I am having way too much fun with
this series.
Today, I played with my red dress. I bought it for its fit and color, but its versatility has proven to be its best advantage. I have taken it from a hike on the nearby mountain to a walk on the beach to a cocktail party, all on the same day! Here are some different looks:
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| 1. With cage heels and clutch for a cocktail party |
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| 2. Topped with a pink tank top for a photo shoot ;) (that's what I wore for People Mag) |
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| 3. With a chunky 3/4 sleeve sweater and winter fedora for running errands. |
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| 4. With a denim shirt tied at the waist for a picnic in the park. |
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5. With tights and a long cardigan belted at the waist for going to the movies.
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| 6. Over a red strapless dress, and accessorized with Scott's chunky scarf for brunch |
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7. With a black tank top, necklace, and cage heels for a dinner out.
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| 8. Accessorized with summer fedora and sandals for a stroll on the beach. |
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| 9. Under a blazer, with boots for a day in the city. |
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| 10. On top of the Striped Shirt, with leggings for drinks with girlfriends. |
Great ideas! I am working to get my wardrobe to be more color coordinated so I can cut it down a little more. I don't do much with clothes yet. I have been focusing on trying to eat healthy on $50 per week and then decrease our trash. One step at a time will get me there! Thanks for all your ideas and your example.
ReplyDeleteSo chic! I love how you honor your love of fashion with a sene of curatorial freedom, not disposable crap.
ReplyDeleteOK....that is way too much fun.
ReplyDeleteLove this--working on still paring down my wardrobe, and making smart replacements when necessary. Great inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI would never think of half of stuff you did one red dress. But know I am going to have some of those ideas. Since I lost little wight I bought myslef two new skirts from second store been dieing to were them but could figure how and now with your ideas with red dress I am going try some of them.
ReplyDeleteGreat looks, and I very much enjoy the way your compositions seem to walk away without anyone in it. I have a question regarding the clothes you wear: how often do you throw them into the laundry, generally? I was sort of raised with the idea that every piece (including jeans) must be washed after three days, but now I am no longer sure that's reasonable... and how many days in a row do you wear the same outfit? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI do laundry once a week for the whole family.
DeleteWe try to wear our clothes several times, washing when dirty or smelly. One thing that really helps is that I change out of my work outfit as soon as I come home so I can wear them more than once before washing. I also have a “uniform” that I wear at home which makes it easy to keep my clothes paired down, makes getting dressed easy, and limits the wash as I wear them several times before putting them in the laundry. We live in a 4 season state so in the warm weather I wear cargo shorts (I have 2 pairs) and a T-shirt (I need to weed some out) and in the colder months sweat pants (2 pair) and long sleeved T-shirt (4). Sometimes I just hang moderately worn clothes outside to freshen them up. So I guess I’m airing our dirty laundry!!!
DeleteGreat dreses, looks so different for each occasion.
ReplyDeleteVersatility is King, or Queen, when it comes to wardrobes. I may have mentioned this before but have you ever looked at The Uniform Project where she made 7 copies of one outfit and wore it differently every day for a year. It showed that accessories, which are so much easier to swap with friends, can make all the difference when someone thinks they need to buy a whole new outfit.
Fabulous.
She used to sell the pattern for the dress so people could make their own and adjust the length but I don't think she is doing that anymore. Here is a link to one month of her project if anyone is interested: www.theuniformproject.com/year1/home/monthly/January.html
Cally, thanks for sharing, I have not gone through all the year just January but it's very interesting!
DeleteThat dress is SO versatile! I'm afraid none of mine are quite that useful...
ReplyDeleteYOU are a smart woman!,, Love how u came up w/all those different ways to wear that gorgeous dress.
ReplyDeleteI love this series. I am working on paring down my wardrobe. My husband now owns more clothing than I! Since I am fashion-challenged, I appreciate seeing these types of combinations. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love this series. I'm taking notes! :)
ReplyDeleteOh I wish my brain was wired that way!!! You are so creative. I always get stuck wearing the same old combinations... Hopefully getting rid of clothes will force me to be more brave. I've been adding to my donation pile every week!
ReplyDeleteOk, I am really loving your series. I don't wear high heels alot but they look great.
ReplyDeleteWow! Just wow! I had no idea there were so many ways to wear a dress! Usually I wear mine either by itself or with a cardigan, but this gives me so many more ideas! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSo helpful! Love it! I have to go check out my closet now after reading this!
