It's Good to Love Your Wardrobe

I need to occasionally to break up the seriousness of my political posts with fun stuff about fluffy topics, and one of them is personal style. My fashion posts tend to be about cleaning my closet, learning my best looks, and defining my own style. Today I want to talk about putting those concepts to work.

I spent a lot of time in the past few years reading and listening to the personal style experts. I learned how to create a wardrobe that makes me happy. I know what shapes and styles and colors flatter me. I know more about how to make my clothes work for me and work with each other. I can walk into my closet and wonder what to wear - not because I have "nothing to wear" but because I like everything in my wardrobe. I have too many good choices and endless outfit options. I define my style in a few words: feminine, tailored, playful. Everything I own reflects that.

This past weekend Kevin and I went out to the opera and I wanted to wear something special. As I planned my outfit I realized almost everything I was wearing had a story. Everything was special. Everything was useful. Everything had a place in my wardrobe. I want to explain it here.

This night I leaned into the feminine and playful side. As I put the outfit together, I realized how much each piece of clothing was special. I understand now how much of myself comes through in the things I choose to wear. Putting together the outfit was fun.

I take a chunk of my inspiration from artist, writer, and influencer Jenny Walton. When it comes to being feminine and playful, she is the queen. She has an extensive wardrobe of fun and quirky pieces that can be classic one day and funky another. I wouldn't look good in many of her outfits (I don't have her slender body) and not everything she owns is my taste, but I understand her philosophy. She is the epitome of having fun with one's wardrobe. She mixes high end designer pieces with the cheap trendy stuff and a good dose of vintage. She will scan places like Poshmark to find that perfect quirky vintage piece. That's the kind of wardrobe treasure hunting I want to be better at.

So this is what I wore to the opera.

The showcase piece in this outfit is the skirt. This is one of those pieces I managed to find while scrolling through Poshmark for the perfect quirky piece at a reasonable price. It's a vintage duipioni silk skirt with a unique beaded fringe around the bottom. By some miracle it was even in a petite size. The skirt has to be at least twenty years old (that's how Poshmark defines vintage) but the condition is excellent. There are some snags in the silk that are visible up close, but the beading held up remarkably well over the years. This skirt looks great with sweaters and blouses and can even be dressed down with t-shirts in warmer weather.  

The sweater is also vintage, but I bought it new. It has lived in my wardrobe for twenty years. I bought it at Siren Boutique. For those of you not in my immediate circle, Siren Boutique is a quirky clothing and jewelry store in my neighborhood, owned by an old dear childhood friend of mine. She always had artistic ambitions, a funky sense of style, and extroverted personality. The store embodies all she is. The store opened over twenty years ago and I bought the sweater in its early years. I remember admiring the sweater in the store and my friend agreed it was "yummy". This ruffled cashmere cardigan is warm, cozy, and more versatile than I even imagined when I bought it. The sweater can dress up a pair of jeans, but can also add a warm layer to a sleeveless dressy dress.

I bought my earrings at the Bryant Park Holiday Market this fall. I was strolling through there on my lunch hour (I ended my annual tradition of eating lunch at all the food kiosk after one of those booths gave me food poisoning last year), with the intention of merely browsing and possibly finding some holiday gifts. I came across a particular jewelry vendor and a few pieces caught my eye. I spotted these earrings and couldn't resist trying them on. They looked so good I had to buy them. The abstract spirals mirrored the shape of my curly hair. They were meant for me. They were an impulse buy, but often my impulse buys are my favorite items.

I have to mention my camisole and boots because they are examples of solid, foundational wardrobe staples. The camisole is from Lilysilk. It's a great layering piece under blazers and cardigans, but it also has wide, bra-friendly, straps so I can wear it on hot days on its own. The boots are a basic pair from Zappos, but black knee boots are essential for me in the winter so I can wear skirts on cold days. 

Let's move on to outerwear.

My blue coat (not quite visible in the photos) was the opposite of an impulse buy. On most winter days I wear a long, black, down parka. However, I wanted a warm coat for dressy nights out. One of my favorite petite YouTube fashion channels recommended the J. Crew Lady Day coat. I loved the coat. It came in petite sizes and a beautiful selection of colors. Unfortunately, the cost made me balk. I decided to wait until the end of the season and see if it would go on sale. It did go on sale, but unfortunately my size and my preferred colors were all sold out. I decided to make an effort to budget for it in the next season and I would buy my favorite color. I made it happen.

My scarf is the only thing I bought for myself (that wasn't edible) during my 2010 trip to Paris. I bought it in a touristy gift shop and I'm sure it wasn't locally made. I still love it, continue to make good use of it, and always associate it with Paris.

You can't see them in the photos, but I wore these mittens I bought from my 2019 trip to Iceland. They were from the Icelandic Handknitters Association store in Reykjavik. I love their uniqueness and their association with a happy family trip.

So now you are saying to yourself, "What's the point, Rachel? You're bragging about all the places you have been and all the stuff you bought and how much money you spent. You're not a fashion blogger. Why do you need to talk about this?"

I want everyone to have a feel for what it's like to love your clothes.

I want people to understand you are allowed to feel joy in putting together the perfect outfit. 

You should never feel bad about buying beautiful things you love and putting them to good use. I want all my readers to find things that have a story to them. I also encourage you to find some wardrobe workhorses such as basic layering pieces and shoes that will serve you in many types of outfits. We are taught to feel shame about investing in looking good (that's a subject for another post). 

Learn to love your clothes and take some joy in wearing them. You can find beauty in your closet.