We purchase items for an imaginary lifestyle. We purchase items for an imaginary climate. We purchase items so far out of our comfort zone that we never get used to wearing them. We are attracted to a style or trend, go for it, only to find out that it’s not for us after we’ve road tested the look. We thought we looked fab in a colour, when on second thought it’s unflattering. We thought we looked fab in a particular silhouette when on second thought, what were we thinking!? 

Does any of this sound familiar? 

Despite an informed decision making process, purchasing mistakes are inevitable because shopping for fashion is not an exact science. No-one is immune. Fashion stylists, image consultants, style bloggers, retail buyers and magazine editors make purchasing mistakes just like everyone else. 

I’ve purchased my fair share of items that haven’t worked out. These fun two toned Dr. Martens are currently orphaned because the heels are just too high. I thought they would work because the footbeds are cushioning, the leather soft, and the platform decreases the arch of the foot. I’ve been wearing flat Docs for decades and my feet love them! So I had high hopes that the heeled variety would follow suit. Not a chance. The balls of my feet hurt after about an hour and now these darlings are sitting shoes. Lesson learned and note to self: no matter how comfy they are in store, DO NOT purchase heels that are higher than two inches if you plan to walk in them for longer than an hour.

I have finally gotten my head around NOT purchasing for our imaginary Seattle Summer. After living here for nine years, this is the first year that I did not purchase sleeveless items. That’s how long it took for the penny to drop. In this climate I run too cold to wear sleeveless items sans layers, which is my preference. Every time we have hot weather, which lasts no longer than two weeks, I think, well, maybe just a few more sleeveless tops because I love wearing them. This year I resisted the urge and it was the right thing to do. Eight years of learning paid off. 

I’ve also learned that I enjoy my better-end purchases very, very much. I have a thing for luxurious fabrication and impeccable craftsmanship and will pay a premium for it. I really look after the items I call “my good stuff”, wear them for years, and never tire of them. As hard as it is to save up for one expensive item when I could buy twelve different things for the same price, this is the shopping route that I like to follow most of the time. Of course, I still indulge in less well made fast fashion because that’s fun too. And because I enjoy the mixture of wearing high and low end items in one outfit. But staying disciplined in this regard has not been easy. To this day I walk into Zara wanting to buy most of what’s on the shop floor, knowing all too well that many of the items just won’t meet my quality bar. Second note to self: show more self restraint at Zara. 

Minimizing purchasing mistakes is the best that we can hope for. In the meantime, make peace with the items that haven’t worked out by passing them on to a loving home. Learn from your mistakes and try not to make the same ones again. 

Care to share a few of your purchasing mistakes and the lessons you learned from making them?

Although I’m following New York Fashion Week with great interest online, we aren’t attending in person this time round. This meant we could attend the Neiman Marcus Fashion’s Night Out event in Seattle for a change. Of course, bustling, crowded, energetic NYC can’t be beat, but the evening was fun all the same and it was great to be close to home. 

I bust out a new pair of black wide leg wool trousers with leather trim that were a birthday present from Greg. Apart from a pair of pleated, floor length black culottes that I had back in 1992, this is my first pair of wide leg trousers. I did not wear palazzo pants in the ’90s, or any trouser wide and roomy from the thighs down. I stuck to very tapered legs, straight legs, or flares in the form of bootcuts that are fitted on the thigh. 

I used to feel overwhelmed in wide leg trousers, not being able to fill them out despite my regular height. It just goes to show that the right fit, fabric and drape can change your mind. For the first time ever, I don’t feel like wide leg trousers are wearing me. They aren’t all that wide and the low rise with extra wide waistband provides added structure. That, and my commitment to embracing the ongoing trouser season wholeheartedly, sealed the deal. If I hadn’t been as into all trouser silhouettes over the last few years, I would probably have bypassed wide leg styles all together. I’m still a tapered trouser gal at heart. 

I prefer to wear tailored tops with voluminous bottoms, so that means a fitted button down shirt or turtle neck for my style. It was a gorgeous warm and sunny evening so I opted for a shirt. I chose a five year old Anne Fontaine cream eyelet shirt because it’s still a favourite, and buttoned it right up to the top. It’s fun to match up new goodies with old favourites don’t you think? There is enough wardrobe love to go round. 

I bat for Team Full Tuck and do not like to leave exposed belt loops empty, so that meant wearing a belt with the outfit. I chose a cream and black textured polka dot because I prefer to wear patterned or solid embellished belts. That way they feel like a piece of jewelry. And seeing as I don’t wear jewelry, the belt is a great substitute.

I wore low heeled cream and black wedges, which aren’t ideal for wide leg trousers because high heels tend to look best. Low heels worn with low rise, wide trousers and a high contrast top do not elongate the leg line. But if I had left these trousers at their original length to wear with high heels, I just wouldn’t wear them. My three inch heels only come out for sitting occasions and I’d like to wear these trousers more frequently. Sometimes you have to make figure flattering compromises to suit your comfort levels. The advantage of wearing wide leg trousers with lower heels is that you catch a glimpse of the shoe when standing because the arches are less steep. Usually, wearing wide trousers at the correct length with high heels means that you can’t see the shoes unless you’re in motion or sitting down. 

