Fashion gurus - what's in/what's out now?

[WatchingThemGrow]

Cleaning out the closet, haven't looked at a fashion magazine or show in 3+ years. I've just been rotating maternity/nursing/before/after clothes through my closet all this time. What should I keep/throw out stylewise? Obviously, no haute couture ideas are needed here, just general guidelines.

Thanks!

[gatorsmom]

Well, what have you got? That's a tough question without knowing what you have. And are you talking shoes too?

Kbecks a few months ago mentioned this website and this has been very helpful for me. I've never ordered any of the clothes has here but I've gotten things that were similar.

http://blog.wardrobe911.com


hth!

[WatchingThemGrow]

I think what I have mostly is a bunch of BR outlet trousers and sweaters, with a bit of AT Loft mixed in. Shoes...I haven't gotten to them yet, but I think the main focus of my quest is everyday, playground to music class to bible study to playgroup clothes. Funny, when I was pregnant last summer I bought all these cheap fun dresses and looked and felt okay in them. I guess you just can't feel AND look good in workout wear, right? And soft smushy Merrell mocs don't ever make you look anything more than comfy. I need to get rid of a pair of those...if I have to.

Specifically...3/4 length sleeves? blazers? What should denim be right now? Pant legs? Accessories? I'll get some ideas from the blog as I read more.

Thanks for your help!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Specifically...3/4 length sleeves? blazers? What should denim be right now? Pant legs? Accessories? I'll get some ideas from the blog as I read more.



I am no longer a guru as being pregnant took me out of rotation and I am still catching up! But, my observations are...

I haven't seen 3/4 length sleeves as much this season and I would personally go with regular length.

Mid hip and fitted blazers w/ no shoulder pads work depending on fabric, imo. I plan to wear a navy courdory jacket this fall.

I have seen lots of denim colors out lately. Because my hips and upper thighs are a bit bigger I avoid any "whiskering" so I don't draw attention to that area. I lean towards more of a darker rinse.

Pant legs depend on body type but I don't think you can really go wrong with straight, not tapered, legs.

Accessories...sigh. With a nursing baby that loves to yank at my jewlery I have been going without lately. If I were buying I'd probably just pick up some pretty pieces at ATL or H&M.

Beth

[gatorsmom]

I think what I have mostly is a bunch of BR outlet trousers and sweaters, with a bit of AT Loft mixed in. Shoes...I haven't gotten to them yet, but I think the main focus of my quest is everyday, playground to music class to bible study to playgroup clothes. Funny, when I was pregnant last summer I bought all these cheap fun dresses and looked and felt okay in them. I guess you just can't feel AND look good in workout wear, right? And soft smushy Merrell mocs don't ever make you look anything more than comfy. I need to get rid of a pair of those...if I have to.

Specifically...3/4 length sleeves? blazers? What should denim be right now? Pant legs? Accessories? I'll get some ideas from the blog as I read more.

Thanks for your help!

I'm not yet down to pre-preggo body and I'm like you- just chomping at the bit to get my closet cleaned out and put some comfortable, yet stylish clothes in there. I'll be doing basically the same things as you- driving kids to school and activities but also crawling on the floor with babies. Anyway, I've been doing lots of online window shopping to get an idea of what will work for me and be "in". And I think I'm getting a better picture of what that will be...

I've seen plenty of cute, 3/4 length sleeves at anthropologie.com. But I've also seen regular length too. What seems to be more important lately, is the length of the shirt itself. Shirts, especially tshirts, are longer (many at just above the hips)and are having more "swing" to them which makes them pair well with skinny pants. I'm loving these swingier shirts because they hide my leftover baby belly which is unfortunately still there. But you won't get me in skinny pants any time soon no matter how popular they are.

I did see a great, attractive blazer at J. Crew. I think those are still in. JCrew seems to be cited lately in a lot of magazines for having some great, casual fashions, so I've been browsing there a bit.

As for denim, I've seen a lot of dark denim, which I personally think looks a bit dressier. And it's slimming, thank goodness. So many of the stars are wearing skinny pants but when you are stick thin you can do that. Amazingly, I just found some comfortable and super attractive dark denim, boot cut jeans at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago. They even had them in petites for me. At $25 a pair I felt like I hit the jackpot. But I've had good luck in the past with AT Loft jeans in the boot cut.

