What Have They Got That I Haven't Got?

The longer I stayed in Sweden the more apparent it became. There was a certain element of style the Swedish had that Americans had long ago abandoned. What was it? I'll tell you in just a moment.

But first, let me recap the lessons that I had thus far so painfully learned:

#1) Style is not about owning a large quantity of clothes.

#2) Style is not about wearing all the latest fads.

#3) You can't throw a suitcase/closetful of mis-matched clothes together and expect an outfit to appear like magic. Well...I suppose it is possible...chimps typing on typewriters will eventually produce a line of Shakespeare...but you get my point.

#4) There is a difference between truly having style and merely being "in style".

And now back to our regularly scheduled program:
Ok, so here's what I began to notice. The Swedish girls DID NOT own large amounts of clothes. In fact, they owned a relatively small amount. They were also really picky about what they chose to wear. They wore each article of clothing often, but never when it was dirty or wrinkled. By the years' end I knew the contents of most of my classmates' closets by heart...or if not by heart, I recognized most of what they wore. They knew the secret to managing a stylish wardrobe was... less is more. This is such an important point that I will just have to elaborate upon it at a later date.

Tomorrow, however, I'd like to answer questions that have been addressed to me both here and elsewhere. If you have a question, please ask, and I'll try to respond. I'll see you tomorrow.

(Or if you can't wait that long, please visit my website on wardrobe planning for more information.)