YouLookFab Forum » Topic: starting the 5 piece French thingy

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: starting the 5 piece French thingy https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 15 May 2026 19:52:02 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Staysfit on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529794 Thu, 30 Jul 2015 01:20:13 +0000 Staysfit 1529794@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh! Got it! I like this concept very much and need to do some thinking now that I have my basics in place and I'm thinking of what to do over the next 12 months. I can picture honing in on 5-6 key statement items and making those the primary focus for purchases. Hmm. Maybe my list would be slightly longer, more like 8-10 items, but I think that's still fairly small for me and would provide a good challenge to truly think about making high quality practical purchases. I like the items you have chosen by the way. This year was the second that I have purchased Eileen Fisher. The first was maybe four or five years ago, and the items have held up well. I am impressed with the quality for the price, especially for the silk and merino wool items. It's hard to tell from the pictures if the black top is a loose weave that might snag on something. I have had that happen. Are you bothered by dry cleaning? That adds to the cost of an item. em on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529745 Thu, 30 Jul 2015 00:11:06 +0000 em 1529745@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ EF silk tops are "basics" for me, but only if I buy them at the outlets. Jenn on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529734 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:40:47 +0000 Jenn 1529734@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think of the five pieces as a combination of splurges and trend-based refreshers. Anonymous on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529732 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:38:07 +0000 Anonymous 1529732@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ So are the five pieces supposed to be the high end pieces of your wardrobe ( whatever high end may mean for you)? Jenn on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529729 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:35:41 +0000 Jenn 1529729@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I really want to embark on this, as well, but I need so many basics at the moment, I won't be able to start adding statements for a season or two. I think my threshold will be over $100, rather than $200, though.  shedev on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529726 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:28:41 +0000 shedev 1529726@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I found the rules. 1. fabric and quality is more important than quantity. 2. basic don't count unless they are under $200 (my threshold is much lower) 3. accessories don't count unless they are over &200. 4. Shoes count. rules for basics 1. I can wear this over and over again until it falls apart 2. this goes with everything I own. 3. I pretty much can't live without this. 4.this is the glue that holds the rest of my wardrobe together. I think my basics would be bottoms that can work with boots (leggings, skinnies, BFs, and straights) and tops that can be layered (under toppers or with other tops) in neutrals and dark cool shades. unfrumped on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529722 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:21:50 +0000 unfrumped 1529722@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks, Sterling! Shedev, I am not the "expert" so I am clearly just having fun with the  concept. So I'm less interested in it as say, a diet guru crazy diet plan that is "right" or wrong according to rules (I'm on the real French wardrobe plan, not you, wah wah!) as I am in thinking about the style and resource possibilities. I'm not sure basic/essential/statement is the key thing. Of course you have to count basics at some level because they cost $$. You can't buy 500 basics and still have $$ left over for "statements". And for a wardrobe, "statement" sometimes means "noticeable" whereas you might actually spend as much or more on the perfect black blazer or brown boots as a patterned sweater and yet they might be quiet wardrobe workhorses. So I think it's more useful to think about what items that clothe you stylishly and that tend to cost more money to get the ones you want , hence require planning, saving, choosing. The other thing I feel free to dispense with is "seasons", but think more per year. The "2 seasons" , hmm, I wonder if originally  geared around designer showings--so, okay, maybe still valid for buying couture, and maybe that IS the French 5 thingey, but if so it could not apply to very many people! I think it transcends couture. Plus, seasons are artificial as each person would enter this wardrobe concept at a different point in wardrobe "journey" and have different existing wardrobes and needs, dominant seasons, run hot or cold,   preferences for seasonal items, favorite sale strategies (such as NAS!), plus just plain fashion luck.  Angie on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529718 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 23:14:47 +0000 Angie 1529718@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ These items look like YOUR essentials - which is perfect.  Anonymous on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529709 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 22:53:24 +0000 Anonymous 1529709@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wow.  Unfrumped.  Great explanation.   unfrumped on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529697 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 22:23:24 +0000 unfrumped 1529697@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The best way I can  understand the French Five, and see its great potential merit, is actually without  rigid rules but with general concepts and lots of arithmetic. Assume you  have a budget. Any budget. That is finite or with some range even accounting for "fudging".  