What To Wear This Week 003
Plus a few great dupes
This is my 3rd post in this series, for more outfit inspiration click here for part 1 and here for part 2
You know what I WANT April to be? I want April to be all tulips and baby ducklings. I want it to be days that get progressively warmer since we are, after-all, in Spring and therefore on the brink of Summer. However, where I live, April is still a month with loads of temperature swings. It’s snow one day and t-shirt weather the next. All you lucky people who live in more temperate climates, this is where I grow green with envy.
So I present to you 4 ideas for getting dressed this week (month?) to help us on days when our Seasonal Affective Disorder is strongest and we can’t choose for ourselves. I am not claiming ideas are mind-blowing but neither is a meal plan with tacos on it. The point is, we are taking some thought out of it. A warning that I have been enjoying many Style Classes from Tibi recently so there are ideas and photos pulled from YouTube (which aren’t the highest quality in pixels but the utmost quality in inspiration).
IDEA ONE: MIX TEXTURES
Because we are all longing for the days of warmer weather, let’s harness that inspiration and start to bring some of our Spring/Summer items into our closet to mix textures. It’s really about the weight of fall/winter textures (leather, boiled wool, knit, etc.) marrying with light-weight textures (think: linen, cotton, satin/silk). Maybe it’s a delicate Spring dress under the suede jacket you added recently. Maybe it’s a silky slip under a wool bomber. Some of us might need to pair it with boots while others get to slip on sandals, but you catch my drift.
And if that pairing doesn’t work for your climate or wardrobe, perhaps you just take the piece in your closet that feels most SPRING (a floral blouse, a pastel knit) and partner it with a leather jacket or dark blazer.
IDEA TWO: LAYER YOUR SHIRTS
For this idea, I want you to grab any standard long-sleeve tee that you own and put a layer over it, especially a Spring-y tank. I admit this idea feels like cheating as it relates to idea number one but the outcome of this idea would be vastly different. I was HIGHLY inspired by one of the Tibi stylists, Emma (emmad.tibi on Instagram) with this idea.
You’ll see that Emma layers camisoles (especially slinky ones) over a sheer-ish top. But I think they would look just as good over a solid tee. It all feels very 90s in the best way. But I also included an image of Katie Holmes layering a dress over-top a basic tee because, well, I’ve already admitted to how much I love her style.
IDEA THREE: MAKE IT WONKY
Recently my friend Samantha sent this picture to our group chat and I was blown away by the interest gained by just the slightly wonky tie of her sweater.
This is something Amy Smilovic does very intentionally and very WELL. Having something in your outfit slightly askew amps up the chill factor. So tie a sweater on your waist to the side, or do like Keturah from Tibi did and button your shirt or cardigan a little off (see below).
And if all that feels a little too adventurous, when you cuff your jeans, make them a little messy, a little imperfect. Or wear your belt a little crooked on your hip.
But here’s the secret sauce (remember I started this series with the joke that I am providing ideas for what to cook with ingredients you already have); bring the attitude with it. Bring confidence and ease to your outfit through your attitude otherwise it will just look like you didn’t get enough sleep last night.
IDEA 4: ADD ONE MORE
Just like Ideas One and Two related to each other, I realized, that Ideas Three and Four are as well. In this iteration of our outfit recipe, I want you to get dressed, but before you walk out the door add ONE more piece. Maybe you wouldn’t normally tie a sweater around your waist, that’s a great place to start (especially if it’s askew). Irene Kim (김애린) is great at showing her dressing process and there are two examples from Irene that highlight this idea very well.
The thing about this idea is that Irene’s outfits in the pictures on the left are actually still great. I would absolutely put on a pair of pants with a knit with the peak of the white tee and feel great. BUT when you add the sweater around the waist or as a scarf, the whole look feels more complete, no?
Other ideas for the extra thing you can add (especially since the weather is, hopefully, getting warmer and layers don’t always work).
Vests
Necklaces
Bandanas (tied around your neck, head, etc.)
A hat
Socks on a bare leg
A button down
I hesitate to admit that this Substack actually started for me to work through, in writing, finding alternatives to items that I couldn’t purchase. Gratefully, I have evolved to use this space to work through all my thoughts on fashion, clothes, trends, style, etc.
BUT I would be lying if I said I don’t regularly look for for alternatives (ahem, dupes) and I thought I’d share some of the best finds recently. Please forgive me that two of my finds are fast-fashion knocking off high-dollar designer items (I know, I know that this is sensitive), but, the other two items are vintage finds that may have been a source of inspiration for modern designs.
Catching up! Love all the great tips and this especially resonates: “when our Seasonal Affective Disorder is strongest and we can’t choose for ourselves”. ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you.
Wonky!! I am so giving that idea a whirl. I love it!