The Tiny Closet: skirts/dresses

5.10.2018

Style After Style: A Little Yellow Dress

Remember this little yellow knit dress? I wore it at the crisp beginning of Spring - probably the first yellow dress I've ever worn. Designed for The Tiny Closet Shop, this midi dress was meant to be quite versatile and go with any foundational wardrobe.

Anyway, instead of a trench and white woven block heels, I decided to spice it up for the sake of restyling inspiration: a fun fresh white mud cloth open coat and black simple strap heeled sandals.

This particular ensemble isn't something I'd wear - it's not quite me but I couldn't help but take photos of it when I thought up the pairings. It reminds me of something fun to wear on a girls trip or out to lunch. And I do this a lot actually, these types of out-of-my-zone stylings. The habit keeps my brain and ideas fresh and ready to experiment with anything. Why is that helpful?

Well, for me personally, since I design clothing for other women, it keeps me thinking about all the different possibilities of styling and designing and not just sticking to my own comforts, which is limiting over time. Experimentation, dress up sessions, are also helpful for finding one's own personal style. Or igniting a spark of new ideas with an old wardrobe.

Take your clothes and just try on everything with everything else!

You'd be surprised at all the fantastic outfits that can be put together when you come at styling from a different, unfamiliar angle. That's what my Style After Style series is all about.

This is the last one (for now) of my Style After Style series. I will probably start up a new one again in Fall or Winter. I love taking seasonal pieces and crossing them over to other seasons. So I hope you enjoyed these posts dedicated to restyling one's own wardrobe!

You can get this midi dress (The Hostess) in "limoncello" at The Tiny Closet Shop!

And you can also join me again next Thursday for an all new look as I push willingly into... new Summer styles!

Style After Style: a Versatile Tunic

This maxi, deep-v tunic is a versatile gem and is in my capsule wardrobe. I can wear it year-round (partly because I live in L.A.) because it truly goes with everything. Truly I've worn it with everything - these shots above are just several of my favorite looks.

But I've never worn it with shorts or a mini. So today I am featuring the latter:

The Tourist tunic (by yours truly - and pssst, it's available in the shop!) paired with a very cool T by Alexander Wang scrunchy knit mini... and some chic understated suede heels.

So, so simple. Slip it all on and goooooooo.

And speaking of going... I couldn't keep from sashaying my butt off in this chic lil' getup.

So from lounge knit midi pants to leather, to vintage jeans to boyfriend jeans! And now a softer feminine feel. Maintaining ultimate simplicity of course.

Hope you liked this third installment of my new Style After Style series debuting the ease and versatility of a tunic. Next week, I'll be pausing the series to feature my Spring season capsule!

So come back next Thursday to check out my new seasonal inspirations!

Style After Style: The Maxi Skirt

As my 2nd restyling feature, I picked a piece I rarely wear but for event/avant gard occasions. This Robert Rodriguez maxi circle skirt called to me years ago and I haven't tired of it since.

With mesh paneling, a cropped front and geometric embroidery, I found a skirt that was masterfully designed and executed. That's my sewer's perspective, lol - but as a curator of artful pieces, I highly covet this one and so appreciate it's uniqueness.

I don't have many photos of myself in this one, considering how long I've had it, eek! But as you can how I've styled it over time above, it's a rather season-less skirt. Perfectly dramatic (and full coverage I might add) for Winter with tights and a fitted top. Then for Summer with a crisp tank and printed slippers. And finally...

a Spring/Summer look. All black with a cropped textured print, a pop of color, and gold accessories. As I shot this in the Arts District the other day, I did feel like I wasn't wearing an outfit for just walking and coffee (which is my usual go-to leisure activity when I'm not home). But it just depends on personal style. Some women wear stilettos to the airport so of course I can chill in this getup while sipping a pour-over. I just wouldn't. I would wear this on a date at the museum with Theo, or at a wedding. It's funny, I actually am planning on doing both of those things.

