I have no qualms about repeating outfits. If I feel confident and fab in a particular ensemble, I’ll happily wear it over and over again. I’m not sure if there’s a connection, but I’m also that way with books and movies. I love to revisit old favourites. It’s true that you lose most of the suspense the second time around. There are no more unexpected twists around every corner, no new characters to meet, but that leaves more room to home in on the details. The first time, I’m usually very focussed on plot. Eager to find out what is going to happen next, busy digesting all the story lines and getting to know the characters. Rewatching allows me to savour the story more slowly, and suddenly I notice all kinds of things I had missed before, the smirk on an actor’s face, a cool turn of phrase, a designer chair in the background.

This Fall I plan to watch season 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey again. I do love a good period drama, and this series set in post-Edwardian England has all the right ingredients: wonderful acting, drama, romance, intrigue, an unprincipled scoundrel everyone loves to hate… And then there’s the costumes, of course. I thought that Lady Mary and Lavinia’s wardrobes were especially divine. Plus it’s fascinating to see how much effort has gone into creating clothes that accurately capture the period. From the ornate evening frocks of the dowager countess, and the white tea gowns of the young ladies to the servants’ liveries, each outfit reflects rigid social rank and the changing sartorial customs, such as the shift towards more simple designs and fabrics during the First World War. You bet I’ll be studying every single outfit even more closely this time.

Do you also like to revisit favourite books and movies, or do you prefer to always explore new titles without looking back?

Now in YLF Books

Downton Abbey, a period drama set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of  the same name, follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. In this grand home, the Earl and Countess of Grantham and their three daughters of marriageable age live under the watchful eye of the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith). Their secure and ordered world, and the social hierarchy are rocked as their lives are shaped by the great events in history, romance, heartbreak and ambition. The first series spans the two years before World War I beginning with news of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The second series covers the years 1916 to 1919.

This one is for Team Polka Dot! There are playful polka dot pullovers in an assortment of colours in stores at the moment, which makes for a nice change alongside the abundance of stripes and animal print. 

I LOVE polka dots, but do not like polka dots in every clothing item. I like two-toned or self colour polka dot scarves, belts, bags, skirts, blouses and dresses. I also like polka dot pullovers, but I’m very fussy about the colour combination and the size and spacing of the dots. Sometimes a polka dot pullover can look juvenile and clown-like, especially when the dots are multi-coloured. 

None of the polka dot pullovers below give me that clown-like impression. To my eye these styles look fun, yet grown-up. Wear them as is or over a blouse or shirt. Any one of them would be exactly the item to cheer you up on a gloomy, grey Seattle day. 

I’m a yay vote all the way. What’s your verdict? Would you wear a polka dot pullover? Or do you think they look  unsophisticated and childlike no matter what?

“Duchess Goes Digital”, for all the Kate Middleton fans out there former actress Helen Barclay has developed Kate’s Style List, an iPhone app that tracks and locates Kate’s clothing choices, from her high street pieces to designer gowns.

Japanese designer Kenji Ikeda, known for his luxurious quilted leather handbags, has teamed up with electronics company Amadana to produce a collection of bags that can charge smartphones, portable music players and other small gadgets. The first four bags come in black, brown and navy and have a unisex look. These styles aren’t my cup of tea, but I’d be all over a fab patterned, colour-blocked or bright-coloured satchel with this tech feature.

Would you use the hi-Call glove from hi-Fun? The hi-Call is a Bluetooth enabled glove with built-in speaker and mouthpiece. It pairs with your mobile device and allows you to chat on the phone by holding your hand up to your face using the traditional miming signal for a telephone. Your hands won’t be cold, but you might be getting a few funny looks this Winter.

Fab Links from Our Members

Lady Gaga opened milliner Philip Treacy’s hat show at London Fashion Week. You definitely won’t see Transcona Shannon wearing any of these, but she admires the creativity, artistry and pure fun in them all.

Angie enjoyed browsing this rundown of NYFW’s most awesome street style kicks by Refinery29. We even spotted some sneakers!

This October Banana Republic is bringing out a clothing line inspired by the upcoming Anna Karenina movie starring Keira Knightley. As Suz recently wrote an essay about rereading this Russian classic, she was extra interested in hearing the thoughts of costume designer Jacqueline Durran.

Scarlet found this NYT article an interesting read. It explains how the fashion industry is trying to get their wares featured in fashion blogs.

Deborah thought that this Office Chic Work Outfit grid from Catherine over at Not Dressed As Lamb was a clever idea.

“More Models of Color Are Working”, Annagybe points us to Jezebel, who did the numbers and calculated that this fashion season proved to be the most racially diverse ever.

MNSara recommends this cute blog post about One Uuugly Dress, because it might help spark our own imagination and help us to come up with new ways to wear an item that would otherwise be tossed without a second thought during our next closet purge.

Charmian has been dreaming of “wardrobe nirvana” for so long that she was both terrified and entertained by this humorous post describing what happened at the end of one woman’s shopping list.

In 1997 Clark Whittington came up with the idea to convert old cigarette machines into art dispensaries. MaryK loves the surprise element and thinks it’s super cool that the Art-o-Mat also contains jewellery made by independent artists.

There is such variety in fashion and silhouettes these days that we can no longer think in terms of one type of correct fit. Instead, we need to think about fit differently depending on what was intended for the look. I like to think about fit in terms of three different categories: Tailored fit, which is what we previously thought of as perfect fit, body con fit, which aims to really show off the wearer’s curves, and oversized fit, where items are larger and intentionally more loose. 

1. Tailored Fit: Here items skim the contour of the body and are structured in all the right places, achieving a perfect balance between snug and roomy. Blazers and most jackets, classic bootcut trousers and jeans, shaped button down shirts and blouses, flared skirts, most sheath dresses, most coats, basic cardigans and pullovers, leather jackets and t-shirts fit in a conventionally flattering way when they adhere to a tailored fit. 
2. Body Con Fit: Here we are looking for an intentionally form fitting effect. Items fit more closely to the body than they do for a tailored fit. Items designed for a body con fit include jegging jeans, most skinny jeans, bandage dresses, tank tops, frocks like the Bailey 44 striped dress I posted last year, some pencil skirts, turtlenecks and sheath dresses, and leggings.
3. Oversized Fit: Here the fit is much roomier than the tailored fit and therefore less conventionally flattering. There is lots of slouch, lots of volume and far less structure. So-called perfect fit goes out the window here because shoulder seams droop, waists are too wide, armholes and trouser crotch points hang too low, and sleeve lengths are too long. The lack of waist definition and tailoring is not everyone’s cup of tea. It looks like you should size down at least a couple of sizes in these items, yet they are supposed to look boxy and baggy. 

The oversized fit is the most fashion forward and edgy fit of the three. In some respects this fit is already quite trendy through items like oversized knitwear, oversized vests, big tees, boyfriend jeans and shirts, billowing blouses, baggy short shorts and harem pants. 

If you assess a garment according to the wrong fit, you might end up wearing an ill-fitting garment. A body conscious item will be too loose if you assess it according to tailored fit. And an oversized garment will not be loose enough if you assess it according to tailored fit.  

Here’s an extra detail to consider. Sometimes you can manipulate fit to achieve a specific look, either by sizing up or down in an item, or just by default because that’s how the item fits your body. For example, the charcoal wool trousers that I’m wearing in this outfit were supposed to be tailored. Yet when I tried them on in my size, they looked more slouchy and oversized. I liked the baggier fit and decided to embrace the fact that the trousers didn’t look anything like the fit that was represented on the model. 

Tricky stuff! Are you more confused than ever about correct fit, or does it all make perfect sense?