Forum member and good friend Antje mentioned in the comments section that wearing something “nostalgic” contributed to the happiness factor of her outfits. Oh my goodness,YES. This resonates very strongly with me. 

An entire outfit, the design of a single item in the outfit, a particular colour, or the way you are wearing an item can create happy feelings of nostalgia. They are also created when someone special bought a fabulous wardrobe item for you. Or when you wear something that belonged to someone special. Or what you’re wearing reminds you of a great time in your life. 

This is another way that fashion and style is about more than just our comfort and appearance. Like a special song or place, our clothes can connect us with something meaningful in our past.

I’m nostalgic about any outfit that incorporates an item that Greg chose for me. I love my retro lace blouse because my Papa bought it for my birthday. I seldom wear jewelry, but when I do, I love wearing one of my late Mum’s old gold pieces because it reminds me of her wearing them when I was a little girl. And my black power suit and cream wedges will forever remind me of our incredible trip to Japan. 

I just bought a fab pair of jeans, True Religon’s Cameron, and realized the reason I’m smitten is because they remind me of my much loved Levis 501s back in 1990. Non-stretch, stiff, button-fly, low-ish rise and a baggy fit. I love ’80s inspired looks because I had so much fun with fashion when I was a teen despite wearing a school uniform five days a week. 

I don’t have nostalgic feelings about my outfits every day, but experience them frequently enough to realize that they are extremely important to me. How about you?

Some people believe it’s a fashion faux pas to wear white jeans after Summer and before Spring. To me, that’s a dated fashion concept. Why not wear bright white jeans in the middle of Winter, after all, white is the colour of ice cold fresh snow. How is that seasonally confused? 

Greg gave me the swingy ink blue mixed media pullover for my birthday last year. As soon as he saw it on, he said that it would look great with white jeans. I agreed. I LOVE white jeans. Their modern, crisp and graphic integrity are a big boost to my outfit happiness-factor. So 2013 is my year for wearing bright white jeans all year round, just like Editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, Emmanuelle Alt.

Replenishing my denim capsule with a new pair of straight leg white jeans was the first item on my Spring shopping list. AG’s Adriano Goldschmied “The Stilt” fit the bill right away. The rise is low, the fit snug, but not overly body conscious, and the length NOT cropped. I can wear them with flats, low heeled pumps, booties and taller boots. This pair of jeans is definitely going to become a wardrobe workhorse.

The ink blue pullover has silk insets, dropped shoulder seams, and a high-low hemline. I have worn it a lot over the last four months. As much as I enjoy the trendier chunky knit pullovers, I am still a fine gauge knitwear gal at heart. I enjoy their dressier vibe, and the fact that this one has pretty silk insets makes me even happier. It’s waist surrendering, but still fairly streamlined, especially when worn with narrow bottoms. 

I didn’t want to hide the swingy layered integrity of the pullover so I chose my short black moto jacket as the topper. It’s five years old and still going strong. I’ve noticed that I’m wearing scarves less frequently because I prefer the simpler version of the outfit. Of course, there are times when I have to wear a scarf because it’s an insulating necessity. And I still adore outfits with scarves, just like I love all my pearl necklaces. I’m just happier leaving them off on this leg of my style journey in order to achieve a more minimal effect. 

The shoes are even brighter than the jeans, complete with citron laces. I just replaced my black and white oxfords with Cole Haan’s Skylar Oxfords in mirrored metallic, as my nod to the sci-fi trend. They are so comfortable I could cry. Happy, happy feet! I’m wearing them with nude knee-highs to give the effect of bare feet because I do like them best worn “sans socks”. The on trend and fashionable thing to do is roll up the hems of the jeans, show ankle skin, and all of the shoe. But I’m putting my foot down and keeping my straight legs full length for now because I prefer it that way. 

Layering the ink blue coat over the lot is a classic touch that grounds the outfit. Without it, the outfit is more trendy. I suppose it could also be argued that the moto jacket is a classic piece, but that’s fine with me. Too many trendy pieces in one outfit, and my happiness factor starts to slide.  

