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Statement basics: anyone else focused on them?

catgirl

Veteran

About a year ago, I had a big struggle with the whole issue of "basics" (as Suz remembered!). I found the whole idea of them confusing and boring, and I flailed around trying to duplicate the items I felt others considered basics (LBD, white buttondown, long sleeved black crewneck shirt, all-purpose jeans). And of course I failed miserably, mostly because those items didn't interest me, although I'm sure there's some version of each one that fits my style.

As Angie pointed out so wisely, the Theory blazer has provided a bit of a turning point. It's a "basic" - a black blazer that plays well with other statement pieces like the Tripp pants - but the cut makes it a statement in itself. I ran through my whole wardrobe in my head and can't think of anything that won't work with it.

Do you have such statement basics in your closet, and how do you know when you've found one? Any suggestions for other pieces that could be this kind of signature item? The only other thing I can think of right now are my glasses - all the frames are strong statements...

45 replies

Latest reply was from mrseccentric

rae

(website)

Veteran

I guess it's harder for me to find a traditional basic in my closet... like you, I hate buying boring things.

I think some of my statement basics are my white Bebe faux leather jacket, my black UWP boots and my Doc Marcies, the Gap BF jeans, the Frye Julias, my Getwear straight leg jeans with button fly, my draped collar Allsaints denim jacket, and my black leather/calf hair messenger bag. Basic black, white, gray, and denim, but I think the styling makes a statement, too.

I'd say I know I've found a basic when I want to buy it despite the fact that it's a basic! lol

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I bought an A-line skirt in 2005 which has turned out to be a true basic in my closet. It hits me at the knees, it is high-waisted with button details that makes it more interesting, it is extremely simplistic and made in a denim-like thick cotton. I truly adore it. I also bought a version of it in black wool, a little softer fabric and very warm. The thickness of that one makes it less versatile, but the cut is the same and both skirts make me feel fab every time.

I agree that "basic" isn't the same for everyone, and to me, a white button down is interesting, and I prefer to have one, but nothing I really need to have to get dressed. A pair of straight dark jeans on the other side is very useful, and a trench. I also love thin wool in many varieties.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I can't begin to tell you how much money I wasted on things I thought I should have. Older & wiser I'm in the process of rebuilding my wardrobe so I'm still looking for some these pieces. Currently I have Trippen boots mine are taller than these & a Rundholz coat. Can't find the exact coat but it's this shape. I'm not sure I can articulate how I know when I've found "the piece" but I do know I'm VERY excited by them & like you I run them through my wardrobe & they work with a lot. I'm thinking about spring/summer now & I for me this is much harder because I prefer the look of a structured jacket or coat. Jewellery is far more important to me in summer. By the way - I love your style:)

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Vildy

Veteran

Don't have any personal examples at moment but yes! That thread about the style inspiration where it was revealed (by Suz?) that the women's "basics" were all statement pieces had a light go on for me. I purely hate basics. Don't buy them and if I succumb, then they end up unworn and purged. Have to say, though, that I have, out of my many jackets, one chocolate brown blazer that is basic in design and color. It is not a knit blazer but it fits like one, like a second skin but not tight. Wonderful to have on. Flattering in the extreme. My favorite jacket for this fit. Have not worn it one time. Have had it for a year or two.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

To me, "statement basics" are the true wardrobe workhorses. I posted a thread about this eons ago, wondering how the heck people identified them. I still don't have the answer, for anybody else or for myself! As my still-mismashed wardrobe sadly demonstrates!

Anyway, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE statement basics. Angie has another name for them, though. What does she call them? Signature pieces? I can't remember. Her name expresses more of what they really are.

My ideal wardrobe would be built around these babies!

Do I currently own anything like this?

Um...not really.

My black vintage jacket almost qualifies, but I can't wear it with EVERYTHING else. Almost, but not quite.

