https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:32:54 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428438 Wed, 21 Jan 2015 02:43:58 +0000 Elly 1428438@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like what Becky has to say : <p><i>"Here's a challenge: pull out a suitcase--a big one. Into that<br /> suitcase, put everything you want to wear for spring/summer. Include<br /> underwear/socks, swimwear, every day and special occasion wear. Shoes.<br /> When the suitcase is full, you're done. </i></p> <i><br /> </i> <p><i>To me, the French wardrobe idea is a bit like that, because what ends<br /> up happening is that you really start thinking about what you've got to<br /> have. </i><br /><i>Basics--pyjamas, underwear, socks. </i><br /><i>Essentials--the things you wear week in and week out. If you don't have them, you're walking around naked. </i><br /><i>Statement pieces--those few things that you love, you can't bear to part with. Those things that give your outfits 'life'" </i></p> <br />While I don't necessarily think that the French idea HAS to be a small capsule wardrobe, it IS about keeping in mind what you already own and wear and making sure new purchases "fit". Otherwise, you have 5 orphans, or a 5-piece outfit that is "fresh" but nothing to mix and match with other things to update them. </p> <p>Because of this, for those of us with "smaller" wardrobes (or even large wardrobes) Becky's exercise is a good one. What do you want to wear the very most this season? Do you have the pieces to make that work? Usually this covers the essentials that you need to add. Then ask-- what outfits bore me? What trends do I want to play with? And there are your statement "needs" for the season. Basics are a thing unto themselves that you just have to keep on top of independently. </p> <p>I think I will take Becky's challenge for F/W and see if what I have been wearing measures up. It is too early for spring for me (although I could do transitional) because I need to add too much. </p> <p>For me, it isn't that important to differentiate shopping/budget-wise between essential purchasing and statements, probably because they come out of the budget exactly the same and I often have bigger issues buying statements than essentials. However, I certainly could see that if I was out of "building" mode and into maintain mode how I might consider using that method. I.E. replacements for my long-sleeve layering tees, plain soft menswear shirts, bootcut and straight leg jeans, leather thongs, and classic sneakers are all essentials and therefore would be figured into my budget but not my "5". Special occasion gear and items needed for my interview capsules, etc. wouldn't count. I would replace what I needed -- then focus on updating statement pieces with trendy items or adding a new fit to my repertoire of essentials. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428325 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 22:23:17 +0000 Gaylene 1428325@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ditto what Caro said. You have to know you want--specifically, not just in a general sense--before you start trying to figure out a strategy. </p> <p>Maybe stop buying and just wear what you have to figure out what works and gives you the highest happiness factor. Is it statement pieces? Or a backbone of pieces that effortlessly go with each other? Or just a few well chosen, well-loved items that are YOUR go-to formula? Or an assortment of colors that you can choose from depending on your mood and the occasion? If you had to pack one suitcase (froggiebecky) to last you for a month, what would be impossible to leave behind? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428314 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:57:32 +0000 Caro in Oz 1428314@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I found it&nbsp;really difficult to work out a buying plan&nbsp;until I knew what I actually wore &amp; whether my outfit&nbsp;was what I wanted to wear. I started tracking outfits &amp; how I felt in them &amp; it&nbsp;has revolutionised my wardrobe.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428305 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:46:17 +0000 Susie 1428305@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Laura, it is definitely my goal to spend less $ in 2015 than I did last year, and I want to significantly reduce the number of items I buy&nbsp;as well. </p> <p>For basics (underwear, gear, pajamas, etc) I don't count them in my item limit but I do count them in my budget because they obviously have to be paid for! I bought 2 new tops as loungewear and plan to buy a new bathing suit this year. Again, the $ comes out of my budget but they aren't included in my item count.&nbsp;I do track what I wear and anything that I track is included in my item limit...so, for me, track it = count it. Does that make sense?</p> <p>I've been doing some planning, as to what I think I will want to add this year. For instance, I think I want to wear more skirts and dresses in the summer. So I included 1 skirt (already purchased) and 2-3 dresses on my list. I know that I always want new shoes each season. I don't know specifically what they will be but shoes are an important part of an outfit for me so it makes sense to include them on my list. I want to add a few tops for summer. I have an idea of the colors I would like, but I also know that they have to work with the proportions that I wear....for instance, different tops work with skirts vs a slim leg pant.&nbsp;</p> <p>Anyway, I currently have 32 items on a list. I think that gives me enough new items each season while still being considerably less than I bought last year.