Such great thoughts. Thank you all so much! And thanks also for the lovely compliments. (Special shout out to Angela!!) Sometimes I think I'm too tough on myself. It is reassuring to hear that this process has taken several of you a couple of years. I am starting my second fall season on YLF and the first when I've really had any clothing budget to speak of. Not that I have vast amounts...but you know...I can imagine spending a bit more.

You know, Tina - maybe your idea might not be as crazy as it would seem. I am going to be in Vancouver in early November. I wonder if I could squeak in a meeting with Angie somehow?? Hmmm. This is worth considering seriously.

Angela, most of the Land's End stuff doesn't fit me, alas. I do have a couple of things (the striped French sailor's sweater and one jersey dress) but typically it doesn't work. My LBD really is a kind of dream dress because the particular jersey it's made from is just especially nice - it has a nice hand, a nice drape, it doesn't pick up lint, and it doesn't stick to hose. Hard to find.

Laura, I'm chuckling. Una linked me to a GREAT leather jacket yesterday and even better, it was NAVY!! http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/tr.....hoppingbag

But Angie has some concerns about the shape for me and my no -bust long neck. And I can see her point. I have done a bit of checking and haven't come up with a substitute.

Julie, I'm encouraged by what you say. Some time away might be a good idea in a little while.

Denise, that is a really great and practical idea - to reflect the secondary style with accessories. Now, if I could just pick out my first and secondaries, LOL! I know this is what Shannon essentially does, although not completely. But she's got her classic core, and her retro and rugged accessories. Occasionally she will wear a retro or rugged clothing item instead and then more classic accessories and footwear (typically). That's what's great about the rubrics.

I have been watching all of this with great interest. I know for me the classics will remain the core, too - at least if jeans are a classic.

Thank you all - this is very helpful. Still mulling.

Astrid, I just read your post. I think it is very wise. I need to think which items in my current wardrobe I truly love, and why.

Thank you.

Back to Steph (Mrs. Eccentric's) ideas again! She suggested it first. The favourite outfits.

But here I am thinking, I'm not so sure there ARE that many things in there I truly, truly love!

Maybe that's my problem. Not enough love.

No - I'm joking - a little. I DO have some items I adore.

What unites them? Great fit. Usually a luxe fabric. Simplicity -- not much detailing, but interest in the cut and/or texture. Often a colour that loves me.

Oh Suz, I hope I did not imply you should take time away from YLF,we would miss you terribly, I was more referring too time away from thinking (about style).

Suz, I did not have a chance to read all of the responses, so I apologize if I say something that was already said or if I make a comment that is no longer relevant.

I disagree with you. I think you have a *core*, in the sense that you have built a very distinctive style persona already. When I see your WIW's I see sharp edges, interplay of soft and hard textures, minimalistic, arty and urban. You haircut provides a lot of edge and your facial features add to that gamine element that is so CHIC. You are the core. The clothes are secondary.

I do understand that all of the style discussions we have had over the past weeks, have an impact. I think it was Queen Mom, who put it so eloquently in one of her replies and I'm paraphrasing now: We compare and despair. It is very easy to fall into the trap of questioning our closets and doubting our individual styles. I am not implying that you are doing that. I'm just trying to say that you are, in my opinion, much more ahead of the style curve as you assess yourself to be AND that you have a great instinct. Let that be your guide as well.

I think a couple of new "statement pieces" might do the trick for you. It also takes a while, at least for me, to get my bearings as each season rolls.Maybe that's the funk?

Please give yourself a break! I think you DO know what you like, and I think you are much closer than you think.

You do have things you love - your dress, your jeans, your jackets. And, as Astrid says, if you decide you don't love them, you can slowly rebuild. I think I've gone through four or five iterations of my entire wardrobe in the last five years - and I'm still evolving! (For instance, I just bought the Sloan fit & flare pants at BR, which I intend to wear in place of jeans a few days a week in the cooler weather.)

I do think there's a lot of value in getting the expert eye of someone like Angie, who you trust. If you could make that happen, it might be incredibly valuable. But having said that, at the end of the day, we all have to take authorship of our own style, and listen to our own instincts. I wonder if you're going through a growth spurt right now, and perhaps are transitioning in some way. I know that a few years ago anything that had ruffles or pleats or too much softness felt wrong. I was transitioning to a somewhat cleaner, more tailored look (although NOT to a severe look.) I couldn't articulate what it was, I just knew I wanted something simple and clean. For me, discovering color opened me up to so many more pieces than I had ever considered before. The SHAPES might be the same - and very simple - but the COLORS are what brings them to life. (I stopped buying black, and haven't looked back.)

