Top Ten Wardrobe Must-Haves

I've recently started reading the blog Friday Style (and don't ask me why it took me so long to find this gem) and the current topic being debated is Oprah's Ten Wardrobe Staples.  (Links: Oprah site here, Friday Style post here.)  True to form, I disagree with quite a few of the items on Oprah's list, and have other items I'd include as well.

First of all, why are good bras not on Oprah's list?  A good bra is essential.  Without a good bra, NOTHING will look good.  Are your bras fitting properly?  Well, answer me these questions.  Is it comfortable?  If you said no, you're not wearing the right bra.  Are the straps digging in?  Is the band riding up in the back?  Are you suffering from quadriboob or its cousin, armpit flab spillage?  Yes?  You need different bras.

So.  Oprah's list.  Let me lay out her list, with my comments and possible replacements.

1.  Trench Coat
I bristle a bit at this one, because it seems so specific, and doesn't seem to give enough leeway for personal style.  But once I looked at some of the pictures on Oprah's site, I realized they were defining "trench coat" pretty loosely; some didn't even have belts.  I don't own a trench, per se, but my raincoat would probably qualify by their standards.  My raincoat is in a black microfiber, very fitted (as it should be, considering it's a petite extra small), knee-length with chrome toggles.  It's a raincoat, but it doesn't look raincoat-y, it just looks like a nice, tailored, stylish coat.

I'd replace "trench coat" on this list with "tailored, structured coat suitable for wearing to the office or for dress-up."  Everyone should have a good coat.  If your only coat is suited more for snowboarding or raking leaves, go shopping.  You deserve pretty things.

2. Black (or white) turtleneck
Oh, no.  No no no no no.  There are only a few fashion things I Will Not do (example: wear big puffy white sneakers, ever, unless I have to for a magazine shoot) and one of them is turtlenecks.  They make me feel all constricted, and besides, I am certain I heard on What Not to Wear that they're not flattering to women with large chests -- I think the term they used was "ski slope," or maybe "ski jump," except that makes less sense because whose nipples turn up at the end? -- and that we should be wearing V-necks instead.  So no.  No turtlenecks, not over my dead body, and if you put one on my corpse you are SO getting haunted.

I think the point here is to have simple shirts to use for layering, so I'd replace this item with good quality fitted t-shirts, both long and short sleeve, in black, white or other solid colors.  I love the fact that manufacturers are making form-fitting t-shirts now.  Target and H&M are my main sources for basic t-shirts; they're inexpensive, but that's good, because they'll need to be replaced as soon as the black fades or if they get stained or torn.

The form-fitting is important here.  As far as I'm concerned, baggy t-shirts are best for sleeping in, painting, washing the dog, or torn up for environmentally friendly cleaning rags.

3.  Black trousers
Can't argue there.  Actually, I could use a new pair of basic black slacks.  I've got tuxedo-style black dress pants, black capri pants, and black jeans, but no basic office-job black trousers.

4. Tunic

Tunics... I dunno.  I own a few tunic tops, but almost never wear them.  They remind me too much of being fat.  I wore tunics a lot when I was two sizes larger, because they are flattering when you've got stuff on the torso to hide.  But now I feel heavier when I put on a loose, flowing top.  I have worked WAY too hard for this midsection to hide it under a tunic.  Also, because I do have a large chest, anything that falls straight down from boob-end does make me look fatter, or pregnant, and that could be dangerous.  If someone glanced meaningfully at my belly and asked me if I was pregnant, just now when I'm finally starting to accept that I'll never get pregnant again, I'd probably cut them.

Instead of tunics, I like dresses.  Simple day dresses.  I have lots: sweater dresses for cool weather, cotton sheaths for warm weather, or for layering with tights or leggings and boots.  I love dresses.  The best thing about dresses is that a dress makes it look like you made an effort, but really they're the easiest thing to wear, because no matching!  One piece, wham, you're done!  True, in the winter there's the extra step of making sure that you've got a clean pair of tights with no holes, but in the summer....  In the summer, I just toss on a dress and a pair of sandals and I look fine at the grocery store.