My houndstooth jacket definitely can't go with everything but is a statement basic in winter.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Wow - statement basics sounds like an oxymoron. Suz, I think you're right - "signature piece" is a more apt description of these items.

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

ooooh, interesting discussion! i agree that 'signature pieces' sounds like a better term for this concept from my point of view. and i'm going to nitpick a bit here. Una, that Theory jacket is so perfect on you and it makes me want to run out and get one of my own!!! dratted bank account However, to my eye it's not a statement piece - you just finally found a black blazer that works for your particular style. To me, a statement piece dominates any outfit that it's worn in, the way your awe-inspiring yellow plaid Tripp trousers do. Statement pieces set the tone of the outft, take them off and it's a very different look.

It's difficult for me to imagine a look in which your black blazer would change the whole look drastically. Even if you pop it over a white tee and jeans, generally speaking you'd be wearing accessories (belt, shoes, earrings/watch etc.) which set the tone of the look as more dressy so things blend in with the blazer. Those accessories would still be there to help things along if you took off the blazer.

Of course you can wear more than one statement or statement-y piece in one outfit. Generally this works better if all statement pieces have the same 'style tone', in which case if you took off one statement piece the look would still have the same tone.

The fact that this blazer goes with Everything in your closet also makes me lean towards calling it a basic. Statement pieces tend to be harder to 'pair off'. Anyways, i hope this helps you understand my viewpoint in calling it your personal basic black blazer, as opposed to a statement basic. Basics can be constructed in a huge variety of ways, and those of us with more unique personal styles tend to favor the ones with less traditional "profiles". This Issey Miyake for vogue Patterns blouse has incredible shaping from pleats and gathers - but it's still just a white button up blouse.

oh, how i love these theoretical discussions happy Friday! steph

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Diana

Veteran

I would say most of my coats and jackets. Even if we go by my very minimalist 6-item basics list, the black jackets I listed (leather moto and longer wool coat) are quite statementy AND they go with everything. My mid-calf black boots probably qualify as well.

And since Angie says scarves can be a basic for me since i wear them so much, I guess most of the scarves count too!

JulieJohn

Veteran

Wow, Una, this is a thought-provoking concept. I get bored real easy with basics. I guess that's why I own almost none of them. No black blazer - I do have a purple corduroy one. No white button-down shirt, though I have a brown one with big orange flowers. It's like I have no basics. Thanks for making me think along these lines.

MsMary

Veteran

Yes! I consider my Halogen pencil skirts in every color in the rainbow to be "statement basics." Ditto the patent leather pumps in every color. And my Kate Spade black-and-white jacket is a "statement basic" for sure because it goes with almost everything i my closet!

Isabel

Veteran

Those are such good points about "statement basics". That is also one of THE biggest lessons that I have learned. I always thought that the two were contradictory. They are not, as Angie pointed out. I started noticing people in clothing that I liked...I started looking at "upscale" clothing, I started paying more attention to my mom ( who was a seamstress and in the 70s made sample pieces for NY shows ) and, yes, the details and the cuts are what make these basics very special.

I have a few now. My two favorites are a dusty, rose ( YES ) wool blazer with navy piping. ( Blazers are a necessity for me and I have found that this works really well in my mostly dark wardrobe and is a fab transition piece. ) I also bought a FAB pair of Pinkolinos scrunchy boots ( per NPM's suggestions ) that are amazing. Lastly, I bought a red plaid wool coat that is amazing and that I love and makes me happy. WHo would have thunk it ??????

shiny

Veteran

There are basics. Then there are statements. Then there are signature items. To me these are all different. And then throw "essentials" into that list, just to make it more confusing...

Example of a basic: a white top. This may be a garden-variety Gap tee shirt. Your basic tee might be scoop neck, mine might be a V-neck. Or maybe your basic white top is a crisp button down and not a tee. Or maybe your basic is a white silk blouse. Yes a basic needn't be "boring" and can have details that set it apart from the crowd.

