Kate Spade is branching out into furniture, an interesting collaboration from the American Museum of Natural History, a major Oscar de la Renta retrospective in San Francisco, and more style news that made the rounds this week.

• Christophe Lemaire, former Hermès Creative Director, is designing a Fall capsule collection for Uniqlo.
• Fashion on the Ration, a new exhibition at the London Imperial War Museum, explores how the Second World War affected fashion.
• Giorgio Armani is planning a new womenswear line. The New Normal collection will be “full of classic items”.
• Bettina Graziani, one of the world’s first supermodels, passed away on Monday.
• Kate Spade is branching out into bedding and bath products, furniture, and a collection of kitchen goods.
• The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco is staging a major Oscar de la Renta retrospective.
• The Zoe Report is launching a subscription service. Four times a year, members will receive a “Box of Style”, containing Rachel Zoe-approved goods.
• For its second edition, The Karl Daily — Karl Lagerfeld’s fashion mailer — is going digital.
• NY City’s American Museum of Natural History has enlisted 22 Etsy designers to create 140 products inspired by the museum’s collections.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that during the Second World War people attached “blackout buttons” to clothing lapels. These shiny buttons made the wearer visible on the streets after a blackout. The Guardian also mentions that: “The fashionably inclined would have worn more design-aware ones such as luminous flowers available from stores like Selfridges.”

This ensemble was inspired by a casual street style look I pinned for some of my clients. Olive bottoms can be hard to match, but they generally work well with a black and white support act, or paired just with black. 

Here are three ways to combine the colours to get you going. In all three cases I’ve chosen black footwear. The four pairs here can be remixed across the outfits. I’ve also chosen a tote and a fringed backpack that can be worn across all three looks. 

Olive Jeans, Striped Top & Moto

Combine a pair of casual olive pants with a black and white striped T-shirt or pullover. Top off with a black moto, black short or tall boots, and black tote. A pair of casual khakis, cargo pants or skinnies work well as bottoms. A black blazer or trench coat can be substituted for the moto. Feel free to turn the outfit formula on its head by wearing an olive jacket with black jeans. 

Black Bottoms & Olive Pullover

This option is for Team Cozy and Comfortable. Pair stonewashed black jeans, jet black jeans or leather jeggings with an oversized olive pullover. Finish off the look with a pair of boots, flats or heels, and black bag of your choosing. If you’re after a crisper integrity, layer a white button-down shirt under the roomy pullover. Add black outerwear for extra insulation. 

Olive Skirt with Black Top & Topper

Combine an olive pencil skirt with a black welted sweatshirt or pullover. An asymmetrical sweater works well too. Top with a black poncho, cape, moto, trench coat or blazer. Throw in sheer black or opaque tights to wear with boots, flats or pumps. A black fringed bag is a trendy addition to this version. Finish off the look with jewellery, eyewear and watch as desired. 

I’ve used solids, but olive patterns would be great too. Camouflage pants count as olive pants, and a patterned scarf will amp up outfit interest. A white or gold bag can work instead of black. And combine black trousers with an olive sweater and black footwear for a business casual look.

At The Telegraph, Susie Lau wrote a piece about the new wave of Japanese designers to invest in now.

Ecosalon presents 3 Fashion Tech Startups to Watch.

The Huffington Post is currently doing a miniseries called Fabrications, “that elevates the work of up-and-coming queer individuals working in the fashion world.“

Fab Links from Our Members

Suz found an interesting article about Debbie Harry at age 69. Note the photo of the singer sporting high-waisted jeans and a partly buttoned-up denim jacket as a shirt. Right on trend again.

Although Angie found the Fall 2015 runway shows harder to navigate this season with no clear direction of the upcoming trends, she really enjoyed the the way Bally and Prada remixed their colours at Milan Fashion Week this week. This is great inspiration for Spring. Why wait!

Angie also wanted to share this video that shows how the “ideal” female body type has evolved over the years. Plus a hilarious quote from Tina Fey in which she pulls together an impossible laundry list of what every woman is excepted to look like these days.

Gryffin lets us know that YLF forum member Deborah was recently featured on Sally’s blog. So fun!

CocoLion loves street style, and thinks The Impression does a great job of presenting things in an organized manner. She adds that Carolines Mode is probably her favourite site for street style because they exercise some editorial powers over what they publish.

Laurinda was happy to see this Bill Cunningham video of people wearing all shades of blue, cheering us up during this cold Winter. And he recommends mixing blue with black (which, Laurinda adds, she heard at YLF first!).

Annagybe points us to this video in which Frances McDormand shares her thoughts on aging.

Just like there is no one way to be stylish, there is no one wardrobe size to rule them all. There are at least seven variables that impact the number of items in your wardrobe. 

Climate

You will need a larger variety of clothing, footwear and accessories when you live in a four season climate. The harsher your Winter, the greater your need for specialized footwear, knitwear, outerwear and Winter accessory capsules. Living in a milder and less extreme climate makes it easier to wear the same items more frequently throughout the year. 

Lifestyle

A smaller wardrobe tends to work well with a casual dress code that is more or less the same throughout the week, especially if you spend part of the day in workout clothes. You’ll usually need a larger wardrobe if your work attire is dressier than what you wear over the weekend. And an even larger wardrobe if you require formal attire for the theatre, work events, weddings and the like. 

Need for Variety

Some people’s need for variety is greater than others. If you enjoy wearing a large variety of silhouettes across a range of colours, you’ll have a moderate to large wardrobe. If you’re more of a wardrobe minimalist who requires little outfit variety, wearing the same fast fall back outfits most days, you’ll have a smaller wardrobe. 

Some thoroughly enjoy wearing a piece that is brand new because it feels more special than wearing the same older items day after day. Maximizing this enjoyment leads to a larger wardrobe because you’re buying new items more frequently. 

Closet Space

The size of your wardrobe might also be governed by the size of your storage space. Some use more than one closet area, and convert rooms into walk-in wardrobes. The larger your storage space, the easier it is to fill it with items, which leads to a large wardrobe.

Purging Guilt

Purging guilt can lead to a larger wardrobe if you have a hard time purging, but continue adding to your wardrobe. I also know people who struggle to purge and shop infrequently for this reason.

Budget 

Like closet space, budget is a constraint that naturally limits the size of a wardrobe. But this doesn’t mean that someone with a large budget will necessarily have a large wardrobe. They may prefer to spend their budget on fewer, higher-end items. Or they may just prefer a smaller wardrobe and spend less than their budget allows. The converse can also be true, where some people with a more limited budget can buy many items inexpensively on markdown or at thrift stores.

Fashion: Hobby or Chore?

Enjoying fashion, the trends, shopping, and the art of putting together your style is a fun hobby for some people. When this is the case, wardrobes are often moderate or large in size. Those who care less about fashion and style, and don’t enjoy shopping, often have smaller wardrobes. There are also those who enjoy fashion and style immensely, and part of the fun is keeping within a specific manageable quantity of pieces (either a small or moderate wardrobe). This makes the process of finding the piece as fabulous as wearing the piece itself. 

So what size should your wardrobe be? Too large, and items will go unworn as you forget about them or struggle to find them. You might end up with an unsightly closet that is bursting at the seams. Too small, and you will have laundry bottlenecks, get bored repeating the same items, and possibly lack the appropriate outfits for some occasions. Items will also wear out more quickly as you wear them frequently.

The ideal size is somewhere in between. There isn’t a universal answer, of course, but if you are thoughtful about editing and making additions to your wardrobe, you will reach the size that makes sense for your budget, needs and lifestyle.