A Lesson in Silhouette for Men and Women

Very recently here at The Very Small Closet, I shared with you how silhouettes in fashion tend to change slowly, but once they've changed, the new look becomes pervasive.

At first, a new trend sticks out. It might look really odd, and often it has the effect of making someone look disproportionate. This is because our eye is accustomed to traveling over the lines of an outfit in a certain way. (This is true for anything, by the way: cars, buildings, even people's faces.) Introduce a new silhouette, and our eye gets "stuck" on the differences. A great example of this is the low-rise jean. High-rise pants were supposed to give you the illusion of longer legs. The lower rise, when introduced, had the effect of making everyone's legs look shorter. At first. As the trend took over and the silhouette changed, it was the new look which had figure-enhancing benefits. Essentially, the focal point of the silhouette shifted from waist to hips. For women, an hourglass figure has always been the goal: but now instead of defining a small waist, the lower rise defined the hips...which then made the waist look smaller by comparison.

Even though a new trend may have completely taken over, it still can take some time before the older look becomes "dated." But once it is, you can absolutely see how silhouette defines an era in fashion.

Check out this video for a good example of what I am talking about. See if you can spot the changes in silhouette...among other things....:

Next time I will talk a bit about how to recognize a quality garment. See you then...same blog time...same blog channel....

For more adventures in Wardrobe Planning, join me at my website!

Wardrobe Planning

Over the past weeks I've posted on any number of topics related to clothing and style. But one thing I haven't yet done is talk about the difference between style development and wardrobe planning.

Style development is what most image consultants focus on. It encompasses figuring out your personal style expression and also learning what colors and silhouettes look the best on you. It covers knowing what hairstyles and makeup will complement you the most. Developing your style takes time and a great deal of insight into who you are and how you want to present yourself.

But even if you have an amazing sense of style, it still doesn't mean that you will look good day-to-day. You need to take the next step --wardrobe planning -- to build that fantasic wardrobe that will showcase that amazing style of yours.

So, what is wardrobe planning, exactly? It is:

1. Strategically translating your style to your closet.

2. Ensuring that all the garments in your wardrobe are ready to wear and are in rotation to be worn at some point this season.

3. Planning out all the elements of an outfit in advance so that you never have to wonder whether one article of clothing looks good with another.

4. Reviewing your wardrobe each season to decide what will stay and what will get replaced so that your wardrobe remains up-to-date.

5. Caring for your clothing so that everything stays in the best possible shape for the longest time possible.

6.Being aware of current trends so you can decide if and how you wish to incorporate them into your existing wardrobe.

7. Continuing to make sure that the image you present to the world is consonant with who you are and where you are going.

8. Dedicating yourself to improving the quality of your wardrobe over time.

While I think that style development is tons of fun, I think that developing a wardrobe plan is even more exciting. I'm a systems kind of person, and wardrobe planning is all about putting in place a working system.

Next time I'll discuss common misconceptions about quality clothing. See you then...same blog time...same blog channel....

Tuesday Q & A: Suits

Today I'm going to concentrate on a question asked by Matt Shields.

Matt asks: "What should a guy look for in a suit that will be "in style" for years to come??? Are there any new changes we should look for?"

Jennifer responds: This is a great question, Matt, as a good suit is an investment that will last you years if properly cared for.

To begin with, let's look at the first part of your question. Even before talking about the style of the suit, let's talk about fabric. In my opinion, the best fabric to choose would be a wool gabardine. Gabardine has excellent drape, and can be worn year-round. Look for a thread count (Super) in the low hundreds. Higher numbers are not as durable, and you will end up needing to replace your suits more often. Lower numbers just won't have the same feel that you would expect in a quality suit.

Next, let's talk about fit. If you are serious about your suits, I can't urge you strongly enough to get yourself properly measured. Don't guess your measurements, and don't go off of last year's measurements, either. Your body will change shape, however slightly, over time. Make sure you are buying a suit that will fit you TODAY. (And find yourself an awesome tailor, as well. They are hard to find, but oh-so worth it.)

Three other things to make sure of in order to avoid a fit faux pas: the hem of your trousers should reach your shoes and break once; your jacket sleeve should reach the first knuckle of your thumb, exposing a half-inch of your shirt cuff; and the shoulders of your jacket should align with your natural shoulder line. These three fit points are very obvious when they are "off", so pay extra attention to them.

Now, for style. The oversized suit has had its day, and the current trend is an overall slimmer silhouette. Look for narrow lapels, slim pants, and shoulders cut with very little padding. I've heard that gray is in as a neutral, and that there will be some more daring bright colors showing up, as well. But if we are talking style for the long-term, I'd say avoid the brights unless they completely fit your brand image. Color is one element that can easily look dated.

I hope you found this helpful, Matt...and all you fellas following my blog. See you back here again next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

(For more information on wardrobe planning, please stop by my website.)