&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428290 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:26:13 +0000 froggiebecky 1428290@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I'm doing this, however inadvertently. Though I call it 'suitcase living'... </p> <p>Here's a challenge: pull out a suitcase--a big one. Into that suitcase, put everything you want to wear for spring/summer. Include underwear/socks, swimwear, every day and special occasion wear. Shoes. When the suitcase is full, you're done. </p> <p>To me, the French wardrobe idea is a bit like that, because what ends up happening is that you really start thinking about what you've got to have. <br />Basics--pyjamas, underwear, socks. <br />Essentials--the things you wear week in and week out. If you don't have them, you're walking around naked. <br />Statement pieces--those few things that you love, you can't bear to part with. Those things that give your outfits 'life'. </p> <p>Something I've learned with all my international moves (with no extra expenses paid), is that my clothes have to play nicely together, and things have to do double- and triple- duty. Things have to earn their keep, and I get inventive with combinations because I'm not going to ship clothes across continents. So far, I've bought three things this year (three blouses), because I've noticed that nearly all my tees are only suitable for layering, and my more fluid fit things are too worn. </p> <p>One of my good friends had an interesting insight. She's German, and we met when she was in Australia for 4 months. She was allowed to bring one suitcase with her when she came. We were talking about clothes one day, after she'd returned home, and she told me that one of the things she learned was that she didn't need half the clothes she thought she did. She told me she got rid of a large chunk of her wardrobe when she returned home, and has been a bit of a minimalist since. </p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428278 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:10:20 +0000 rachylou 1428278@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What's confusing, when you try to nail it down, is that, you know, you can't leave the house without your pants. But this is the sort of thing that goes on the season shop list - "new black pants". </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428275 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:04:00 +0000 unfrumped 1428275@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Laura, here's something I have been learning about layering and seasons.<br />I have pants that are tropical wool or similar, that are not warm enough for mid-winter (okay, they are in theory, run in and out of building, but may still get chilly in some places at work). So I try to buy tweedy and flannel-y trousers.<br />I got lucky on a couple, but it is inherently harder to get good fit in these--maybe because fewer overall makers &amp; styles, and because they can be bulky and the fabrics don't drape as well, which is an issue for frumpy&nbsp;fit for me.</p> <p>But I have a high tolerance for wearing fleece tights or similar as an underlayer, with certain trousers especially--can size up in tights to avoid constricting fits, don't have to be "control' types, etc.<br />Of course layering&nbsp;is not new, but it was a kind of eye-opener that I should not try to look as hard, or settle, for pants just because they were warm, if I could wear more nicely fitting ones layered, and then I'm also getting more wear from fewer pieces.<br />In theory this applies to tops as well but it's easier to get tops in a range of fabrications.&nbsp;It does mean I don't need too many&nbsp;polar vortex tops because I can layer for&nbsp;that; but with thinner sweater knits, sometimes layering works against me for fit and style.&nbsp;Plus with pants there are always waist tailoring, hemming and heel height issues--I have to invest additional $$ in most every pair of pants. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428268 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:46:49 +0000 Alassë 1428268@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree; your posts are always enjoyable. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428263 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:40:06 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1428263@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>unfrumped, you're right that sometimes item X isn't that useful until you actually find item Y that works with it or gives you more options - does that mean that you don't buy item X until you also find item Y? Is that practical/reasonable? I wonder. Like you, I also struggle with the transseasonal issue; maybe I'm just a wimp and don't like to be too cold or too warm, but I can't think of a lot of whole outfits I would wear all year round. Items, layered or not, sure, but not whole outfits. </p> <p>Sally/kiwigirl, excellent questions. I don't think I'm shopping more than I did in 2014; it's just that I had wanted to shop less in 2015. One solution to that is recognize that maybe that goal was wrong, and that what I'm doing now is fine. Some of it was that I'm a sales shopper and there were a lot of bargains on offer around the holidays that I didn't pass up. Some of it is that I'm at the high end of my weight range right now so I've been wanting new items that fit well, not just that I can squeeze into, but I feel guilty spending the money because I know I'll be back down in weight once it's spring. </p> <p>Sterling, good point about replacements. I tend to cull as I go and not track numbers or items, so I don't know if I'm directly replacing things 1 to 1 or just replacing things in the same vague categories (I know I'm sticking mostly to that or my drawers would be overflowing or I'd be out of hangers in my closet). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428223 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:02:23 +0000 Anonymous 1428223@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>In my mind, the difference between statement pieces and essentials/basics is the word "replacement." &nbsp;I buy&nbsp;essential/basics to replace pieces that wore out, got stained, etc. &nbsp;I considered underwear to be essential/basic. &nbsp;When I buy them,&nbsp;I am replacing the older pieces. &nbsp;</p> <p>If the quantity is increasing (new teeshirt because I liked it and it might fill a wardrobe hole), then I would count it as part of those five additional pieces regardless of whether it is a statement piece. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428212 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:47:24 +0000 Sal 1428212@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi Laura,</p> <p>I think this plan could work, and I think 5 pieces per season sounds reasonable. &nbsp;When I looked at spring/summer here (current season) I got to 12 additions (excluding gear and underwear which was one pair of shoes and some lingerie). &nbsp;Of that most were additions rather than straight replacements but a few things were purged, mostly due to wear, but a couple due to changed tastes. &nbsp;I let go a couple of very worn cotton skirts that I had fallen out of love with but did not replace them with skirts, but let in more tops to go with jeans and shorts.