Pages

Thursday, January 17, 2013

closet orphans and optical illusions

     Calvin Klein cowl-neck striped top, Macy's
denim pencil skirt, Old Navy
earrings, Thai market in Seattle, gift from sis

       About two weeks ago, I signed up for Go Chic or Go Home and started the process of photographing my clothing to upload to my account. As I did so, I realized with dismay that while I've taken steps toward finding my style and expanding beyond jeans and a tee, many of the things I own are underused - what I call "closet orphans."
       It was a bit distressing the more I thought about it. All those nice things that aren't in the regular rotation - do they represent money and closet space wasted? Should I knuckle down and stop buying cocktail dresses on deep clearance and only get sensible things that are suitable for both work and the weekend?
 
      With that in mind, I decided to wear one of my closet orphans - this striped top - with this recently rediscovered pencil skirt. (I know the skirt appeared on the blog this week, but it's also going steady with the washing machine - promise!) While I love stripes, this top is tricky to style. I like that it's drapey, but being short-waisted, I end up with a lot of fabric bunched around my middle, which is not the most flattering fit. I played around with wearing it untucked, half-tucked (first photo), and fully tucked (second photo). It might look better with pants instead of a skirt, and a blazer might be a good addition to counteract all that drapey fabric.



  
  P.S.: Sis gave me these earrings for Christmas, saying that she thought they were "my style." She was right, and they're my new favorites. 
   What lovely thing(s) do you have lurking in your closet unworn? Or, how do you make sure that you wear everything in your closet?

7 comments:

  1. Ooo you changed your banner :) I like :) I also like those earrings :) That is a tough one - I don't think I wear all my clothes in my wardrobe! I think a good purge is needed from time to time so that you don't hoard things hehe


    katattack2000.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm trying to get better about my 'closet orphans' and either wear them or donate them. I really like this top on you, the pattern and soft colors really look great on you. (But then, I haven't yet seen a color that you can't pull off.) I actually wort of like it with the little half tuck, it looks really cute and sweet that way but the tucked in version does show off your waistline. (I have the same problem with tops, I've got a really short torso so even regular length shirts end up hitting me at strange spots and tunics are even worse.) I bet this would be adorable with skinny jeans and blazer, the blazer would probably streamline it enough that you could wear it untucked.
    I need to get with the ballgame! Everyone keeps mentioning this Go Chic or Go Home site, I need to go check it out.


    And you sister has great taste in jewelry those silver earring are so pretty and the silver tone looks lovely on you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have many closet orphans as well and over the years I've amassed too many cocktail dresses on clearance and theyre hanging in my closet and I have no where to go so I know the feeling. This year I am not going to do that anymore, anything deeply discounted that is similar to what I already have in my closet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think this shirt is gorgeous on you! If you can sew, I would suggest lopping off a couple inches at the bottom (or getting someone else to do it for you, like I do). That way you wouldn't have to worry about the whole tucking conundrum.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for noticing, Kat! It was really easy to create a new banner using PicMonkey. :) I think you're right about a ruthless purge - I've been doing it a bit at a time, but maybe I just need to set aside a day and go through everything I own. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks, Katie! In February I'll be focusing on wearing my closet orphans. I've heard that some people set up a rotation schedule to wear their clothes - like moving clothes from one end of the closet to the other once it's been worn - but that's a little too regimented for my tastes. :)
    After looking at the photos, I do like the half-tuck, but I don't know whether the angle of the photo contributes to that. And I hear ya on the short-waistedness ... so many things just don't fit right!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good suggestion, Erin! I do know how to sew, but I've never sewn with knits because they are stretchy and scare me. But this year I've decided to learn how to sew a zipper (something else that scares me), and I might as well experiment with sewing knits, too. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love comments, so please leave one if you like. :)