Essentials: Wrapping my head around the idea - YouLookFab Forum

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About: Wardrobe Essentials, 2018

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Essentials: Wrapping my head around the idea

rachylou

Veteran

I will probably never quite get it intuitively, since I’m so kooky. But my thought this year is that Essentials are your ‘base’ look. I thought Angie’s comment about them not being a whole category (‘boots’) was very helpful.

So for example, black combat boots are my essential in the boots category... but I do have other boots, that don’t work as the underpinning of a look, but rather something that the rest of an outfit revolves around. Like my white go-go boots.

On the other hand, I wore them (the white boots) with a red patterned suit... the only ‘essential’ there was a red turtleneck, which is worn extremely infrequently... so I don’t know how essential that Essential is...

General

28 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

cindysmith

Veteran

I think this has been the best breakdown of wardrobe essentials for me! Seriously, it helps me understand the concept better.

Sara L.

Veteran

I have a hard time with this concept as well. I can't figure out the differences in my wardrobe (except black riding boots and black trousers which are definitely essentials). Does that mean that all my tops are essentials or are they all statements?

Cardiff girl

Veteran

What do you wear most often ?ie jeans ,then that’s your essential.If your not sure look at yourself in recent photos ,not holiday photos,what do you consistently have on ?it might give you a clue.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I had a stab at it last year and I think it kinda helped? I guess I think of them as the boring stuff? You know I'm all about shoes... but sometimes in winter I like flat black plain boots, which no-one will look at because I would rather they looked at my great tunic or great jacket? I got rid of mine before last winter because they were all scuffed and I did miss them. I'm on the lookout for more at a reasonable price of under $150, not easy so far as I prefer leather.
Also, I found for my layering tees under tunics, I much prefer 3/4 sleeved ones for my work as I need to move my wrists a lot when examining people and (TMI) I'd rather keep my sleeves away from certain bodies, IFKWIM!

LaPed

Veteran

I think Jenni has a good point -- the things you get rid of and miss if you don't find a replacement.

And yes, they tend to be a base or backdrop. I know Angie says some people are statement-heavy and some people are essential-heavy. I've fallen hard for statement pants this winter, which makes sense since pants are the only part of an outfit that's visible when you're wearing a long puffer and practical winter boots. I'm having a hard time remembering how to wear jeans and other boring pants, tbh.

rachylou

Veteran

Yes, that’s a good point about items you’d miss. Thing is, I’m not sure how to figure out what I’d miss in this way just looking at my clothes in the closet. I’d be sad should either the combat or the go-go boots die. I don’t know if it matters that the combat boots would be easier to replace than the go-go. I suppose my style could more easily live on without the go-go boots, but that could be because it took me 30 years to find the right pair in the first place. That is, by the nature of white boots and myself, they are prevented from becoming Essentials.

Also, I seriously seriously dress loud. I wear loud leggings. Without question they are essentials yet are also attention getting. My apron mini-skirts are the same. I have seven Victoria Beckham bright orange scallop pocket mini-skirts. They also can get attention. But you know, they are ALL exactly the same. They aren’t really special.

The flip is, what’s a statement? Do I ever wear statement-for-me pieces? Maybe not, because I feel pretty normcore every day.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

If you’re duplicating them, they’re probably essentials. So, for you, loud leggings and orange mini skirts are essentials. What would you wear to the bakery if you didn’t have those?

rachylou

Veteran

That’s a very good question, Jenn! I would not be wearing the chefs pants and bakery logo tee they gave me! Lol. I’d be running out for more leggings and probably settling for some knit miniskirts from F21...

LaPed

Veteran

Yes, I think duplication is a good indicator. If you have back-ups and wear them multiple times a week (or whatever your laundry interval is), then it's probably an essential. I have very few dupes, except for 501s, and I don't really wear them in deep winter or high summer. So maybe they're essential, but only seasonally. Ditto breton tops: my go-to when it's warmer but I hardly pull them out when the days are short and dark. Maybe my winter wardrobe has no "glue" save for outerwear -- I just hide a hodge-podge underneath them... Maybe merino jersey dresses are a winter essential? I have three...

rachylou

Veteran

Are you happy with your winter wardrobe then, LP? It’s so interesting. We’re not having a proper winter... but normally about this time I’m getting sick of my Heattech stockings under jeggings and turtlenecks under a sweater.

