A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style (8 page)

Are you ready? Begin! Toss, toss, toss into the
Give-Away Pile
. It is surprising how liberating divesting oneself of old outfits can be. You are allowing your closet
to represent who you are
now
. You’ve just gotten better and better, why not let your closet come along, too?

Well done! The wheat and chaff have been parted. Only delightful pieces should remain. Now that they are all mingling together and not lost in the closet, look for a connection, a narrative through-line. In other words, is there something that the pieces you love have in common? Bright colors, marabou trim? Sumptuous fabrics and shades of gray? Sometimes seeing all of one’s favorites grouped together can be a bit of a shock. One may think of herself as a Jackie Bouvier type, but her most beloved pieces are more like burlesque star Tempest Storm. What to do?

First, congratulations—your soul has spoken! A discovery has been made. Look closely at the pieces. What do they have in common? Is it a shared silhouette? Are they waist enhancing or perhaps light and ethereal? What the pieces have in common can be thought of as their form. If, for instance, favored pieces tend toward the ethereal, it does not mean that dressing head-to-toe like a fairy is a good idea. It means that incorporating pieces light of form will ensure that you are happy when the closet door opens. Let us now return to Mr. Kierkegaard for the second of his two important ideas.

Imagine a gin martini served in a pint glass or a Wagnerian opera–version of
Sex and the City
. Both might have their . . .
intoxicating
charms, but neither would be a flawless fit. The martini would be undrinkable because
it would get warm much faster than you could quaff it. The glass the martini is served in is an essential part of the martini itself. Carrie Bradshaw wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if she and Mr. Big both drank a magic potion and sang the same infernal love duet for four hours. The thirty-minute television format is the ideal medium for her banter and romance.

So should it be for you and your clothes. For Kierkegaard, a “classic” results when form and content meet in perfect harmony. In our case, the content is the person inside the garment; the form is the garment itself. Some form and content marriages are quite obvious. Examples that come to mind are Paris Hilton and the line Heatherette, or Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy. Rarely, if ever, have those four names appeared in the same sentence. Nonetheless, what is important is that the particular strengths of the content—Paris and Audrey—are showcased by the form. What isn’t successful is choosing a rigid form and trying to wedge one’s unhappy content into it. If one is lucky enough to have a Monica Bellucci-esque figure, wearing a Hedi Slimane Dior man’s suit might be difficult. Borrowing androgynous elements while respecting the line of one’s figure, though, will be chic. A more quotidian example might be the financial consultant who goes to work every day in black slacks and pumps, but loves anything related to ballet. By switching those black slacks for a softer, slightly full skirt, paired with a slim black turtleneck and a belt at her true waist, she can bring some of the form she loves into play without sacrificing loyalty to her content.

“Yes, yes,” you say, “form and content are fine, but what about this collection of soul-stirring clothes now outside of my closet?” Lovely question! Those are your clothes for the next seven days. Each day you must wear one soul-stirring item. Think of it as strength training for the style muscles. Too often we “save” things we love for a special occasion; as a result we rarely wear the very things we love best. Perhaps that silk slip dress could go to work with black tights, flats, and a cashmere cardigan. Throw that sparkly cardigan on over a tank top and jeans. Just get them in the rotation. The confidence you’ll gain is the reward for all your hard work.

The Blind Spot:
If getting rid of things were easy, there wouldn’t be an overstuffed closet to be found. After you have assembled your Soul-Stirring Pile, take another look. Does everything deserve to be there? Be ruthless. If the thought of giving away an item that was so fun five years ago makes you sad, by all means grieve. Then get rid of it.

*
I’ll admit that as a resident of the great city of New York, I have a point of view about closets that has been formed by living here: They are a rare and precious commodity. I’ve lived in the same apartment for the last fifteen years. It’s on the top floor of an 1865 brownstone and contains three closets totaling seven linear feet of hanger space. Consequently, I must employ huge doses of self-discipline in order to stave off Collier Brothers Syndrome, an affliction that turns off the synapses that allow for the editing of clothing and possessions, including newspapers and magazines, and eventually leads to death. Really. And by the way, the Collier brothers lived in NYC. Coincidence? I think not.