Oh - and I used Polyvore instead of Pinterest, because I could actually mix and match pieces on Polyvore. Since I shop at places like Banana, Ann Taylor & Nordstrom, I can clip the exact items I buy (or am thinking of buying) onto Polyvore and make outfits with them, which helps me a lot (and is fun, too!)

When I started, I did a few sets of all my shirts, all my jeans, all my boots. Seeing all the items together gave me a good look at the big picture, and I could clearly see patterns, such as what colors I had a lot of, what colors I didn't have, and the styles I'm drawn to.

(But then, I'm the kind of writer who blurts it out and then goes back and rewrites and reshapes and refines. Perhaps your style is more to mull, think, reflect and then put it on the page needing very little revision?)

Suz, I sympathize with you, as I find myself in a similar predicament.

It's been almost a year since I came to YLF and have learned so much, yet not enough.

During this time, I've purged my closet four times, and now my wardrobe is sorely lacking.

I'm like a deer in headlights --wondering which direction to go b/c I'm tired of wasting money on unworn clothes.

Prior to YLF, if I liked an item, I bought it. Now My plan is to be patient (ha!) and slowly build my wardrobe as I continue to read YLF and watch others blossom in their style. Hopefully, that day will come when it will click for me, and for you, too.

In the meantime, perhaps get a few statement classic pieces that will bump up your wardrobe, such as some red shoes, an interesting bag, and of course, the ageless, timeless leather jacket. Perhaps a new bright scarf, a nice pendant necklace, some classy oxfords? To me, these things would add flavor, and can be remixed in different styles, till you find your core.

Just don't fret, because you will stop having fun with fashion!
Enough rambling, just some thoughts for you.

Dear Suz! I am struggling with some of the same issues. I read your threads about your foray into the avant garde and saw your WIW when you finally felt like yourself in your BF jeans and white shirt and I could really relate. A button front shirt and BF jeans--that's going to be my go-to fall formula I think!

There are a couple of issues I see you dealing with. The tops that are trending out there in the stores don't work for you. You are then stuck with layering Ts or button front shirts, which are fine, but you need to be able to express your style through your top, especially when it's too hot to layer over it!

You don't wear a lot of accessories, so that leaves you pretty much with a belt (if your bottoms accommodate one), earrings and shoes--which are tough for you.

You tend to travel in the spring and fall when the temps are unpredictable to say the least. And your activities on said trips extend from hiking to public speaking to formal evening events. Could you have a more difficult, nay, impossible assignment?

Lastly, you wear skirts/dresses AND jeans, especially while the weather is transitioning. It's very likely that the tops and jackets that work with skirts aren't long enough to look right with jeans and vice versa (at least *I* have this problem). You have a lot of almost perfect basics (and oh, how I could join you on that refrain!) and the only solution I can come up with is a shopping trip with Angie to create a real live working capsule. Think some more on that! It would have to include a leather jacket too. Of course.

It's not enough to find practical flattering clothing if it doesn't suit your style. I think that's where you're stuck. You need to find those statement pieces that set you apart and express your personality. Hard to do when you only have two items of clothing on because of the heat. Okay, I'm not helping, but I wanted to commiserate!

For me, it was a mistake to buy things to wear with items that weren't quite right in an effort to make them "right." It was throwing good money after bad, and I never ended up being entirely happy with those outfits. It was better to just bite the bullet and get rid of the "not quite right" things. Or wear them anyway without the additions until I could replace them with something that I really liked.

Suggest you start one lifestyle category at a time.

I also work from home. Since you say the reality is that you are apt to wear gear at home (and I do too), maybe give yourself a pass on this capsule, and just make do with gear and don't plan to invest any energy or money here too much? That way you can spend our focus in the other categories instead.

It sounds like you are covered in the fall/winter formula category -- maybe it's not your dream wardrobe, but you're not going around naked either.

I suggest therefore you start with "appearances" category, as that is a smaller category, and you have less here. It also sounds like a lot of fun to start with, if you ask me! This is where you can focus on "less is more" and add a few awesome statement pieces.

