Fashion & Beauty
laurenelli
member
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Work Wardrobe Questions
How many professional tops, sweaters, skirts, pants and/or dresses do you have in rotation in your wardrobe?
How long do you typically wait before repeating a skirt, top, dress, etc.?
Where do you find most of your clothes? Are there certain pieces your splurge on versus pieces you save on?
Any tips or tricks you have for making your favorite items more versatile?
How often do you replace your basics, and what tends to wear out the fastest?
What's the one piece you couldn't live without?
From the ladies who love their closets- how do you combat the "my closet is stuffed but I have nothing to wear" conundrum?!
Re: Work Wardrobe Questions
How many professional tops, sweaters, skirts, pants and/or dresses do you have in rotation in your wardrobe?
This count came up on another message board, so that's why it's broken down this way
1. Skirts - 15 - Casual 4, Work 11
2. Dresses - 39 - Casual 18, Work 15, Special Occasion 6
3. Slacks - 7 - Casual 5, Work 2
4. Jeans - 6
5. Blouses - 55 - Casual 20, Work 35
6. Sweaters - 57
7. Shoes - 34 - Casual 24, Work 10
How long do you typically wait before repeating a skirt, top, dress, etc.?
10 days
Where do you find most of your clothes? Are there certain pieces your splurge on versus pieces you save on?
J.Crew, Ann Taylor, BR, Talbot's. Always always always buy on sale. With the way most mall stores work, if you just wait a month, the item you're lusting over will be at least half off. Blouses can be had for a steal, generally $15-$25. I will always pay more for good quality wool suiting - I can spot a cheap polyester suit 100 yds out.
Any tips or tricks you have for making your favorite items more versatile?
I'm afraid I don't really understand this question. My favorites are my favorites because of what they are. I'm guessing you have something you're thinking of? Tell us.
How often do you replace your basics, and what tends to wear out the fastest?
Cardigans can generally only last for a year before they start looking worn, even though I wash delicate and dry flat.
What's the one piece you couldn't live without?
The J.Crew memo dress. I have it in 3 colors.
From the ladies who love their closets- how do you combat the "my closet is stuffed but I have nothing to wear" conundrum?!
I only buy clothing I love, period. If I just like something, it doesn't come home with me. So I never have the nothing to wear problem
My Pinterest
The Googlesites Paint Bio
Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.
I have 2 pencil skirts - one in a trouser pant style and color the other is small houndstooth print i have probably 3 pairs of khaki colored pant - one casual cotton, one more of a dressy style material and one that is in between but looks cute with flats. i have a pair of dark grey, black and brown pair of slacks. i have a pair of blue khakis in cotton - very casual and a pair of cropped pants in a rose tone. those are the pants I work with usually. i also have both a black and brown suit set but I do not wear them in my rotation and I only wear them together to prevent uneven fading.
For tops I have probably ten plus cardigans and a lot of shirts to wear under the cardigans. I have a white long sleeve button up and a short sleeve button up with some details. I like to wear those with a cardigan or a jacket - I have a tan corduroy one in a very classic cut and it is great for fall.
As for repeating outifts I try to plan what I am wearing at least a week in advance and that really helps with minimal repeats. I only avoid rewearing tops in the same week at least and try to avoid it for two weeks if possible but bottoms I will rewear even the next day if necessary because black pants are black pants kwim?
I have a dress that is work appropriate but only wear it randomly because it is more memorable I think.
As for splurge or save it depends. if you are on your feet a then I splurge on shoes because if your feet hurt everything else hurts. I like to splurge on basic classic pieces that can last for a while and save on more trendy stuff that doesn't stay in style long.
Versatility comes from basic pieces you can wear different ways. For instance, a blouse that works under multiple colors of cardigans and by itself, or layered under a sweater or something is more versatile than something that can only be worn by itself. I have a shirt my H bought me that works under a black or tan caridgan and would also look good under a peacock blue cardigan I have. And my white button ups look cute with any color cardigan as well as paired with a cableknit sweater. Add accessories, scarves, bracelets, necklaces, etc. I just bought a wider belt to wear at my natural waist and I can pair it with anything I have realized.
My favorite item would have to be my new mix tape cardigan from JCrew - it is so soft and can be dressed up or down. my favorite item changes often though!
I group my closet in sections like casual, church, work, etc and then within those sections I pair pants and bottoms together, then blouses, sweaters, etc.
What is your work attire - business, casual, etc? What is your budget? what do you have to start with and what is your style? I like Gap and Jcrew and Banana Republic as well. Both have outlets and have coupons and sales often. hope this helps
Hi there! My work attire is business casual- and my budget is limited. I have a bunch of Gap perfect trousers that I live in (several pairs of black in different cuts, khaki, navy, and gray) a handful of cute pencil skirts, cardigans and dresses.
The dresses I feel I don't get a ton of wear out of since as someone said they can feel memorable, so I hesitate to wear the same one very often. That being said I could definitely use a couple more.
I'm just discovering nicer shoes and have been able to score some good brands for less at DSW and 6pm.com. My current favorites are some black leather Ivanka Trump pumps I found on EBay of all places- but I could definitely use some more.
