November 15, 2016

The Comfort of a Good Tried and True Outfit

Nicole outfits fashion, hat, outfit, style, vintage

I love to play dress up with my wardrobe and come up with new outfit combinations.  It’s always so much fun to pair items with something I haven’t before, and come up with new ideas on how to wear the garments I have. I especially love to do this whenever I get something new in my wardrobe. Before I buy a garment, I always try to picture it with the things I already have- how will it fit in with what I already own? What do I have that I could pair it with? And then, as soon as I bring it home, I try pairing it with as many things in my wardrobe as possible. That way, the next time I go to get dressed I already have an idea of what sorts of garments work together well, but I have the freedom to experiment and add accessories that haven’t been out to play for a while . . . or to choose something unexpected altogether. However, as much as I love to experiment, sometimes you just need the comfort of an old friend.

Enter, the tried and true outfit. This is an outfit that just “goes” together, and every time you wear it, you love it as much as you did the last time.

I have a few “uniforms” in my wardrobe, but this is definitely one of my favourites. You can actually read more about this coat in this post from back in March. Today’s outfit is identical to that one, with only the addition of a new-to-me vintage hat. I have worn this outfit, with the exact same dress, coat, and shoes several times since I found this coat a few years ago – and every time I wear it, I still love it just as much as the first time.

I only wear this dress paired with this coat, because it is a tunic, that I turned into a dress (but is impossible to alter so it is more fitted, as it has to be pulled on over the head.) The dress is rather baggy, and so it isn’t very flattering on its own, but when worn under this coat, it suddenly looks like a 1960’s shift (and so it is worth keeping in my wardrobe, even if I only wear it a couple of times a year!) Adding my trusty old low navy peep-toes, furthers the 1960’s theme, and when you are wearing a 1960’s inspired outfit, you have to pair it with a ridiculous feathered pillbox, right? I don’t know why, because they are rather silly, but I just love 1960’s hats. I picked this one up in the spring, just in time to pack it away for summer, so this was it’s official debut. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this hat while I was wearing it; it almost seems too tall and narrow. However, there is a benefit to taking pictures for your blog- you can look objectively at things later when you go through the photos! After looking at the hat in this pictures, I actually think it’s grown on me a bit, but what do you think? I’m still trying to decide if it is a yes or a no.

So, there you go, even though I have worn this exact thing before, I enjoyed wearing it all over again. That’s the magic of a Tried and True! The only sad thing about this lovely coat, is that it is wool, but only lined with a lightweight satin, and so it isn’t warm at all. I only get to pull it out a few times each Spring and Fall, but I do love wearing it while the weather permits!

Do you have a Tried and True outfit you love to wear? Or do you like to experiment and wear something different each time you get dressed?

Outfit details:

Actually now that I think about it, every piece in this outfit, except for the sunglasses and earrings, was a hand-me-down, was thrifted or bought at a vintage store. That’s cool, as that doesn’t usually happen! 🙂