ReplyDeleteI love all of these looks - SO cute! By the way, I have that same (or very similar) black and white striped long sleeve tee and I wear it all the time. Such a great shirt!
ReplyDeleteSo many fabulous and clever ideas. Love this series and love your new blog look :)
ReplyDeleteI'm crazy about this series! Thank you for sharing and please keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeletelove that you only used 4 pairs of shoes....
ReplyDeleteThat's because I only have 6 pairs;)
DeleteLove these ideas. I've been doing this myself all fall and winter and finding it a lot of fun. I discovered that the old frustration of having "nothing to wear" was a lot about not wanting to wear the same things over and over again. I'm learning that getting the right versatile, stylish pieces and being willing to be seen wearing the same thing twice, albeit in a different combo, makes a big difference!
ReplyDeleteI am very curious what other women of other body types are doing in this regard. If you were to swap out that minidress for a wrap dress, for example, there would be some very different ensembles! Would you be willing to accept the occasional wardrobe mash-up photo from one of your devoted readers? It would be really fun to see what other women of various body types are doing to keep it high style, waste-free, and age/figure appropriate.
With appreciation,
Susie
Of course, it would make a great submission for the Zero Waste Story series! Just email your looks to zerowastestory at gmail dot com.
DeleteHey susie, I would love to your swaps too!
DeleteCheers,
Carolina
I'm packing for a trip to Spain and I am trying to bring versatile peices like this but it's hard. I love this inspiration but my clothes seem lacking. I'm trying to stop myself from going out and BUYING A WHOLE NEW WARDROBE! I'm obsessed with the black and white striped shirt.
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring! It's really nice to see how one simple item can become so many different looks that suit many occasions. I must try this out at home on the bed with some of my clothes!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I can learn from my daughter who just turned 7 and is amazingly creative in the way she teams her clothes (somehow always looking chic, even though we don't buy fancy stuff). I've never had a talent with fashion, but I guess it is never too late to be adventurous and try new looks (especially if it means re-using existing clothes)!
Love this...I have a stylish 10 year old I should go through my wardrobe with!
DeleteMy stylish 10 year old does this for me! LOL
DeleteThat is such a great idea, and I am sure your 10 year old loves to do that for you. Such a great way to bond too.
DeleteBéa, these wardrobe series are so inspiring! although i've donated over 3/4 of my clothing (an unexpected benefit of adopting zero waste over a year ago resulted in hub and i losing weight), i can see that there's a lot more reducing i can do simply by getting creative with the few true favorites i have. and to be honest, leggings never even occurred to me! simply fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI'm having way too much fun with this series, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bea :)
Bea - My all-time favorite red dress! You must have GREAT thrift stores in your area. Only wish we had some too... Does it take you hours to find these great finds on your 2 day-a-year shopping trips? When I try and find something, it can take several trips before I can find something that fits and look great. Thanks for the inspirations! Melissa N.
ReplyDeleteI spend about 6 hours (bi-annually) shopping for the family visiting the 2 largest thrift stores I know.
DeleteI love this post. I was talking with someone yesterday and she said she didn't wear most of her clothes and so she needed more! Before this blog I might have thought the same thing. But now I know that if you aren't wearing your clothes it's because you have too many clothes as opposed to not having enough. Now that I reduced my wardrobe, I always know what to wear because I know exactly what I own and I like the clothes I own. I only keep what I wear on a regular basis and it is always enough to make me feel stylish and beautiful!:) My one weakness is different earrings and necklaces!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog I have been simplifying as much as I possibly can. I moved home after college and had to fit everything back into my 1 room. I felt so crowded and overwhelmed, and thought "if I only had more space." After reading your blog I started simplifying and am truly appreciating my small room.
ReplyDeleteI just finished going through my closet. While I still have more clothes than Bea, I donated 3 large bags full of clothes. I created a schedule to get me out of my clothing rut. One day I wear dresses, another skirts, another pants/shorts, and another free day. It forces me to be creative and I have been wearing pieces I love, but never thought to combine. People have even noticed and complemented me on how well I look.
I like your idea of the schedule! It is similar to my take on meal planning! It takes the guess work out of daily decision making.
