Fit, Proportion, Appropriateness

Photo Credit: TVguide

Sometimes I am stumped, thinking about how to write about fashion and style in a refreshing way. And sometimes I just want to convey some basic ideas and decide to quote or simply re-post what others have expressed perfectly. The latter is the case in today's Wardrobe Wisdom post, taken straight from Clinton Kelly's blog. He lets you know how and why clothes are important and what to look for when you are trying on clothing here.  Clinton gets it just right!

Slacks Scandal

Photo Credit: Gordon Wallace L.A. Times Archive/UCLA


I was amused and surprised by an article I read in Thursday's Los Angeles Times: "In 1938, Woman Was Jailed Over Slacks." Since slacks and jeans are widely worn by most women nowadays, it's hard to imagine a time when a judge would say to a witness, "The court hereby orders and directs you to return tomorrow in accepted dress." He claimed her slacks outfit distracted from the "legal business at hand." When Helen Hulick showed up in slacks the next day, she was sent to jail with a five day sentence! In her defense, she said she had worn slacks "since I was 15" and hoped that her going to jail would "help to free women forever of anti-slackism."

Hulick seems like a smart and brave woman to me--maybe not Rosa Parks brave--but she showed an impressive amount of courage to stand up to the judge.

The Correct Link

I apologize for giving you an incorrect link to Coastal View News. Use this one and go to page 25.

Tips on the Spot

Go here to read my column on page 25 in this month's Carpinteria Coastal View News. It's kind of a greatest hits of my Wardrobe Wisdom tips. The column also features, as usual, drawing by my younger daughter.

Making an Effort

Reading pastry chef David Lebovitz' blog brings me great pleasure. He lives in Paris and writes with humor and affection about this dazzling, puzzling, beautiful, food-loving city. In his book, The Sweet Life in Paris, he describes how he came to live in France and what life was like for him as a newcomer. I love what he says about the time he knew he had become a Parisian:

"I was spending a lazy Sunday in my apartment lounging around in faded sweatpants and a loose, tattered sweatshirt, my ideal outfit for doing nothing in particular. By late afternoon, I'd finally mustered the energy to take the elevator downstairs to the inner courtyard of my apartment building to empty the garbage.
With the elevator door exactly three steps from my front door and the garbage room just five steps from the elevator landing at the bottom, the trip involves basically four movements. . .
The whole process should take maybe forty-five seconds.
So I extracted myself from the sofa, shaved, changed into a pair of real pants, tucked in a clean wrinkle-free shirt, and slipped on a pair of shoes and socks before heading toward the door with my little plastic sac for the poubelle.
God forbid I should run into someone from my building while wearing my Sunday worst."

To me, making an effort to dress presentably means you respect yourself and those around you. 

Renaissance Fine Consignment

Last week I gave a talk to a group of women at Renaissance Fine Consignment Store in Santa Barbara. I let them in on my consignment store shopping secrets, and along with the shop's expert staff and super owner, Joann Younger, offered advice and guidance. I purchased a chic coat at a fraction of its original price. We all had a great evening.

Here's the scoop on an upcoming sale at the store, located at 1118 State Street in Santa Barbara, near the art museum.

Some New Books!

On Saturday I had fun at my favorite local bookstore, Chaucer's in Santa Barbara. Four books on my two favorite topics made their way home with me: Stacy London's The Truth about Style, How to Tie a Scarf 33 Styles  published by Potter Style, The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz, and SB cooking expert Pascale Beale's Spring cookbook.

I'd been wanting to purchase London's 2012 book since it was published. I loved watching her "What Not to Wear" show with Clinton Kelly, mostly agreeing with her style advice and her insistence that paying attention to one's appearance can affect one's life in deep ways. In her new book, London states her intentions: "My book doesn't only deal with how to dress well, and why you should, but it examines why you don't We all put obstacles in our own path toward personal style. If we understood why we constructed these practical and emotional obstacles, we might move beyond them to healthier, happier perceptions of ourselves and, ideally, a better sense of self-esteem." Bravo, Stacy!

I'll let you know how I'm finding the book as I read, and I am quite certain I will have some insightful Stacy quotes to share.

Halloween--Again

Image Credit: huffingtonpost.com


Some people become very excited about Halloween and wearing costumes. Over the past decade, these are not just little people; legions of adults eagerly anticipate the end of October, counting down the days in which they will get to wear a costume. I, on the other hand, dread wearing costumes. I do not enjoy spending money on something I will wear once; I do not like bringing attention to myself; and I do not feel comfortable wearing clothing that is not my style. Still, since I work at a junior high school, I am expected to not be a party pooper but to wear something festive. Last year I made a weak attempt in a cowgirl getup. This year I was inspired by the lazy person's costume ideas from the Huffington Post. Go here to see them again. I've decided to dress as Audrey Hepburn and if I cannot scare up a pair of long black gloves from a friend, that will be my only investment for October 31. Boo!

A Tip

 Image Credit:thredUP.com

Last week I ran into a client who asked me for a brilliant Wardrobe Wisdom hint, "just one!" She took me a bit off guard and I had to think a minute about what little gem I could pass her way. While I was thinking, she passed along one to me: Thredup.com. 

Kristen did a spin in the cute dress she had on, telling me it was purchased from this site, along with several other great things which she wears all the time.

Perhaps you have been to this site which is like an online consignment store/thrift shop. I went home and immediately did some investigating and think it's one of those sites I'll need to visit once a week to find anything I love. There are A LOT of items to look at.