What may happen is that those statement pieces find there way into your fall/winter formula. I would not be surprised....because that's how it happened for me. Except my category wasn't "appearances." Let's call it "events"....

The hubby and I often go out to theater, art gallery receptions, concerts, dinner out with friends at trendy restaurants, and things like that. I imagined how I wanted to look at these events, after paying attention to what other people were wearing. There is a whole range of events -- I wanted something with artistic flair and edge for art events; something black and rocker for concerts; something classic for theater, etc, etc. A whole bunch of different moods and personas. So I built this category first, but found that a lot of the items I bought could be incorporated into other aspects of my life. Call this the "aim high and trickle down" effect.

Take for example, a velvet jacket. Mine is black, cropped/cheeky length, and has ruffles. Initially I could not wrap my head around wearing it for anything other than formal events, like a night out in the theater district, over dress slacks or an LBD. But then I realized wow it looks great with skinnies tucked into sleek tall boots, with a more casual purse, and that works for all kinds of events. Drag show at gay nightclub? How about pairing it with navy silk blouse, long strand of pearls, white clutch, skinnies tucked into funky tall wedge boots?

And why not even wear it to work, with black shell, chunky pearls, my COH denim trousers, crackled black leather "serious-for-business" bag, and sensible red patent leather pumps? Heck I can even wear this to laid-back Sunday brunch if I swap out the shoes for ballet flats, and wear a graphic tee or denim shirt, collar popped, underneath.....

Start ONE statement piece at a time, for the appearances category. Then live with that item and see if you cannot get it to play with the rest of your lifestyle.

I wasn't able to read all the replies yet, but I wanted to throw in what has worked for me.

Like Una, I'm very visual. My wardrobe didn't start to gel until I started separating it out. I got a clothing rack in my bedroom and I pulled all my favorite things onto that rack. I played with those clothes all the time, they were right out in the open in good light.

As fall approached, we freed up a bedroom and I took over that closet. This became a subset of my bedroom wardrobe. Best of the best only. I even posted a picture of that.oset on here one day because I'm so smitten with it. Taking it down to bare bones and putting it all out in the open helped me become more intimately aware of my wants and needs.

Around the same time I did a deep cull of all my hidden wardrobe items, tucked away in this closet or that drawer for years. This helped me see some of my patterns that I've been repeating for years.

I couldn't see any of this until I dragged it all out into the light of day and started figuratively getting my hands dirty in my piles of clothes.

I didn't know a wardrobe had to have a core, but I guess mine does in the sense that I stick with certain colors. Also, I buy based on my lifestyle, so my wardrobe is now smart casual.

OK, Suz, I'm going to say something radical here, so get ready. Why not park your wardrobe money in a piggy bank for a couple of months and take a breather on this wardrobe thing. This website is a great place, but it does lead to a LOT of comparison and focus on having the "perfect" wardrobe.

I think Tarzy hit on an important point when she said "at the end of the day, we all have to take authorship of our own style, and listen to our own instincts." That's what I learned from stepping back for a bit; I needed to start listening to my OWN instincts about how I wanted to dress. Being part of YLF is exciting, but it's also easy to lose your sense of direction.

You have a very specific lifestyle and a good sense of what you want from your clothes. Instead of rushing to fill imaginary voids, why not take some time to enjoy what you do have and let that guide your way to what you might want in the future.

I want to write each of you a personal thank you. You're all so very helpful.

Gaylene - you might be right! Maybe I need to step away. Honestly, though, I haven't (and don't) do a lot of shopping. And I don't own many clothes that are in decent shape. So some of the voids are very real.

I'm going to take a leaf from Traci's book and get out all my stuff and do a "LOVE" section, and a post about that. And I think the holes will reveal themselves instantly.

And hey- even though I love my ESSENTIALS (not basics, Angie, I'm listening!) I am learning that I may be more like Una than I supposed, and not just in style direction. Gaylene, you mentioned that you've just figured out that it might make sense to have some "interesting" essentials. Well, I feel the same way. The essentials I love are the ones that have something special going for them. And I have NO love for any of my tops, for example. Not one. So that means it's a huge, gaping hole in my wardrobe. It's not just a question of needing a blue top or a burgundy one - it's a question of finding a top I love.

And Claire's correct - that is no easy feat. Thank you, Claire. You understand! And articulate ALL the issues so completely. You are absolutely, 100% right.

