Sunday, January 8, 2012

what it means to be a shoe girl

[left: elizabeth and james tari | orig. $350 | purchased $68]
[right: jeffrey campbell so much | orig. $140 | purchased $45]

So my new years' resolution is going generally well with one caveat: shoes.  For every girl, there is that one thing she loves most and can't live without - be it floral spring dresses, fine leather handbags, crisp blouses, so on and so forth.  For me, it's shoes with personality.  Despite the over 50 pairs of shoes I own, I do not have one pair of leg-lengthening nude pumps, classic sky-high black stilettos, or even wear-with-everything knee-high flat black boots.  I don't believe in buying basics for the purpose that they're versatile pieces to wear with everything.  Because what's the fun in that?  If style is a form of expression, then that white v-neck shirt you've paired with those medium wash bootcut jeans and black heels tell me you're one hell of a boring girl.  So more power to the Olsen twins who may make one too many style faux-pas but are at least never boring a la Lauren Conrad.  Sorry LC - just my two cents.  But back to shoes.  I like keeping the clothes simple and predictable to myself - flattering, nothing too crazy, slightly whimsical.  The shoes are where I like to tell the story.  It can be an indication of how i feel, where i want to go, what i'm dreaming about, and the list goes on.  That's the reason I can live with an adequate supply of clothes and other accessories, but the want for more shoes - more representations of myself - never ceases.

This year will be a year of finding myself - a small part of it getting closer to finding my style.  I hope to use this blog as an outlet to keep track of my wants, likes, thoughts, and progress.  Tripod investment coming up - which should make outfit shots a lot easier.  No more needing another person to be around when I've got an amazing outfit on.  Any recommendations for tripods that are particularly flattering to double chins?

Time to eat a really unhealthy dinner.  Healthy lifestyle plans not going so well.  May come back later with some things I've been lusting after lately.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

edit, delete and acquire

[kate spade essex small scout | orig. $295 | purchased $162]

This is the second of my quality purchases this month, only bought in a bright spring red. I've been eyeing this bag for about a good 9 months now, when it first came out and everyone and their mother was coveting this bag, and it's cheaper look-alike by the cambridge satchel company.  after months of being sad that it was either sold out or a bit too expensive, it finally went on-sale for the post-christmas sale - and it was too good not for me to snatch up.  It's coming tomorrow in the mail, and boy am I going to pee my pants when I finally hold the beauty in my hands.

So after my post yesterday, I read a couple more articles at closet curating, and had a couple more glances at my improved, but still, busting at its seams wardrobe.  So I said to myself, "Phebe, this is the year of no excuses.  No excuses not to wear what you love every single day."  Because knowing my shopping habits, what I love six months from now will probably delete yet another good 30-40% of my existing wardrobe.  While certain pieces I know I will love years and years from now, others I have less confidence about how long they will keep my affections.  So time to wear them before they become unloved like ex-boyfriends.  

As I ruthlessly cut certain things from my wardrobe, including some dresses with tags still attached, items I wore once and thought I could pull off the trend, sweaters that were too plain to have a place in my wardrobe - I started noticing elements of my personal style that have remained consistent over time.  Some that were trends and stuck with me, others that highlighted the parts of my body I don't hate, and a few that spoke to my personality and lifestyle.

1) Socks + Shoes combination.  I wear cute socks with everything - ankle socks with platform sandals, knee high socks with some ruching with ankle boots, thigh high socks with heels, etc, etc.

2) A disdain for denim.  You will not find a single denim piece of clothing in my closet.  The end.  The color, the texture, the wash, the fact that it's the "American casual staple" turns me off like a guy with a pedo-mustache.  Just no.

3) Short skirts with an A-line/Circle silhouette.  I like my waist, think my hips + butt are too fat, and kind of love the shape of my legs from mid-thigh down.  These are the perfect solution.  And they're cute and work well with all seasons.  Yes, I've taken to some of the tweed and sweater variety for the colder months.

4) V-Neck t-shirts and loose crop tops.  These are just flattering, and add an appropriate casual touch to any outfit - be it with jeans, with my skirts, or over a dress.  Bonus points if it has an interesting design.

5) Shrunken, chunky sweaters & cardigans.  The perfect candidates for hiding a few extra pounds of fat in the winter and make you look like the coziest thing on the planet even though you're itching in the 100% acrylic material.