DeleteThat is such a good idea! We do theme nights for meals, of course theme days for the wardrobe would make sense! Would get me out my skinny jeans, white v-neck tee and brown sandals or boots rut :)
DeleteThank you for this! I have a similar strapless red dress (that I bought a couple years ago because it was made from recyled material), and I've always considered it too "fancy" for my rather casual, preferred everyday outfits (i.e. striped shirt and pants/jeans/skirt). But now I am inspired to incorporate it with my striped shirt ensembles and more!
ReplyDeleteYou are more stylish than me, for sure. I have never been good with clothes :) I just can't see how they go together in flattering ways the way that you can.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I am paring down my wardrobe and it has been revolutionary for me. I decided to get myself guidelines for what to buy/keep a mental inventory of what I actually need, and replace things that don't look good on me. MY biggest vices were having too many clothes because I bought excessively on sales, bought the same shirt in multiple colors because I was afraid I'd never see a shirt I liked as much again :P, and not getting rid of things because it seemed wasteful even if they looked horrid on me.
Almost none of the items in my wardrobe were purchased on anything other than deep clearance, and as a result often looked frumpy or were ill-suited to me.
Goodwill got quite an influx from me over the past year.
Half of this would look horrible on me, but I LOVE your outfits. So cute and inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for sharing your ideas! This post really inspired me to combine a dress in more than my usual dress + cardigan/blazer way.
ReplyDeleteBea do you borrow hiking boots when you hike or do you utilize a pair of shoes in your wardrobe, I didn't notice sport shoes, but do notice you often hike in your area.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your question. I answered this already in the comments of Zero Waste Wardrobe. I use the tallish black boots shown on this post to go hiking. They are confortable and versatile, and adequate for the trails here -I often say, that they are the kinds of boots that Charles Ingalls would have worn;) but if I were to climb Mount Shasta again (boulders and snow), I would rent or borrow a pair of sturdier boots.
DeleteI am so inspired. I am going to do this!!! Asta x
ReplyDeleteHi Bea, I love your blog and am so inspired, but I wondered if you could please explain why, in your 5 Rs, Rot comes after Recycle? If you have something that can either be recycled or composted, like cardboard, is it still better to recycle it?
ReplyDeleteIn the mean time I'll look for my old red strapless dress, I'm amazed at how versatile it can be!
Expect Cow Girls- I think your definition of recycle and Bea's may be a little different. I always understood the recycle to mean reusing things. For example instead of throwing out old clothes recycle them and give them to someone else. Or even find a new use for it. For example Bea uses old glass bottles to re-use as wine bottles. For Bea she would first refuse something that had cardboard so she would not have that to recycle.
DeleteI have commented on this before. For ex: A sheet of paper can be recycled up to eight times and therefore save the virgin ressources otherwise needed to make paper. Although composting paper would return it to the earth, it would not save these virgin ressources.
DeleteThank you both for your responses! I must have missed the previous comment about this. I was thinking the same thing re: conserving virgin resources, I just wasn't sure because I know there are other down sides to recycling (some of which have been discussed here before) - glad to know I'm on the right track :)
DeleteI love the new website design, Bea! I'm inspired to try the 333 challenge. 33 clothing items for 3 months. Do you have more than 33 items in your wardrobe? Not including undies, workout clothes or pjs. Would include jewelry, shoes and jackets.
ReplyDeleteThis post was so interesting! It's a great visual example of how having less is invigorating and cultivates creativity. If I'd bought that dress, I would have only thought of the most generic way to wear it - as an evening dress with some black heels. But it's amazing how you've come up with so many ways to wear it!! Teaches me I should do a whole lot more with the items I have.
ReplyDeleteHello Bea,
ReplyDeleteLove love love your blog its so inspiring ...never stop.
I know you have given us a list of your clothes you own and now you are doing these wardrobe series which i love but I would love to see pictures of all your clothes grouped in pants tops dresses etc. You know how you see in magazines sometimes. I am a very visual learner and so pictures of your wardrobe in total would be wonderful.... Just an idea. Thanks for the inspiration
I've solved my clothing dilemma by only wearing black with the occasional pop of color here and there, generally with jewelry. I never have to wonder what I'm going to wear to work and everything I have can be easily dressed up quickly if I'm going out after work.
ReplyDeleteI love how versatile this is! You have great style!
ReplyDelete