Oprah has come out with a "Top Ten" list of wardrobe must-haves. Susan of Friday Style fame wants to know, "what's on your top ten list? ". As in, what are the top ten things in your closet that you keep coming back to and wearing, or the things that you keep wishing would appear in there? (Brendan Fraser. He counts, because I would wear him..out, heh heh heh. Dave is fine with that, because in that same fantasy universe Halle Berry shows up in his closet. But I digress.)
I'm writing up a list because I love Susan's writing and advice (with the notable exception of her hatred of socks), certainly not because I think I'm a snappy dresser. You're looking at someone who once paired overalls with a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt and white heels. In my defense, I was 12, Madonna and rubber bracelets were the haut couture of the junior high set, and my ensemble was put together from the castoffs of a much-younger friend of my mom's. Plus, I didn't leave the house. Please stop cackling, I am baring my soul here! In any case, I have improved my style sense quite a bit in the last 24 years, so here's my list, for what it's worth.
I should mention, I'm tallish (5'8"), mediumish (I hover around 150#), and have almost no torso. Bust? Ridiculous. Rear view? Sicilian. You do the math. And I have a sticky toddler at home. (Are there any other kind?) What I consider a "must-have" is tailored around these facts.
1) A properly-fitted bra. In one sense, I'm lucky to need a special size, because it forced me to go to a special store. And pay special high prices. But it was worth it, because my back pain went away and I looked taller and thinner. And more....rowr. Money well spent. Even great clothes look lousy without the proper undergarments.
2) Hmm, no subtle way to put this...thongs. Not the nasty floss kind, the Hanky-Panky 4811, one size fits most, sold out at Nordstrom Rack unless you practically hijack the truck, lace thongs. I'm the last person on earth that ever thought I'd wear one, and now it's almost all I wear. No VPLs, totally comfy, and tres sexy without being trashy. Thank you, wonderful evil SIL, for getting me hooked on expensive underwear.
3) Camisoles/tank tops, especially the J. Crew finely ribbed tank. They're extra-long, which I like because even though I'm short-waisted, my bust takes up some length, and I hate going up a size and then have it bag everywhere else. They're substantial enough to wear alone, thin enough to layer, and provide a little extra coverage for V-necked shirts. Busty girls are always told to skip crewnecks and go for V-necks, but unless you want someone mistaking your cleavage for a parking space, you really need to snap up some tank tops to wear underneath.
3) The above-mentioned V-necked T-shirt. I love J. Crew's version, and it's pretty easy to catch them on a sale. I'm a SAHM and need something cute, simple and easily washable. You can get shirts cheaper, of course, but I find that they don't always come clean or wear as well after frequent washings. Plus their tees are all fitted, so it's hard to look frumpy even in something so simple.
4) An awesome pair of jeans. After I lost all my weight, I tried on no less than 50 pairs of jeans before deciding on my favorite. You guessed it, J. Crew won again, with their dark-rinse, bootcut jeans. I've got large thighs and junk in the trunk, no matter how thin I get, so matchstick will never be an option for me. These are lean through the hip, though, so you look small! It's magic! And it should be, for what they cost. But it's cheaper than therapy for the days when you hate how your butt looks in the three-way mirror. Trust me, these are the cure! My second faves are CK's slim-fit flares. Nordy's Rack, and when you can find them, they're really cheap.
5) A cashmere sweater, in the color that suits you the best. Because you're going to drop some serious cash on it and it had darn well better make you look and feel good every time you wear it! I have the excuse that I am chronically anemic and always freezing cold and therefore need cashmere OR I MIGHT DIE. Mine is in royal purple and do I really need to tell you where I bought it? I won't make you cry by telling you what a great deal I got on it, though.
6) A nice purse to spruce up the outfit. I'm the simplest of dressers so I like to go for original accessories. Also, you don't have to wash a purse, most of the time! My aforementioned SIL introduced me to Maruca purse and I just love 'em. They're jacquard and available in all sorts of styles, so if you fall in love with a fabric you don't have to settle for a mom-purse if you're young and single, or a teeny clutch if you need to haul diapers and sippy cups in it. Man am I in trouble when we move to Boulder and I can hit the factory sales.
7) A great watch. I'm a watch fanatic. My jewelry box sounds like a ticking time bomb. Most of them are relatively inexpensive, Fossil-type watches. But my current love was my Christmas present from Dave this past year, a Bulova lunar-phase model with a mother-of-pearl face and tiny diamonds on the case. (It was less than half-price on Amazon, I swear!) It's something not everyone is wearing, in a classic style, but what I like most about it is that it's large and easy to read. I'm gettin' old. But in diamonds, so nyahh!
8) A great bracelet. I'm Sicilian, I talk with my hands, and a pinky ring seemed too over-the-top. As you might have guessed from my blog title, I favor charm bracelets. I liked them before they got trendy again and I'll still like them when they're not. Plus they're a wonderful way to distract a cranky toddler. My favorite bracelet is a gold one that I won on eBay that used to be an antique watch chain. I've collected the charms for it one at a time, so nobody has one just like mine.
9) A wrap skirt. If you've never tried one, run, don't walk, over to Liberty Worth's for a Libby Dibby two-sided skirt. Fantastic quality and customer service will be yours, along with the most comfortable skirt you'll ever wear. It travels without wrinkling, and if you are pawed by a grubby child (or spouse!), just turn that puppy over until you can get to a laundry sink. They work with Keds, sandals and boots with equal ease, and go from spring to fall and match with anything.
10) Attitude. You heard me. It doesn't matter what you're wearing- if you look worn, it won't look right. Have you ever seen someone wearing some horrid accessory that you would never venture out in public with, but they make it look like everyone should? In the end, you will look like how you feel about yourself, and if you like who that is, you'll always look nice.
Unless of course, you're wearing overalls with heels.
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