Ruth, I don't think some people's wardrobe's need more than you say. I'm just one of those people who likes a sense of clarity.

Shiny, I think you are exactly right that a couple of statement pieces would go a long way to upping my style quotient. And help me move forward.

Marlene 1, you expressed my fear completely. That's exactly what I did last year - bought things to go with the almost but not quite right pieces. My budget was so small, I felt I had no choice. Now I have a closet full of almosts and almost no perfects. What I want are a couple of perfects. I don't need an entirely perfect closet, but I do need a few pieces that reliably make me feel like a million dollars.

Denise P, Tara, Zap - thank you so much. Tara, I think you're right - pictures will help. And you are insightful...I do tend to be the kind of writer who mulls a lot and then gets it out without needing too much revision --- well, so I think, but then of course I DO revise!!

I also think it's true I'm going through a transition and need a refresher. Before I've even done my first overhaul!

Suz, I hope that YLF does NOT cause you to loose your sense of direction!

My suggestion is very simple and Jules, Laura, Tara, Zap and Gaylene have touched on most of it already:

- Your essentials are your core

- Your classic pieces are your core

- You have a core!!!

- Step back, no more analysis.

As I mentioned in your previous thread, you're after a few pieces that change the landscape of your wardrobe. To be specific, jackets, trousers, belts, bags and footwear with lots of personality, (that's how I see it, FWIW). These items will come your way soon enough.

You have an incredible sense of style already. Don't mess with something that isn't broken. Keep the process fun and enjoy your stunning style right now, beautiful lady

Suz you have expressed so well what many of us are struggling with. Look at the number of responses that have been generated. I quite like the idea of building distinct outfits for the speaking engagements - then you won't be stuck when they arise. Also the listing of capsules or these outfits - if you track how you feel in them you can identify the hole and be on the look out for it. As for home - gear is great and it can be fun and funky as well. The black gear style jacket that Angie posted on the NAS might be a great pc for you to try. Perhaps some fun runners and a great warmup jacket from LouLou Lemon. I am certainly not an expert and only beginning but will help if I can.

In short, what Angie said.

I'll go back and read the thread/comments but sometimes I decide what works for me based on the items in my wardrobe that are, for lack of a better phrase, pissing me off.

One other thing I've started doing is keeping a list with the following title: "What I'm not sure I like but I feel like I should have in my wardrobe" - I am seeing some trends!!

Popping back in to say that packing for a trip can be a blessing in disguise. Whenever I travel, I pick out (Traci's) Best of the Best to take with me. Then I start giving the hairy eyeball to everything that doesn't make the cut!

So here is my story :

As you know, I gained a lot of wieght after my two surgeries and treatments for breast cancer ( which I continue ). This put me in a situation where I really had to look hard at my "must haves " , my core that minimally could keep dressed and looking decent during weight changes. Packing away almost my entire wardrobe, brought me face to face ( so to speak...my clothes are like my friends ) with what made my overall dressing work.

It came down to jeans, in several silhouettes and dark.
Blazer that I just love and throw over everthing.
I love sweatercoats through Fall
Surprisingly, I wore vests more than I thought
A nice leather tote
A couple of nice pair of boots ( 2 tall, 2 shorter/bootie )
A skinny pair of ponte knit pants in black
GAPs black true straight trouser/pant
Metallic flats
black tights
A nice jersey dress ( wrap over cross over )
Ponte knit sleeveles dress
A ponte swing or A line skirt

I realized that I could get through almost anything with these things as the building blocks.

Everything else, I could punt. Now, for the record, I do wear tops. But I was less dependent on a particular top getting me through.

I also decided that black made me look more tired and sick than I was ...I think.

I embraced more navy on top. I got some tops with stripes and polka dots. I also decided that I just loved one color pair of pants per season, whether red or blush or whatever.

This really allowed me to use colors that I love as accents or Add-Ins : an olive army jacket, a denim tunic, a fab polka dot shirt in varying textures....and it all worked well with my love of olive and deep, jewel tones.

I took more interest in shoes and bags.

And I started looking for things that had a little "something something" to them. I bought a great short wool overcoat in red and black plaid !!!! A heather rose color blazer with navy piping. My core got a little more interesting.....

