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Buying pieces / wearing things in unpredictable ways

Sally

Veteran

I have been getting the Instagram posts from Amy Similovic and there seem some interesting concepts.
One is to buy pieces that you like, that fit with your style words rather than outfits. I remember being told when you buy something think about what it goes with and used to know people that bought a whole outfit.
The other idea I liked is to wear what you have by wearing them in unpredictable ways eg your blazer to the supermarket or cowboy jacket to exercise class by wearing them in different/ unpredictable ways. I guess it takes a lot of confidence.

27 replies

Latest reply was from Sally

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It's unpredictable to wear a blazer to the supermarket? Ummm...not for me! LOL.

I'm not sure this takes confidence so much as self-knowledge. Or maybe that is confidence! It's like cooking without a recipe, or the way home décor comes together over many years (for those of us who are not rich or don't hire designers.) We buy a piece we like, fiddle with its placement, juxtapose it against other pieces which may be from different places or eras.

I am not sure there's a necessary opposition between buying things you like that go with your style words and thinking about how you'll wear in outfits. For me, the two are compatible -- I do both. I buy what I like and I think about how I'll wear it. If it lasts more than a few seasons, inevitably, I will wear it in different ways than the ways I first imagined, because my wardrobe and needs will have evolved.

The Cat

Veteran

I very much agree with what Suz said.

gryffin

Veteran

Raises hand. Wear blazers everywhere. It I went to a class I would wear one and well cowboy boots do go with everything. I think for me, not keeping things for good, I turned some silk dress coats/blazers and use them for work jackets. I think it’s more how can I incorporate all the special pieces I have into my everyday life. Which is definitely one of my goals, although there are pieces I save for “good”

Runcarla

Veteran

Better a blazer jacket at the grocery store than pyjamas!

This is not a new concept - though it’s making the round of the ‘influencers’ atm. (Alyssa Beltempo posted a video about the idea of choosing items according to your style words 5 days ago, etc., etc.)

Hasn’t Angie been encouraging style monikers, personas, or words/acronyms as aids to selecting wardrobe items that become personal to each of us for years now?

What gryffin says about getting the ‘good stuff’ into rotation. Didn’t BlueJay just do that masterfully with a velvet skirt? https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....o-drop-off

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I wear blazers to walk Sam and Jo

I'm nodding along with Suz, Gryffin and Carla.

Helena

Veteran

Sally, I'm really enjoying her Instagram too! I like how she blends human/psychological insights into fashion!!

I really connected that idea of buying a piece that fits your style even if it doesn't fit into a "plan" ... On reflection some of my best purchases are bought this way. I do agree with Suz that one can do both, but as an overplanner myself I find it a good reminder!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Well, another word for this is wildcard. And another phrase for it is "wildcard workhorse." So you buy the thing that leans into one of your style words more than others, maybe -- and bingo, it fills the need you didn't know you had.

Example, off the top of my head -- Carla's pleather pants in green. They definitely fit with her style persona and her words (whatever they are or become -- these pants have a classic cut, so they are her) but the pleather and the green are more "modern" or "current" and so bingo, they become key players in the closet.

Wildcards are those items that sing to us for reasons we might not be able to articulate (or maybe we can, via our style adjectives or persona) but in any case, they have an intuitive pull on us. I love wildcards! They are the items that evolve our style, move it away from "rut" and into true signature style.

LJP

Veteran

I wish I was better at this . I was thinking how cool it all looked with the sweaters tied up over her leggings and around the fringed jacket but could just feel my own awkwardness and self-consciousness if I ever attempted it . I still maintain this looks a lot better on very thin women with small breasts . Anyways - I wish I was more creative in using pieces “outside the box” , as if were . She’s inspirational , that’s for sure .

Sloper

Veteran

Yes as Suz said - not mutually exclusive ideas. A personal preference thing also maybe - seems some like to have a wardrobe of outfits, some mix it all up. Just find our happy place between the two

I admit I can be too precious with my nicer stuff - but then they aren't getting worn and I'm not enjoying them.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I saw that too, and take this to heart more lately. I really appreciate how she illustrates the idea with the fringed jacket or the blazer.

