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orphan to workhorse?

Adelfa

Veteran

Cocolion posted about a gorgeous top that we all love on her (or most of us) that she's only worn once since she got it in September. She is open to styling ideas to help her wear it more, and of course the fabbers provided several.

But as I was commenting I thought... it never happens to me that an orphan becomes a beloved wardrobe item. I mean, with styling help, or with good problem solving, I can learn to be more comfortable wearing an item more frequently. But there's always that little awkwardness, whose source I may know, or I may not know!

I can't think of a single beloved workhorse in my closet that used to be an orphan!

Can you? If you can I'd truly love to hear how it happened!

Dressing

30 replies

Latest reply was from unfrumped

Vildy

Veteran

wow. Your observation may be providing me with an impetus to grit my teeth and square my shoulders and purge a lot of orphans. The horror, the horror.

Neel

Veteran

My pink dress from today's WIW is the perfect example of an orphan. I just don't know what to do with the darn dress! Feel guilty watching it hanging around in my closet. And when I do take the efforts to style it with my best loved pieces I still have low happiness factor

Do I have to purge it? Repeating with Vildy ... the horror ... the horror

Joyce B

Veteran

My black cashmere cardigan was unworn for over a year and became a workhorse last Winter. The same for my flat black suede boots and my purple satchel. I decided to wear them one time so they would at least be worn and I kept on wearing them after that. What was initially a waste of money became a successful purchase and I got good use out of them.
On the other hand, I have some very pretty grey booties that did not get worn. I tried wearing them once and they looked great but they killed my feet. That reminded me of why I had not worn them. I am going to start a donation box with them.
I think it's good to give closet orphans a try but if we still don't like them after trying it's time to move on.

leopardluxe

Veteran

For me the orphan to workhorse and vice versa usually comes into play based on the climate of where I'm living. I am almost always cold. So while all the other ladies here in SoCal are running around in their tanks and sandals when it's 70 degrees I'm wearing a jacket and scarf and close-toed shoes.

I spent 14 years living in Boston, then 5 years living in Vegas, then a year in Seattle and now 3 years in L.A.

I've gotten rid of a huge chunk of my Vegas wardrobe that were complete workhorses while living there. They became orphans largely because I was too cold to wear them here. Same was true of Boston (I purged all my heavy-weight cashmere and most of my vintage furs after I moved from Boston to Vegas). Same with Seattle (boy, did I miss wearing suede while living there --rain and suede don't mix... and I must confess I was glad to get rid of the ugly-ass polar-tec and rain jackets that were my workhorses when I moved from Seattle to LA).

Outside of climate-related orphans I do have a few pieces (several casual dresses) that were orphans but have become workhorses because I figured out a way to re-style them with tights or worn belted as tunics with leggings.

My rule of thumb is that I never pay a lot of money for something that I think might be hard to style and run a high risk of being an orphan. That way if it ends up not getting worn all that often my CPW is still low.

Lantana

Veteran

Orphan to work horse? Yes, this has happened for me. I had a sleeveless vest/ cardi with a shawl collar that I never wore and felt guilty about buying. I removed the collar and now that little vest type thingy is a real wardrobe work horse. Similarly, scissors and a sachet of dye have brought other orphans in from the cold.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

What a great question, Jody. I need to give it some thought. Back later.

Niefern

I have had a few items that were once orphans and then became workhorses. The problem was I lacked some other key item to wear them with. For example I lacked the right cami to wear underneath or I lacked leggins or I lacked the right insole. Once I got the key item I could wear them very confortably and became workhorses.

Aubergine

Veteran

I feel like this actually happens with me more than you'd think. Sometimes it's because I need a specific item to wear with them like Niefern talks about, but sometimes it's a little more random.

For example, I'm thinking of a burgundy knit dress with pleats down the front that I've been wearing a lot over the past year, even thought it kind of sat in my closet without getting much wear for a year or so before that. I'm not sure why I started wearing it more. I think it was partly that I'd been thinking of it as a dress to wear to nice dinners and not as something I could wear to work or just casually, but eventually realized there was nothing about it that was really all that dressy. The other part might have been that I'd ended up buying more accessories in interesting neutrals (things like black and cognac obi belts and animal-print flats and wedges) that went really well with the dress without making the whole outfit look too busy.

amiable

Veteran

It happens for me- because often times I need to be taught how to wear an item. Once it clicks, then indeed it gets worn - sometimes it's after a year of being an orphan.

