5 Things Every Girl Should Have in Her Closet

This list is not like the rest you'll read about "closet staples." I can't remember the exact origin, but I do remember adding "post re 5 things: silly underwear, fitted concert T..." to my blogging to-do list. I was headed up in the office elevator (I use Out of Milk to track all of this stuff. Or pretend to).

I'm fairly sure I was wearing superhero underwear that morning. On purpose.

So my list of 5 Things Every Girl Should Have in Her Closet goes something like this:

A fitted concert T: Most bands (but not all, oddly) sell them now, and yes, you should spend the dough and get one. At least one. You can wear it with just. about. everything. It's a perfect way to spice up your weekend wardrobe. I wear mine all the time. And, oh, if you can't find a fitted one, maybe you can make one. That's what I tell myself about the PiL T sitting in my closet awaiting my scissors, needle, and thread.

Clockwise, from top left: my Ts, vintage-looking because they're throwback covers, but get repeated play in my weekend wardrobe; Target's a great place to find concert Ts, like this Def Leppard one, and a David Bowie 1974 one I also wanted to put in the post, but it would've been over-the-top, so I'm not including it; Wonder Woman, in comfortable cotton, will still give you kickass power no one else can see; my beloved, and I do mean beloved, Stuart Weitzman Platswoons (I have a similar one in python, and very well might get All the Colors); the Nordstrom waffle weave robe that hangs in my closet; a stack of my own two vintage signet rings, one was my dad's (bottom), and one my parents gave me for high school graduation, having been sitting in a friend's grandparent's jewelry store display case for literally decades with my initials on it (the best of coincidences); a bigger-than-I'd-ever-buy-for-myself necklace H's godmother gave me when we visited her the year we got married, and I now wear in it's Greecian goddess glory).

Silly underwear: I recommend that of the superhero variety. Lots of bloggers will tell you that pretty underpinnings are important. I agree. I also know for a fact that there's nothing better than knowing you have the power of the Webslinger, the Bat, or the Amazons with you while you face some sort of major office demon. Also, as a mama, the Beans get a real kick out of "matching" mama. (We have no derth of superhero stuff in our abode.)

Black patent pumps: again, there are lots of recommendations for a "pair of good black pumps." I'm going to change that. Patent makes everything better. It's sleeker, fancier, saucier, and badass-er. For H's 20th reunion, I tried on a whole shoe department's worth of options (bless the Bloomingdales' shoe man), and settled on the pricey, but perfect, in my opinion (and lots of it has to do with fit, so this one may or may not work for you) Stuart Weitzman Platswoon. From jeans to skirts to dresses...they do it all. Literally.

A robe: A good robe, I should say. Not the one you had in college (I still have the one My Mommy bought me to go to Austria so I'd be both warm and decent living in other people's homes as an exchange student), but one that's all-weather, doesn't drag on the floor, and in which you'd feel comfortable answering the door. Because sometimes you have to. My recommendation? The now-not-as-rare Italian-style waffle weave, which is warm and cool and wicking.

Vintage: This one, again, shows up on list after list. There are lots of us, though, who have neither the time nor patience for in-person or e-bay vintage shopping. Some of us don't have the bodies, either (my shoulders will never, ever fit into a vintage shirtdress, try as I might). Instead, dig out the ring or necklace someone passed to you and you stuffed in a drawer, thinking it wasn't your style. Pull out the ascot you kept because it means something, but never thought you'd wear. Wear something vintage, but wear it with meaning.

Vintage Style: District Vintage Shops Under Fire

Alright, style lovers, particularly those of you who are DC-based. Your favorite shops need your help.

Note: this is a crazy week for me at the #dayjob, so I’m just going to share the please Susie Saadian, owner of Black-Eyed Susie, sent to CapFABBers. She summarizes the issue clearly.

