What I REALLY Wear

I know I promised you an entry with my top ten must have accessories, and you WILL get it, soon.  But I realized that the entry I posted yesterday wasn't quite clear about what I really wear, which items are the foundation of my wardrobe.  I just couldn't resist the opportunity to rip apart the Oprah list, that's all.

I'm going to break my list of wardrobe workhorses into two lists, one for winter and one for summer.  What I wear when it's consistently 40 degrees or below is very different than what I wear when it's always 85 or above.  (I show skin.  Lots of it.  No vitamin D deficiencies here... at least not from April to September.)  Bear in mind also that this is not necessarily a list of what I think All Women should own; it's just what I wear and what I like.

Winter

1. Funky Coat
Yes, I do own that sleek and stylish rain coat I described yesterday, but most days will find me wearing a funkier outer garment.  It's bad enough that DC winter weather is drab; if I'm going to have to swaddle myself in thick coats, they're going to have some personality to them, goshdarnit.  The coat I grab most often is a black leather jacket with shiny silver zippers and huge puffs of black fur at the cuffs, collar and hem.   I also adore what I call my "space gorilla jacket," a jacket cut like a classic mink jacket, but made out of an outrageous shaggy black faux fur laced with shimmering silver "hairs."  It's crazy, no doubt about it, but that's me.

2. Blue Jeans
Mine are midrise, boot-cut, "curvy" jeans from Old Navy. 

3. Skinny Black Jeans
I never expected that I'd hop on the skinny jeans trend, but here I am, wearing skinny black jeans.  I now own two pairs and wear them at least once a week.  They don't look as comfortable as they are, but God bless whoever invented spandex.

4. Form-fitting V-neck T-shirts in solid colors
A layering staple.  I wear my Ts under sweaters and jackets.  I love V-necks, I think they're the most flattering to my chest.  I'm including both short and long sleeve shirts in this category.

5. Thin cotton sweaters
Most of my sweaters are ones with very small knits (I have one cable-knit, and that's it) and all are form-fitting.  I don't like baggy, bulky clothes, I just think they add weight to my small frame, and I always want my waist to be visible.  (Visible, not exposed.  I actually tuck my layering T-shirts in so as to prevent any exposure of torso-skin to cold air.)  So my sweaters all cling a bit, but not in a trashy way.  Almost all are V-neck or scoop-neck.  My husband gives me no end of grief about having bare skin on my chest in winter, but I have no intention of changing.  My leather and fur jacket zips to the neck, and if I'm not wearing that I'll wear a scarf wrapped around my neck and tucked into my coat.  Besides, you know how I feel about turtlenecks.

6. Sweater dresses
I adore sweater dresses, and have great difficulty resisting them when I see them.  I own at least five at the moment.  They're warm and comfortable and easy and they flatter my toned-but-curvy body.  (Are you seeing a theme here?  The showing off of the body?  I have my insecurities, but body image ain't one of them.  Besides, it makes my husband happy.)

7. Yoga pants and velour Juicy-style pants
Because some days even lycra-laced jeans are too much.  I wear these with sweaters or slim long-sleeve Ts.  My favorites are a pair of taupe yoga pants from Vertigo with sequin embellishment down the sides.  They're yoga, but fancy!

8. Short skirts
I'm more likely to wear a mini in the winter, with thick tights, than in the summer, because I am too old to want people to see my underpants.  My husband LOVES the mini+tights look.

9. Velvet jackets
I love velvet -- so soft, so touchable -- and I think that a jacket is the perfect way to wear velvet for daytime.  I've got a couple of velvet jackets that I usually wear with jeans.

10. Blazer-cut denim jacket
I wear this fairly often, but NEVER with jeans.  I'll wear it most often over my sweater dresses or with yoga pants.

Summer

1. T-shirts
See above.  The same Ts that layer under my sweaters are worn solo when it's warm. 

2. Tank tops
Hey, I'm proud of my upper arms, too!  I do try to make sure to get tank tops that cover my bra straps, which means I have to try them on before buying.

3. Capri pants
I like my capris pretty high on the calf.  I have denim capris I wear cuffed to make them shorter.

4. A-line knee length skirts, or other flowy knee-length skirts
Cool, comfortable, underpants-concealing, and nice enough to wear to church or work.  Most of my skirts have patterns, and I pair them with solid Ts and tanks.

5. Light cotton dresses
My #1 favorite look for warm weather is a simple cotton dress paired with sandals.  I can get dressed in a minute, literally a minute, and look pulled-together.  Most of my summer dresses are either T-shirt or tank dresses or cotton sheaths with a bit of lycra for form, hitting somewhere between mid-thigh and top of knee.

6. Cropped black leggings
Two of my t-shirt dresses are butt-skimming short, so I pair them with calf-length black leggings.  This is more of a spring look than an August look, of course.

7. Halter-top bikinis
I wear my bikinis as often as possible.  If it's tremendously hot I've even been known to wear my bikinis around my (un-airconditioned) house. 

8. Nice hoodies
I like hooded zip-up sweatshirts as a "just in case of rain or overzealous air conditioning" garment in the summer.  All of mine have something special about them, like a cool screen print or some subtle rhinestoning.  My favorite is a black one made of this wacky fleece that has long, silky fibers.  It looks somewhat like fur, and gets a lot of compliments.

9. That same denim jacket

10. Sarongs
I wear these with my bikinis at the beach or pool.

You may have noticed that shorts didn't make my summertime list.  It's not that I have anything against shorts, but I got through last summer almost never wearing shorts, simply because I don't have any that fit.  They're all too big, and are consequently all now in the yard sale/charity box.   I would like to buy some new ones, but I didn't find any while I was shopping last year, and honestly  I didn't miss them that much.  I have lots of dresses and skirts,  and most of the time I'm in the office where a skirt is always going to be more appropriate than shorts.   For kicking around the house on weekends,  I wore workout shorts.

I could give you a list of things I wear when I'm not intending to leave the house, but do we really need to go there?

Comments

[Casey]

You ARE a fashionista!! :)

[Alison (Hairline Fracture)]

Wow, you rock! It's so refreshing to hear from a woman who doesn't have body image issues; so many of us (and sometimes I am one of these) who just don't feel good about our bodies.

[Jo]

You know, I have a heck of a time with shorts too. My plan this year is to have one pair for things like hiking (because I hike all the time, don't you know?) and then just stick to skirts and dresses.

You are a fashion inspiration, by the way.

[Jo]

You know, I have a heck of a time with shorts too. My plan this year is to have one pair for things like hiking (because I hike all the time, don't you know?) and then just stick to skirts and dresses.

You are a fashion inspiration, by the way.