LaPed

Veteran

Well, it's funny: I think I would be bored if it weren't for this capsule experiment. For my "real" outfits (not gear, not loungewear), I've only been using 25 items since the start of January. So I have, at a guess, 10 or 15 wintery things I haven't even worn since before Christmas, and I'm excited to wear them while I still have a chance. I think I may try using just those "leftovers" and see if they work as a capsule, too.

Of course, I would give anything to be able to wear sandals, or go outside barefoot, just for one day, but that's a whole different issue...

Jenni NZ

Veteran

You poor things with your winters!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I think it is possible to dress in all statements, and it is possible to dress in all essentials, and it is possible to wear something boring that is not an essential !
The boring but not essential would be something that is interchangeable and does not contribute to your overall style. It does not look so "you". You could get rid of it and replace it with something with the same function and your overall look would not change. As in I could wear a v neck sweater, or a printed blouse, or a silk shirt with the same outfit and it would not affect the "me" of my look.

rachylou

Veteran

What does one call this type of item, Shevia? I think all my blouses fall into this category. And so do my trousers and suits.

rachylou

Veteran

I have to add, esp as regards my suits... what I’ll do is wear one of my muscle tees under them to make it ‘me’. So even tho I love to wear suits, it’s this type of tee that makes them work for me. And this same tee makes my skirts
work and is what I wear for the top half of my bakery outfits.

I don’t have a particular type of suit that’s essential either. Although, they do all have to have a non-traditional element about them.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I have no idea Rachy. Maybe functional pieces?

Aurore

Veteran

It seems like identifying essentials is harder for people with a more original style than mine. Maybe your essentials also depend on specific prints or colors that make your signature style?

rachylou

Veteran

I have to roll that around in my head, Shevia. Functional makes a lot of sense, but I’m already overthinking it, lol.

Aurore, you know, my style isn’t original. I just live in Kooky Town, which is different from everywhere else. I’ll never forget knocking on my neighbor’s door and she answered it wearing Japanese Dollar Store terry cloth head and arm warmers plus apron... exactly the same as me! Ahaha! I call this Native Wear, and I live in it - the Peasant Costume of Kooky Town.

... and I’m going to confuse myself a little more, because Kooky Town does have a signature pattern, a ‘native cloth’: tie dye

But come to think of, my personal leanings are towards florals, larger florals. Polka dots and stripes, graphic patterns, while I have representations, they aren’t... essential to me. Hmm. That’s interesting...

rachylou

Veteran

Oh, but Aurore ... you make me think another thought: I’m really a uniform dresser, wearing the same silhouette over and over. I use colour and pattern for interest. This is how I think about it.

But for example, I know many use a formula of neutral backdrop pieces, and then add a third piece of central interest. That’s how many think about things. When you do this, essentials and statements are very clear. But I seem unable to think this way... I end up with more ‘shapes’ than I can handle.

I’m also afraid of wearing statement pieces often... I feel they might lose their power somehow... lol.

You have prompted many thoughts, Aurore!

Vildy

Veteran

Great discussion. I was very confused about trying to identify Essentials in my wardrobe. Shevia mentioned that some people were all Statement pieces. That gave me a clue. I think of everything I wear as a statement piece (for myself and not necessarily to influence others) in the sense that I regard all my clothing pieces as costuming and perhaps disguise. I could wear a boring Normcore type of outfit but in my mind even that is pretense because I don't do it unthinkingly and automatically but also not ironically.

rachylou

Veteran

Oh Vildy, that’s so true. It’s the Existentialist’s dilemma: Even not choosing is a choice. And so every outfit is a statement because every outfit says something - even if it’s ‘I’m not saying anything.’

Aurore

Veteran

I love how this thread is leaning towards a quasi-philosophical discussion on how we actually consider our outfits, and how they relate to our personnalities and environment. Your (rachylou and Vildy) approach to statement as the message of the outfit, and thus as the outfit itself rather than a particular item, is very interesting. (I'm also using this word a lot today)

ETA : Vildy's mention of costuming make me think of all the times I went to a medieval fair in costume. The first times, I chose very detailed outfits with lots of accessories and details (statements!). But lately, I favored what I would have previously considered as essentials and went for more understated looks.

