The Tiny Closet

Around this time of year, I see the display cases and department store racks loaded with Fall/Winter staples.  And with each passing year, fashion is definitely becoming more and more mass-generalized.  Is that the correct term?  I mean with all the H&Ms and Forever21s circling the globe, trends have truly been made available to all (yay!) but at the great expense of quality, fit and authenticity (boooooo!).  And now when I see these stacks on stacks of staples, and being told "every woman should have this in her closet", they start to look more like humdrum uniforms instead of classics.  Especially when I see women wearing them.  Are we clones, ladies? 

Yes, I love that oversize tee with the leather short sleeves... but do I really want to blend in with the other 50,000 women who are rocking the same trend as well?  I'll pass on that one.  But I keep on passing.

The world has become tiny.  I can buy a top in Portland and return it in Barcelona.  Not really, but pretty much.  In fact, I think I tried to do that once.  They gave me a store credit.  Anyway, the point is we can all look identical if we wanted to.  Stores sure set it up that way.  And sadly, for some who are exhausted by the thought of cultivating a personal style, they are happy to look just like the mannequin and go about their day.  Don't do it!  A wardrobe is so much more fun and valuable when you make it your own.

I took two of the most popular classic articles of clothing that stores are always trying to sell at me and I searched for inspiration on how to make them my own.  And now on this fine Monday, I'm sharing it with you!  Here's what I found:

The Classic Trench

Unless you truly want thee classic trench coat look, it may be more enjoyable to change it up.  Make the "look" look more like you.

glamouparis.com

I love this juicy bright berry color on Lea Michele.  Absolutely a unique spotlight on a classic coat that can often times look commonplace.

I also love the idea of embellishing the classic lines with lace, polka dots, dye or trim.  Turning a staple piece into an art piece!

Top Shop / SheInside.com / kate spade

Of course, Burberry has been exploding with stunning styles for the blank canvas that is the trench coat.  I've especially been inspired by their edgier biker chick class:

Burberry

If you're romantic...

trendsfashionwomen.blogspot.com /  cichic.com / sheinside.com

And if you're cheeky!

Wanda Nylon brownsfashion.com / Photo taken by Tim Regas

None of these options will ever drown in a sea of everyday, every girl looks.  Each are unique like the person who imagined them up!


I then paused on The Basic Black Blazer
This was mainly for women who count on the black blazer for work.  I can't tell you how many blazers I've tried on in I don't know how many stores and they all fit miserably.  Where's the tailoring?  Oh, that's right, one size fits all...  I also can't tell you how many women I see wearing ill fitting blazers.  A black blazer is the sexiest thing when worn well.  But finding one or tailoring one takes a bit more work.  And it's soooo worth it.  Try these ideas on for size:

You can try an ultra fitted, ultra fem blazer.  This works for both curvy and athletic built women.
Lookbook Store / L'Wren Scott anothermag.com

And going leather is a stylish direction.  A nice break from the stretch polys that tend to line the shelves.  For a chic finish, I like an invisible lapel.
Burberry / Brooklyn Blonde in Helmut Lang 

I personally don't like wearing blazers indoors.  They feel too much like jackets and I have a thing about wearing outerwear inside.  Still, I love a black blazer and recently I've liked the oversize, slouchy sweater-like blazers.  They're cozier and less clingy.  A very wearing-my-dads blazer look.  A style very well suited if work in the hair, retail or fashion industry.
 Her New Tribe blog / unknown / TheChicStreetJournal.com

And lastly, a collection I've gathered showing some very atypical designs for the black blazer.  Surely to fit that individual who chooses it over all the others.
unknown / alldaychic.com / Atlantic Pacific blog / SincerelyJules.com

From lush silk velvet to a tuxedo inspired lapel.  And completely sleeveless and minimal or slinky and heavily embellished.  It's so easy to forget just how unique and one of a kind you can be with your clothing.  Even the basics!

Just some musings that evolved recently while in the spirit of preparing for the holiday season...  I'm  excited to show you an all new Tiny take on holiday dressing!  Sharing how I dress up with customized touches using very basic pieces.  Looking forward!

Happy Monday :)

I turned 31 years old last week.  

I thought I'd stop feeling like a kid by now but I'm starting to think I'll always feel this way.  

Thank God, right?

