Simply..stylish....

6/10/2017

Back to clothes. (I know. From decapitated whales to dresses and skirts is a bit of a leap - you never know what you are going to get on this blog!) Yesterday's post reminded me that a much ignored part of my wardrobe that needs my attention before winter comes is my outdoor outfits...I'll get to that later.

It is fun sharing ideas and from Julia's comment yesterday I got a new one. I will put aside, all in one place, the things I just never wear or use then I will go to that place as if it is a shop and shop there as though I hadn't seen any of it before. And report back! A variation of 'shopping your closet'.

But back to the matter in hand. It will be the work of moments to deal with skirts and dresses. I have two of each! One skirt I never wear - into the 'shop' with it.

Something that I knew would come up and want to find a solution to is the matter of 'good' clothes and in my case 'dressy' clothes. I'm rather fond of dressy clothes but as an artist and gardener living in rural Scotland I very rarely have the opportunity to wear them. Not that I have very many but I'd like to wear those I do have, and I'd like to wear them out!

The secret I think is not so much finding occasions to dress up (though a few would be welcome) but devising ways of dressing down so that I don't feel uncomfortably overdressed but still get the pleasure of wearing my 'best' things.

Today I did jackets and to my surprise find that I have quite a lot of them. But I also realise that I wear them less often as I no longer have a car - I tend to need a coat - though some are thin enough to wear under a coat. I need more time to think about these...

Rather a muddled post today - too many unresolved questions - but that's what the process is about I guess. My little style notebook which I began using in 2013 has been invaluable. Sizes, stockists, quotations, lists of needs and wants....do you have a style notebook?

12 Comments

Mary

7/10/2017 03:09:57 am

No specific style book for me, but I do have a small notebook I carry with a list general things that are needed and clothing items are among them (a v. short list).

Regarding those expensive clothing items that aren't getting much wear, perhaps you could find a good seamstress who might do alterations to restyle the clothing and bring them up to date, if possible.

Good luck with the outerwear review. I have far too many coats/jackets in the closet--some going back decades (including a Burberry raincoat bought in London in 1981); some simply don't fit anymore. I need to give them away, but the Burberry reminds me of one of the last trips to the UK I took with my parents (and one son who was just a baby) before my father died a couple of years later. Need to hang on to the memory and not the coat.

Freda

7/10/2017 03:21:39 am

The seamstress is such a good idea. Could I suggest a photograph of the coat? You could style a photograph with other mementoes and make a print of it? Take up a lot less space than the coat and someone else will probably be thrilled to wear the coat..

Mary

7/10/2017 09:49:14 am

Lovely idea, Freda. I do have a photo taken during that trip of all of us standing on Princes Street in Edinburgh, just below the castle. Will have to find that and put those items together. The kicker--in the photo, my mother and I are wearing identical Burberry's.

Julia

7/10/2017 03:44:21 am

Ok..mary..burberry coat....there are two terrific books to help with this : love, loss and what i wore, by ilene beckerman (it was also adapted into a terrific stage play). Another is "worn stories" by emily spivak...both tell the stories behind our beloved clothes...might give you some ideas...maybe a scrapbook of photos and the stories behind your favorites? And here is another idea...our daughter wears her best clothes every day, even to do housework..she loves feeling her best..and she thinks she does her best also...freda..i can see you all dressed up and flinging that bit of paint onto a canvas from behind your back!

Freda

7/10/2017 04:01:50 am

I didn't know about the stage play Julia - how fascinating. Now I am with your daughter's idea...Clothes are so much more than just warm coverings aren't they, as evidenced in the second book you mention.

Mary

7/10/2017 09:54:09 am

Julia, it is extraordinarily kind of you to mention the books and I will see if I can locate them. Of the things I enjoy most about Freda's blog, besides her writing and her kindness, it would have to be the generosity of her readers...always willing to share ideas to help others along the journey.

Freda

7/10/2017 02:16:44 pm

A wonderful group of generous people I do agree Mary.

Julia

7/10/2017 02:29:09 pm

There is nothing like the sense of community, and women friends.

Gail

7/10/2017 04:04:02 am

My parents’s dna blessed me with long, nicely shaped legs which still look good even at age 59, I used to wear skirts. About 2years ago, , I gave up my last skirt. I’m an old Southern girl and wear hose with skirts which is too hot in the summer and not warm enough in the winter. Occasionally, I think about getting skirts again, but then I’d have to buy high heels -wearing them ain’t going to happen. My life doesn’t require dressy clothes very often but I try to not look frumpy in my casual clothes.

Freda

7/10/2017 05:01:00 am

Skirts look great with little ballet flats or sandals...sounds like you really would love to go try on some skirts...whyever not? Just for fun?

Lotta

7/10/2017 12:34:34 pm

Maybe you could find out which of your family and friends also want to wear dressy clothes more often and arrange some occasions between you? Trips out, or dressy meals at each other's houses etc...
Apart from one semi-dressy coat which I like but hardly ever wear, I realise my wardrobe only falls into 3 categories - winter casual, summer casual, and outdoor wear!

Freda

7/10/2017 02:18:19 pm

Now that is a nice idea Lotta, Three categories sounds very manageable I think.

Simply..stylish....

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