I've been designing simple cropped bolero-type jackets in The Tiny Closet Shop. Mainly using African mud cloths that I always keep stocked. I thought it would be a creative touch to pair one with a huge skirt and a simple lace cami. I love it! But the jacket is definitely still in design...

All you petite ladies out there, don't be afraid to wear a maxi skirt! - even if it's practically floor length. Simply keep the shoes and top super simple and the top better be cropped! It lengthens you. Heels are best with such a whale of a skirt buuuut if ya know me, you know I don't give a hoot about the rules. These days, there aren't any rules anyway so wear what you love.

Anyway, I aint gonna lie, mama felt saucy in this ensemble. All black, a bit of lace, a spicy red shoe, big hair.... I felt like I was back in Spain watching flamenco dancers putting on shows in the streets of Seville.

So all black for Spring is certainly not festive, I know. I've never been into pastels but I was delighted to see that a couple of the leading colors for Spring 18' is tomato and paprika! I love a good orangey red and for Spring, both go quite will with a plethora of pinks and pale blues. Just you wait!

I hope you liked this 2nd installment of my Style After Style series!

This series really is the roots of The Tiny Closet. Styling and re-styling is the name of the game when you're working with 28 pieces year-round. After 6 years of rocking a tiny (sometimes minuscule) closet, I'd say I've gotten good at what I do here. But what's great about restyling is there is always another way to wear your clothes, another ensemble to put together, another perspective. And I still love talking about it.

So join me next Thursday for another Style After Style feature!

And see what I pick next :)

Style After Style: The Midi Skirt

Today marks the kickoff of a reprised series of Tiny Closet re-stylings! You may remember a couple years ago when I collaged blog posts of pieces I'd worn in the past and put them together to show how I'd restyled them over the years.

I am beginning this series again for the Spring season where I'll be newly restyling pieces in my closet that I've featured before - but in all new ways. Style After Style.

Because like, that's what the Tiny Closet is all about.

I'll start with my beloved leather midi skirt. This mama is gorgeous, beautifully made and actually, was able to fit me through thick and thin and always made me feel chic and modern (even though it's technically vintage as it was made in the 80s).

I've worn it through every season but Summer with oversize tops, heels, flats, hoodies, you name it. The above photos feature my most diverse looks.

I have my personal favorite ensembles but I this present look I slipped on is my new fave.

Not gonna lie, it's been freezing in L.A., but I was excited about this look and wanted to share the restyling a bit earlier than the season is permitting. Perhaps this will give you ideas on how to rock your own midi skirt!

Because actually, midi skirts can be pretty awkward. The hem has got to hit you perfectly. Not to mention, the fabric is a huge factor: too thick, you're frumpy and wide looking. Too stiff, you look like you're walking around in a paper bag.

Give us shape!

Give us drape!

Oh, and give me a slit so I can move like a normal human being. My cat-like reflexes and incessant 4-lane jay-walking demands it.

I decided to wear a very cropped tee with this waist-sitting skirt. It's my own design and practically aerodynamic. That's why I wear a bralette with it always.

My vision for this ensemble since I RARELY show this much skin? Definitely a fun date with my Theo. Dressing for my husband is always loads of fun because I can step outside my modest style, get sexy and still feel cozy.

Minimalism is always fun though. I am wearing three pieces (counting my shoes) that can be beautifully highlighted with small embellishments. Like full brows and big hair.

If anything is going to do the talking, I want it to be me. If the midi skirt is wearing you, you're doing it wrong I say. And that's a bit of a challenge for a gal like me because I'm 5' tall. Everything tends to look like it's wearing me instead of the other way around. So that's why I tend to not do too much after getting dressed. Just the really important stuff.

And the really important stuff works!

So, I hope I've shown that with midi skirts, there really is so much one can do! Not just pairings and stylings but events! From dinners to work conferences, to museums, concerts, cocktail parties, happy hour, brunch with the girls - alright, alright, you get it.