My wardrobe's biggest weakness is tops- I seem to have a very hard time finding ones I like that are figure flattering. More often than not I end up wearing a shell of some sort, always with a cardigan, which means I wear a variation on the same thing almost every day.
I also tend to get into what I call "outfit ruts" where I find a top that looks good with a particular necklace or skirt and I end up ALWAYS wearing those two together, when in fact I have a pair of pants or other jewelry that would look just as good. So I'm trying to mix it up, part of me is concerned that I just keep buying the same things over and over (silk shells, cardigans) which is why my wardrobe is not more diverse.
Thanks for the suggestions
I know what you mean about a rut and wanted to suggest taking everything out of your closet and putting all pants in one pile and shirts in the other. go thru and try everything on and make a pile of what needs to stay, what needs to get donated and what needs to go to a tailor. and wearing a variation of the same thing is not inherently bad unless it is always exactly the same. I love cardigans so I wear them a lot but I switch up the shirts I wear underneath. Cardigans do egt worn looking fast so donate/trash anything that is faded, stretched, etc.
Once you cull through your clothes you can begin to try to put outfits together. Look on Pinterest, Polyvore, or just follow some blogs you like that represent a style you would like to recreate. This will give you a visual and something to start with. If you are already a more daring dresser then you get a good look at what you have and can figure out what you need from there.
If you are not a more colorful dresser then piece together outfits and your best bet would be to do a blouse and cardigan and see if you like the look, say pick your most worn cardi and shirt combo. And then switch the cardigan for one you would never have thought to pair it with and see if you like it. Some of my favorite color combos is purple and grey or yellow and grey but I have a green dress that looks awesome with a navy cardi.
Hope some of this helps - sounds like you have a good start on pants and cardis are a great staple so you are probably better off than you thought! If your budget allows, make a list of things you need and be specific - so you can buy something if you see what you need. Buy one new piece per pay period or something and that can help build your wardrobe without being a huge shopping haul at one time.
My Pinterest
The Googlesites Paint Bio
Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.
How many professional tops, sweaters, skirts, pants and/or dresses do you have in rotation in your wardrobe?
These are the items I wear daily and are in my rotation
Tops - 6-10
Sweaters - 3-5
Skirts- 0
Pants - ~5
Dress - 0
How long do you typically wait before repeating a skirt, top, dress, etc.? with pants one day, shirts and tops about a week.
Where do you find most of your clothes? Are there certain pieces your splurge on versus pieces you save on?
Most of my work wardrobe is JCrew and Ann Taylor, I do have a few things from Gap and BR, too. I don't mind splurging on figure flattering pants or a very versatile top.
Any tips or tricks you have for making your favorite items more versatile?
I generally buy items that are versatile and my work wardrobe is very interchangeable. Change of belt, jewelry, adding a cardigan or scarf is usually my trick.
How often do you replace your basics, and what tends to wear out the fastest?
I tend to wear out my trousers fast, I only wear pants to work and they get worn out a lot.
What's the one piece you couldn't live without? Everything can be replaced.
Thanks everyone
I love finding out how many clothes people "actually have" and wear.
What are the thoughts on owning the same pair of pants/skirt/dress in multiple colors? Today I wore my new leopard print dress from Old Navy and got compliments from EVERYONE and I'm tempted to go back and buy one in every color since it was super cheap, figure flattering and easy.
I know someone mentioned they own a couple of the same J-Crew dress in different colors- any reasons to do this or avoid this when shopping?
For staples, I think it's fine to own multiples. I have multiples of all my cardigans, that J.Crew dress, several shells, a sundress, and really, what is a pencil skirt if not a multiple?
If the dress is nondescript enough (pattern aside), go for it. Just don't expect it to wear well since it's ON.
My Pinterest
The Googlesites Paint Bio
Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.
My wardrobe is seasonal. I just pulled out fall. So my answers are for fall.
How many professional tops, sweaters, skirts, pants and/or dresses do you have in rotation in your wardrobe?
Blouses - 8, Sweaters 16, pants, 10, dresses 10, jacket 12.
How long do you typically wait before repeating a skirt, top, dress, etc.? I don't repeat an out for months but I will repeat a piece in about two weeks.
Where do you find most of your clothes? It varies. Nordstoms, Macy's TJ Maxx, Piperlime, Talbots, Marshalls, Boutiques and Outlet stores.
Are there certain pieces your splurge on versus pieces you save on? I will splurge on leather goods, suit jackets and black pants.
Any tips or tricks you have for making your favorite items more versatile? Mix and match your outfits within a specific color pallette. I wear lots of chocolate brown, black, charcoal grey, navy, plum, emerald, scarlet, royal blue and bright pink. I also mix and match my jewelry and accessories. Because I am using the same group of colors, each piece with coordinate with a lot of different pieces.
How often do you replace your basics, and what tends to wear out the fastest? I replace basics as needed and tend to wear out my black pants.
What's the one piece you couldn't live without? Black mid weight wool pants suit. I use the pieces individually as well as together.
From the ladies who love their closets- how do you combat the "my closet is stuffed but I have nothing to wear" conundrum?! Rotating clothes out seasonally gives me new things to wear. My challenge is usually special events like weddings etc because it is hard to mix and match special event dresses.