Archive for the 'Recessionista' Category

I fly home for the holidays in 48 hours, and do you know what I’m currently doing? …Drinking coffee in slow-mo and staring at my empty suitcase (procrastinate much?) and a huge pile of laundry (whoops), because I have NO idea what to pack to brave the tundra for 2 weeks.  I feel like my closet is now brimming with white booty shorts, tank tops and flip flops, and I have lost track of all my cold-weather-wardrobe.  Or maybe Gus ate it.

It’s times like these where I feel pressured to go shopping and buy a bunch of new crap… but if I’m being financially responsible, I know I can (and should) work with what I’ve got.  Sometimes that seems daunting, but this is where the Mothership comes in…  I know we ALL use Pinterest for a gaggle of different things, but sometimes it has a sneaky way of making you feel really terrible about yourself… like you are a Frumpy McFrumperson and HAVE to buy everything you just pinned in order to keep up with the Joneses, Smiths & Supermodels of the universe… and that sucks.  (PS, I’m certain none of the chicks in the pictures I pin have eaten since 2002.)  But Pinterest can also be great for helping you rework what you already have in your wardrobe.  For instance…  every time I look at an outfit I’ve pinned and loved, if I break down the anatomy of that get-up, I realize that it’s really just a bunch of staples I actually already own – I’d just never thought to put them together that way before.  Here are the ensembles that are helping me pack:

ALL BLACK | CAMEL COAT | AVIATORS

BLACK TURTLENECK | DARK DENIM | FLATS

BLACK BLAZER | BOYFRIEND JEANS | STILHETTOS

OVERSIZED SCARF | DAD’S OLD SWEATER | DAD’S OLD PLAID SHIRT | WAYFARERS | SKINNY JEANS | POUCH

OVERSIZED SCARF | WHITE UNDERSHIRT | BLACK BLAZER | SKINNY JEANS | KITTEN HEELS | WAYFARERS

SEQUIN MINI | BLACK TIGHTS | ANY ‘OL SWEATER

DAD’S PLAID SHIRT | BOYFRIEND JEANS | STILHETTOS

CAMEL SWEATER | DARK SKINNIES | LEATHER JACKET | WOOL SCARF

SILK BLOUSE | STATEMENT NECKLACE | BLACK PANTS

THIN, EASY V-NECK | LAYERED NECKLACES | BOYFRIEND JEANS (OR ARE THESE FROM YOUR MOM’S CLOSET?  LET’S BE HONEST.)

STRIPED SHIRT | PLAID SCARF | CAMEL COAT | SKINNY JEANS

FLOUNCY SWEATER | CREAM DENIM

Now.  If you’ll excuse me, I have to use this list to go pack so that when I get home, I can leave all these things neatly tucked in my suitcase and live in my sweatpants for 2 weeks while I eat Pizza King, merrily stare at our tree and watch the Hallmark Channel.

Nonetheless – hopefully this helps get your wheels turning and helps you shake up what’s already in your closet… it’s like the wardrobe equivalent of rearranging furniture – you didn’t buy anything new, but it helps you feel like you did and keeps things fresh.  We love to tell you what to shop for and post wish lists & gift guides & such, but the truth is that we also all have bills to pay and people to buy gifts for. And if nothing else, can I pass along these wise words that my step-dad used to always say to me when I was in high school?

“It’s not the clothes you wear, it’s how you wear ’em.”

Keep that in mind… that ease and confidence are the most important things you can wear.  And that material things aren’t really all that important.  That phrase has always stuck with me.  (Thanks Big Dave!)

xoxo,