My pre-pandemic fall/winter wardrobe consisted of many black and grey jackets. Not so much vibrant color. But I do have two (two? two!) gold jackets.
Perhaps some of you have forgotten this bright gold corduroy jacket?
It’s just the thing to bridge the leap from winter to spring. Corduroy is right for cooler temperatures, but the gold is like a ray of sunshine.
I’ve paired the jacket in classic pandemic style with: a tie-dyed t-shirt, white cropped jeans (with many s-t-r-e-t-c-h fibers in the denim), an enormous brooch, a belt that cannot be seen on Zoom but is giving me a sense of completion, and loafer-mules.
For closet staples, can one have too many? I don’t think so.
Those staples, for me, are:
O.K. I can see, looking back over it, that this list is weird.
I check YOOX several times a year for yellow belts — which yields a very a manageable number of choices to sift through. This one cost $6.
Everything is in full bloom in Washington. This shot gives you a sense of how pretty all of our delicate fruit trees and flowering bushes are. There is a lilac bush just down the street that smells heavenly.
And now, for the star of the show, a Lilian Asterfield brooch. It’s almost like a corsage.
The brooch is the newest Lilian Asterfield brainchild. It’s perfect for someone who is not quite ready to take the ascot plunge, but is hankering for something out of the common way.
And now I must ask, Directorate: What is your weird closet staple? Meaning, what is the thing that you keep buying and, if asked, would say is a cornerstone of your personal style, that no one else considers “a staple”?
Hmmm. What I notice about your list is that it’s all for the top half!?!. My essentials are clothes in beautiful colours. And because the colours are striking I tend to keep the silhouette classic. Like Amal Clooney. And tan shoes and belts, white shirts with elegant drape, superbly fitting blue jeans and vintage jewellery.btw I apologize for my absence at the meeting. I got the time zone confused
Love that brooch! And you seem to be a bit ahead when it comes to spring, here in Stockholm it´s still very bare, with frost almost every night. But the magnolia is starting its bloom.
Your list of stapels is certainly a refreshing deviation from the usual ones! My stapels are white shirts, scarfs of all sorts (sizes, materials, patterns and colours), brouges, pencil skirts and interesting bags.
Large flower brooch to put on the lapels of my jackets.
Jackets in all colours but black and navy, only in natural fabrics.
Breton top in all colours (including navy…) and wool breton jumpers in all colours
ORANGE eveything from coats to shoes
Fancy tights and socks in all colours and natural fabrics.
Scarves, a lot of scarves in all colours (but black and navy) and natural fabrics.
Those are my staples and my signature.
Here in France we are on the way to get “normal” spring like temperatures at last. But some days to go still so my cashmere jumpers and heavy trousers are still out.
This golden jacket is to die for, I recently discovered the appeal of corduroy velvet and got a camel jacket, very 70’s.
And the brooch… well too bad I am living on the other side or I would have splurged. This is the kind of brooch I like to wear.
And yes, Yoox is still a treasure trove, especially during the sales.
Weird closet staple: sleeveless 2 layer tops. Can’t abide sleeves because of hot flashes. Second layer allows me to wear nothing underneath.
I too would like to apologize for missing the Zoom meeting. Had a last minute dinner invite pop up, and the dinner was an absolute disaster, truth be told!
High top Converse ( for a 73 year old me)
Wonderful socks
Fabrics, far too many, they are potential garments
Wild earrings and bracelets
Vancouver is very pink all over on our thousands of Cherry Blossom trees with lots of pink snow on the ground, we hit 25 C yesterday and the beaches were very busy ( scary in Covid)
Thank you for the sunshine!
Oh, great question. Weird staples, hmmm … COLOR, especially red on red e.g. bright red shirt, rust sweater; double silver hoops for my ears, meaning I have to always have a pair of around 1 inch hoops and a pair just a little smaller, to wear in my double-pierced ears.
How wonderful that you have a lilac nearby! Staples: skirts and dresses—at least one from every decade from 1920s to 1980s (not because there aren’t any good clothes after that, of course there are, but the decades kind of stopped becoming significant in and of themselves). And cardigans, cardigans, cardigans (now that I notice, almost all from the ’40s, ’70s or ’80s). I’m reminded of a line from “30 Rock” when a minor character is about to move to San Francisco; Jenna viciously tells her, “Have fun always carrying a light sweater.” So true (except what we really need to carry is a long puffy coat).
I just read the post again because I enjoyed it so much, and how did I forget to mention the radiant corduroy jacket??? It’s lovely, both the fabric and the color. Kind of like getting to wear velvet when one wants to feel velvety but circumstances don’t quite warrant it. Another Directrice-inspired treat to see if I can scout out.
I love this outfit. And what a great idea for styling a tie-dye shirt!
I love DC in the spring – it is our best season.
I have devised a uniform of sorts: interesting top (usually a fun and colorful print), jeans, sneakers when I am meeting with clients or on job sites. Cardigan or jacket if needed. Birkenstocks at home. I have several pairs. Since the panini began I have been wearing soft pants most days, my Birks every day.
I have a large wardrobe of spectacles/sunglasses, black shoes/boots/blazers and MASKS! Can’t help myself…
Oh yeah, we have masks galore too. Personally, for risk environments I use the 3M Aura, which I think is the most comfortable N95 mask out there. Tory double-masks with a surgical mask underneath a BOGO stretchy cloth mask.
We’ve all gotten a little too expert on masks in the last 14 months…
Hooray for yellow blazers! Such a beautiful blast of colour, and I love it with the white jeans. A perfect tableau for the brooch!
I don’t think I have any unusual wardrobe staples — denim jackets and floral shirts seem pretty mundane, but I guess some would consider my overall palette very bright. Though I often wear black or navy pants, usually a bright tee, shirt, or sweater is the star of the show, even better if they’re patterned. In cooler weather I wear a bright coat and scarf as well.
My weird closet staple falls in the shoe category. When I find a shoe I like, I buy it in every color and two of the main colors that might show wear, then that shoe is all I wear for a year plus. I don’t know why I’m this way but I am.
The perfect shoe is stylish yet comfortable, so that’s why I’m so obsessed when I find one, and only find one every year or two.