5. White jeans

This would be another NO for me.  I know they're supposed to be crisp and classic, but then again perhaps I'm not all that crisp and classic.  White on the bottom seems like a bad idea to me.  I'd be sure to lean against the back of my filthy car, or sit in a bowl of spaghetti (my son just did this) or laugh too hard while holding a full cup of coffee.  I like black jeans or colored jeans instead.  My favorite colored jeans ever were a dark greenish brown.  They were so versatile, looked great with black tops, and were office-appropriate... but they got bleach stains, and just last week I cut them up to make wing feathers for my son's bald eagle costume.

6. Dark (blue) jeans

Of course.  I'll take mine mid-rise and boot-cut.

7. Black dress

Can't argue with that, either.  You know how I feel about dresses.  And cocktails.  Everyone should have something in their closet they can wear to a cocktail party.  But since I've already covered dresses as a replacement for item 4, the tunic, I'll make my #7 a pair of nice yoga pants, because if you're like me, there's at least one day a month when the idea of wearing anything more constricting around your waist is horrifying.  I try to make the effort to pair the comfy pants with a nice sweater or something on top so it doesn't look as if I forgot I was going to have to leave the house.

8. White denim jacket

Ummm... no.  There's something about white denim that I just can't hack.  Might be a lingering aftereffect of having survived the '80s.  But one of my current wardrobe staples is a blazer-cut blue denim jacket.  I love that thing.  It nicely straddles the line between casual (it's denim!) and Dressy Casual/Corporate Casual (it's a blazer!).  I use it to dress up casual t-and-capri outfits and to dress down fancier dress or skirt outfits.

9.  Black skirt

I can't deprive black skirts of their place on a list for general consumption.  I own quite a few, personally, and I could use some more!

10. Timeless cashmere sweater

I don't (gasp!) own any cashmere, and I refuse to feel that I am somehow falling down on the fashion job because of that.   Of course everyone needs some decent sweaters.  I just prefer cotton sweaters, personally.  But what I'd choose for item 10 on this list is a well-fitted black jacket (of the blazer/suit jacket/sportcoat variety).  A black jacket can be thrown on over jeans and a t-shirt (assuming you've followed my t-shirt dictums, I'm not talking about that freebie from a 1997 fun run) and suddenly you've got a pulled-together outfit that's nice enough to wear to the office.

Lemme see what we've got here.  Good coats, fitted t-shirts, black trousers and skirts, simple dresses, jeans of many colors, yoga pants, sweaters, and tailored jackets.  That actually does cover a majority of what's in my closet.  It leaves out capri pants, which I like for warm weather situations when shorts aren't appropriate, but I did mention them under "black trousers," so we'll fudge that.  But you know what's really missing from this list?  Accessories.  SHOES.  That's going to have to be another entry, another Summer's Top Ten list, because there are certain accessories I just can't live without.  Tomorrow, maybe?  Right now I really ought to do some work before the boss gets back.

Comments

[janssen]

Great list - I'll have to come up with one of my own.

[Allison]

White jeans? A white denim jacket?

The WNTW fan in my is cringing into a little ball in the corner. There's no. way. ever. I'm buying either of those. Besides, when I saw a color/style consultant (cool gift from Mike shortly after we met), she let me know that white is frankly no one's friend. I'm all about ivory and cream. But still, NOT FOR JEANS.

[Julie]

I tried on a pair of white jeans at Banana the other day thinking, "How cute.....with a blue and white striped top I could look like I just got off my sailboat". Um.....no. Once again I was reminded that I am, in fact, NOT a model for J Crew. White Jeans = bad idea.

And jean jackets? Very 80's. And I for one cannot afford to buy clothes that I have already donated to Goodwill. It's a little too Groundhogs Day for me.