What to do when there is nothing to wear? I’ll tell you my secret:
Rip off someone else’s style ideas.
I do it all the time. I’ve wandered around in my closet for a few minutes and nothing is coming. Sometimes I can work with just an item – like a pair of shoes that I really want to wear and I start building from there. Other times I’m stumped and a tshirt and jeans won’t do. I find it helpful to identify your mood first.. Are you feeling bohemian? preppy? grungy? feminine? rockstar-ish? Then I begin the search.
This is the one time I feel those catalogs I get in the mail are actually useful. If you don’t have those, there are also tons of lookbooks online. Here’s something you might not guess about me: I generally turn to J Crew. I love how the J Crew stylists pair different items that you normally would not expect. They steal from their mens line and they aren’t afraid to mix fancy and casual. Like myself, they are big on layering. I don’t own a lot of J Crew clothing. I find it a bit too preppy for my taste, but as I said, I do turn to them frequently for inspiration. Anthropolgie is a good bet for bohemian days, and Urban for a bit of 80′s or street feel. Tulle has a more feminine feel to me and gap.com is good for casual looks. Topshop.com has that great UK vibe and I’m a big fan of Kate Moss, I will admit. I’ve also been known to see an outfit on a celebrity and hunt that down on google image search. (This really doesn’t take as much time as it sounds like). Or you can do a google search for “street fashion” and come up with lots of interesting stuff – particularly in Europe and Japan. Lastly, I must give a nod to Bill Cunningham’s “On the Street” segment. I love that guy – snapping pictures of fashion trends while riding the city and narrating with his super old voice. He’s awesome.
While you’re perusing, take note of similar items you have in your wardrobe. Over the knee socks and boots and a skirt? √. Dress up the way a kid does. Don’t pile everything on, but don’t be afraid to mix patterns, textures, or wear that fancy hat. I usually like to show off one item, generally an accessory. A belt, a bag, shoes, a jacket – let something be the star of your outfit. And yes, you can be too old to wear something. I know this sounds surprising coming from me, but after seeing a grandma in leather pants, you’ll know what I mean. And please, don’t wear anything with words on the butt – really – it’s not a good idea. Since it is Spring, don’t forget color!
Strike an awkward pose.
Hit the closets campers and show me what you got! I will post any and all pictures for the cause.
The links aren’t coming through. Now I need to go hunt down Urban and TopShop (never heard of that one).
And I’m scared about the “being too old to wear some things” warning. I chaperoned a junior-high party the other night, and feel like I need to keep doing that now and then so I know that if I’m wearing what they are, one of us needs to go home and change–probably me. The problem is that as we get older, we get bolder, and sometimes being bolder means making the mistake of dressing too young. I need a mirror that will scream at me if I’m heading out in something inappropriate. Can you find me a link for that?
I fixed the links, so they should be working now. No hits though for that mirror yet, which is a shame because that could be really useful. In a pinch, you can just ask your kids because they certainly don’t want you wearing what their friends are wearing:)
Okay you’re inspiring me. I love the layered look too. It will all work better once I wean Lucy too.. factoring in the need to nurse seriously cramps my fashion. :O
This post is great. Here’s my problem — I don’t have a lot of clothes. I have, and I’m not exaggerating, about 4 shirts that I rotate through, so I don’t have many options. Part of the reason for this is because I’m quite large right now and need to lose weight. And money. I’m always looking for shirts that will hide my belly. Oh, and my boobs are huge due to nursing. Then again, I don’t know what they look like when I’m not nursing since I have been pregnant or nursing straight for the past 4 1/2 years. But I do love fashion and I’m trying to make things work. I like my skinny jeans with a hot heel (like the ones you gave me for my bday) and a looser top that doesn’t look too maternity. Basically, I find inspiration from all of the places you mentioned (except I’ve never heard of “on the street”). I think I wish I were a billionaire so I could go on a huge shopping spree and not feel guilty. Oh, random side note, I am really liking Madewell (a spin off of J.Crew). I LOVE their accessories.
I just discovered Land’s End has a new line (Land’s End Canvas) which has some great classic looking pieces. I love their kids stuff because it is so well made, but the stuff for women is way too mom for me. Anyway, take a look : http://canvas.landsend.com/canvas/index.html