Image via Black-Eyed Susie

From Susie:

“I want to reach out to you all and let you know about some difficulties your local DC secondhand shops are experiencing. Last month DCRA and Metro Police raided a few Adams Morgan secondhand shops; Meeps, Idle Times Books, Smash, Treasury, and Goodwood. These stores are and have been operating under a General Business License. Some businesses have been operating with a General Business License for 20 or 30 years and are now being told they need a 'pawnbrokers' license to operate in the district. This change of license means that all secondhand shops will have to go through many hurdles to operate legally. Some hurdles include itemizing all inventory and sending the information to a detective in the pawn division to approve of the new inventory, wait times on when new merchandise can go out, and a lot more paperwork.

We are trying to get signatures to help us when we go to our council member to change the requirements. Please pass around this information to your followers. Worst case scenario is that your favorite secondhand shop will leave the district or close up all together. Best case scenario is that you will be helping out these secondhand businesses and help to ensure our place in the city.

Here is the link to the petition https://www.change.org/petitions/dc-city-council-stop-treating-record-stores-and-vintage-stores-like-pawn-shops

Here are some links to other articles about this subject


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/adams-morgan-business-licenses-secondhand-dealers_n_1406082.html?1333730965
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/adams-morgan-petition-vintage_n_1525373.html
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/general/2012/04/12/dcra-lightens-up-on-record-used-book-and-vintage-shops/  
 
Thank you for the support,
Susie Saadian
Owner, Black-Eyed Susie”
 
Now, my stylish friends, act.

Swap in Style: One Girls' Trash...

Most mornings, I stop on my way out into The County for coffee. This morning, I stopped at a Starbucks en route, unloaded the last two days' breakfasts' trash out of my car, and stumbled in towards caffeine. (Even after an amazing sunrise yoga class with Trainer Jen, a shower, and an outfit I love, I still am not awake until I imbibe the Nectar of the Awake.)

Wait in line.

A few people in front of me is a woman so striking, I had to look twice. I might have actually been staring.

I don't know how old she is, but I was struck first by her light silver hair, cut in a straight, long bob. Most women go short as they go grey, or color their hair. This woman is what I aspire to me when my hair changes color. I hope and wish that my silver or grey or white hair (whatever it decides) will be as beautiful as hers is, and that I can keep it longer, like she has.

She had minimal, but pretty makeup. She was tall, at least as tall as I am, so 5"9' or above, and slender. You might even say she had a willowy frame, which is almost as enviable as her hair. But what really held my attention was her outfit. She had on a structured and fitted - but airy - white tunic-y top. It harkened to a peasant top without having that excessively blousy, and therefore sometimes sloppy, feel. Underneath she had a simple white cami (we won't talk about how it was almost cropped and she's fit enough that there wasn't a muffin top in sight). She wore gently faded and most likely favorite straight cut jeans.

I stopped her at the creamer. "I adore your blouse," I said. "It really suits you."

She looked up, grinning. "It was out of my daughters' throwaway pile. I have two college age daughters, and I went through their piles, saying 'I'll take this, and this, and this.'"

"Well, it's lovely," I said.

Really, she had it down. The blouse is in no way damaged, is entirely current, and suited her, her frame, and, in the whole minute I spoke with her, her personality. But her daughter didn't want it any more.

We all have those pieces. We used to love them, but don't anymore, for whatever reason. Perhaps they just don't fit, or even just fit the way our bodies have changed (they do that, you know). But because we've taken care of our clothes, we can't bring ourselves to donate them, and they hang in our closets.

The more valiant of us bite the bullet at some point, clean out our closets like Stacy and Clinton want us to, and a woman in need benefits from our excess.

Others of us, though, just choke at the idea of emptying our closets (because that's really what it feels like) of pieces that don't work anymore, leaving the hangers bare and us with nothing to wear.

Again, my Starbucks friend had it right. She swapped. As soon as she told me that she'd found the blouse in a "trash pile," I remembered an event I've been meaning to share: dewdrop DC's Spring Swap & Shop. Given the success of the November 2011 event, I'm guessing more than a few of you were there. As owner Kristine wrote, "you would have thought the iPhone 5 came out the way people were outside standing in line." Her recap shared swappers' scores, and if last year is any indication, this spring's swap will be a blast.