</p> <p>When I look at the upcoming season I see I need more replacements than additions, and my budget will go heavily into replacing jeans, a blazer, a handbag and there won't be much left over for 5 new additions. &nbsp;</p> <p>To me basics are pieces that you tend not to notice at all, essentials are pieces that you could not be without, and statements are the eye candy. &nbsp;But the definition is different from person to person depending on lifestyle, location. &nbsp;I feel I do have several pieces that float between being a statement and being an essential - such as a patterned tee shirt in mid range colours, or a white embroidered shirt (white on white). &nbsp;</p> <p>In reading a few of your posts, you have mentioned that you are shopping more than you planned, or wanted to, and I sense this is frustrating you. &nbsp;Have you looked at why (you may have done this, I have been mostly absent for late Dec/early Jan) - did everything wear out at once (this has happened to me), or have your tastes or situation changed, or has the season been particularly good to you (colours and shapes really suiting you). &nbsp;I just ask because it may be just a one season thing where you buy more, and it will naturally reduce now you are more stocked up? &nbsp;What do you think?</p> <p>I always like your posts, they make me think about my wardrobe!!<br />Cheers<br />Sally</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428206 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:28:17 +0000 unfrumped 1428206@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have seen so many different iterations that I get confused. <br />I can see that tank tops and pJ's don't count, but I thought "real" clothes, like a&nbsp;gray cashmere sweater, would count, and not just be considered an "essential", even though it might not be&nbsp;&nbsp; a statement sweater.&nbsp;Same for good trousers--might be what someone calls an essential. <br />Not noodling on it to parse the exact numbers, but&nbsp; to understand if it's about trying to see what are the best wardrobe additions for the season in <u>all</u> the pieces that you wear "outwardly" vs. limited to major things like a leather jacket.</p> <p>Gaylene had some interesting posts and observations on using a limited number rather than just a $$ number (though of course there's a connection) so that items carried&nbsp; more <u>value.<br /></u><br />I'm not&nbsp;worried about getting&nbsp;just 5. but I definitely have trouble sticking to a plan and list, and need to do better about that.<br />I think it's because I might have a strategy in my head, and on my list, such as, "need low-heeled sleek shootie to update X outfits", and then that turns out to be&nbsp; a HEWI and so instead of just doing without, maybe I get 2 pairs of loafers and make do. <br />Or, say I'd like to add 3 pieces that mix &amp; match but I don't find them all at the same time-well, did I wait, or did I get one thing that seemed good, but then don't find the related pieces and so again, go in too many directions.</p> <p>Also, that approach is based on wearing items very frequently. I've run into seasonal issues, as apparently I don't like to be too hot or too cold, but still a goal is to be&nbsp; more trans-seasonal. One thing I noticed was that sometimes, the transeasonal workhorse isn't immediately obvious. It might be color or it might be fabrication or a combination. But, I've got some items that turned out that way and I'm trying to analyze what makes them so and look for that. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/planning-french-5-pc-and-statementsbasics-again#post-1428196 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:02:46 +0000 Laura (rhubarbgirl) 1428196@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So last night I was looking at old posts in the forum, and thinking about the idea of the French five piece wardrobe, ala Vivienne Files, which is a bit of a misnomer as a name from how I understand it: it's not a wardrobe but a buying plan, the idea that you should plan to buy five new pieces per season to update your wardrobe. And the basics/essentials (Angie makes a distinction; I'm not sure I do) in your wardrobe don't count as one of these five pieces; you're allowed to replace those whenever necessary. </p> <p>(I think this idea is primarily based on the fact that in France they have two big sales per year in stores, one in late winter and one in late summer, and that's all that they're allowed by law. So your stereotypical small-closet-having Frenchwoman can buy all of her five items each season during the sales and be able to mix and match them all for the rest of the year.)</p> <p>Obviously this revisits the question of what counts as a basic or an essential, and what would count for your five pieces. I guess my loose definition of a statement piece is something bolder than my average style; something that is strong enough visually that I wouldn't wear more than one of them in any outfit. So most of my jeans wouldn't qualify - unless they were a bright color or maybe that one pair of flares that I have to wear with heels (and thus rarely wear). Most of my v-neck tees wouldn't qualify, even if they're in a color not a neutral, unless they have some sort of unusual shape or detailing. A lot of my shoes would be basics, but the few that are bright colors or unusual shapes would be statements.</p> <p>Last week-ish I was bewailing the fact that I had wanted to buy 'less but better' for 2015 and so far have failed at that utterly. I've bought 26 items so far in winter; that's already excluding undergarments, but counts everything else. But! If I look at it with a basics/statements lens, what do I get?<br />10 items I'd call statement items, and the rest are basics. Two of the statement items are dresses, one bag, two pairs of pants, one jacket, one shirt, one knit tunic, and two tees. So a bit more than a third of my purchases have been statements, and the rest basics/essentials. That sounds about right to me, given that I will wear 3-5 items in an outfit (counting shoes and bags) and usually only one of them will be a statement. </p> <p>I'm not sure what I can do with this grand navel-gazing; perhaps I could use it future planning for upcoming seasons, and what I need to buy/replace. </p>