Diana

Veteran

It's happened occasionally for me. Often the item is an orphan bc it needs some small adjustment like an armhole shortened or a button adjusted, and once I realize this and fix it, it becomes much easier to wear. For example, my brown oxfords were orphans until I dyed them bronze, when all of a sudden they became much more versatile.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I really can't think of anything. Many times when I've forced myself to wear an orphan, I quickly realize why I don't wear it -- especially shoes. It usually means they were uncomfortable, and I then get rid of them right away.

I do have some items that are so infrequently worn that they qualify as orphans, and yet I refuse to let them go. Whenever I get in a fit of purging and try them on, I think, "It looks good, I want to hang onto it." Even if I don't reach for it this year, I might next year. Case in point: I have a red twill moto that is probably 8-10 years old. Classic and flattering, but I don't choose to wear red much, for some reason. But I still want it in my closet because it has some appeal for me.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Not really. BUT, favourites fall out of favour - lay low for a while - and then I rediscover them. That does happen in my wardrobe.

Adelfa

Veteran

Hi ladies, just want to respond quickly--

I was wondering if you would identify fixable reasons why things were orphans, and you have! Forgive me if my quick paraphrases aren't quite accurate.

Joyce--they just needed to be worn once
Leopardluxe, Ami--needed to figure out how to style them
Lantana, Diana--needed alterations
Niefern--needed a key item to go with it
Aubergine--needed to have a more open mind about where to wear it (I've done this!)
Angie--it was only a temporary orphan

I'm going to use this list when I examine my orphans!

rachylou

Veteran

I'm not sure I've ever successfully revived an orphan... Orphans for me are usually lone survivors of outfits where the rest has worn out. I think they're more likely done-for items that got missed in the last purge somehow.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I think I'm more like Angie, in that there are some items I wear a lot, then I sorta get tired of them, but don't cull them for whatever reason, and then my eye refreshes and I'm interested in wearing them again. Orphans that earn their status because of fit issues or comfort or some annoying detail of how to care for them don't usually get rehabilitated but if they are kept for an esoteric use they earn their space that way.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Angie's comment resonates with me -- sometimes an item goes from a loved piece to an orphan and then back again. I have found that a new pair of shoes, or another wardrobe addition can bring an orphan out to play. I don't know that any have become real closet starts, but they do get worn.

Alassë

Veteran

Seconding Laura - "Orphans that earn their status because of fit issues or comfort or some annoying detail of how to care for them don't usually get rehabilitated but if they are kept for an esoteric use they earn their space that way."

Also, sometimes I have to find a new way to wear an item (soft button-down worn knotted at the waist instead of as a long top) or learn better ways of wearing the item in an outfit (minimalist top + belt for busy skirt, rather than busy top + busy skirt).

rabbit

Veteran

I think all of the above make sense.

I don't think I've had an orphan become a workhorse, as in I wear it frequently, but I definitely have had orphans who later fit into a wardrobe capsule and then become worn enough to balance out the CPW.

Usually it's an item that either incorporates heels or an open vamp (even in a comfortable shoe, I'm not going to wear it except in warm weather and on paving), or is a bit more of a 'look' like a full midi skirt or fit and flare dress. I will wear these and get a high happiness factor, but I'm not going to wear them everyday.

cciele

Veteran

Interesting question, I hadn't really thought about that!

I do have one piece that was languishing about in my closet (the Ella Moss tie-dye knit moto a few of us have/had). I just didn't know how to wear it! It wasn't structured enough for some of the looks I had in mind. But then, I changed my way of looking at the item. I started viewing it as a hoodie equivalent instead of a jacket equivalent. Now I wear it all the time, thrown over casual clothing. Much snazzier than a hoodie

deb

Veteran

I purchased my Nine West booties in the fall of 2012 but hardly wore them in F/W 2012/2013. Then last September I started wearing them and they became my go to booties. I do not know what changed,

DonnaF

Veteran

I live in a mild climate, so my really warm sweaters and shorts and cool tops barely get worn if it is an unusually mild winter or an unusually cool summer. I try to keep those capsules small, layer a lot, and not get suckered in by pretties/fiercies that won't get worn much. But during unusually cold or hot weeks, those items get worn a lot.

I also have a weird pattern of buying something, not wearing it much the first year (maybe it has to marinate in my brain?), and then wearing it quite a bit more the following year when maybe my subconscious has figured out how and when to wear it.