Instant Makeover Failure

So many people watch the plethera of makeover shows on TV and say to themselves, "Oh, if only I had a super-famous makeover artist make me over then I could finally look fabulous, too!" We are so envious of these makeover recipients because we think that they have been given the answer to all their style woes...and we want the same magical answer for ourselves.

But the truth is, not long after that super-famous makeover artist makes over those lucky individuals, all but a small percentage will be back to looking the way they always looked, dressing the way they always dressed, styling their hair the way they always styled their hair, and going about their lives in exactly the same way as before.

Why is it that, even after being "fixed" by the industry's top professionals, these people cannot maintain their new looks?

There are several reasons for this.

The first is the problem of dissonance...the new style is so different from their previous look that it is not within their comfort zone to truly maintain. And if you are not comfortable in your clothes you will not continue to wear them.

Another reason is that true style is cultivated over time, and is based in a large part on personality. A stylist in these makeover situations hardly has the time to develop a relationship with the person he or she is dressing--or the the time to help them develop a style and build a wardrobe, rather than just the one look created for the camera.

And the third reason is the problem of habit...it takes time to make changes in your routine. If you try to change too much all at once, nothing will stick.

Your wardrobe is a reflection of many thoughts and decisions and experiences. If you try to make yourself over in one fell swoop, you will not succeed. Develop the image of how you want to present yourself to the world, and then work on becoming that person one step at a time. Integrate the new aspects into the old.

And consider that you are always a work in progress...which is a really exciting thing to be.

In the next post I'll continue with this idea and tie it into how we make mistakes buying too many new clothes at once. See you then...same blog time...same blog channel...

Jennifer Skinner, Wardrobe Planning Expert

Style Persona -- From the Outside In

Too many people approach the idea of a style persona from the wrong angle. They think of how they want to express themselves without thinking about how others will perceive them. Truthfully, there are things that we wear --colors, styles, combinations and quality -- that have a specific message. Think pink. With ruffles. What comes to mind? How about a long broomstick-style tie-dye skirt? Jeans, workboots, and a plaid shirt? Short shorts, heels, and a tube-top? Unless you are clued-in about the messages you are sending with your clothes, trying to figure out your style persona is a shot in the dark.

I know that many will be up-in-arms about this suggestion, but I say: Start with how you want others to see you, then choose a style persona that works towards this end. What attributes do you want people to imagine you have? Conservative, timeless, professional -- "Classic". Unpretentious, earthy, low-maintnenance -- "Natural". Sleek, sophisticated, urban -- "Modernist". Traditional, feminine, nostalgic -- "Romantic". You could also be a "Trendy", "Bohemian", or "Artistic" dresser. Some people will be a mix of two or three -- but keeping the focus mostly on one "archetype" makes your message that much stronger.

Once you've got your focus, THEN start to figure out how you will personalize this look. Don't try to go the other way around.

Tomorrow we'll look at what the clothes in your closet have to say about you. See you then...same blog time...same blog channel...

Visit Jennifer Skinner's Wardrobe Planning Website for more information.

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.)

Opposites Attract

To say that the only thing I learned while living in Sweden was that my distinctly American fashion sense was truly off the mark would be downplaying the tremendous experience that I had while abroad. Living in another country opened my eyes to wonderfully new and exciting ways of viewing the world. I often wish that I'd had the experience when I was much older than sixteen, because I feel that in many ways I was too young to really absorb all the lessons that were presented to me.

Nevertheless the experience was formative in more ways than one, and I remain ever grateful that I had the opportunity when I did.

But I digress... I believe I promised to tell you about Caryn....

To set the stage I must tell you that sixteen-year-old Jennifer was about as clean cut and straight-laced a girl that ever there was. Sandy from the musical "Grease" had nothing on me...I was as clean as the new-fallen snow. Adam Ant even wrote a song about me! (Ok, well perhaps that is a little overboard, but you get the idea.)

By appearance, Caryn was everything I was not--a rebelious mix of punk and goth with a The Cure/Depeche Mode/Ramones-ish bent. Her favorite color was black, but she wasn't afraid to throw a splash of color or a funky pattern into the mix. She altered her clothes in any way necessary to pull off a certain look. But more than that, she could look at an article of clothing and know instantly if it fit her overall look. Everyone I had ever known had always dressed to fit in. Caryn, however,dressed to fit her own personal idea of style. She judged each article of clothing NOT by whether it was acceptable to everyone else, but by whether or not the cut, the color, and the style were right for her.

Caryn had an enormous influence on me. The year that I returned home to the states I even adopted a large part of her style as my own. (Yes, I was still learning....) She taught me a powerful lesson about developing a style persona and using it to guide your choices in clothing.

Of course, Caryn also realized the impression her clothing choices made on others. And so the year before college, she began to adopt a less rebellious, more mature style...might I even say it was a wee bit preppy! But as always, her choices we consciously made with an eye to the consistent image she wanted to project.