6) Sleek shirtdresses.  Love a sophisticated long button-down with either interesting draping, cut, or beautiful tailoring.  I recently got a khaki-colored one from liquid new york (sold by Barney's) that doubles as a glamourous long vest.  

7) Architectural heels.  If they're minimalist in color and ornamental bits, then it better be a killer design.  If they've got some kickass buckles and hardware, then a more subdued color and shape will do.  Or anything Alexander Wang makes.  Though I'm loving Balenciaga, Jil Sander, and Acne as well.  My taste in shoes is kind of on the opposite end of the stick from my taste in clothing.

8) Small cute bags.  I have a pretty embarrassingly big, recently acquired collection by kate spade.  Doesn't help that the boyfriend spoils me by buying me them every now and then (not complaining, i promise!).  I'm a small bag girl - not enough shit to fit in something larger than the length of my hand.

How all these little bits and pieces of what I adore translate to my personal style - I don't know enough words in the English language to make the connection.  But knowing what you like is a good step in not making poor choices in shopping.  After donating a good 40% of my current closet, I've learned a couple of lessons.  For one, if it's a trend or an "of-the-moment" love - like all my baggy v-neck sweaters, only buy one.  Will save donating $500-$600 worth of things to Plato's.  At least I made a total of $215 back.  $116 to that shitty cop in Missouri that pulled me over for speeding.  And on that note, I think this blog entry just hit a sour note.

Monday, January 2, 2012

say goodbye to the old, and hello to the new


[alexander wang freja | originally $695 | purchased $80 at barney's new york outlet]

I spent new years' cleaning out my closet.  Even though it's still kind of a big organized mess, I did get rid of a considerable amount of stuff.  I have a really hard time of letting go - sometimes because the item has sentimental value, sometimes because i convince myself it can be worn a certain way, and sometimes because i tell myself i spent too much on it to give it up.  So for the pack rat like me, these are the steps I took to clean out my closet:

1) Is this an eyesore?  Eyesore is defined as not my style, has ruching, looks like it's from the Forever 21 clearance, has a black elastic band for a waist, etc.

  • If yes, throw into a pile to sell or donate.  If the item is still in good condition and is objectively stylish, sell.  If the item has stains, rips, or is plain ugly, donate.
  • If no, ask the following questions.
2) Do you have too many of these? or Do you need to wear it a couple more times before tossing it to justify buying it? or Is this decently worn but is still well-loved?
  • If yes, set the item aside.  For the "too many of these" question, I took the least loved one or two of the item.  I then put these items in a separate closet, reminding myself to wear these before the next donation/reselling cycle.
  • If no, the item has successfully passed the test and is staying until next cycle.
I had about a couple of shoes, oversized bags (totally a little bag girl), and some dresses that fell into the first category.  Made a good $58.25 from Plato's Closet for about $150 worth of items.  For anyone that has ever considered reselling things to Plato's, I honestly almost shied out of going down that path.  I read a lot of online reviews that complained about the chump change they were getting for their items, and a lot of things they will pass on.  Out of the three bags I took, they took everything but a pair of sneakers and a dress because of minor stains.  I consider that a pretty successful exchange.  As long as your items are in good condition and are still objectively in style for the teen - mid-20s market, they will most likely offer you a decent trade for it.  I prefer this to ebay, since I don't like dealing with postage and checking on listings and what not. 

And as for the hundreds of things still lying around in my closet this year, I made several resolutions:

  • Wear things before you don't love them anymore.  I can't count the number of things I gave away that were only worn once or twice because they were too "of the moment" purchases.
  • Buy only 1-2 quality items per month.  For January, this was the Kate Spade Essex Small Scout in spring red and those Alexander Wang Frejas above.  I have enough cheap shit.
  • Do clothing evaluations every 1-2 months.  Part of the reason I have so much stuff is because I hoard and keep and never delete.  While I'll probably never have a curated closet, I definitely need to be a bit more ruthless with what stays and what goes.  Choosing what to wear in the morning is a lot easier when you don't have the entire Goodwill store staring you in the face.  
  • Learn how to walk in the Constance's I bought last month.  I have never had this much of an issue standing in a shoe, let alone walk in it.  The angle of the shoe is crafted in a way that the entire weight of your body is 95% on the balls of your feet and 5% on your heels.  Yeah...not very good.  But I love them a bit too much to return/resell them.  So practice it is.

And there we go.  Cheers to a more stylish 2012.