ANd that's my story ! ( for summer, I just need a pair of denim shorts, a lightweight olive skirt, and some really breezy dresses, an LLBean or Land's End tote with color handles, a nice pair of sandals, a pair of sport sandals . )

Suz, if it will help, I have a very simple core wardrobe:

Summer:
- Slim crops (mostly in dark colors)
- sandals
- long - at least hipbone-length! - fitted tanks (mostly white, black, or gray)

Winter:
- Dark jeans
- boots
- tunic-length fitted long-sleeved shirts in white (mostly)
- tunic-length sweater
- trench-length coat

My spring and fall is a mash of the above.

The tabbed items above are my core because almost everything else I own either swaps out for one piece (I might wear a pair of purple crops in summer), or goes over it (my linen drapey pieces in summer, or my cashmere cowlnecks in winter). These core pieces form the foundation of my wardrobe.

There's no need to feel frozen. The pieces you wear the most are your core. Now you just need the swapping/layering bits.

There has been a lot said here already, and I didn't read every word on the thread, so I hope I'm not beating a dead horse...

On reconciling modern and retro elements: I think it would help to maybe do a freewrite or cluster on "modern" and "retro" and see what shakes loose. To me, those are both vague terms that I don't personally find helpful when dressing. You might find elements of some modern and retro looks that overlap (straight lines of architectural jackets and art deco, for example), and then you might be able to focus on those elements. The Past covers a lot of time... even narrowing down to a decade might help.

On having a core: Others have said that you do have a core, and I agree. BUT maybe what you are lacking is a "mental" core - a unifying idea that helps center you and that informs all your choices? Like... if you were a character in a story, what would you be? I clearly think of myself as a Science Fiction Tomboy, out fixing spaceships and fighting robot armies. That little Rae story usually helps me a lot... maybe it would help you, too, since you have the writing gene in you.

I'm a little late to this party, but I just want to echo Gaylene and encourage you to maybe take a step back and just play with your clothes for a while, Suz. I know how frustrating it is to feel like the "perfect" wardrobe is just out of reach (I've been struggling with this feeling myself this year), but there is real value in letting the situation lay fallow for a while.

Like you (and I think this is an occupational hazard of being a writer), I tend to spend a lot of time thinking about and analyzing my wardrobe, but I'm also learning that all this "thinking" can sometimes override the pleasure of getting dressed/building a wardrobe....and even cloud my judgement. Thinking and analyzing is fine....to a point. But what really helps me understand the current state of my wardrobe is getting everything out of my closet, trying on a bunch of outfits in front of the mirror, and making some notes about what is working and what isn't.

You actually do have a core wardrobe...and a very distinctive modern classic/arty/retro style. Like Angie said, your essentials are your core, and by adding some standout pieces to these core pieces you'll eventually arrive at the fabulous wardrobe you crave.

I so understand the frustration you're feeling....you crave perfection (like any artist) and it always seems just out of grasp. But you are closer than you think, Suz.

Another fascinating thread Suz! Before I go get another cup of coffee so I can properly enjoy all the comments I will give you a couple of thoughts.
I think you have a variety of needs - motg and public appearance don't require the same clothes. Are you looking for a core that ties these things together? Do you mean a identifiable style that carries you from the school yard to the front of the auditorium to meetings, etc.?
I am drawn to both retro and avant garde also. Once Angie said something like my outfit was both Nanette Lepore and Helmut Lang and I was tickled pink (and still keep that image in mind). So there is such a thing!

Suz; I hear you on not finding tops you really love and the frustration over length/proportion of various jackets when combined with other items of clothing. In my search for interesting cuts of jackets, I (finally!) figured out that generally, crisp shirts don't work under soft/drapey/artsy knit jackets/toppers; they need more structured ones. Oops! Since I am not willing to give up either crisp shirts (just bought a few) and love the reversible double knit peplum jacket I just bought, I will need a somewhat larger wardrobe of tops than I would prefer.

Hi Suz --

So much good stuff from folks! Too bad some advice contradicts with other thoughts or you could implement them all at once....

Whether or not you are meeting your own style goals, you *look* put together, and to we popcorn-eaters you seem to have coherence visually. So hey, there's that, right?

You seem to have a LOT of WFH/parenting/smart casual outfit-making power with your current wardrobe. Do you?

Yes or no, I'm with Shiny on stepping away from looking for/upgrading the super-versatile workhorses and focusing on your "Work Appearances/Events" shopping.

