Maybe the problem for me - and maybe you - is that the only accessory I truly like is shoes. I'm not a bag gal, I wear jewelry but don't love it, and while I like scarves, I think I might have worn them too much because I'm a little tired of them now.

That said, I wear my black jersey dress all the time, but it looks pretty boring most of the time too. It's just too comfortable not to wear.

Aida, Rita and Heather touched on where I think people are getting confused here:

- people are mixing up "basic" with a statement piece that is simple and has clean lines, which also seems "basic".

A white Brooks Brother non-iron button down shirt in a true basic. But a white Anne Fontaine button down shirt is a statement piece, although it looks basic because it has very clean lines.

My aunt, who is a very stylish lady, told me that she spent almost all of her casual days last summer in black sleeveless jersey dresses and black cropped leggings - very basic. She would mix it up with different pairings: silver ballet flats, a statement necklace and a cropped, faded denim jacket; a silver cuff and a scarf with flat sandals; a drapey cardigan, silver necklace, and hip-slung belt with low wedges. The simplicity of her style really suits her well and provides a great backdrop for her statement accessories (she makes jewelry and also purchases handmade jewelry from many of her friends, so she has some *neat* pieces.)

I think I used to buy *too* many basics, and then when I'd buy a statement piece, I didn't really think about how it would go with my existing basics, so I ended up with a lot of pieces that didn't really mesh well. Now, I have a lot of pieces that would appear to be basics - such as a pencil skirt or a blouse - that end up as more statement pieces because of the level of detail or because they are very brightly colored, and most of my blouses/tops are pretty "statement-y" and patterned.

Angie, yes, I think that is part of my confusion. What defines a statement piece vs. a basic? And how does it matter, i.e., what are their general purposes? For example, I have not found a denim jacket to be a basic or a staple item for me.

Thanks for all the input and guidance!

Una, funny you should say that - I have a denim jacket that I love and I loved it at first sight but I have worn it maybe twice in 3 years. I think we have issues! @@

I totally get what Angie is saying re. a basic vs. a statement piece. I tend to also think of a basic in terms of its versatility. So, my new black knee-high boots seem like a basic to me, because they will be very versatile and go with lots of stuff. Other items that are basics for me include several structured jackets. Now, some of these might be considered statement pieces I suppose, but I still think of them as basics because they are versatile and work well for me in lots of different combinations.

Maybe if you're challenged by mixing and re-mixing stuff, you never really discover what is versatile for you and thus a basic, because you don't explore how it works in different combinations with other pieces? Just a thought, and sorry to maybe muddy the definitional waters here :).

I've always considered basics to be background players and statement pieces to be the attention grabbing stars.

This is a very interesting conversation! Thanks for starting it, Una.

I now feel thoroughly confused about our terminology. First I thought: a basic is something immensely useful but perhaps slightly boring (on its own) like a plain white shirt, a plain black dress, a pair of jeans.

But then I thought: what's basic to one is not basic to another. Because if you never have an occasion to wear a white button down shirt, even if you own it, it isn't useful, and therefore doesn't qualify as a basic to YOU.

OTOH, if you DO wear a bright orange jacket once a week, that sounds like a basic. A basic in a bright colour, maybe, but still basic.

And then Angie's definition of statement piece came along and made me think perhaps the orange jacket is really a statement piece after all!

Regardless...I have always envied people like Kari's aunt who seem effortlessly able to make the simplest clothes (and smallest wardrobe) look fresh and interesting. I want to be one of those people!

But to figure out how, I am going to need some lessons in how to accessorize successfully. So far, I rarely seem able to make that part of it come together, despite my best efforts. But I haven't given up yet!!

Suz, you articulated my feeling perfectly.

I guess the semantic question is whether a "basic" is a staple in your particular wardrobe.

I am getting much better at knowing what I will not wear (a buttondown white shirt, a PB blouse, a jean jacket), whether other people wear them all the time or not.

Team Confused checking in!

I have every piece from those basic wardrobe lists like Tim Gunn's; white blouse, black dress pants, black pumps...etc etc, and they are all very nice items. But, I rarely wear any of them! ( I actually can track the number of times I have worn an item with my wardrobe app.) So those basics were not very good investment pieces for me! With the exception of the great pair of jeans, of course. I do agree that some basic pieces are needed to support the star players, of course. I wish I could get better at knowing which pieces are going to be the ones I wear every chance I get. Most of the time they are the ones I fall in love with, not the ones prescribed for me. I am on team confused as well, but feel like this site is helping me clear some things up for myself.
And.....Una, your wardrobe is JOYFUL, and I never miss the chance to check you out.

