Moving cross country – and having 99% of our belongings in storage for three months – means that my wardrobe is currently minimal. And, to my surprise, I’m discovering I’ve never felt more confident in how I look each day. Not necessarily about my hair or makeup or new little wrinkles around my eyes (damn you, excellent bathroom lighting!), but if you catch me on the way out the door in the morning, I’ll probably be feeling pretty good about what I’m wearing. Because – duh – when you only wear the few pieces you really love, you feel good in them!
That’s not to say I’m ditching the rest of my clothes when I get them out of storage, but I am going to keep most of them hidden away to cycle in as needed. I’m hoping to continue rocking my handful of button downs, pencil skirts, cardigans, and great-fitting jeans, because in the two months since we left San Francisco, they’ve treated me well. Cotton, silk, cashmere, denim and leather: my can’t-fail outfit building blocks.
All this to say that I am no clotheshorse (unlike some of my eminently more stylish friends); I like to dabble in fashion in a moderate way. Pretty things make me happy, but I’m not a big shopper, especially now that my minimal wardrobe enables me to bounce out of bed and be out the door in just a few minutes. I’m aware of what I can and can’t pull off on the trend front: flares and jumpers, yes; frills and flounces, no.
Of all the Spring/Summer style roundups I’ve seen lately, I found this one from Wit & Delight to be the most useful. It summarized a few pant trends and how to wear them in a way that made me excited – even inspired – to try a few new tricks. I have a few basic formulas to make it all even easier.
Culottes + denim jacket + heels
I have a pretty kooky pair of Anthropologie origami-esque white culottes that I LOVE, and I’m excited to pair them with my beloved denim jacket and sexy-but-comfortable Stuart Weitzman heels. Once the temperature gets out of the 60s, argh.
Flares + stripe shirt + black blazer
I basically want to wear my sailor-style boatneck striped shirt every day; pairing it with a black blazer makes it work-ready (and protects against overzealous office air conditioning), a tip I saw on Cup of Jo. Lately I’ve been wearing this combo with dark flares, clog sandals, and rounding it out with my giant black bag tied with a silk scarf.
High-waisted frayed crops + oversized button down
I ordered these jeans on sale, knowing it was likely I’d return them. High-waisted, frayed, cropped: there was a high likelihood they were going to be severely unflattering. But I love them! I dig how they look with (pale pink!!!) high top sneakers (as you can see below – I wear high tops a lot more now that I’m logging hella miles here in New York) as well as with dainty heels. I think I have Stockholm Syndrome with crops: since so many pants are just a tad too short for me anyway, it’s now how I like to wear them best. I’m looking forward to throwing them on with a striped off-the-shoulder top that I snagged over a month ago but still haven’t gotten to wear. Warm weather, you can’t come soon enough!