For one thing it *is* more fun, for another you don't have much time til you're "on," for a third it's part of your branding, and for a forth I agree with her that a lot of those "special" items have a way of working into our regular outfits.

Maybe buy with an eye to that, but don't make it a requirement?

Also: I think for most of us it's totally normal to have lots of not-quite-right, make-do items while we figure stuff out. I still have 'em 5/6 years since starting over.

And of course it's annoying to want to put X with Y but not have it work out, and if only we had X +/- something we'd be set!

But we don't, because it hasn't turned up yet or we spent the money on some other wardrobe item. Trust me, I would love to have a black jacket for every season and every dress/separate I own -- bonus if they are all "ideal" and reflections of my multiple style leanings.

[My poor little Persnickety Bohemian, never getting black jackets worked into her occasional ensembles!]

You mention perfectionist tendencies, and I hate to tell you your wardrobe is always going to challenge those. Something will always be lacking, or boring you, or wearing out/busting right when you need it.

So hold tight as you continue to hone your style!

ps I also really like the advice and your agreement about focusing on coming up with (via your closet or smart purchases) outfits you feel are high scorers.

Suz, I'm not sure whether to feel joy or pity for you in you saying you're more like me than you suppose. And of course, totally flattered. If I may, I'm going to state from experience that this sort of intense flailing has always come right before a breakthrough moment for me. In other words, flail to the point of exhaustion, feel like giving up, take a wee break, and find myself on the other side of some supposedly insurmountable step in my fashion journey.

I still consider myself a struggling newbie in a lot of ways - I have far more failures than successes. But I can't tell you how much I love the company I get to keep on this journey here at YLF.

You are on the verge of a breakthrough, girl - just ride it out.

I will say that taking a break from YLF, and shopping less (4x's a year) helped me a lot. However, I took that break at the point where I felt like I had clothes for every possible occasion. Not every item was my ideal, but I was covered. The break helped me figure out a few things, including which make-do items were worth upgrading. And what I was really wearing, because I gave myself permission to not think too hard about coming up with new and different outfits every day. I often reached for the same tried-and-true outfits; if I'd cont'd posting WiW's on YLF, you'd have seen the same outfits over and over. Our lifestyle is such that I could easily wear the same exact outfit 7x's in a week and nobody but the hubby and I would be the wiser, since I see different people each day.

Over time, I realized I wasn't wearing everything, and asked myself why I wasn't wearing certain items. I will admit a lot of these items were ones that YLF raved about, and in the photos yes they look great, but there's something just not "me" about them. I gave myself permission to release them. It doesn't matter what you all think about my outfit -- it only matters what I think about it, and how I feel in it. I think this is how we learn what is "core" to our style.

Also I gave myself permission to wear the outfits and items that make me feel like a zillion bucks -- even if it doesn't quite fit with the occasion. This is how I wound up gravitating towards dresses. I used to think, Everyone else is wearing jeans, I can't possibly wear a dress. Everyone else is wearing sneakers, I can't possibly wear animal print pumps. People at work don't wear suits, I better wear a cardigan with these dress slacks. But, I've wasted too much of my life and emotional energy trying to find a way to look and feel right in casual clothes, and I never really do. Again, this is about how I feel more than how I look. So, forget that!

When all the other moms moved their daughter into college recently, they were wearing comfortable sneakers, shorts, and tees... quite practical. Or wearing boho looks since her college town is quite boho. Boho is the last word I'd used to describe my own style. So, I was wearing that navy Theory dress... possibly not as practical, definitely not boho, but I felt like "me"...

When you pay more attention to how you feel than how you look, you are also apt to choose the clothes that are most physically comfortable. You shed any shoes that hurt your feet -- no matter how on trend, they aren't worth it. And I went for a long time living in black ponte knit skinnies rather than denim, simply because they are way more comfortable. And I gravitated towards dresses that didn't have waistbands because they are so forgiving. I love the idea of BF jeans because I imagine they are super comfortable, but emotionally I don't think I'd feel quite right in them, too casual of a look for me. See how "feel" can be a strong pointer to your core items?

Nothing really to add to this thread, but I have really enjoyed reading it, and oh, how I love hearing from Shiny on the forum again!!

Suz, I don't have anything to add, except to say that I understand what you're trying to figure out. I was just expressing my own level of cluelessness, lol, about what constitutes a wardrobe "core." Angie's post really helped clarify things for me.