Clothing and Closets Recap
This month at Ruly we have been discussing clothing and closets, prepping for the change of seasons. Below is a quick summary of this month’s posts highlighting some of my favorite comments and recent news articles.
We started off the month discussing what to wear to a job interview and issued a Ruly Challenge to review your closet for interview-appropriate attire.
Lou commented:
During my ‘peak’ interview years, I had one designated ‘interview suit,’ that I used only for that purpose for almost 15 years! It always looked great since I hardly ever wore it. For follow-up interviews with the same people, it made it easy to choose a second outfit, because I always knew what I wore to the first one! Having ‘the suit’ ready reduced stress so I could focus on the interview.
Keeping your interview attire separate from your regular wardrobe so that it is always crisp, fresh and ready to go is a great suggestion.
We discussed strategies to maintain a minimalist closet and issued a second Ruly Challenge to adopt some form of clothing minimalism this month, whether a shopping diet, limiting your choice of clothing or finding new ways to wear your existing clothes. I shared with you the results of my own experiment wearing the same little black dress 7 days in a row.
We then dug in to closet organizing basics and gave a list of sorting categories for mens and womens clothes and some ideas about what clothes to get rid of. I also provided a list of closet organizing products.
I took my own medicine and sorted my own closet this weekend. Although my closet is already on the leaner side, I was amazed to discover numerous outfits I had “forgotten” about, including a wonderful jumpsuit that would have been great for my recent road trip vacation, and some great washable dress pants. I shifted the clothes to put my fall/cool season outfits in the easiest areas of the closet to access and retired a few outfits as well.
We did a week on real Washington style, looking at fashion trends in the Democratic party, the Republican party and in the military.
This month, President Obama took a vacation with his family. I was curious to see whether we would actually see the president in casual wear. He maintained his collared shirt but did relax into running shoes during this mini-golf expedition. (Note the grace under pressure of first daughter Sasha who makes a hole-in-one while an enormous number of journalists film the entire event.)
When Senator John McCain recently won a difficult challenge in the Arizona Republican Primary election, note that he was wearing his signature blue collared shirt.
Robin Givhan, fashion columnist for The Washington Post, recently wrote two articles giving some additional insight into the strange world that is Washington fashion. First, she wrote a surprising article about a new fashion styling referral service “Style for Hire” founded by Stacy London of TLC’s What Not to Wear and fashion executive Cindy McLaughlin to be headquartered here in Washington!
Why launch Style for Hire in the nation’s capital, a place not known for indulging in fashion fantasies? The decision was based on convenience as well as a recognition of this town’s complicated relationship with style. . . [T]he area is chockablock with people who have more money than time. It’s populated by sophisticates who have limited local access to such services. And while the area has a reputation for being unconcerned with fashion, its political swells are also known for being obsessed with appearances.
–Robin Givhan, “Web site’s founders offer style mavens to the masses“, The Washington Post, August 27, 2010
The article also has an interesting comment about how sensitive a stylist needs to be to his or her client’s vanity:
Stylists, one should know, are not always particularly well-attired. . . . [T]he red carpet doyenne Jessica Paster was sometimes so publicly disheveled she could have been mistaken for a bag lady — and not a Comme des Garcons, artfully ravaged one. And many of today’s top experts are more likely to wear practical jeans rather than Balmain or Pucci. The point is never to compete with the client.
–Robin Givhan, “Web site’s founders offer style mavens to the masses,” The Washington Post, August 27, 2010
It makes you wonder about how this rule applies in other businesses as well. We generally think that you want to “dress for the role you want” but if you look too good, could you end up threatening your boss and limiting your advancement? If you look too polished in your own business presentation, can you intimidate a client from hiring you? Maybe the fashion equation is a little more complex than we imagine.
Ms. Givhan also enlightens us about how Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is a fashion radical with her choice of hairstyle:
Conventional wisdom advises that after a certain age — 50ish — women should cut their hair. It’s impossible to trace this bit of advice to the first tyrant who uttered it. But over generations, it has become ingrained in beauty lore. Some women might continue to wear flowing hair deep into their AARP years, but they do so knowing they’re flouting accepted practice. . . . Clinton’s hair, now creeping toward below-the-shoulders territory, is practically radical for Washington’s seasoned female power elite. Good for her.
–Robin Givhan, “In her latest act of defiance, Hillary Rodham Clinton gets a new, longer hairdo,” The Washington Post, August 29, 2010.
I was unaware of the “short hair after 50” rule but would not be surprised if there are a million more unwritten rules like this governing Washington fashion. Perhaps Washington politicians need a uniform guide like the U.S. military!
We discussed the state of fashion design protection laws and the possible impact of the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act pending before Congress.
We reviewed fall 2010 women’s fashion trends with Ruly Ruth and I showed the results of my experiment investigating how slim you can look in the latest shapewear products. We also looked as recession-friendly refashioning/clothing recycling ideas, including the blanket outfit I sent my daughter to preschool in.
Sheffield of back-in-style.com commented:
You mentioned that fashion was pulling from the past. I totally agree. There is something from every decade on this list. 90s- minimal clean lines, (think calvin klein, jil sander), 80s over the top bold animal prints, 70s- chunky interesting knit sweaters and long skirts, 60s- capes and duster coats, 50s- full skirts, and shirt dresses. This makes it easy to shop at vintage stores, where you might be able to purchase a better quality piece that is still in your price range, like a cashmere cape for under $200, or a cocktail dress for under $100!
When I reflect on Fall 2010 women’s fashion trends, I have to admit it seems like a potpourri of various designs from the past. There is so much variety it is almost hard to say whether any of it is a recognizable “trend.” But, if you are wondering which looks from each decade are “timeless” it is a good education.
Other comments:
There were two great comments this month on older blog posts I wanted to share with you as well.
On my post about comeback tips from Donald Trump,
Seff commented:
Having gone through considerable up’s and down’s in life (the 2008 till now recession being arguably the most severe) I have to say I enjoyed the Trump saga read and feel the juices rushing back to their proper place. Life is tough. I had taken from me my first $4m in a fashion I’d care to simply learn from. How much you want out of it depends on how much you are willing to put in to it. Personally I applaud the guy. He has the nose’ the flamboyance and the focus to make it succeed. I’m hot on your heels Mr. Trump!
Recently, the new season of The Apprentice was announced and the trailer is great. This season the apprentices will all be laid off workers trying to get back on their feet after the recession. It looks very inspirational and I look forward to watching! Yet another winner idea for Donald Trump!
Reflecting the challenging economy, Harmony commented honestly on my post about Working for the Perfectionist Boss and Managing the Perfectionist Employee:
“I’m a perfectionist employee. Most of the above-mentioned characteristics describe me. However, I don’t see how my boss will be able to tone down his disagreement with some of my “imperfect work.” I feel as though he is the reason why I’m stressed and constantly striving to be perfect. . . .”
My heart certainly goes out to Harmony in this situation. Sometimes when you feel you have tried everything and you don’t see a situation changing, it is time to polish your resume, scan the job listings and find another employer. Even the best advice in the world can’t fix every situation. Sometimes we just have to chalk things up to a “bad fit” and move on. Don’t be afraid to make a change!
Link Love:
Many thanks to the sites below who linked to my posts this month:
- USS Ashland.org who linked to my post on current military uniform guidelines.
- eHow referenced my article on Contemporary Style in their article on Contemporary Living Room and Den Styles.
Thanks for exploring the interesting world of fashion, clothing and closet organization with me this month! If you can believe it, another month is done and we start a new month and a new theme on Wednesday. Type to you then!