Those essential-only costumes actually have a message, since I was intending to re-create something that could have actually been worn. The ones I would have qualified as "statement-heavy" were for fun only and had no real intention.

Now I need to ponder how to transpose those thoughts to everyday outfits.

Christina F.

Veteran

I too have trouble with this concept, and I think it's because I'meclectic. I think my list is something like: booties, black riding boots, metallic footwear (esp sandals), cute sneakers, black/dark tops (of various sleeve lengths and weights), long cardigans, black pants and jeans... but I don't know what else. I think my problem is that I used to have a few others that I've since turned away from, such as cute ballet flats, striped tops (though I retain some), and shorter cardigans. I think I may be "statement heavy," but I do know I need other pieces to balance that out. Hmm.

Suzanimal

Well, I was pretty clear on what wardrobe essentials were until I read this thread. Rachylou makes some valid points.

Now, I'm confused. I feel like I jumped down the wardrobe essential rabbit hole.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Rachy, your essentials:

Leggings
Black boots
Comfy sneakers/flats
Tired skirts
Puffer coats

SarahD8

Veteran

Thanks for starting this musing discussion, rachylou. It has been very useful for me.

I wonder if the concept of "wardrobe essentials" is more useful for some people than others, depending on their personal style and the structure of their wardrobe. I'm reminded of when the recently concluded 30x30 challenge got started and a bunch of people were like, "sign me up!!!" and a bunch of others went, "why...would you do that?" Similarly here it seems like there are some forum members who can easily rattle off a list of their essentials while others are baffled by the concept. (I don't think the groups are congruent -- that is, I don't think it's necessarily the case that if you like 30x30 challenges you don't get wardrobe essentials, etc.)

Count me among the baffled. I am still not sure that I really "get" it, but I did have a minor a-ha moment when I thought about what items in my current seasonal capsule go with (almost) everything else. I came up with:
-medium-wash skinny jeans (so, for example, just about any combination of shirt and topper in my capsule will look fine with medium-wash skinnies. The same is NOT true of my gray skinnies.)
-black and navy skirt leggings
-white cotton blouses (This is actually a source of confusion about the "essentials" concept for me. Essentials are supposed to be specific items, not categories, but when Angie and others list their essentials, often they are listing "mini categories" like this rather than individual items. So I think this is ok? I have three white cotton blouses in my capsule. It's not the case that *any* of them will work in any outfit, but given any pairing of bottom and topper, *one* of my white blouses is likely to work to complete the outfit.)
-black long-sleeve tee
-cognac riding boots

Interestingly, none of my cardigans seem to work the same as the items above. As a category, cardigans are absolutely essential to my style, as well as being necessary for practical reasons (I would be miserably cold without them!). But there is no single individual cardi that operates as an "essential" in the above sense. Instead, I often use cardis to define the look of a specific outfit. Hm.

But, so what, right? How does this help me shop better or get dressed more easily? I guess it tells me that I should be willing to spend a little more money and effort to ensure I have exactly the right versions of my essentials (medium-wash skinny jeans -- working on it!); I should go ahead and duplicate if the opportunity presents itself (white blouses); and I should keep close tabs on the condition and maintenance of my essential items (riding boots). I'm not sure this is terribly earth-shattering but it does focus my attention on *specific* items in a way that I might not have before.

Anyway, it's interesting, and I'm still mulling the implications.

Haha, cross-posted with Angie and now I'm confused again. It's the categories-vs-specifics thing that is really hanging me up.

rachylou

Veteran

Oh no, Suzanimal! I messed with your head! Shake it out!!

Thx, Angie. I got the tiered skirts wrong!

I’m deep in thought about medieval costuming now, Aurore. I too have a ‘pretty one’ and a more authentic one... which my brother took for something he was filming... ETA: And there’s my Native Wear ‘peasant costume’...

Christina, that’s something to think about, when things fall off the list and aren’t replaced...

rachylou

Veteran

Oh wait, and my balloon sleeve sweaters I got wrong too! SarahD8, you made me realise that. I’m deep in thought about the white blouses. Are they essentials or are they like my sweaters?