What elevates "white top" to statement are the memorable details. Think about Angie's white shirt worn in her recent BF jeans blog post. To me, that's an "Angie Basic." Now compare that to her Ann Fontaine shirts like this one:
http://youlookfab.com/2011/06/.....tle-times/

It's still a white shirt, but there's nothing basic about it. And it's highly memorable. You probably wouldn't wear a shirt like that twice in the same week, because people would easily remember it. It's the star of the show.

"Signature item" -- when I think of Angie, crisp white shirt definitely jumps out as an Angie signature item. I'd also say pears are an Angie signature item. But note that she has a lot of different white shirts, it's not just one item, and a lot of different pearls, not just one strand.

"Essentials" are harder for me to define and I'm honestly having more fun contemplating what is NOT an essential for me, and why, rather than what is. But in my example here, clearly "impeccable crisp white shirt" and pearls are Angie essentials.

When I think of my own wardrobe, I used to think I had a lot of statement items, but as I get more brave and wear the heck out of them, they're becoming more and more a "signature" item or a "basic" or "essential." For example somewhere along the line, animal print accessories became "neutrals" and not statements. How did that happen?

The most memorable piece I have is a jacket I bought in Paris. It is black with white piping, with a big white bow at the waist. That bow is what makes it scream statement to me. Makes it difficult for me to wrap my head around wearing it too often, since it's highly memorable and takes the stage of any outfit.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

SPOT ON, Jennifer. (Who is also, Shiny). Good job explaining the differences!!!

My dear, Una. Your Theory blazer is NOT a basic :). It's a statement piece with a strong and simple design. The lines are crisp and clean - which is why it's strong and simple.

Signature pieces can be wardrobe essentials. In fact, many of mine are.

In SOME instances, essentials can also function as statement pieces and signature pieces. My tomato red coat is a statement piece in a signature colour. It could also have been thought of as a wardrobe essential - I literally wear it with everything. YET! I deliberately left it off my wardrobe essentials list because it really is more of a statement piece.

catgirl

Veteran

Angie, I agree the Theory blazer is a statement piece (though Steph makes a compelling argument that it's my "basic" black blazer). Now I need to rethink how "wardrobe essentials" plays into that. As I've narrowed down what I do want to wear, I'm trying to make sure I understand how anything new that I allow into my closet will work, BEFORE I let it in.

In other words, I've gone from being the closet landlord evicting everything to the gatekeeper preventing any old item from sneaking in, and I need to know the new rules!

Some of these examples are great! For instance, Kate Spade bag, BF jeans... those are the kinds of items I'm talking about. Maybe somewhere between statement and basic? Sorry, just puzzling out loud - like Steph, I love a theoretical discussion!

In my head, at leeast, statement basic makes a certain amount of sense somehow...

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Playing along here for my own edification....

Using Shiny/ Angie's categories, then....

My basic white top would be a button down AND a T.

My basic trouser would be a slim black one or jeans.

My "signature" item -- so far, I would say some sort of jacket. Which is why I feel so at sea in the summer. I can't wear them.

Essentials for me comprise my "signature" item (jackets) AND basics such as jeans, a white top, dark turtlenecks, a skirt of some kind, my LBD (which I'd rather were navy), boots in winter, wedge sandals in summer. Without these it is tough for me to get dressed...witness my summer woes.

Statement: my houndstooth jacket is a statement piece. It's classic, and not exactly flashy in design, but you can't forget it.

Closer to a signature essential: my black vintage jacket. It has a very unusual cut that makes it quite memorable and "statement" like....but its colour makes it blend more into the background.

My red winter coat is a statement piece that is an essential in a signature colour.

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

I talked about and started working on doing this last year ("basics that are not basic"). Like you Una it's really hard for me to buy basics because they bore me to tears. So now I keep an eye out for pieces that fit these purposes but still have elements that appeal to me.

