Nicole, I'm with you! I often put together outfits comprising all or mostly "statement pieces," and I think they work! (Although I will admit that #1 is pretty crazy even for me! LOL)

Mo, totally agree - sometimes I get all snarled up in terms and need to get past that. Like if you're eating pancakes, are they breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Well, what time is it? And who cares, really? Just eat them already!

I guess I'm just trying to find ways to guard against having my closet be the disaster it was a while back (and still is, though less so) by coming up with ways/words to think about how anything new is likely to play well with what I have.

Mary, you are the queen of all that is statement!

All hail Queen MaryK!!!!!!

Hey, here's Audi contemplating the same idea: less items, more impact.

http://geekthreads.blogspot.co.....ation.html

MaryK, Nicole, and Una-- you guys are in the master class when it comes to fearless dressing; you lead the way in showing us that it is possible to break every "rule" that has ever been said about how to dress.

Keep the inspiration going for those of us who can take only baby steps!
*crawling back to contemplate my collection of black sweaters, pants, and boots*

And my eyes are still reeling at your first picture, MaryK; but, somehow, it does sort of work...

A person can over think... and in that vein... doesn't ALGO kinda involve "statement basics"?

And wouldn't you think Eileen Fisher to be the epitome of "statement basics"?

But in any case, I don't think I've got many statement basics. Maybe my upcycle peplum cardigan - funky, but plain.

To my mind Una's definition of statement basics is exactly what I like to have in my wardrobe . There is a difference between 'statement' and 'signature' as someone else (shiny?) pointed out.

I don't think you have to limit an outfit to one statement, but also this is what I was getting at: as my style has evolved, my "basics" more and more have a twist, and my definition of statement has evolved too. I would no longer consider animal print shoes as a statement -- I now view it as a neutral!

Also it seems to me that we've been in a style mode for several years now that has been all about statement dressing--- big, bold and piling on more is better. While getting my hair cut, I was flipping through fashion mags and I noticed that many of them were talking about a move towards minimalist trends this Fall. I personally feel this is the natural way for fashion to go, after years and years of very NON minimalist dressing.

And interestingly, in last year or so, I have craved more minimalism too. While absent from YLF I embraced dresses for their simplicity but also I found myself gravitating towards simple color scheme of black, white and one pop of color. I also find more and more that I don't mind a more matchy-matchy look with shoes and bag.

Minimalist when done right is not boring at all. It's clean, simple, sophisticated, polished and effortless.

Note that minimalist is not the same as having a wardrobe full of basics. At least, I don't think it is.

Shiny, I think your're right. A wardrobe full of Helmut Lang would be minimal but certainly not basic.

In fact, that's my fantasy, a wardrobe full of Helmut Lang.

When I think of "boring basics" I think of what my wardrobe used to look like, when I was a SAHM. I pretty much lived in a uniform of khaki slacks or black slacks with a v-neck tee, both from the Gap, with black nondescript (quiet, fade into the background) shoes, and black purse. I had an array of v-neck tees, all identical, but in different colors. This kind of uniform is blend-into-the-wall.... and a snore... I don't ever want to go back to that.

Take that outfit and swap out the shoes to leopard print loafers, and now you are talking. Swap out the black purse for a red one, and even better... upgrade the tee to a simple, silk white blouse, even better.... now add a fabulous necklace............ and a cheeky jean jacket...

Shiny, maybe that is the pathway for those of us who tend too much to buy basics. Start with the footwear and go a bit wild. Then the other accessories. Then the "third piece" (jacket, scarf, etc.) and so on.

Would that I had followed this trajectory! I am still working on it!

Basics don't have to be boring. That's my mantra.

Shiny - that's very helpful! I'm going to try and follow that trajectory to up my basics game.

Reading Angie's post this morning, edit the above to be about "boring Essentials" not basics...

whew! someone needs to come up with a good glossary with examples for all this - and it ain't gonna be me i'm way too muddled on it!

within a particular wardrobe, sometimes i think using the words 'frosting and cake' or 'veggies and dessert' makes things easier to think about. And frankly, i've found that what's frosting in one gal's closet may well be cake in another's.

sometimes i'll do a thought experiment that helps me figure out what a particular piece is doing in my closet and in my outfits. I'll take, let's say, Una's Theory jacket. I'll mentally replace it with two jackets: one that i know is cake (black or grey or taupe, very simple lines, simple texture) and another that i see as very frosting (maybe purple suede with fringe and metallic studs). I'll recall outfits where i used the real jacket and mentally replace it with the cake one and the frosting one in those outfits.

"Seeing" how the imaginary jackets change (or don't) the various outfits gives me a much better feel for how that item is functioning in my wardrobe. This helps me when i need to replace an item or i'm using one piece a lot and feel it would make sense to get a similar piece - it hones my shopping focus.

HTH! Happy Weekend! steph