A clothing swap is the perfect way to rescale your closet, whether out of - ahem - resizing (#healthyme, anyone), changing styles, or even changing jobs. No longer work in a buttoned-up law office? Maybe your girlfriend has just scored her first lobbying gig. Swap your suit for her casual chic skirt and blouse. In between sizes, like me, and don't want to spend any money on new clothes until you've hit your goal weight? Bring those pieces you swear you're never going to wear again (because you're going to stay healthy), and see if you can find a few key pieces in your in between size.

For those of you not in the DC area, or otherwise not able to attend the April 21 swap (details below), keep in mind that swaps are good for all sorts of reasons, and don't need to be formal and fancy. All you need is a few friends with similar enough sizes (though accessories and shoes are certainly size-neutral(er) and perfectly swappable, too), someone's living room, and I would modestly suggest, a bottle of bubbly. And maybe some snacks. Make it a brunch, make it drinks. You could even make a dinner and fashion show out of it, if you get silly enough. The most important parts, though? First, no offense taken if your things are or aren't swapped. Whether or not your clothes match someone's aesthetic or size is not a reflection on you. Secondly, everyone attending has to commit to donating whatever isn't swapped to a cause. The commitment is stronger if you all agree on a single charity - like Goodwill, where dewrop's Swap & Shop remainders will go - and one of you "signs up" to be the delivery gal. And if you still don't have courage to get your friends together, find a local swap. They're popping up all over the place. And go to dewdrop's!

Never before swapped? The Washingtonian has a great Shop Around blog post on scoring the best loot at a swap.

What: dewdrop's Spring Swap & Shop

Where: Hilton Arlington (950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, VA - more space! lots of room! no lines!)

When: Saturday, April 21, 2012, from 12:00-3:00 pm

Why: Do some spring cleaning by getting rid of items they no longer wear and bring them to the swap in exchange for items from other fashionistas! Remainders to go Goodwill! Oh, and did I mention pop-up shops on-site from 12:00 - 3:00 pm, too? Brown Sugar Designs, Charmed Boutique, Closet Junkie Boutique, Elan Renegade Vintage, Grace & Lux, Lola Ro Jewelry, Snob Swap, Stella & Dot, Trendsetter Jewelry Designs, and Zulu Gypsy Vintage

How: All of this bit is important.

Tickets are $10 with at least five items and $15 without any items (with a 10 item limit). Tickets are available at http://dewdrop.eventbrite.com.

Bring five items or more of stylish like-new or vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. Fill up a bag with as many items as you want. All sizes are welcome and encouraged. Items from spring/summer season only accepted.

To avoid long lines and to maximize our time to inspect for quality, there will be a drop-off time of 12:00-1:30 pm, where customers can drop off their items and not wait for a voucher of the number of items checked in. The doors to the swap open at 1:30 and close at 3:00 pm sharp. Tables and clothing racks will be sorted out by size, from extra small to plus size.

Style Inspiration: A Winter Girl Sheds Her Wool

I'm a winter girl. 100%. Give me a sweater, scarf, corduroys, tweed, tights, boots, knit hats, leather gloves...you get the picture. The practically no-snow winter we had here in DC? Downright depressing for me.

And yet? I can't wait for summer this year. Just can't wait.

I can't wait for the air to change, for the breezes to blow, for the sandals to come out, and for...hold on to your fair-skinned-hats...for bathing suits.

Those of you who've been following me lately certainly understand my newfound bathing suit enthusiasm. I've been working really hard at my #healthyme goals. I've already lost just over 10lbs by eating better, eating smarter, and getting more active, and am hoping beyond hope that this week's weigh in (Thursday, people, Thursday!) gets me to 15lbs lighter. It's taken a heck of a lot of focus, focus that's difficult to find at times in this crazy, Bean-infested - I mean delightfully busy with joyful Beans - life.