To check out the other ways I've styled this leather midi skirt, click on any of the below links! :

Army Coat & Boots

Maxi Statement Tunic & Patent Leather

Oversize Sweater & Flats

Join me next Thursday for an all-new "Style After Style" feature!

and have a beautiful day!

Alluring Basics

There tends to be a narrow view of "minimalism" and "capsules"...

Maybe because the aesthetic of minimalism is always marketed as blank or stark. Monochrome arrangements with black, white and grey as the featured colors. As the only colors.

And then with capsules, which is supposed to be a small collection of clothing that you wear year round - they tend to be made up of predominantly black, white and grey pieces as well. And as much as I love that trio of colors, I've never resonated with wearing them all year long, day in and day out - blah.

Very few women do!

And so the minimalist lifestyle with its capsules and uniform-like closet staples continues to be misunderstood and avoided. What a shame.

Because this minimalist outfit right here is my kind of basic uniform.

Aside from my strong opinion that yellow is always a good idea, who said basics and all-season colors had to be black, white and grey? Yes, those shades match with everything - but at what cost people?!

Yes, capsules are focused on utility and efficiency but that's not all they're about. The most perfect, efficient closet is useless if you don't want to wear the clothing.

Like most women, I enjoy bringing out my natural coloring with different hues and prints. I also have different moods and dress for different versions of myself (like we all do) - so I need diversity and versatility. My point is...

Your capsule closet can be whatever you want it to be. And your endeavor into minimalism doesn't mean you throw away everything and go on a clothing fast. If you love plum, leopard print and florals - well those can be worn all year long and make for incredible "basics". You know why?

Because you love them, that's why!

This month I'll be continuing to touch on the diversity of minimalism and how inclusive it really is. The Tiny Closet is my closet, where I show my way to live as a minimalist and work with capsules. But minimalism has many faces and is as individual as each of us. So I'll be featuring different looks as a fun exploration of this niche lifestyle.

Thank you for visiting!

Come back next Thursday for another new look, same closet.

A Moment In Leather

Like most Los Angelites, the moments it gets cold in this desert city, we delight in joining in wearing more season appropriate styles like the rest of you... like wearing jackets and coats for instance.

I LOVE this Muubaa leather jacket but I probably wear it twice a year. It's just too hot to wear it more often than that. *sigh* So when we had couple days of high 50s weather, I popped this lover on over one of my newest Winter pieces from The Tiny Closet Shop (The Shopper midi dress) and completed a cool city look with some black sneakers.

This dress is a knockout in heels but I'll leave that to my fabulous customers to rock. For me, sneakers are the reality. Even for this lil shoot, I couldn't be bothered with heels! Maybe because I'm all work and no play these days. Easy operation is key.

I am resonating with waves lately instead of my fun tiny spiral curls. It's hard to part with them but I have a rule: when you look in the mirror and you're not totally feeling yourself (vain, I know - but that's the ABCs of me, what can I say...) change it! A change will do you good.

The Shopper is still available in my Winter collection! This is a classic piece and I think it'll be showing up in my Fall and Spring capsule wardrobes. You can wear this midi dress everywhere! But I guess the same thing goes for a lot of the clothes I wear...

You guys, it's February!! Which means I am bursting at the seams in anticipation for Spriiiing! But until then,

Come back next Thursday for another warm-Winter look!

Thanks for visiting :)

My Fall Capsule

I have been waiting to reveal this!! With the weather having been like mid July for the past couple months, I postponed showcasing my Fall pieces so that I could actually wear them and figure out what kind of look I wanted to have this season.

Finally, overnight, Fall has descended upon Los Angeles as a silvery dark cold blanket. Never mind last week, which was sunny and in the hundreds - it's Fall so get used it!