*
I’ve witnessed this firsthand. My mother built a beautiful house on the Delaware shore (the Hamptons of the Mid-Atlantic) and it is chockablock with closets. She lives alone, and is nothing if not neat, yet there is no room in either closets or dressers for me to put anything when I visit.

Here is the context: She built a two-story house that allows for her to live on the first floor exclusively. The second floor consists of a loft overlooking the living room and foyer. There are two closets in the loft, plus a doorway to a large attic space. There are two guest bedrooms, each of which has a large closet. Every closet is
full
. A couple of years ago, I purged the attic of unnecessary things, so my mother was left with an orderly and open space. When I returned the following Christmas, she asked me to put away her decorations before I left. When I opened the door to the attic, I let out a cry of anguish. She had installed a closet rod that ran the length of the room—and that rod was full of clothes on hangers. AHHHHHHH!!!

The Lesson:
It seems there is a dearth of fashion icons available. We are always surprised that magazines trot out the same people year after year: Rich hippie? Paging Talitha Getty! Mediterranean siren? Forty-year-old photo of Sophia Loren, coming up! American aristocrat? Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis,
bien sur!
Fashion editors often include a list of pieces that will “help you get the look.” Truly, could anything be sillier? These women were very much products of their time and place and “getting their look” really means putting on a costume. Are Talitha, Sophia, and Jackie worth studying? Yes. However, what is far more helpful than asking you to gaze upon the same pictures of the same—albeit fabulous—women is coming up with some new inspirations! This is not to discount the idea that you can—and should—learn about style from others. The problem is that the selection of role models has become, well, a little tired. By providing a new selection—some whom you will know well, some whom you may not—we hope to find you a style mentor who actually works for who you are.

“Why not be one’s self?
That is the whole secret of a successful appearance.
If one is a greyhound, why try to look like a Pekinese?”

—Edith Sitwell

In order to become a fashion icon, one has to be seen. Simple enough, but it means that the people who become icons are in professions—or marriages—that dictate a lot of time in front of the camera. Since a certain type of personality is drawn to professions that result in photos in
Us Weekly
or
Vogue
, it can be difficult to translate their looks to an existence beyond the red carpet. We are also living at a time when stylists have replaced fairy godmothers as the agents of choice for helping starlets become princesses. Since you are much more than a blank body with a show on FOX, we will be looking at some women who have style and character. Keep the word “character” in mind.

The women who follow are not
icons
like Jackie or Audrey, but they can certainly be fashion
mentors
.

The best way to utilize a style mentor is to be inspired to investigate and experiment. This list is not prescriptive, as in, you must choose one of these looks and everything will be fine. Nor is it an exercise in historical reenactment or a foray into anthropology. You may work in an environment where djellabas are not appropriate, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a bit of Tangiers in your cubicle. Or, if your lifestyle
is
more djellaba-friendly,
but you prefer the ultra-glam Washington, D.C., look of Deeda Blair, you can keep the sharpness—and incredible hair—without buying couture. Before you book that twice-weekly roller set at the salon, keep one thing in mind: There is, in American culture, a premium placed on being “nice.” Although this can make life easier in many ways, it is simply hell for developing style. Style requires a “like it or lump it” attitude toward one’s public. Your public includes husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, mothers, children, workmates, classmates, and the people who pass you on the street. You do not exist to win their approval. Does this mean we think you should wear a cocktail dress and saddle shoes to work because that’s what you love? Well, let us invoke the Blackstone Ratio: “Better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffers.” In other words, if adjusting to and discovering your personal style results in a few funny outfits, so be it. What is important is that a space is created for a person to embrace who she truly is. Even if, and it pains us to write this, it includes saddle shoes.