We’ve all had fashion lapses in judgment. You know what I mean. Those items that seemed like great ideas at the time, or where the prices were just too darn good to pass up, despite the fact that you couldn’t figure out a place on the planet where you could ever wear them. Closets are filled with these items and, instead of being useful, all they really do is conjure up feelings of regret and guilt as they stare back at you, price tags still attached. What do you do with the clothes you have no idea what to do with?
To err is human. However, in this week’s One Item, Five Fashionable Ways, I want to give you my tips on what to do with the fashion items you own but have no idea what to do with. Between some styling ideas and tips for avoiding these mistakes in the future, perhaps your closet will be filled with less guilt and more glee. Okay…side note, how lame was that? Less guilt and more glee? I’m pathetic.
Moving on…
Your mistake is trying to tell you something
Fashion mistakes have a strange usefulness. You may not wear them but they can still be great informers of some underlying issues. When we purchase something impractical it’s often because we’ve been restricting ourselves from having fun with our clothes. It could be that all your smart, safe purchases have bored you to tears for so long that you’re just trying to have a little fun. Now, I’m all for a practical and results driven wardrobe. However, this does not mean I don’t thoroughly enjoy what I purchase. The goal is balance. What is the saying? “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Well, too much of seriousness and not enough play makes Jane a dull dressed girl.
I’ve met many clients who have had ridiculously boring wardrobes when they started working with me. Yet, way in the back of their closets I would always find a few wacky pieces that didn’t have any relationship to the rest of their wardrobes. When I would question them about these purchases (which they rarely to never wore) they explained to me that it was their attempts to try something different. The problem, however, because their boredom with their wardrobe went on for so long, when they did finally step out they stepped out too far. For them, their impractical fashion mistake were trying to tell them something– that they’re craving different. If they had addressed it sooner the impractical purchase might not have been so impractical.
This is who I am!
Items that we buy and have no idea what to do with are great indicators of what we are drawn to and can be an instinctive message to you as to what your style truly is. While the execution may be wrong the message is usually quite clear. For example, you may have purchased a hot pink pair of 6″ platforms that you have nowhere to wear. But if you look deeper at the item and ask yourself what drew you to those shoes in the first place you may learn a few things about your style and what you really want. Maybe your style is bolder and more outgoing than you thought? Perhaps you are looking for more color from your wardrobe? For me, when a client purchases items that they have no business owning, I always look at the intention behind the purchase and look for the reasons why they bought it in the first place. There are always hidden messages in our wardrobe mistakes.
What to do with those impractical purchases
Without a doubt, some impractical purchases belong on the donation heap. However, another big problem I often see is it’s not that the purchase was a mistake it’s simply that the piece is so out of their comfort zone and normal realm of typical style that they haven’t yet learned how to style it. Sure, it’s easy to know what to do with the umpteenth pair of black pants, but what about that spangly top that felt like fun that you now that you own it you don’t know what to do with it? Just because you’re not wearing something does not mean it doesn’t belong in your wardrobe.
One tip I can give you about this is to assimilate it into your wardrobe slowly, sort of like when you buy a fish from the pet store and you need to drop the bag into the fish tank so the fish can swim out and get used to the new water. Impractical purchases are usually a bit more funky and are assimilated well into wardrobe when they are paired with more classic items. So, for example, if you bought a crazy and funky blazer that seems way out of your comfort zone, start out by pairing it with your more classic items that you feel more comfortable wearing.
For the sake of this approach, I chose a pair of leopard pants from Mango that look like they would be a lot of fun but would have many women stumped on what to do with once they got them home. Take a look at the ways I styled it to get further advice on how to assimilate something impractical to being more practical.
With a satin finish, these pants have a dressy feel that have a range of options, if you can believe it. In this outfit, what I wanted to create was an elegantly casual look, for something that you can wear to a friend’s party or out to dinner. I styled these pants with a keyhole top by French Connection and a relaxed cardigan from Modcloth. To give this outfit some understated elegance, I added a red suede ballerina flat by Franco Sarto, a long necklace from Stella & Dot, bracelet by Blu Bijoux and clutch by Ivanka.
Look #2
When we go out in the evenings a typical outfit is to wear a dressy top with jeans. With these pants, I changed up the look so that the top is more basic and the pants more novel. The top is from Zara and looks edgy with these Nine West booties. The outfit is simply finished with a pair of Blee Inara earrings a Furla handbag and Kanupriya cuff bracelet.
Look #3-
The beauty of leopard is that it can be styled with camel, brown or black. For a rich look, I styled these pants with a Max Studio sweater (that can be styled with anything underneath it. Think turtleneck or cami or even button down), a black Banana Republic scarf, the same earrings as the last look, a pair of metallic and nude suede ballerina flats from MICHAEL Michael Kors. For a bag, I loved this versatile bag from Vince Camuto.
Look #4-
Using the same cardigan as in the first outfit, I upped the dressiness of the outfit simply by adding this embellished camel Reiss t-shirt underneath that I belted with a belt by Belgo Lux. The rest of the outfit is styled using items used in previous looks.
Look #5-
To add some rich color, and for a dressy, casual look, I styled these pants with a burgundy tunic from Modcloth. The outfit is sophisticated with gold and tan accents, all which were used previously.
Remember, even of the most impractical items can be practical in your wardrobe…as long as you know what to do with them.