I really enjoy dressing in a texture rich way so that's usually how I accomplish that. I traded in my skirts in solid colors for solid colored skirts in lace, mesh or leather. My camis and tanks have lace trim, studs or other elements. My black cardigan has sparkly elbow patches.

So I think once you narrow down what you love it becomes way easier.

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm with Angie in thinking that Jennifer (Shiny) has nailed those terms. Although I love to discuss semantics (actually, one of my favorite activities!), the usefulness of the terms in terms of wardrobe building lies in being able to differentiate between statement pieces and basics. As far as "essentials" go, I'd say that both statement pieces and basics are essential because they need each other to create a dynamic, yet cohesive, outfit.

An outfit composed of only statement pieces has too many stars all competing for attention; the result is confusing, discordant, and unsatisfying. A outfit composed of only basics has no star-- only a supporting cast with nothing to support; the result is uninspired, dull, and also unsatisfying. An outfit that mixes statement pieces and basics keeps the focus on the star(s?--because, I suppose you can have more than one diva on occasion as long as they get along with each other) with the rest of the items playing a supporting role.

So, Una, I think your Theory jacket is a statement piece that deserves to shine whenever you put it on. And when you wear it with so many different items, it becomes a workhorse statement piece because that jacket can play its starring role with so many other things that it becomes an integral part of your wardrobe (maybe turning it into a signature piece for your style?) And, yes, it is "essential", because without it you couldn't put together a dynamic and interesting outfit. But a star needs some supporting players to truly shine and that's where your basics come into play-- the basics that complete the outfit and let the jacket hold center stage.

Personally, I find it more useful to think of my basics as my supporting cast who do their job quietly behind the scenes When I look for basics, in my head, I imagine them with my stars--will they let the star hog the spotlight and just do their job quietly without drawing attention to themselves. And, no, my black, straight-legged pants, my grey pencil skirt, and my white shirt are not as exciting to play with as are my stars, but, as a good director, I realize that both my stars and my support players are "essential" to the final vision.

Anonymous

I agree 100% with Gaylene. My basics are like backup singers in a vocal group. They need to be there, but they're not the star of the show and they're not there to steal the limelight. AND, too many stars make for a too-busy look that's not appealing. Better to have one dominant piece in an outfit that really stops the show.

RunnerChick

I think I have the opposite problem. At the risk of sounding like a *really* boring person (from a fashion perspective, anyway), almost everything I own is a basic! I'm trying to imagine the statement pieces I own, and I'm drawing a blank.

In fact, the most statement-y things about me are (a) my hair - it's pretty modern and at it's current length, somewhat rad in my circles; and (b) the absence of statements in my clothing choices. My colleagues will probably say that I'm more well-dressed than the norm for our profession, but that's because I try to put some thought and creativity into what I wear and how I look (OK, on most days) in a profession that, arguably, takes pride in not caring about looks.

It's hard not to be disappointed at the basic nature of my wardrobe; at the same time, identifying the items of clothing that do count as basics for me has been a style journey. Moving to a new country 12 years ago turned my definition of "basic" topsy turvy (given my current lifestyle choices, salwar kamizes are now "optional", "special occasion" pieces rather than everyday wear, for example). Finishing graduate school and starting work in a new (academic) profession and dressing a body that is considerably different in my 40s have added interesting twists and turns to the evolution of my style.

Anyhow, I think I'm arriving at a place where I'm settling on how I want to look - modern, classic, and "pared down" (to use Sunita's term for my style). And, finally, I think my closet is getting to a place where it is well-stocked with *my* basics.

My challenge now is one of figuring out how to add character to my outfits -- right now, II fall too easily into the trap of looking boring or, worse, frumpy, when I am wearing these basics. I have often toyed with the idea of mixing in accessories (scarves, jewelry) that'll both point back to my ethnic origins and add some character to my outfits but I don't yet know how to do it in a way that's classic and understated. Right now, it usually feels a little too much like I'm trying too hard, and that doesn't feel right.