Thanks, Annette! I do get a lot of joy out of more of my wardrobe now, and much of it has been found through or with YLF. I am still purging even more, and trying to be careful about only replacing with items I love. "Joy" is a great way to think about it!

very interesting thread, and i completely understand all of the confusion this whole concept, understanding and using it in my own wardrobe and outfits has been a big part of my style journey the last nine months or so. cake vs. frosting, veggies vs. dessert, basics vs. statement pieces......it's more complicated than it sounds!! but if you can tease apart the ideas within this concept, and find out through experiment and observation how these ideas fit into your style and lifestyle, you'll be much happier with your wardrobe and better able to focus your acquisition of new pieces.

here's a good argument for 'veggies' from Allie of Wardrobe Oxygen:
http://tinyurl.com/3ghe458

Allie also consistently argues that one woman's list will NOT work for all women at all! so, how to get started with getting your teeth into this concept? first, Aida's idea to jot down 'missing pieces' while dressing is excellent. also, if you can get in the habit of photographing your look every day (nothing fancy, just so you can see what you wore) for a month this will give you LOTS of material to analyze.

if you can't commit to every day, then DO commit to documenting any outfit you wear that you love to bits and pieces. then, sit down and really tear that look apart from the angles of proportion, fabric, print vs. solid, accessories, color - and cake vs. frosting. This will give you insight into what a statement piece is * for you * and what a basic is * for you *.

When you have a handful of 'love it, works for my lifestyle, would happily wear it everyday' looks, and know how they shake out in terms of your own statement/basic definitions, you'll have a good feel for your own ideal 'cake frosting' wardrobe ratio. Other things to consider: if that ratio changes in different areas of life (work vs. weekend - maybe more basics on the weekend?), how often various pieces need cleaning (you may want more tees so you don't have to constantly run laundry), and the effect of the changing seasons.

hope this helps!! good luck, and stick with it - some of these ideas are pretty abstract and we don't really think about our lives in this way much. it just takes time to grapple with it all and figure out how it works for you and your own situation. have fun!!! steph

What an interesting discussion - I love it. Bumping for more input :).

Going back to your original question about the outfit... I think the reason why it is not working for me is that the dress is begging to be either more fitted and shape defining or more boxy. It is neither here nor there for me. I think the outfit is fine, you could wear fun cropped leggings or denim capri's with it and it would be a great kickin' back outfit. If you want to take it from kickin' back on the weekends to FAB, I'd want it to be more boxy.

same like anette here:

During the years I struggled to build up my own functional wardrobem, and bought basic clothing according to what others said (including fashion magazines...). but I was the so surprised to find out that the black slaks and the white button downs (which are so said to be the most basic clothing items in a woman's closet) are actually never seeing the sunlight out of my wardrobe...so I guess basics are not the same for everybody-
(now, for ex. my basics are denim skirts(various colours, shades, and wash(replacing my old love of trouser jeans), tops and blouses, cardigans, and jackets) These are trully workhorses in my actual life.

Still loving this conversation. I have been following the threads and trying to think what is basic to me, given the life I actually lead. And what makes me feel good.

It seems I feel best when I am wearing at least one item that might be called a "statement" item—something that is a little bit special. Even if I am casually dressed, I'll feel happier if one item has some detail that I absolutely love, whether that be the colour, an usual cut or detailing, the pattern—something. The statement doesn't have to be LOUD, in my case.

I would love to have one of those tiny but extremely serviceable wardrobes. And mostly that fits with my personal style; I don't need a ton of variety. But that is assuming I truly LOVE most of the pieces in my small mix (so far, this is far from true), and it's also assuming that I have enough statement pieces to make the basics sing...OR that some of my basics are simultaneously statement pieces...sort of what Angie described with the shirts. For me, jackets can often take that role (she says, eager to amass a little collection of them...)

Suz, that is how I feel too - I would like to get to the point of loving every option I have, and I think you're onto something with the idea that even the "basics" don't have to equate to "boring". Sometimes just the fabric can elevate it to basic AND statement piece.