I'm less a fan of tying a sweater around the waist -- not really a good look on someone built like me. It comes across decidedly NOT chill, more like a stuffed sausage. Ditto to tossing a sweater around the neck like a scarf -- that's too hot for me, and too fussy. I have actual scarves that I prefer to wear instead, even though it's not so unpredictable.

But yeah, the larger point -- to buy and wear things you love -- stands true. It's interesting to think about those wildcard items in new ways and mix them with "any old thing" -- in that way, they can become signature pieces that define your style!

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I find that if I like something I will get wear out of it. Assuming it fits my life and climate. Sometimes something becomes a workhorse long after it’s original purchase.

Irina

Veteran

I’ve been thinking lately - I wish I could be more creative with my own clothes. Once I saw her wearing a sweater as a skirt and recognized that I style my pieces in such predictable ways. Not that I would wear something as daring as she does but if I could think outside of the box, I might not wish for new, exciting things. For me, it is not what to buy but rather how to wear it.

Sal

Veteran

I think I am good at buying things that I like and that fit my style direction - but I don’t wear them unpredictably.

I think having the confidence to keep pushing with style and experimenting helps. Especially with things you already own.

Sally

Veteran

Great insights everyone.
@Suz I probably meant myself thinking about how I run down to the supermarket in my yoga pants and I tend to keep things at the back of the cupboard. I have been guilty of buying stuff thinking that would make a good outfit or complete an outfit....maybe not so much these days. And interesting idea about the wildcard. I guess wildcards make things more interesting.
@gryffn yes the idea of not keeping things for good is one I need to take on and I would like to wear all my clothes for everyday.
@Runcarla - yes I guess it is not new but I've only recently been thinking about it and I guess as we develop more knowledge about our likes and more confidence its something we are ready to take on.
@Angie that is really cool ..walking the dogs in style. Maybe I need to move to a more upmarket suburb. I notice in the inner city, people are more likely to do that.
@Helena I have found that recently I have bought something that I really like without planning an outfit and have found that it did go well with a lot of other things I had.

Sally

Veteran

@LJP Yes I agree, it's easier to look chill if you have a clothes horse figure because people notice the clothes more and they hang better. I guess we have to work with what we've got and it's a confidence thing too as I have seen plump people pull it off.
@sloper yes I keep telling myself not to be precious about my white shirt and dress pants but I need to wear them and find new ways to wear them everyday.
@Janet actually I wore a sweater around my waist today to yoga as it was so hot with just a singlet on. I doubt I looked cool though. I liked your last items about throwing things you like in unpredictable ways and them becoming signature items.
@Barbara Diane Yes I do wear those things I like but some things I buy and I dont wear because I feel there is no occasion for it.
@Irina yes I think if I could use what I had better, I wouldn't got looking for things to fill holes.
@Sal - Yes I want to get better and mixing things I already own....find ways to use the things I see as "too good" or "too dressy " and wear them. Actually, that could be a new challenge. Wearing things in unpredictable ways. I have a dress I wore to a wedding that I would like to wear as an everyday item.

Jules

Veteran

Never mind

Helena

Veteran

Sally I find sometimes even though someone says something that's not new necessarily, they say it in a fresh way or I just hear it at a time when I'm open to it in a new way ... Her Insta is hitting me that way recently! Different eyes and takes never hurt

Dee

Veteran

Yes trying to get more wear out of the “special” clothes that you feel suit your style persona is a challenge that I too struggle with.
I have experimented creating some pretty nice outfits with my special pieces but then I’d hesitate to actually wear them somewhere.
Occasionally, when I did strike up the nerve to wear them somewhere, it was usually to the mall, just to get used to wearing them out in public in an anonymous sort of way, and that seemed to help me feel more comfortable wearing them again in other situations.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I think this is me all the way. And I love blazers and wear them whenever. My wardrobe started out very randomly - I would take home what I liked and figure out how to wear it later. It is only through years of learning that I have realized that sometimes an intentional pick up is a good idea. But I am not one to tie things weirdly so much as put together pieces weirdly. So far.

