The oh-what-to-wear dilemma is one that I have often, even though it can never be said of me that I don't have enough clothes. Even with all of the stuff that is out of season or in the laundry basket or doesn't fit, I still have plenty. But lately I found myself scrambling to leave on time in the morning, and therefore just grabbing whatever was handy and sorta matched. This meant a lot of pants, boring shirts and random sandals or flats. There was no "style" involved. Even my outfit yesterday, which involved a modicum of thought (light-wash wide-leg jeans with a blush colored tank and a big grey-green cardigan that is perfect for summer coolness beause the breeze blows right through it, but it also keeps me warm, since I work in a fridge) didn't have that extra oomph factor because I didn't even try with regard to anything else. My hair, a flat, just-washed mess that got slightly frizzy. My face, no make-up, not even lipstick, and I'm usually a girl that remembers the lipstick. And it struck me, with some horror, that I looked blah, and sort of dowdy, and if I had run into an ex or basically, anyone I was trying to impress, I would have run in the other direction.
The realization I had was this: how I looked was not representative of me, or how I want to appear to the world. And that's important, even if you pooh-pooh fashion. And I haven't been in the greatest of moods lately and I do think, as silly as it sounds, that dressing like I'm a soccer mom shuttling 5 kids to school and practice everyday (no disrespect to moms, but when you have no time to dress, you have no time to dress) isn't helping matters. I am not wrangling a brood to various activities, so I have no such excuse. I was just being lazy.
So today I made an effort, which is to say I'm dressed like a French schoolgirl, which is probably not age-appropriate but is a heck of a lot better than just pants and some shirt. And I am wearing the awesomest oxfords ever, and polka-dot happy socks, and I actually did something with my hair, and I feel pretty, which is important. I was validated by the construction dudes on my block going out of their way to say hello and good morning.
And it occurred to me that the schoolgirl thing is just part of what I do; its uniform quality appeals to me. And I wondered how that could ever possibly be done in enough of a grown-up way so that I don't look like I'm 16. A friend had donated her Net-A-Porter Fall/Winter magazine/catalog to me, and as I browsed through it on the subway, I saw Giulietta. And I realized it can be done.
Perfect tailoring is a must. Basic shapes also. I was really, really impressed with the clothes. Out of my price range? Definitely. But a great inspiration for fall, and for working with what I already have to create something similar. Here's what Net-A-Porter has to offer from Giulietta:
Basically, I love all of it. :) That's the woman I want to look like. Here's to that.