Let's get right into it:

Look-links to click! top to bottom: brown platform sandals / patent heeled mules / open toe wedges

These few pairs of heels have been my go-tos since August. The coppery brown sandals I wear pretty much year round because firstly, I'm in sunny, warm California and also because their color is gorgeous for Summer and Fall looks (sometimes even warmer Winter months). The other mules go well with denim, leggings, midi dresses - you name it. And they should because I got them for that reason actually - not for my wardrobe but for modeling with my clothing line. Having no intentions to make them part of my Tiny Closet, I bought them to wear for fittings and product shoots. None of them are even over $40! They looked so good though, I just started wearing them to the shoots and then out leisurely.

This is actually a sneak preview of my new collection of basics coming up...soon. The collection is called "Standard" and these particular designs were fundamental in creating my clothing line. Anyway, I'm very excited to share these pieces with you. For now, they are part of my Fall capsule this season specifically because I am testing the fabrics for performance and look. So far I love them! And so will you. On the subject though - I've found it very helpful to always have a set of fine tees. White, heather gray and black are my set. Excellent drape, great feel, and a feminine deep neckline for a light sexy, slouchy style.

Look-link! cropped lace camisole

And a lace or silk camisole is super helpful. A key piece in bringing a capsule together.

Look-link! black leather midi skirt & here

This midi skirt has been a keeper for years. Definitely medium weight kid leather (the most exquisite kind!) with a silk lining, I only take this babe out for Fall & Winter. I've noticed an article of leather does well in every seasonal capsule, whether it's pants, a skirt or a jacket. If leather aligns with your ethics, or maybe vegan leather, the look is all-season and you can have fun with colors for each capsule!

Look-link! one-shoulder knit midi dress / Available for preorder 11/9

My one-shoulder knit midi dress comes in handy pretty much all year. I debuted this piece as regal Summer evening wear. But I've found it's relevant and beautiful for Fall. I plan to make this piece in a long sleeve to better fit the current season.

Look-link! orange crepe wrap dress / purchase here

My orange wrap dress from Summer also does very well for Fall here. I'm thinking a scoop neck body suit underneath as an additional look for the season? Could be fun. A dress with an of-the-moment statement color or print always does well in a capsule. Always!

Look-link! black V-neck waterfall dress / purchase here

Of course, I had to include my smoke black V-neck waterfall dress. It seems to be perfect for any occasion! I designed it and even I'm surprised by its capacity. This piece became quite popular after I released it's first design as a Summer tunic (below). The fabric is heavyweight so for me, it's definitely a Fall piece. Layered with tights and an overcoat or statement sweater, it could also work as a light dress for Winter.

Look-link! white V-neck tunic & here / purchase here

A Summer tunic turned every-day oversize top. This long roomy tunic goes so well with my work clothes, it's almost as basic as a big white tee - I'm sure I'll bring this top with me through all of my capsules. I am also releasing it in a mulled wine color next week sooooo.... maybe that will be my new Fall favorite? It'll be nice to have options though :)

Look-link! railroad denim dress / purchase here

I love The Painter dress as it's called in my shop. But the original dress I released last Spring looked better on me. Also, I haven't had a chance to wear it much with the blistering heat. The denim is heavy weight like a stiff pair or jeans so Fall/Winter months only. It's got a great silhouette and damn sturdy! And since Fall came to us literally overnight, I'll have more opportunities to sport this daily workhorse dress.

Be sure to check out all my "Look-Links" to see how I styled each of my Fall capsule pieces in past and present season. And speaking of looking...

New Winter pieces are arriving in the shop next week!!!!

The Tiny Closet

Pages

5.10.2018

Style After Style: A Little Yellow Dress

4.05.2018

Style After Style: a Versatile Tunic

3.29.2018

Style After Style: The Maxi Skirt

3.22.2018

Style After Style: The Midi Skirt

3.08.2018

Alluring Basics

2.08.2018

A Moment In Leather

11.02.2017

My Fall Capsule

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