mostly don’t do.