Sally

Veteran

Helena I think that is the appeal- the way she analyses things though it can border on weird sometimes.
Dee- good idea to wear things to safe places as an experiment.
Jaime yes I guess if you just have things you like, sometimes it takes awhile to figure out how to piece them together.

Well I put on my black blazer over my cropped jeans today with sneakers and my son said I looked weird. Apparently he was just helping me. I will have to do some experimenting on here before I venture out.

Cee

Veteran

Especially animal design pyjama onesies, Carla !

unfrumped

Veteran

I like the Wildcard reminder, but also just an unexpected find that was not on a list. While it could be something very unusual, I think for me it’s more likely to be something that fits really well and usually is figure- flattering but often that’s because of well, fit - like all the things fall into place, for a jacket or pants or whatever instead of nearly so, which also contributes to comfort- not in a pajamas- way but in the shoulders, neckline , sleeves or rise , waist and so on you go, Aha! This is what I SHOULD be wearing! It might also be different in some way such as color or style and si then you do have to think a bit - will this fit in, or will it cause me to buy a lot of new things to wear with it and if so, is that bad— which for me would be if I keep everything for a bloated wardrobe, or toss things in a churning way, vs. is it part of a true style/ fit shift.

Usually the biggest way I can make a mistake is to talk myself into buying a truly wrong color or, nowadays, a fabric that is too impractical or very limited season of wear. . Not the same as buying something of my favorite colors or “ best” colors in a less than typical item.

kkards

Veteran

Well…I’m never sure that she means about wearing things in unexpected ways…if wearing a blazer to the supermarket or wearing a sweater tied around your waist is unexpected than i must be the most out there person and must live in a really fashion forward city….wearing a blazer to the supermarket just means that you’ve stopped on the way home from work and a sweater around the waist means that Mother Nature has been playing with the thermostat. Sorry. But yes to buying things you like. But and this is a big but, just because you like it doesn’t mean that you should buy it. You need to find the intersection of liking and understanding how it would work in your life….and this to me is the magic of your “style words” because they must not just speak to your style but also to your actual lived experience

nemosmom

Veteran

Ditto what Irina and kkards said. I too wish I were more creative with what I have, and having a solid understanding of how pieces work in your life is key.
Still need a deep think on my own style words. I feel my words no longer fit my lifestyle.

Anonymous

Team blazer at the supermarket! Doesn't everyone do that, at least on work days?

I've tried wearing my clothes in different ways, but it just feels false on me, like a lot of juxtaposition does. I don't mind if it's genuine to the wearer, but it can come across like trying too hard/ attention seeking.

I'd rather my outfits be "forgettable" (meaning not fussy, not self conscious) and go about my d@mn day!

BlueJay

Veteran

Thanks Carla!

Angie's post about refreshing one's style really resonated with me, in particular point 12:

https://youlookfab.com/2022/04.....our-style/

12. CHANGE YOUR DRESS CODE

Amp up the dressiness of your daily outfits if you’re feeling overly casual. Wear your dressier skirts and dresses that are begging for some action. Conversely, add a relaxed touch if your look feels too dressy. Neutralize the dressy pieces by wearing them with denim, utility items, and casual footwear. Throw on tees, hoodies and joggers with blazers, leggings with dressier frocks, and motos with trousers, and fashion sweatshirts with skirts.

Sally

Veteran

@unfrumped - yes I guess the wildcard would need to be something that suits you but you are not sure how you will incorporate it into your everyday wear yet.

@kkards good point about it needing to fit your lifestyle. I guess something that you truly wear will be where your style fits with what you do

@nemosmum - thats what I like about this site. You see the creative ways people put thngs together and see how different people's personal style is.

@suntiger I see what you mean about forgettable but I also like to be creative in what I wear because I enjoy looking at other people's clothes and I like to make them interested too.

@bluejay thank you for the link to Angies post. That is really helpful and some great ideas for refreshing our style. I am thinking of cutting my hair for the summer just to inject something new into my style. .