A lot of people have been asking me lately just how I keep a Tiny Closet.  Well, in the beginning I threw out everything I didn't love.  

And since, at the time I didn't have the means to shop, I had to make the most of what I had left.  But that's not really what has caused me to maintain being Tiny.

From years of shopping and owning countless cluttered closets, the most important thing I've learned is: 

Clothes won't give you style.

As soon as I learned that, I wasn't so interested in shopping all the time.

I mean, shopping is amazing...  But nowadays, I know what I'm shopping for.  When you know what you're looking for, you tend not to buy the wrong things.   You also tend not buy things that won't last. My Tiny Closet is handpicked by me, each piece carefully added to my little collection of only things I adore.  But that wasn't always the case...

When consulting clients, Rachel Zoe would always ask who they wanted to look like.  The purpose of the question wasn't so that she could copy the look for the client, but so that she could see the kind of essence the client wanted to possess for themselves and exude it to others.  

Boom.

When I read that, it changed my world.  I quickly recalled all of my style icons.  I pulled up their photos and studied why I liked them so much.  And Zoe was right.  The iconic styles I'd assumed I needed to copy in order to achieve them myself had nothing to do with the clothes they were wearing.  It had only to do with them.  

The clothing merely reinforced their personalities and traits.  

So thaaaat's why my closets were full of discarded clothing!  The clothes weren't really for me in the first place.

It wasn't Ashley Olsen's endless clothing collection that I wanted to have per se.  It was her immense class, confidence and her effortlessness that I wanted to have for myself.

It wasn't Karla's tiny figure and countless costumy looks I relished over.  It was her keen intuition and unparalleled creativity I was addicted to.  

instyle.com / stylebalzer.com / vibevixen.com

And it wasn't Solange's fabulously colorful aesthetic that I daydreamed about.  It was her unapologetic eccentricity 

and her laser focus on surrounding herself around only things she loves that I wanted to emulate.

If I or anyone else for that matter wore the outfits of Ashley, Karla or Solange, it wouldn't be the same.  The vibe would be different.  Because I'm different.  So I decided to seek out the various qualities that I loved in those women and create the traits within myself.  Clothing eventually came from that in baby steps.

To me, clothing is the last delicious step in presenting the woman and not the first.  I think that mentality is really why my wardrobe is so small :)

For the past month or so I've been juicing daily...hourly, whenever.  

I'm addicted!

I'm not really into cooking and since I'm really busy anyway I decided to start drinking meal replacing fluids.  THEN I started getting into the veggie drinks as snacks and all of a sudden my face and skin have really improved and I've got tons more energy.  Total confidence booster :)

This juice I drink every day: 

kale / 2 apples / ginger

Specifically for my face, I drink carrot/ginger juice too!

bangles: Old Navy / top: Tiny Closet Collection / nail color: Covergirl "Coral Silk" / denim: All Saints

Which leads me back to my very first post where I talked about what I've always felt are the preliminaries of dressing: health, diet and feeling amazing!  

Simply essential.  Going shopping when you're feeling insecure and crappy is like grocery shopping on an empty stomach...during your period...after getting dumped.  Basically it's not good. 

When you feel good, you look good and that's for damn sure.  

It's just easier to wear clothes and have more fun with it all!

New inspirations and ideas have been percolating in my Tiny Closet lately...

I usually don't share my style boards but with the overwhelming amount of ideas and inspiration I've been taking in lately, from magazines to Tumblr to Vogue.com to Karla's Closet to Jak & Jil to, to, to...it's comin at me from everywhere lately, I had to lay it all out for myself.  And now for you.

#1: Accessories

rad nails, awesome hair, bracelets, and... freckles!  

I want 'em all.

I'm looking for A/W maxis.  Surprisingly hard to find... In fact, I'm pretty close to going to a maternity store to find the drape that I need.  

Also, I've longed for a dewier natural look in my makeup. The one thing I envy in runway models is their incredible complexion.  They pamper their faces like nothing I've ever seen so I've been taking more time with mine.  I will dedicate a post on this because I've actually become obsessed with having a clean, bright face.  It really does a lot.