So let's say $2000 per year--just picking a number out of a hat--you could halve it, double it or triple it, or, more on that below. You review your wardrobe, style goals, occasion needs--assuming you need anything--so it actually assumes you have some mental/inner image of wardrobe goals and even what's out there to fulfill them with. First, can you identify a signature style and a few great silhouettes or 'uniforms" or even ways of putting clothes together that seem really "you". Then, what helps you be happy with wearing the fewer pieces multiple times or ways--color, fabrics, simple styles, fashion-forward styles? Then...Would a new good winter coat or trench in a great fit and style amp up your look? Do you need new leather boots for winter? Did you find some amazing jeans that make you and all your outfits look great? Did you review your sweaters and decide that you look and feel great in gray cashmere V-neck but don't have one and want a high-quality one? Would a wrap dress in a neutral color fit this goal? Etcetera. So... if you think about where you could find these pieces and at what price points. You have a focus for wardrobe items that work together or form small capsules that work. So....if you buy the coat, the boots, a sweater, possibly designer jeans. a dress, in really good quality (and this is a debatable continuum, IMO) unless you are thrifting or getting great sales, then poof, half your budget is gone; and if you aren't counting underwear, PJ's and so on, you don't even have half. So maybe it's 5 or it's 4 or it's 8, but it's likely not 20 or 30  if you are buying retail. Extremely savvy and successful bargain or e-bay hunters could throw off this math, of course.     Yet, you over time build a better wardrobe than if you bought 5 tops at TJMaxx every month. The "more on that" concept that I see is that if over time you also decide you don't need 6 winter coats, 8 pairs of boots, 12 pairs of jeans, 20 sweaters, whatever, and/or if your items last a bit longer and your turnover is less, and/or if you had earmarked a larger budget but decide you can find lower price points, or both, then you either a) could splurge on really high-priced items (I mean, things you might never even have considered before ) if somehow they spoke to you or b) you could take a trip to Paris packing your 10-piece French wardrobe! If your budget is $5000 and you don't really lust after anything that costs more than $100 and you want to spend your whole clothing budget every year, then you'll buy lots of items. I think the pathway that most likely would work for me  is (b). I occasionally notice some super high-priced item that looks great--quality, fabric, leather--but I'm also skittish about wearing anything that costs huge $$--just makes me nervous! and I have realized that my work and lifestyle don't really care about or demand exotic expensive outfits or status items. There is a certain middle ground that works for me. So if I continued to try to work   with the "best of" sort of moderate retailers and sales here and there, maybe a wildcard or "name" item here or there, but kept total numbers of items lower, I could probably eat my cake in  Paris, fully clothed. shedev on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529636 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 20:20:24 +0000 shedev 1529636@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/  If I compare the purple tee to the flora mortis, its definitely more basic. the sweater is more of a statement than the other black sweaters in my wardrobe. But the rules of the FPFW say that designer things are statement pieces. For this season, I'm not buying anything as basics. I'm going to do the 5 statements and try to stop there. I may have more needs in the spring. I have the same problem, what do you mean the flora mortis isn't a basic. Its 2 neutral colors after all. I'm the person that notices that you wore the same plain black skinnies twice last week (not judging though) stayfit, I'll post back with the rules. Staysfit on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529575 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 18:21:22 +0000 Staysfit 1529575@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What are the five pieces of a French wardrobe? You have two tops and a topper, I assume you need something like a skirt and a pair of slacks? Then you add in accessories? I'm sorry, I'm not even at the point of what's a basic or an essential yet! I am trying to understand the definition of a French wardrobe first. I have a headache so if this is something obvious please forgive me. kkards on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529515 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 16:41:41 +0000 kkards 1529515@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ so, this is how I define statement....if I wear it twice in one week would people notice.... carter on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529506 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 16:34:58 +0000 carter 1529506@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think is a very difficult question to answer because it's going to be different for everyone. I struggle with the whole 5 piece French thingy because I have no doubt I could rationalize any purchase as an "essential/basic" and therefore not to be counted;-). With evaluating NAS purchases this year, I'm trying to focus on either "impact" or "value add". Again with the rationalizations... Looking forward to seeing how you deal with this! Elly on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529482 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:19:28 +0000 Elly 1529482@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I agree that the tee is a basic--- ink blue in a simple cut. The sweater is probably an essential because of it's role in your style and the interesting hem and see-through effect, but probably not eye grabbing enough to be a statement piece? Carole on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529473 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:09:50 +0000 Carole 1529473@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The sweater seems more of a statement to me, the Tee an essential but the asymmetrical hem makes it a little more special. Excited to see where this takes you:) Rambling Ann on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529463 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 14:47:38 +0000 Rambling Ann 1529463@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think tees are basics unless wildly patterned. Do you see the EF fisher as a blending item or the star of the outfit? To me it's more a statement. Perhaps you could pull together a few finds that represent your absolute basics to compare it to? shedev on "starting the 5 piece French thingy" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/starting-the-5-piece-french-thingy#post-1529454 Wed, 29 Jul 2015 14:38:27 +0000 shedev 1529454@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm starting the 5 piece wardrobe after NAS. I'm having a little trouble with the question of what is a basic (or essential). I patiently waited for the Villous hoody to come in the next size up, and it came yesterday. It fits the way I want it to. It is my regular size in HL. So much for trufit. I also purchased this EF tee and sweater. Would you call these essentials or statements? The tee is a keeper, but I had to have them send a sized down sweater to my house so I'll see if I like the fit.