Oh I need a break from public policy postings and debate. I don’t always talk politics. Another love is fashion. Hell, I even talk politics and fashion, but this one is all about the fashion. I indulged myself with the latest fashion mags (hey, trying to be a lady o’leisure here sometimes) which I usually reserve for cross-country flights.
I’ve never looked to fashion magazines to determine what I will or won’t wear. I usually get inspiration for what my particular fashion style will be any given season by what’s available that will fit me, and what I see in the streets and on particularly fashionable friends and what I’ve determined as my own style. But it is fun, after that, to look at the fashion magazines and see how close or far off I am from the “trend setters.” For the record, I’m usually not very close. I don’t always have a choice.
I have a figure that only comes into fashion every 5-6 years. In those times, I snatch up pretty much everything I can lay my hands on to save for those rainy stylish seasons that insist women don’t have hips or tits. During those hipless/titless style periods, there are usually one or two nods to the “curvy” figure and I snatch those up as well. And by the way, this is no matter what size I am. In my adult life I’ve ran the gauntlet between sizes 4- 10 and even at my skinniest, low slung pants or skinny jeans do not fit and never will and I cannot wear a bubble skirt. Ever.
Anyway, for the past six years I’ve been accumulating what I feel is a fairly spectacular wardrobe for someone my age and income (meaning, I’m not stinking rich so I don’t have that kind of wardrobe but I haven’t had to bargain shop either). But all in all, it’s pretty substantial in shoes, clothes, and jewelry and is pretty heavy on the quality side of the scale as well. I adore shopping. I adore accessorizing. I adore putting new looks together. I’m no style icon, I don’t pretend to be. But I like putting my look together for any given event or occasion.
So I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to maintain that on a sabbatical as I can’t justify my regular shoe habit or my disregard for price tags when I don’t have new income coming in every two weeks. But I was pleasantly surprised when I was leafing through several fall fashion previews that I’m almost entirely covered and wouldn’t need to add much if anything to adapt my look to whatever’s going on this year. A few areas where my closet is lacking are things I wouldn’t wear anyway (or at least only rarely) and the others can be made up with cheaper accessories or vintage shopping.
- Artist prints and flowing tops: Check
- Shoes in crocodile, alligator, snakeskin: Check (Croc and snakeskin Manolo’s; python Jimmy Choo’s—even if I can’t walk ten feet in them)
- Capes are back which gives license to my ponchos. I love my ponchos and wear them whether they are in style or not, but at least I have to defend them less when they’re in style.
- Hardware-studded shoes: Covered (thank you fiancé for picking out those Manolo’s in Vegas! I love you!)
- Autumn colours actually found in nature: Double, triple, quintuple check. Those are my perfect colors.
- Jeans and trousers I’m completely good with.
- When it comes to dressing up, I have every look I’d ever wear covered, and still a few I wouldn’t wear. I have frilly feminine, austere feminine, Victorian, Goth, romantic, structured, hippy, avant-garde, Asian-style, you name it. A year ago I swore I wouldn’t buy a new dress until I’d worn everyone in my closet. I only broke that vow for the ‘50s style taffeta shirtwaist dress in blurred leopard print. That pretty much completed the collection for now. And I’m not bored with a single one of the dresses in my closet.
A few things that are missing:
- A big slouchy off-the-shoulder or boat neck sweater: I remember I had the absolute perfect one several years ago. For the life of me, I can’t remember what happened to it and can’t imagine I got rid of it. I must have been high. But I don’t get high. Weird. Anyway, have been looking for a replacement for that for years.
- Ankle boots: Particularly drooling over the ones in Manolo Blahnik’s fall collection. If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I’m a HUGE Manolo Blahnik fan. And while yes, my knowledge of this designer started with Sex and the City, it’s because of the fit and style that I remain an adherent. There are a lot of designers that I love the look of, but whose fit and heel placement don’t work with my feet (Christian Louboutin, sadly) or whose shoes have toe cleavage, which I hate. Still, my Alexander McQueen’s are my favourite shoes in my collection. But McQueen just doesn’t have a big shoe line. Anyway, I’ll probably have to bypass the ankle boots this year unless I can find acceptable knock-offs. I can live without since I have enough regular boots and I’m not a big fan of the ankle boot with skirt or cropped pants. On me anyway. For women with fabulous legs, it works. I have good legs. Not fabulous legs.
- Metallics: I’ll mostly cover this base with accessories. Too much metallic starts looking too ‘80s.
- Jewelry: There are probably a few new pieces I’ll pick up throughout the season. Most will be cheap/vintage, but I might have to make a visit to my jewelry designer friend for something special.
What I’ll pass on:
- Jewel tones: Not the best look for me. I have one or two dressy pieces that work, but for everyday, it tends to make me look a bit clownish. Earth tones are much more my color.
- Plaids: They keep trying, it keeps failing. Plaid outside of Scotland or the SCA needs to just stay away.
- Pencil skirts and really skinny pants: They just don’t fit and never will. I’m zen about that now.
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