#3: Colors & Textures

mixed geo prints, woven textiles, bright smoking shoes

My feet are wide and flat.  Aren't you jealous?  Yeah, I know.  Years ago, when flats became the new epidemic, it was hard to join in on the fun.  In general flats are just not a flattering shoe for flat, wide feet.  That was until the smoking shoe came into the spotlight.  They're so much hipper and most importantly, they make my feet look handsome and elegant and not like I just got off a 20 hour plane ride.

I've also been into humungous thick scarves, woodsy felted ponchos and zany tribal/geo patterns on dresses and pants.

Whew!  So we'll see if this all pans out.  Oh and before I sign out, I've always crushed on artsy, tattooed, bad boy punks.  Always.  Maybe because I just envied their style.  But I guess I've always loved bold, unapologetic fashion.   And attitude :)

It occurred to me the other day that I've lost myself in fashion.  

Let me explain...  

To lose oneself in fashion: while this is probably thought of as more of a blissful experience, I don't actually mean it that way.  I mean this realization was a slap on the forehead.  An epiphany really.  I realize I have forgotten where I stand in all of this - my identity, my fashion. Statement.  Lately, I've been finding it harder to be inspired.  But I realize that's only because I've been inundating myself with style and fashion that I don't connect with.  While I love it, I don't relate.  Perhaps you have experienced this too?  

Being a true lover of fashion, its easy to become distracted by all the bright patterns and sparkly sequins and amazing ensembles...  I have to remind myself though that while all these wonderful things I observe in this fashionable world of ours is fine and lovely, I can't forget that I too have yet another unique lens to share.  And especially as a blogger, shouldn't it be my goal to then inundate you with my interpretation of this thing called fashion?  

Yes.  

If you were wondering, yes, you're right.  These looks are all from AW 2010-11.   AW 2012 fell flat for me this year.  That didn't stop me of course from buying both the Vogue and Elle collections though.  A girl's gotta have something to read!  But then again - this is my point in staying true to thine self:  Just because its 2012 doesn't mean you're gonna see me posing in a pastel Carven mini with bows on my heels. 

Sooo stay tuned for more truer Tiny Closet attire.  And if you read this entire post, 

I am impressed and touched :)

I have recently become a fan of StyleMint.  

Welcome to an online styling boutique dedicated solely to T-shirts!  Created by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen of The Row.  I am a humungoid fan of T-shirts and well, jersey in general and I've been a long time fan of The Row, which started out originally as a line of high end luxury Tees.  So of course now I am intrigued to find their less expensive sister line where every single T-shirt is [drumroll] 

$29.95 !!!

You can view a slice of their inventory above in the first tier of clothing.  They've got a plethora of styles to choose from!  What's great about this boutique is you sign up, become a free member, and every month, StyleMint showcases T-shirts to you privately that are specifically tailored to your personal style.  You can buy every item they choose for you or, if you don't see anything you want, you can skip that month and wait for next month's reveal!  Sounds kinda VIP, huh?  Yeah, mama likes feeling catered to :)

Speaking of being catered to, I am now going to my parents house to stuff myself with stuffing and basically be filled to the brim with uhhhmazingness.  Another reason why jersey is always the fabric of choice for me.  It's fashionable and forgiving!  

In all seriousity though (I made up that word, hehe) I need pumpkin pie in my mouth right now, so if you'll excuse me...

Happy Thanksgiving :)

So you know by now that I am allll about making the items in my closet go a long way... so these heels with jeans, leather pants, tweed slacks, leggings, slouchy silk shorts, a shift dress, whatever - they will go with everything! 

And the rabbit fur "charm" hanging off the heel is exquisitely sexy am I right?  The answer is Yes.  Reminds me of a sultry lady fox with a sassiness similar to that "seasoned" lady dog in Lady & The Tramp.  Have the right man walking behind you in these sisters and "Hello, lovah", they will do all the talking.  Back to the point though, the asymmetric square toe is subtly edgy and modern, which is a nice twist on a classic design.

                                                                         click this link to go to: ShoeMint

I looove WhoWhatWear.com!  This blog is a daily read of mine that I highly recommend for fashionistas looking for up to the minute updates on everything style and fashion.  And this post I had to forward on since Rachel Bilson is a fabulous stylist herself and is now designing shoes with Steve Madden!

Mainly, I'm excited because so far I've seen a few wedges and I adore wedges!  Pre-register to get the first sneak preview on November 25th!!  I already have :)