The Closet Coach

1. With Fashion week just around the corner, we are all beginning to focus on the upcoming trends for fall. But what about the trends hitting stores now? What are you coveting?

After a bit of a spendy fall, I’ve actually put the brakes on my shopping for the time being. (No spending at all in January, if you can believe that!) So I’ve tried to remain somewhat blissfully ignorant about what’s in the stores at the moment.

But once the groundhog sees his shadow and I catch spring fever again, I think I’ll be working some Tangerine Tango into my wardrobe. It feels fresh and unexpected.

2. How do you incorporate new trends into your wardrobe?

The same way I incorporate any new piece into my wardrobe: I try to look for garments that complement something I already own, replace it or fill a gap.

3. What trend are you seeing and not loving?

There seems to be a lot of heavy use of lace in some of the spring collections, as well as very transparent or sheer tops. I don’t really see myself in either of these trends!

4. Do you feel the pressure to constantly update your closet with the latest trends?

Pressure? No. Temptation? Of course! We all like the shiny new toy, don’t we?

5. Where do you find inspiration that takes the trend and makes it accessible to you and your personal taste?

A little bit of everywhere: fashion magazines, other style bloggers and my own imagination.

One of the things I talked about in my series The 5 Levels of Working Mom Outfits was how to transition from one outfit level to another.

Often many of the pieces are the same; the difference is in accessories, or shoes, or one garment.

In the next two outfit posts I’m going to show you how this works by starting with a Level 3/Casual Friday outfit and then bumping it up to a Level 4/Client Meeting.

(Those are the levels for my workplace, anyway; you might consider these two outfits a Level 2/Weekend Chic and Level 3/Casual Friday. Either way, they differ by a level of dressiness–as you’ll see.)

We got our first dusting of snow for the season (thus the indoor photography), so I turned to layers once again. Because it’s apparently my new theme, the bottom layer was a turtleneck.

I wondered what it would look like topped with the vest I got last summer, so I added that. I could’ve gone the 3-piece suit route and added a blazer, but I thought a denim shirt might be interesting instead.

And what works better with denim than brown corduroy? (Peeking through at the waistline is a red belt, not brown; I was inspired by the way Allie recently wore an orange belt with black and tan.)

The final two pieces that make this outfit a Level 3 to me instead of a Level 2 are the flowing animal print scarf (which I slip-knotted to make a sort of cravat for my menswear-inspired vest) and the pointed-toe heeled boots.

Take the scarf off and put on flats and it would definitely be a more casual outfit, don’t you think?

Turtleneck: Lands End (similar, Three Dots, $55).
Vest: H&M (similar, Coldwater Creek, on sale for $20).
Denim shirt: Old Navy (similar, $78, Zappos).
Corduroy pants: J. Brand (similar, 612 Corduroy Pencil Leg, $172).
Boots: DSW (similar, Bandolino, $76).
Scarf: JCPenney (similar, Nine West, $24).
Outfit level: 3

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Over the years, I’ve collected a small library of style and fashion books.

They range from the whimsical to the practical, with a bit of memoir in between.

Two that have been sitting on the shelf since said shelf was made from milk crates and plywood in the corner of an apartment were by Real Simple: “Chic Simple Women’s Wardrobe” and “Chic Simple What Should I Wear?”

I’ve had them so long they were published when Bill Clinton was president.

I’ve had them so long, in fact, I’d forgotten I owned them.

So it was a bit of a revelation to look through them again after a decade or more.

One of them held up remarkably well, and the other was clearly dated.

“Chic Simple Women’s Wardrobe”  focused on the concepts behind dressing well: silhouette, proportion, quality, cut, fit. Sure, many of the specific garments photographed as examples were clearly from the ‘90s, but the content was still right on target.

“Chic Simple What Should I Wear?” focused on the clothes themselves, giving specific examples of what you should buy and wear. From the copy to the photos, it was all a mid-’90s time capsule.

So how do you avoid having a wardrobe that looks like something from a time capsule in 5, 10, 15 years?

• Go back to the timeless classics.
• Look for flattering silhouettes and proportions.
• Choose the best cut and quality you can afford.
• Make sure it fits (and get it tailored if it doesn’t).

You won’t be able to help buying a trend or two along the way, but when those trends return (and they almost always do), your previously purchased clothes won’t be dated. They’ll be vintage.

I may have set a new speed record for the photo shoot for this outfit; it was 28 degrees outside on a Sunday morning when I rushed out, sans coat, and tried to find a spot with some sun to stand in.

This outfit was inspired by an article I read in a back issue of InStyle magazine on menswear. They were giving advice on how to wear such items as a shirtdress or long dress shirt.

The inspiration outfit paired a long shirt with a skirt, so I pulled out this electric blue collared tunic I recently bought and matched it up with a black and white patterned skirt.

Since I’m on a roll with turtlenecks, I naturally wore one underneath. (Also: 28 degrees.)

As for the tights, I remembered I had a pair in almost the identical blue color. But they were also a more sheer weight, not warm enough by themselves. Sudden brain storm: why not wear them under an equally lightweight pair of black patterned tights?

For the shoes, I could have worn my black knee-high leather boots. Again. Instead I chose what I call my Eiffel tower shoes; the cutout on the instep reminds me of the Paris landmark. (They also feel a bit Downton Abbey, right?)

The final piece was a simple long silvertone pendant on a black silk cord from Express that I’ve had for ages and ages, possibly even decades. A look this minimalist never gets dated.

Turtleneck: Mossimo ($12.99, Target).
Tunic top: Calvin Klein (vaguely similar, $74, J Jill).
Skirt: LOFT (similar, $49.99 on sale, Ann Taylor).
Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Plush Weave ($109.99, Zappos).
Necklace: Express (similar, $64.99 on sale, Calvin Klein).
Outfit level: 4

[Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links.]

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Thanks for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)

• On the body, lite version. Don’t like the way this shade of orange looks when worn close to the face? Try a skirt, mixed with other neutral pieces you already own, such as earth tones or even black and white. Wear it as part of a print or stripes, rather than a solid. Or go for the most subtle use: nail polish.
• On the body, full volume. Can you rock some orange? Go for it! Try blouses, sweaters, dresses–even a blazer.
• As an accent. Don’t want to go as far as a wardrobe piece? Think accessories: handbag, scarf, belt or shoes. Even a hint of tangerine will pop against the palette you’re wearing.