Check back tomorrow and I'll let you know about one amazing feature of Swedish style I learned that year that most Americans are clueless about...and even Caryn didn't know! Until we meet again....

(You have an open invitation to visit me at my wardrobe planning website. Don't knock, just come on in!)

A Style to Call My Own

It didn't take me long to discover that I really had nothing to wear that year in Sweden. I managed to squeak out a few weeks of dressing...until I started to get a wee bit rounder. And then most of what I'd brought with me didn't fit.

To make matters worse, the Swedish girls dressed in a way that was entirely different from my American friends. At first I really couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was other than to say that many of them wore things that I would have been embarassed to wear back home. Like big mohair sweaters (chunky-knit cotton was big back home) and socks with sandals (eeeek!). Some things were the same, like Converse All-Star high tops and jeans. I had become so accustomed to seeing nearly everyone in the states dressing like carbon copies that it took me by surprise to see something different. And I'm ashamed to admit that at the time I thought they did it because they didn't know any better.

Several things, however, became exceedingly apparent to me as the year went on. These Swedish girls each had a unique style that was all their own--and dressed in a manner that I felt intuitively was more "grown up". All the kids in my American high school wore jeans day in and day out. These girls favored slacks and skirts. What I had originally seen as a lack of fashion sense was really a lack of conformity...and a very highly develped sense of personal style. I was really a fish out of water. I had nothing to wear and no style to call my own. Until I met Caryn.

Caryn was another exchange student from the states. Had we not both been far from home that year I am not sure we would have ever become friends, as Caryn dressed in a manner that I found...welllll... frightening. I'll explain more tomorrow...but let it be known that we did indeed become the best of friends, and this girl taught me more about developing style than anyone before or after. So come on back now, y'hear?

(Or mosey on over to my website and take a gander while you are waiting.)

The Tale of Two Suitcases

I was so excited! I would be spending my Junior Year as an exchange student in Sweden. Here was my chance to be *that girl* abroad! It didn't matter that I couldn't speak Swedish or had no idea what the Swedes were like. And it didn't matter that I could only take two suitcases with me. I was going to S-W-E-D-E-N! The land of ABBA!

Just before departing, my mother and I went shopping for clothes. And in my usual manner of purchasing, I managed to bring home a small handful of disparate items with no relation to one another. Distant cousins, perhaps. Maybe. I remember that among the items were a pair of purple flower-print jeans (really--these WERE trendy at the time), a pair of olive-green high-waisted pants, a red short-sleeve knit sweater, black leggings, and a brand new pair of white Nikes. But perhaps the worst mistake I made was this: I bought most things just a *tad* bit too small. After all, I would be LOSING weight on the other side of the pond, wouldn't I? Please don't laugh...I really thought I was going to impress my new European friends with my ultra-trendy style. (I did mention that I was young and clueless, didn't I?!)

What I know now that I didn't know then is that you cannot throw two suitcases' worth of individual items together and expect to get a year's worth of outfits out of the mix. It is not possible. It does not matter how wonderful each piece of clothing is on its own if it doesn't have an outfit to belong to. And in the context of two suitcases, it better have more than one outfit to belong to!

This is the same problem that so many people have with their own wardrobes...only it is their closet they are challenged by, and not a suitcase. But the principle is the same. Without a plan, you will end up looking into a full closet/suitcase and saying to yourself, "I don't have a thing to wear!"

So there I was in Sweden, with two suitcases full of a disaster waiting to happen. Come on back tomorrow and I'll tell you about the girl who rescued me from my own cluelessness ...same blog time...same blog channel....

(If you can't wait that long, you can read more on wardrobe planning at my website!)

The Young and the Clueless

I'll admit it. As a young person, I was clueless about style. It wasn't until my late teens and early twenties that I even began to develop anything remotely like a personal style. Now it wasn't that I couldn't recognize style when I saw it...I certainly knew who the stylish girls were in school. And I was envious of how they always looked so trendy and well put-together. But I had no clue about HOW they did it. And I began to fall into the terrible trap of believing (along with everyone else) that the MORE clothing you had, the MORE stylish you would be. Probably because my family really couldn't afford to spend all that much on clothes, while I just "knew" that these trendy girls could. And so I began to accumulate. Little by little, over time. All the time thinking that eventually I would find just the right outfit to miraculously confer upon myself that mystical state of STYLISH.

Ummmm...I was wrong. But it would take me years to figure that out. And in the meantime, my wardrobe developed into a schizophrenic mess of odds and ends that looked absolutely amazing on the dummies in the store, but looked...well, not equally amazing on me.

However my style misadventures really came to head my Junior Year in high school...the year I spent abroad in Sweden. Looking back, it was SO bad that it was comical. Come back tomorrow, and I'll let you know why...same blog time, same blog channel...

(And if you can't wait that long, pop on over to my website for more information on style and wardrobe planning.)