UPDATE! JOYFUL UPDATE: 16+ pounds of Extra Me gone as of this morning at the gym. There are also stats about how many inches and such are gone, but I won't bore you with those. Just trust that there are many.

But I'm doing it. And my long-term goal, or one of them, anyway, is that I want to be "that mom"* down tha shore this June. We spend a couple of weeks every year at our Jersey Shore place. Last year, after a minorly successful attempt to lose weight, I ended up living in the same gym shorts and too-tight Phillies Ts on the hot days, my now beloved beach patrol sweatshirt (yes. I said it. I love a sweatshirt.) on the cool days.

This year, I'm going to be the one they look at and think - or say just too loudly on the beach because they think we can't hear them (preferred, quite frankly) - "She has 2 little kids? Wow."

So in grand anticipation, and as I alluded to in Monday's post, I've been doing a little advance shopping. The full experience, shall we say, is over on my SeasidePoolside pinterest board. Here's a little taste of what's inspiring me - my virtual yellow-polka dot bikini hanging on the refrigerator, so to speak. (I have, by the way, actually hung a bikini in my kitchen as motivation. I was 25, single, and living alone. It was blue. It didn't really work. Yoplait lies.)

There's a little bit of breezy, a little bit of preppy. There's a little bit of sexy practical, and there's just plain sexy (I will always, always lust after the deepest v-necked one-piece suits known to man). There's a little bit of glam, and there's a whole heck of a lot of retro. Let's just say that this girl, who grew up in swim lessons, swim teams, as a swim instructor and a coach, and even dabbled a teensy bit in synchronized swimming, well, this girl loves her some Esther.

SeasidePoolside by dcceline

If you're not already following me on Twitter, please do. @DCCeline. If you want to see where I am on my get-healthy goals, look for #healthyme on Twitter and on this blog. If you happen to be a fellow Weight Watchers devotee, I'm also over there, blogging about getting healthy again.

*I give all due credit to Joyce Neave, the true Be That Mom, for the phrase. She truly is That Mom.

Sappy? You bet. Vintage? Absolutely.

I'm a sappy romantic at heart. I read Anne of Green Gables, the "Betsy Books," and anything Arthurian. My trashy vice? Nora Roberts romance novels and "historical" novels in which the heroine rises from her downtrodden orphaned roots to get the guy. I love button and lace-up boots, and wanted a vintage prom dress before vintage was in. My first wedding dress choice (before we wisely delayed things and I changed my mind completely) was a simple column with an amazingly romantic lace coat. I was happy in the 80s prairie skirts with petticoats and wanted a winter wedding, originally, so I could wear a vintage fur stole.

Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong century, let alone the wrong decade.

But as a tall, Germanic-boned woman, even on my skinniest days, vintage rarely fits. It barely did when I was scouring Mommy's college duds in high school (FABulous minidress with gold buttons down the front), let alone now, at full height.

So when H came home from a trip to Takoma Park, local vintage mecca a few months ago, and had a present for me from Moonshadow, I was pleasantly surprised - and not at his buying me a present - he does that all the time.

Rip, rip, tear, tear. Through the tissuepaper we go.

Fur.

A muff.

A fabulous, gorgeous, soft, silky vintage muff. The stuff of snowy sleighrides and lapcoats (Laura Ingalls Wilder, eat your heart out). And it's not your average muff (if there is an average). No simple roll in which to stash your hands inbetween roasted chesnuts. This muff is practical - it has a zipper pocket built in.

It's a little late in the season to be wearing it, but it's happily stored in my sweater drawer. I did manage to wear it out on our Purple Tooth night (it was bitterly cold). H still doesn't understand why I didn't wear it out on weekends while walking The Bean in her stroller. 1) One can't push a stroller with hands in a muff, and 2) black fur doesn't go with L.L. Bean orange ski coat. But I promise to wear it as much as humanly possible next winter - and for all the winters to come...it'll come in handy when I find a winter ball to attend in my wedding dress...