Do you know what takes up A LOT of space in my brain? What I’m going to cook for dinner. I have three small kids and I can safely say that feeding my family 5 times a day (yes, you read that right. and all the moms know what I’m talking about), it’s downright stressful.
So it actually didn’t surprise me at all when Substack sent an email last week about the popularity of Caroline Chambers of
. I haven’t dived into the Food side of Substack much, but I will say that I immediately subscribed because if someone can help me figure out what to make for dinner then I will be devoted for life.That is a long way of saying that I wanted to experiment with something here called “What To Wear This Week” (feel free to help me workshop the name ;)). It’s where I will lay out a handful of outfit formulas to help you get dressed the next time you are feeling stuck.
My goal is to paint with broad brushstrokes so as to not make anyone feel as if they need to go buy anything (you don’t) and I’ll be including loads of photo inspiration to help as well. In the name of honesty, the photos I include will come from Pinterest or social media where the algorithm has my number. Please be patient with me as I seek to rejigger my algorithm for diverse ideas!
*Caveat: I live in a 4 season climate where it is currently WINTER, so suffice it to say, I’ll be making recommendations based on that.
OK, let’s get started, shall we!
IDEA ONE: VIBE SANDWICH
Where I first heard the phrase, vibe sandwich, I can’t recall but I adore the thought. Which follows; match the vibe on top with the vibe of your shoe and, in between, put a completely different vibe. I find the easiest vibe sandwich is casual/dressy/causal. But you could opt to reverse that or go in another direction entirely. Masculine/feminine/masculine? 70s/modern/70s? Let your imagination run wild.
IDEA TWO: STAND OUT ACCESSORY
We are going to strip it WAY back here and start our outfit with your favorite pair of denim and a great neutral tee. Now go grab a great accessory; I’m talking belt, hat, necklace, scarf, COLORED SOCK (I know we all have these now), etc. Let that great accessory sing against a more basic outfit. Things don’t have to be complicated. This is like cooking pasta and tossing on marinara from a jar.
IDEA THREE: LAYERING TOPS
Again, let’s paint with a broad brush, I want you to grab a button down from your closet. Don’t have one? Do you have a jean jacket? That will work. Now layer your button down! Add a shirt beneath and experiment with buttoning it or leaving it open. Or layer a blazer or sweater OVER it. I could put all the pictures from Leandra’s post about shirt sandwiches too but don’t feel like you have to go crazy.
IDEA FOUR: TIE A SWEATER ON IT
I want you to go to your closet and put on a classic silhouette for you, maybe it’s a variation of what you wore yesterday or just that outfit that makes you feel great. NOW we are going to tie a sweater on it! I have never been able to pull off the over-the-shoulder sweater because it doesn’t feel practical, but below are ideas of the multitude of ways you can tie a sweater on an outfit and really level it UP.
Hopefully this provided good inspiration for you even if you don’t reach for one of these ideas right away.
For additional inspiration, I am excited to pass on this website that was recently posted about in one of my favorite Substack chats
by . Anni linked Wada Sanzo, a digital color combination dictionary. Perhaps some of you saw Leandra link A Dictionary of Color Combinations a few months ago and, if you are like me, you immediately loved the idea. The book is based off the 6-volume work of Wada Sanzo, who laid the foundations for contemporary color research.While, I am typically a hard-copy girl but I have to say, this website is incredibly fun and easy to use and from the same painter/educator. Wada Sanzō was a faculty member of the Imperial Art Institute and founded the Japan Standard Color Association. He is a leading color theorist and created one of the first systematic approaches to color in Japan. Wada’s color theory, obviously, extends far beyond fashion and it’s exhaustive, but my favorite way to play around is to click on a color and it will show you great combinations to go with it.
I have one greenish sweater so, for example, here’s a close color match to the sweater.
And here are two of the color combinations it suggests!
How fun would it be to get dressed using these combinations?!
This is the moment I think we are in. Loving clothing and styling it.
I hate to make things about my kids all of the time but I love love love seeing what other moms wear! I often feel defeated before I even get dressed knowing I have to be ok with something getting stained, torn, or otherwise mangled when I’m around my kids so it makes it hard to find items I love but don’t care about too much. My kids aren’t (total) heathens, but their job is to play and discover, not worry about mom’s outfit or accessories, yknow? Dressing for a vibe feels less item dependent and more emotional which could be just the perspective change I need!