Faith

Hm, I think this has happened to me in two ways. In one scenario, I buy something I love but that is not really workhorse material for my climate or lifestyle, but when said climate or lifestyle changes, voilà. I have had one other (singular) experience, however, in which I received a gift that I didn't care for initially, and that was redundant in my wardrobe. But because it was a gift, I set it aside and didn't give it away immediately. Several years (yes, years!) later, the original, much-beloved, item filling that hole in my wardrobe wore out, and before setting out to replace it, I decided to dig out the gift and try it on. Lo and behold, I loved it, and love it still. I can't really explain it, other than to say my tastes evolved. (In the latter case, the item in question was an accessor, for what it's worth.)

Aida

Veteran

What Angie and Janet said, usually it's more a case of beloved items falling out of favor for a while then falling back into favor. Proper orphans to workhorse? Unless it was a serious alteration issue, this doesn't really happen for me.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Oh! Oh! I can answer this one. I have had this happen a couple of times when I've had an alteration done. The best example I can think of is an ankle-length casual army green skirt. I never wore it, although I thought it was all kinds of cool. I knew it had something to do with the length, but it had a drawstring at the bottom that I resisted cutting off. Finally I decided that I would either have to hem the darn thing or give it away, so I took the plunge and got it hemmed to just below knee length. Now it's the most-worn summer skirt in my closet.

Runcarla

Veteran

Many moons ago I tried on a deeply discounted purple velvet blazer style jacket while shopping a big city on vacation. It fit very well. I wore it a couple of times, and then it sat in my closet. For 5 years. I was actually in a long denial about my purple obsession, but when I came put of it, I started wearing the jacket...A LOT. It is the only blazer style jacket I still own, and I think I will have it forever, now.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Like Angie things fall in & out of favour but they must have been favourites before they were orphans. If I LOVE something but I'm not currently wearing it I do keep it.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I do have a few pieces that went the orphan to workhorse route. First, I had a very Boho tunic, cotton embroidered. I downgraded it to sleepwear and suddenly loved it. I felt very chic and my boyfriend loved it too. The second is a knit blazer. I realized it was machine washable ($39 at H&M, love it!) and started wearing it over my shirts for my Server work outfits. Now it's been worn so much it's pilling. In both cases the items were burgundy, perhaps just a coincidence. In both cases when I discovered they were easy to launder, they became more useful. Less precious. I think my "saving" gene keeps me from fully realizing the potential of many of my things.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

In general I think I'm like Angie -- items can fall in and out of favour but it is rare for a true orphan to be rehabilitated. Typically what makes me "favour" an item is weather. And unusual weather conditions can make me favour one type of item more than another.

I do have one item that was a complete orphan until Angie helped me find a way to style it. That was a vintage Biba kimono jacket. What happened was -- I bought it, but had no idea what to do with it. Kimonos became a trend last spring -- and Angie posted an ensemble -- and bingo! I figured out how to wear the thing.

I will never wear this jacket a whole lot, but now I know how to wear it, and I did in fact bring it down to a very reasonable CPW last season.

I think when shopping consignment I will make it a practice to buy "artistic eclectic" items like this kimono. That is not my primary or even my secondary style descriptor. But it never hurts to have one or two of that kind of item in the closet, and they really don't date at all.

I think in general it's easier to "de-orphan" avant garde, eclectic, or super high quality modern classic items.

unfrumped

Veteran

Usually you would be right.
But, sometimes orphans get adopted back into the family before being purged. The item has to well in some way but I lacked the supporting players. This can happen to me with a dressy item that i find i csnt bear to west with any of my existing shoes but the " right" shoes are tralistically out there somewhere. Or sometimes a color reads differently than i thought, and It doesn't play well. If its a teally nice item and a flattering color i might kerp it snd see if the right partners turn up. Of course the day i toss it out is the day i find the perfect companion piece! Proportions play a role and I might kerp some tops or jackets that are shorter, longer, boxier, whatever, especially in a neutral color and good fabric, for when waists go up or down or pant legs slim or widen.

My example in the past year is a JJill boucle boxy longish jacket I was ready to purge because i thought it looked frumpy and too shapeless and big. I had been wearing it with trousers. then I got some slimmer tapered pants and also figured out more pencil skirt and tight outfits, and realized that was a grat jacket proportion for slimmer bottoms.

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