Sorry about the over-long (and, um, navel-gazing) response, but your post really sparked some serious introspection here. Thanks for getting me started thinking about this (Suz's posts over the last few days have really helped too). I'm looking forward to the next step of my style journey here on YLF.

rachylou

Veteran

Would y'all say if a person put on nothing but basics, they'd look a little unfinished? Like something is missing?

Gaylene

Veteran

Rachylou, they might look look my mother did a few years ago when she was unhappy at having put on a few extra pounds. She was going on a holiday with friends, and, for the plane trip, had bought a rather boxy navy jacket and skirt ensemble. As a classic dresser, she paired it with a crisp, white shirt and sensible walking shoes. Her haircut has always been a classic bob.

Her seat companion on the flight was a younger man with whom she struck up a conversation. After having spent a couple of pleasant hours chatting, the plane landed, and as they were getting ready to leave, he turned to her and told her that he was going to tell his mother about how much he had enjoyed his conversation with a "member of the holy orders".

Needless to say, as soon as she got to the hotel, she whipped off the suit, stuffed it into her suitcase and it has never since seen the light of day.

Just something to consider if one is going to choose to wear nothing but basics.

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Ok here's where i start to get confused. I'm going to quote a couple people

"AND, too many stars make for a too-busy look that's not appealing. Better to have one dominant piece in an outfit that really stops the show. "

"An outfit composed of only statement pieces has too many stars all competing for attention; the result is confusing, discordant, and unsatisfying."

Are these really hard and fast rules of fashion? Or are these personal opinions about fashion?

catgirl

Veteran

Nicole, I was thinking about that too, because yesterday I wore what I consider three statement pieces - Theory jacket, quilted wedge booties, and yellow plaid skinnies. Granted, two of those are black and less obtrusive, but it was ALL statement, though hopefully not obnoxious.

Because I prefer to wear as few items as possible, I like them ALL to have some impact. Maybe I'm Team Minimal Statement?

rachylou

Veteran

Oh dear, Gaylene! That's terrible.

Although, some of those habits are pretty snappy, if you ask me.

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Agreed. There's are plenty of days when I prefer my entire outfit to have impact too.

The last WIW I posted was all statement was it not? Paint splattered jeans, safety pin shirt, creepers and a cobalt blue bag. Yet Angie gave it a "killer" I believe...

I also happen to really enjoy looking at some of Helena Bonham Carter's outfits and I'm not sure she owns any basics lol.

Gaylene

Veteran

Nicole, I'd be the last person to set hard and fast rules about fashion. And I suspect that any runway show would break that "rule" about not having too many stars in a single outfit in a heartbeat.

But, in real life, I do think that it takes a very deft hand to not look overdone if everything you are wearing is competing for attention. I think Una's "Theory and Punk" outfit mixed two statement pieces into an awesome ensemble. But I have difficulty seeing how it would have been as successful if she had worn those two statement pieces with an attention-grabbing top and boots, and topped it off with a statement hat and handbag. Not that it couldn't be done, but it's probably not a look that very many people outside of the fashion industry would wear comfortably on a daily basis.

My comment was made in the context of how supporting pieces (the basics) can be useful in setting off the statement pieces that we want to showcase in an outfit. Not to set any hard and fast rules because, you're right, it is just one person's opinion.

Anonymous

@nicoleb: I was simply expressing my personal opinion about fashion. There are no hard-and-fast rules, and some people seem to excel in breaking the rules and looking fab in the process. I'm just not one of those people. I do what works for me. It was not my intent to confuse anyone. Please forgive me for not being more clear that this is just my personal preference about style.

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

I hope I'm not stepping on any toes and there is no need to apologize! This is just a topic I'm always interested in discussing.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I prefer not to get too caught up in the terms (might be why I couldn't name essentials yesterday lol). If you have a good feel for what items help you to wear other items, I think that's great. Some of us have more visually going on than others, whether it's texture, or pattern or details. As long as it plays together well, I don't care what we call it all!!

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