This is the outfit that I would have worn last Thursday to see the Spring 2013 collections had we attended New York Fashion Week in person. I wanted to make a simple neutral statement with timeless pieces amongst the uber cool, trendy, fashion forward and avant-garde outfits. Ms. Valentino was the perfect finishing touch. 

Update: Greg took some pictures during the runway show and posted a few of them to his lookfab blog.

This Fall we’re organizing YLF Book Club a little differently. Instead of selecting the books and movies for an entire season all in one go, we will pick two titles at a time. This leaves more room for improvisation, and makes it easier to add new, yet to be published titles that could prove to be a great fit.

Some YLF readers have chimed in with brilliant suggestions, and I too have discovered quite a few style-related treasures over the Summer months. I can’t wait to get chatting again, and I hope you’ll join us later this month when we continue our Book Club discussions with an insightful documentary about a legendary hairstyling pioneer and a thought-provoking book that explores the world of the luxury goods industry:

28 September: Vidal Sassoon The Movie

Vidal Sassoon pioneered in the 1960s with his geometric, Bauhaus-inspired hairstyle (the wedge bob) and the famous five point cut, creating distinctive styles for stars like Mia Farrow, Nancy Kwan and Peggy Moffitt. He was a self-made man who turned his Bond Street shop into a worldwide franchise and built a hugely successful business empire around haircare products. Sassoon revolutionized the art of hairstyling with his “wash and wear” philosophy that liberated women from the tyranny of the salon, and left an indelible mark on popular culture. This documentary offers a look into the public and private life of the legendary hairdresser who is said to have changed the world with a pair of scissors.

2 November: Deluxe – How Luxury Lost Its Luster

Once upon a time luxury goods were only available to the very rich. They offered a history of tradition, superior quality, and an exclusive buying experience. Today, luxury is simply just another product sold by multibillion-dollar global corporations focussed on growth, visibility, brand awareness, advertising, and, above all, profits. In this book fashion journalist Dana Thomas puts luxury in a historical context and explores the dark side of the industry to answer questions such as: What is the new definition of luxury when advertising for this lifestyle is targeted mainly toward the mass market? What are we paying for when quality has given way to quantity? Can integrity survive in a corporate culture driven by growth and profit? And is luxury still the best that money can buy?

Quick reminder: On the Book Club page you can find the schedule of previous, current and future Book Club titles.

Whether it’s an intuitive process or something that you analyze at great length, creating capsules is an excellent way to maintain wardrobe discipline. I define a wardrobe capsule as ANY collection of clothing, footwear and accessories that helps you to satisfy your dressing needs in one or more areas of your life. 

Wardrobe capsules are merely a tool that helps you to break your wardrobe into manageable chunks. By saying “any collection…”, the definition is intentionally broad because there are many different ways to group items. That said, in the course of working with many different clients I have found that three kinds of wardrobe capsule are very common. Understanding them might make it a little easier to apply the capsule concept when you next edit and review your wardrobe.

Mix & Match Capsules 

These capsules are built around a colour palette and made up of items that can be mixed and matched into several outfits. They can be dressy or casual, large or small, neutral or colour-rich. Mix and match capsules are about wardrobe efficiency, helping you to get the maximum outfit variety from a given number of items. Earlier this year I wrote about a mix and match work wear capsule. I later wrote about a more compact work wear capsule that is based on fewer items. 

Category Capsules

This kind of capsule is made up of only ONE wardrobe item category. For example you can have a coat capsule, a leather jacket capsule, a bootie capsule, a sandal capsule, a scarf capsule, a skirt capsule, a jeans capsule, a knitwear capsule or a jacket capsule. Any wardrobe item category can be thought of as a capsule. This type of group analysis keeps your lifestyle and style needs in check, and helps you to identify wardrobe holes as they appear. Primarily, category capsules help you to answer “do I have enough [insert item here]” questions. They also help you address the level of variety within the category, and whether this variety supports your style.

Activity Capsules

Each of these capsules satisfies your wardrobe needs in a very specific setting that isn’t part of your everyday lifestyle. For example, you might have a date night capsule, a camping capsule, a formal wear capsule, a beachwear capsule, a loungewear capsule, a hiking capsule, a music concert capsule, or a capsule for extra hot weather. Activity capsules ensure that you have the right wardrobe items for an important setting or activity that isn’t always top of mind. 

Remember that an item can be used across multiple capsules. A trench coat, for example, can be part of several mix and match capsules, and your coat capsule. A zebra printed blouse can be part of your Black & White work wear capsule, a smart casual weekend capsule, and your blouse capsule. 

Wardrobe capsules force you to think of items and outfits in groups, which means analyzing how the items work together and relate to each other. The “group think” is key to creating an efficient and cost effective wardrobe full of fabulous outfit possibilities for every aspect of your life. And for most of us, this is THE wardrobe goal.