So You Don't Know What to Wear?
So You Don't Know What to Wear?
Plus October Happenings & Inspiration
Some mornings I wake up and, in an almost trance, I get myself dressed because I had a fever dream of thinking of an outfit. Does this ever happen to you?
However, much more frequently, I have to spend some time thinking about what to wear or iterating on an idea I had in my mind (I documented one of these days here).
Well I’m dropping in a (short & sweet) tip for these mornings inspired by this recent post from
.In her post Emily talks about how she screenshots outfits that she screenshots pictures from online retailers that she likes so on days without good inspiration, she has some formulas to try (a truly brilliant tip).
I noticed in Emily’s post that most of her inspiration seemed to be coming from Net-A-Porter, which I have also noticed their great styling when Pinterest serves me a product from them. I think NAP does a really great job of styling in an approachable way AND, assuming you can divorce yourself from the specific product, you can usually find approximations in your own wardrobe.
To further Emily’s tip, I got to thinking, what if you KNOW you want to wear a button down but are lacking on inspiration beyond that. Go to NAP, navigate to shopping for tops and find button downs. As you hover over the product, they will show you the stylized photo, which you can use to create your outfit for the day (or, like Emily, future inspiration for that same shirt).
Example One: Button Down
Option 1: Oversized half buttoned with baggy denim and special shoes
Option 2: Layered with another button down (genius!) tucked into trousers with a loafer/driving shoe
Option 3: Tucked into a pair of great denim with a classic belt and minimal shoe
Option 4: Monochromatic moment with a different color sweater tied over the shoulders
Example Two: Mid-to-Dark- Wash Denim
Option 1: Go prep with a button down layered under a sweater with a loafer
Option 2: Canadian tuxedo with a peep of layer and matching colored accessories
Option 3: Masculine/Feminine with a white tee, leather jacket and feminine shoes
Option 4: Lots of layers with a turtle neck, button down and trench
Since I kept that relatively short, I thought I’d put all the highlights from October (and inspiration I gathered) here and then open the comments to hear what you did or piqued your interest this past month!
First and foremost, I voted this month and you haven’t yet, THERE’S still time. I hope all my US based readers will exercise their right!!
In very different news, I’ve been doing tennis lessons for the first time in 10(?) years and I was thrilled to have an excuse to buy a tennis skirt so I could recreate these looks from
who has expertly been wearing a tennis skirt all summer.
My husband and I started watching My Brilliant Friend on HBO (I know I’m late to the party) but I love it and think about it often between watching. The pace of the show is slow and thoughtful and (I’m only on season 1) the acting of all the girls/women is incredible.
I walked by the JCrew store and spied this sweater in the window. I had my kids creating chaos so I coudn’t go in and investigate myself and I’ve been kicking myself ever since. I finally found it online, the composition is A+ (100% wool) and the texture is perfect.
But while I was on JCrew’s website, I saw this campaign and I LOVE it! You can donate a gently used coat and get a coupon for a future purchase. This hits on two things I am passionate about; reducing clothing waste AND giving to the needy.
We are all wearing our bracelets over our long-sleeves right? I’ve been trying this and I LOVE the effect.
Well the other day I saw
on and she was wearing this gorgeous cuff, so I am searching Etsy for a wide cuff equivalent for layering (here are few intriguing options)!
I’m exercising
seasonality lever system by pairing pointelle with suede/corduroy and, again, corduroy with a woven (beachy?) bag.
Two of my kids have birthdays in October which makes an already festive month that much better. My tradition is to bake them a cake in the shape of the number they are turning. Baking is a side-hobby of mine and I’m not all that skilled in decorating, but the audience for these was impressed;
I’ve drooled about these Ring-3 color t-shirts that Tibi makes but it’s unlikely I’ll spend $160 on a single tee.
So when I saw my favorite t-shirt, the Leset Margo, in a lovely grape color I was ecstatic! I immediately added it to my wishlist (I purchase almost *nothing* impulsively).
I am a big podcast listener and also a massive fan of Chappell Roan if you find yourself in the same venn diagram; this podcast is an interesting listen.
Un-gatekeeping my very favorite Etsy shop here! I have so many vintage sweaters saved from her.
I do my own nails because I’ve never wanted to spend the money on gel nails and my favorite nail polish brand is Sally Hansen Insta-Dry. I’ve been loving this C-Hill Out color for fall. The colors are really pigmented AND dry really fast. There are 133 color options and they are CHEAP so I buy new colors frequently.
Speaking of painting, I opted to paint my pumpkin rather than carving. 10 out of 10 recommend because it’s way less messy AND the pumpkins don’t rot as quickly. I’m really proud of the freehand Olaf I did for my daughter.
That’s all for me! Do we like round-ups like this or should I skip in the future?
What stands out for you from October? Books you read, experiences you had, things you bought; tell me!
I've been having newsletter fatigue, but I read this all the way through and bookmarked it to come back to so I could explore your links more. Thank you!
Ahhh so much goodness here. As someone who used to work at Net- you’d be absolutely floored if you saw the styling operation there. It’s truly remarkable and full of so many great ideas! Also another place to check out for fun colored tees is Uniqlo! I recently bought a brown one and I feel like it’s my new styling secret!