I finished off the outfit with white specs and a sporty black, blue and white bag. I like wearing those items with white jeans because the whites bookend each other. I mixed metals by wearing a gold watch, which happens to match the gold zip at the back of the pullover. No jewelry aside from my wedding ring. 

Finally, I’m growing out my hair a little so that I can wear it either a little “punk” to make more of a statement, or “romantic-wavy” if I want a softer effect.

This is the third outfit post in a row that is predominantly neutral, which is just a coincidence. I still wear lots of brights, and both tomato red and citron coat see lots of action. I guess one of the reasons I like white so much is because it’s bright. And when you live in awfully grey Seattle, you need all the bright you can get.

Next time you have no clue what to wear, look no further than last night’s dessert. I have a huge sweet tooth and am now wondering why this never occurred to me.

If you work in a fashion-forward environment What Thirteen People Wore to Their Interview With Anna Wintour might contain some useful pointers.

Infusing your ensemble with a little art never hurts. From Mondrian and Roy Lichtenstein to Frank Lloyd Wright, I enjoyed browsing this “Canvas-Worthy Wares” roundup.

Fab Links from Our Members

Raisin is curious to try out the BeauCoo app. You enter your measurements and it shows you clothing on someone who is similar to you in shape and size.

Mander found an interesting commentary on expensive handbags worn by Pippa Middleton.

According to podiatrist Emma Supple every woman has her own perfect heel height. Vildy took the test provided with the article and would like to add that ankle flexibility may also vary on the time of day.

Lena is intrigued by research that shows how scents can be used to influence our shopping behaviour, and have an impact on how we perceive the displayed merchandise.

Isabel liked how Audrey uses colour theory to put together a wardrobe from scratch.

London based graphic designer Shini Park is originally from Seoul, but was raised in Warsaw. This type of global integrity really speaks to Angie, who enjoys the Park & Cube blog for its mix of lifestyle, food and fashion posts.

Deborah recently discovered fashion label Complex Geometries. Designer Clayton Evans’ views on seasonless, trendless dressing really resonated with her.

I was all over flat oxfords when they re-appeared on the fashion scene in 2008 for three reasons. First, I wore flat white oxfords to death in the ’80s, so it’s a nostalgic and fun style to wear the second time round. Second, I love the look of refined menswear inspired footwear thanks to my tomboy style gene. And third, I’m always interested in closed flat shoes because of their high comfort factor. 

Five years ago, flat oxfords did not get much love from my clients or from our readership. Many liked the idea of the style but were stumped as to how to integrate them into their outfits. I suggested guidelines on how to wear flat oxfords, but still the reactions were very mixed. The challenge was the same: how NOT to look and feel dumpy, stumpy, short legged, flat footed, and masculine.

A laceless version of the flat oxford came out a couple of years ago, which seemed a little more feminine. That style won over more of my clients and our forum members. Availability in softer colours like taupe, nude, blush and light grey also made a difference. 

Now that ankle length and cropped pants are just about the biggest trend on the planet, flat oxfords are gaining even more popularity. Matching them with on trend rolled up boyfriend jeans is another fashionable way to wear the masculine ped. But truly, matching flat oxfords with just about any bottom these days — skirts, dresses, shorts and trousers — is perfectly acceptable. The outfits below show the versatility of the flat oxford across a variety of colours.

I enjoy wearing flat oxfords and just replaced my black and white pair that I walked into the ground. I bought Cole Haan’s Skylar Oxford in mirrored metallic, and couldn’t be happier with them. I like to wear flat oxfords with skinnies and tapered trousers best, both cropped and full length, and always sans socks. I like to showcase the entire shoe and see skin coming through the top of the shoe, which means no socks. That’s what keeps the vibe feminine to my eye. Of course, I can cheat by wearing nude hosiery and knee-highs so that it looks like I’m not wearing socks and still keep my feet warm. 

I’m interested to hear whether, after five years, flat oxfords look better to your eye, especially since wearing high vamped footwear has become completely mainstream. Do you still feel stumpy, dumpy, frumpy and masculine when you wear them? Or do they look fashion forward and flattering?