Today I feel inspired to chat about how I think the old adage ‘quality over quantity’ applies to fashion and personal style. I hope you don’t think I am advising owning less clothing, because you must not know me very well. What I am more getting at is the idea that you only need a few pieces to express your personal style. Too much filler in a wardrobe can be messy and keep you from being creative and wearing pieces in different combinations. Having a few key items in your closet that you are obsessed with can help you to streamline each outfit, because let’s face it, what is worse than being too styled? You guessed it, nothing is worse. Didn’t Coco Chanel say you should always take something off before you leave the house? Well even if she didn’t I agree with that rule. I understand feeling like you want to wear every trend all at once, but save some looks for a special occasion or a day where you got up fifteen minutes early due to the obscure construction always happening on campus.
Okay, so now what? We have gone over the basic concept, but how do you know which pieces are right and which are those we could live without? Well, this fall texture is everywhere. Texture has taken the place of patterns in a big way. So, now that it is getting chillier, look for a leather jacket that has a worn in feel, or has shoulder or elbow patches. Try to stay away from a plain black one with traditional detailing. Here would be a good place to take a risk and vamp up a common fall item. Another route you could take is a suede coat with a fur hood. Trenches with oversize buttons and a belt can also give your coat the fall upgrade it needs. I think a coat, or any kind of outerwear piece is a key item in your fall wardrobe because it can last well into winter and the beginning of spring. You can also bring it back season after season, because leather, suede, and trench coats will never go out of style.
Texture made its way over to shoes as well. It now seems fashion wants us to push past a traditional leather boot or a patent pump. So, how do we do this without looking like we are trying too hard? Well, it’s pretty simple. Pick out one pair of exciting shoes, rather than re-doing your entire footwear collection (small store’s worth..?) This way you can pick one style you really love instead of every season buying multiple pairs of new trendy shoes. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, quality over quantity. Okay, back to fall shoe trends. Well, it seems python is here to stay! Python shoes, I know this is going to sound funny, but they are good way to do texture without going too overboard. They are different than your traditional leather shoe, but they do not have too many features. Another fall trend is sneakers. Sneaker is a broad term; so let’s break down two of the most popular types. We have the super sporty variety, in which texture could come in the form of Velcro straps or embellishment. You also have the super chic flat-soled sneaker. There are tons of ways to do texture here. You could opt for a horse-haired pair, or ones with bolted fabric. Pair sneakers with loose fitting pants that come in tight at the ankle for a trendy and comfortable outfit. If you go with black or grey, they can go with lots of different outfits, even if they have an exciting texture.
Alright, so what I am trying to tell you is that you don’t need several pieces each season to be trendy or get your point across. Fashion may be the category where ‘less is more’ rings most true.