The fashion industry wants you to buy fifty things this season. I would rather you buy five, and wear them until they feel like yours.
That is not a sales pitch against selling. It is how I actually shop, and it is how I style customers in the store every day. A closet full of trend pieces still leaves you standing in front of it with nothing to wear. A handful of good pieces gives you an outfit every morning without thinking about it.
So here is one outfit and the five decisions behind it: a scarf, a cuff, a belt, a clutch, and a sweater. Here is why each one earns its spot.
1. The scarf changes the outfit in three seconds
If you buy one piece from this list, make it a scarf. The Cinta Shawl from Alpine Cashmere in camel and ivory is the one I am wearing here, knotted close at the neck. Drape it long over a blazer and it is a different outfit. Wrap it twice and it is a different outfit again.
The colorway is the reason it works with everything. Camel and ivory sit right inside a fall wardrobe, so it adds pattern without adding a single thing to match.
2. The cuff you will still wear in ten years
Trends move fast in jewelry. A clean gold cuff does not. The Gemma Bangle from Jenny Bird is sculptural enough to be the only jewelry you put on, and simple enough to stack when you want more.
Wear it over a knit sleeve the way I have it here. Gold against cream is about the easiest pairing there is.
3. The belt makes basic jeans look intentional
The difference between "just jeans" and "she has her life together" is a good belt. The X-KG Belt in Pewter from Streets Ahead is the one I am wearing here. A wide strap in a soft metallic with a polished oval buckle turns a sweater and denim into an outfit, and it does the same thing over a dress or a long knit.
Pewter works like a neutral, so it goes with gold and silver jewelry alike. You will wear it more than almost anything else you own.
4. A neutral bag that is not boring
Everyone needs a neutral bag. Nobody needs a boring one. The Midnight Bloom Clutch in Gold from Esthera is folded metallic leather, so it catches light and reads soft at the same time.
Metallic is a neutral, the same way leopard is. It goes with denim at lunch and with all black at dinner, and it makes both look more finished.
5. The sweater everything else goes over
The base of this whole outfit is a cream crewneck. The Crew from PURE AMICI in Lace is the knit I reach for first, because it sits under every jacket, works with every scarf, and goes from September straight through to spring.
A good cream knit is the least exciting thing you will buy and the one you will wear the most. That is the point.
Put it together
A cream knit, a camel scarf, a gold cuff, a good belt, and a metallic clutch, with your best pair of jeans. Five decisions, one outfit.
When it gets cool, add one soft layer over the top. Mine is the Beth Sweater in Beige from RINO-PELLE, a plush, cozy topper that wears like a jacket. Beige over cream with the Cinta Shawl at the neck keeps the whole look tonal, so it reads polished instead of bundled up.
No trend required. Every piece works with the rest of your closet, too, which is what makes it worth buying.
Buy five, not fifty. Fewer, better pieces. That is the whole idea.
Shop the look
- Cinta Shawl, Alpine Cashmere
- Gemma Bangle, Jenny Bird
- X-KG Belt in Pewter, Streets Ahead
- Midnight Bloom Clutch in Gold, Esthera
- Crew in Lace, PURE AMICI
- Beth Sweater in Beige, RINO-PELLE (the finishing layer)
Come try it on
Come by 16645 Highland Road in Baton Rouge and we will build your five with you, or call 225-223-6419.
You can also shop online with free shipping over $100, plus free in-store pickup here in Baton Rouge.