Onion Kid

Winter Fashion 101

The other day I met a girlfriend for lunch in Washington, DC. Beneath a black J. Crew peacoat (sorry Mrs. Obama, my turn to plug the preppie chain), I wore layers of dove grey: a simple tank, a merino wool V-neck and boot-cut velvet pants, all very monochromatic. Michael Kors would have approved.

But something was missing. As I had arrived a bit early, I popped into a second-hand clothing store. Within minutes, my outfit was complete. For $18 plus tax, I knotted a green and grey Fendi-logo silk scarf around my neck before waltzing into the restaurant.

“How do you do it?” asked my girlfriend. “You always look so put together,” she continued, a mother of five who looks fantastic all the time, today, in a North Face jogging outfit. (If I had five kids, I would be in a velour dressing gown all day, with yesterday’s rollers dangling in my hair.)

“I guess I just buy classic stuff,” I replied, “Keepers, then I add fun pieces each season.”

“I need you to get me a starter list of your 10 must-have items,” she said, half-joking.

This got me thinking. The way I dress is nothing special. I love fashion, though I am not a victim, tending to buy the traditional version of what’s in style. I am thrifty (I mostly shop sales, Target or upscale resale) and I mix high and low. It is also true that I pull clothing from my wardrobe year after year, and there is a certain economy in that, which in today’s financial market is not altogether unappealing.

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