As for accessories, I seem to see a lot of pendants on a chain or rope. I saw a bunch on that blog I mentioned before and in the Boden catalog this fall. I walked past Forever 21 store the other day and saw literally hundreds of them hanging on an accessories rack (that's probably the only thing that would fit on me from that store).

Someone was talking about twinsets which I love too. I've been told that cardigans from twinsets aren't out of style if you pair them with a camisole or shirt that doesn't match exactly. This is a wonderful option for layering. I have lots of twinsets I have collected over the years and just recently went out and bought a bunch of tshirts in different colors and styles to wear with my old cardigans.

Ok, I have to stop procrastinating now. I hope I helped you and that my style ideas aren't too off track. Posting has actually helped me figure some of this stuff out better for me too.

So, those are my observations.

[ThreeofUs]

At 9 months preggo, I'm only dressing in t-shirts and skorts, but ohhhh the lovely lines this fall!

I think the look is moving more towards sharper outlines - blazers are definitely in, as Lisa notes, but so are really crisp khakis, shirt dresses (believe it or not!), and tailored skirts. Dresses are also going in this direction - lots of very well cut (and LOW cut), Marilyn-Monroe-ish styles in flowing fabrics.

Ohhh, I forgot to add: pant waists appear to be headed up - way up! - with long legs (like, down to the floor, no matter the cut), and long skirts are also in with swing-y tailored jackets. I've seen some really fantastic pieces in stores and on friends lately that make me just drool....

So keep all your classic pieces.

On the casual side, I think there are a lot of currents mixing, but the big thing is to look well-put-together, usually with a touch of highly-colored whimsy, like lime-green shoes or something.

Does this make sense?

[ahrimie]

now that i have a 3 month old, i'm all about practicality but i've always loved clothes too.

i always stick with what fits my body best and classic pieces: love fitted blazers.. i hate spending a lot on them but whenever i buy a good one, i always wear it tons; for jeans, go with what makes you comfortable--i like skinny or straight leg bc i think it flatters my body best. plus you can wear those styles with flats and not look too short. (if you're shorter, flared pants make you look shorter). dark washes are more versatile since you can dress them up.

for shirts, i love button downs, long sleeves and quarter sleeves--they look best on me. a little bit of stretch is always good and flatters most bodies. swingy shirts are in too--just make sure they're not too long or you'll look frumpy. they should hit around your hips. you can always belt it at the waist too for a slimming look.

for dresses and skirts, i personally think they look best right at the knee or just above for most people--you see the slimmest part of your leg that way. since i love button downs, i love shirt dresses. and it's easy access if you're BFing! swing/mod dresses are in but they're also a little shorter, if you're comfortable with that. i like to wear those with flats... super cute and super easy.

happy shopping!

[kozachka]

I don't care what's in or what's out too much. I try to buy classic pieces that look good on me that way I can get more wears out of them and since I make my purchase decision based on 'price per wear' can justify more expensive purchases. I prefer to have fewer high quality pieces that I can wear a lot than a ton of trendy pieces that fit me so-so.

My most recent purchases are a pair of universally flattering Lucky Brand Classic Rider jeans in dark navy (on 50% sale for $55), navy velvet DKNY jacket ($325 plus tax). And shoes, lots of shoes, for $30 from sale at www.6PM.com (http://www.6PM.com) and Jill Stuart pumps for the office for $100 from www.shopbop.com (http://www.shopbop.com) . Don't forget to buy some new nice lingerie. I also love La Coste polos, they are more fitted and run longer.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Thanks for all your help on getting my wardrobe (and mind) prepped for fall/winter. I did end up getting a few pieces that I'm now scheduled to return. Since we are expecting #3 (barely), I get to pull out the old maternity stash and try to make sense of it. There are a couple things I wore FAR too often and will have to replace. I don't anticipate being excited to wear that Gap Maternity "Rainbow Brite" sweater from winter 2005 another hour.

Maybe next fall, I'll be due for another overhaul.