Meeting of the minds; or, style on a budget
I'm sure you all know my very pretty friend Mir, and her very VERY useful shopping site, WantNot. Recently Mir had an e-mail from Suzanne, who needs a little wardrobe help, and she suggested that we team up to solve Suzanne's dilemma, because this is the kind of question that requires BOTH a fashionista AND a shopping expert.
Thank god we're here.
Suzanne is a girl after my own heart, for a couple of reasons. First, she's working on a budget, and she sounds like she has her priorities straight. Second, she's wanting to start with what she has and build on that, which is ALWAYS good.
Suzanne wants to start by going through her closet, in a really thorough way, to determine what she has and what she really wears and what she loves the most. She should try everything on, and pull out what is working for her; she can hang those pieces up front, where she will see them all the time. And then she should take the time to mix and match what she has, and experiment with outfits. Because I'm willing to bet that in her closet full of clothes, she has a couple of things that she has forgotten about, or some pieces that she's never though about wearing together.
For inspiration about how to mix and match, Suzanne can flip through the photos at Wardrobe Remix pool at Flickr. I prefer Flickr groups to fashion magazines, because the clothes are actually from someone's closet. And Wardrobe Remix is an eclectic mix of styles, which is always helpful.
Once Suzanne knows what she has, she can look for some new things. She will need to balance trendy and functional, which means looking for pieces that are cool right now but that will ALSO work with what she already has, and can be worn in more than one way. Fortunately, quite a few of this season's trends do just that.
Cool tees. Suzanne can take her basic look and dress it up with tees that have some interesting detailing -- ruching at the neckline, or lantern sleeves, or a longer hemline. She can also look for graphic tees with a more sophisticated edge -- say, a slimmer fit, instead of the basic boy cut, or a more artsy graphic, rather than the logo of a high school or university.
Multi-functional tops. Suzanne should look for tops that can double as dresses; this season, there are quite a few really terrific long top/short dress options. She wants to look for pieces that can be worn in more than one way: as a dress, with tights or leggings, or as a blouse, over jeans. She also wants to look for a piece that she can layer in various ways: under a cardigan or jacket or over a tee or turtleneck.
Lantern sleeve dress, Old Navy, $34.50. Available in red and black.
Girly accessories. Suzanne can dress up her boyish basics with some simple accessories. Again, she wants to choose pieces that will be multi-functional, because she's on a budget. A pair of embellished or textured ballet slippers will give her jeans-and-tee a more feminine touch; a metallic or patent leather bag is edgy and current.
Where can Suzanne find all these magnificent things? You will have to go visit Mir to find out ...
Thank god we're here.
Dear Mir,
I was searching the web for tips on how to redo my wardrobe, and I came across the perfect site... yours! I am a 16 year old girl on a rather small income. My parents won't let me get a job until I'm done with high school, and I have to pay for gas. I get $100 a month from them. While this sounds like more than enough for someone my age, my problem is that I would like to give my wardrobe a little make over. I've always been the boring T-shirt and jeans kind of girl. Recently my style taste has changed and I'd like to wear something more fashionable. I am into darker clothing, without going over into the goth/emo area. I really like the layered look too. Also, most of my friends are guys and I like imitating their styles with a feminine touch. I have a closet full of clothes, but it seems like I'm missing what I need to complete my look. Do you have any advice on some key pieces that I could use to boost my style a little (without leaving me stuck at home because I can't afford gas)?
Suzanne
Suzanne is a girl after my own heart, for a couple of reasons. First, she's working on a budget, and she sounds like she has her priorities straight. Second, she's wanting to start with what she has and build on that, which is ALWAYS good.
Suzanne wants to start by going through her closet, in a really thorough way, to determine what she has and what she really wears and what she loves the most. She should try everything on, and pull out what is working for her; she can hang those pieces up front, where she will see them all the time. And then she should take the time to mix and match what she has, and experiment with outfits. Because I'm willing to bet that in her closet full of clothes, she has a couple of things that she has forgotten about, or some pieces that she's never though about wearing together.
For inspiration about how to mix and match, Suzanne can flip through the photos at Wardrobe Remix pool at Flickr. I prefer Flickr groups to fashion magazines, because the clothes are actually from someone's closet. And Wardrobe Remix is an eclectic mix of styles, which is always helpful.
Once Suzanne knows what she has, she can look for some new things. She will need to balance trendy and functional, which means looking for pieces that are cool right now but that will ALSO work with what she already has, and can be worn in more than one way. Fortunately, quite a few of this season's trends do just that.
Cool tees. Suzanne can take her basic look and dress it up with tees that have some interesting detailing -- ruching at the neckline, or lantern sleeves, or a longer hemline. She can also look for graphic tees with a more sophisticated edge -- say, a slimmer fit, instead of the basic boy cut, or a more artsy graphic, rather than the logo of a high school or university.
Multi-functional tops. Suzanne should look for tops that can double as dresses; this season, there are quite a few really terrific long top/short dress options. She wants to look for pieces that can be worn in more than one way: as a dress, with tights or leggings, or as a blouse, over jeans. She also wants to look for a piece that she can layer in various ways: under a cardigan or jacket or over a tee or turtleneck.
Lantern sleeve dress, Old Navy, $34.50. Available in red and black.
Girly accessories. Suzanne can dress up her boyish basics with some simple accessories. Again, she wants to choose pieces that will be multi-functional, because she's on a budget. A pair of embellished or textured ballet slippers will give her jeans-and-tee a more feminine touch; a metallic or patent leather bag is edgy and current.
Where can Suzanne find all these magnificent things? You will have to go visit Mir to find out ...
3 Comments:
Awww... tunic style dresses like that look so cute on teenagers, especially layered over skinny jeans and maybe with a big slouchy scarf.
What a smart girl Suzanne is! She's gonna go far with her attitude. And lucky for her she found you and Mir!
Those more sophisicated graphic tees you speak of? If Suzanne is lucky enough to live near a J. Crew Outlet, they always have a TON of them, and they're usually about $20. Great post.
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