Barbour or Bust

I will be honest.
I find it somewhat annoying when what I've been wearing for years becomes a "trend."

I have dressed the same way since I was able to pick out my own clothes.

So when Lilly became wildly popular a few year ago,

I didn't have to look for white label Lilly on eBay because I already owned it.

And when the Jack Rogers craze started, I had already worn out at least a dozen pair.

So has anyone noticed there is a Barbour jacket epidemic?

I bought my first Barbour jacket about sixteen years ago.

Ladies Barbour Tennant Jacket

Here's a little story that separates the people with TRUE classic style

from the people who claim to be preppy and classic.

My first Barbour jacket was a black quilted Eskdale.

Last fall we were at a USNA football game and I let Caroline borrow it for the day.

The two women sitting behind us started a conversation about my jacket.

They were openly mocking my "fake" Barbour jacket.

They were discussing the fact that Barbour does not even make a coat in that style,

and if I was going to have a "fake" then this was a bad fake one.

This is what my old Barbour looks like...

These women are the kind of people that annoy me.

If they had ANY class,
they wouldn't be talking trash about what my daughter happened to be wearing right in front of her,

and they would recognize an older style Barbour jacket.

I don't buy for labels.

I buy because I love something...the style, the way the fabric feels, the way it's made, the color...

I am a believer in wardrobe staples and investment dressing.

Caroline in her Barbour jacket....

I have to admit that I'm quite happy 

that my daughters have chosen to adopt my wardrobe philosophy.

So for the two women at the USNA game mocking my daughter,

talking about being "fake"

you think you're classy....but you're busted.

Shoe Review...The Tory Burch Travel Minnie

So y'all know I have a new job working at our county jail as a Clinician.

I'll post about that on another day.

Well.....I ran into a little bit of wardrobe trauma with my new job.

Shoe trauma to be exact.

In my last job, I could get away with wearing my Jack Rogers every day

with my summer wardrobe.

NO open toe shoes in the jail.

Actually, I would not WANT to wear open toe shoes in the jail.

I was on the hunt for a summery shoe to wear with all of my summer work clothes.

Enter the Tory Burch Minnie Travel Ballet Flat.

Tory Burch Minnie Travel Flats

RUN, don't walk, to your Tory Burch store and BUY.

I read all of the consumer reviews about this shoe.

They were all great.

 I have been faithful to my Tory Burch Reva's for quite some time,

but I decided to give it a whirl and ordered this shoe in the gold.

WOW

MOST COMFORTABLE SHOE EVER.

Has anyone ever worn these Isotoner slippers before?

LOL These are my wedding shoes....

I'm not kidding....

these are the exact slippers I wore when I married D.

I was going for comfort.

Well the Tory Burch Minnie Travel Ballet Flat feels like you are wearing Isotoner slippers.

I drank the Kool Aid...

 and I'm planning to invest in the Tory Burch Travel Minnie in multiple colors.

I was worried about how the shoe would wear because the sole does not cover

the entire bottom of the shoe, but I've had no issues so far.

They come with a cute travel bag so you can fold them up and put the in your suitcase!

I'm giving the Tory Burch Travel Minnie Flat at two thumbs up...

Wardrobe Staples Part I

I recently shared my thoughts on Investment Dressing here and now want to share my thoughts on wardrobe staples. I consider the items I listed on my Investment Dressing post as wardrobe staples, but they are also quite expensive, so those are things you would accumulate over time...these wardrobe staples are less expensive and need to be replaced as they wear out.

 

Here are the first five of my wardrobe staples:

 

A White Shirt

This is the J Crew Stretch Perfect Shirt and I like it because it has a slightly tapered fit and it has STRETCH! I actually have three of these because one is always dirty and one is always at the cleaners.

 

Black Pants

I would select a fabric that is seasonless, such as wool gabardine. I get most of my pants at Talbots, as they have classic styles, many different fabrics, and several different fits. Here is a pair of black pants from Talbots that are similar to the ones shown. I suggest getting a pair in taupe as well and navy blue (I wear navy almost more than black).

 

Cardigan Sweater

I have a million cardigan sweaters because I am cold all of the time. I prefer cashmere, but also like the cotton ones with some stretch. I love this J Crew Featherweight Cardigan in this beautiful shade of blue. I would select a bright shade that is flattering to your coloring. Camel is also a good choice.

 

Pencil Skirt

Again, I would suggest purchasing this in a seasonless wool so you can wear it year round. This is a J Crew Pencil Skirt and it comes in many colors. It has stretch and sits just below the waist, which I prefer. These skirts are timeless and never go out of style...they just happen to be IN style right now so you can find them everywhere.

 

Cable Knit Sweater

Ralph Lauren makes cable knit sweaters in a million colors and several different fabrics. You can get these in a crew neck style or a V-neck style, and there are different sizes of cable stitch as well.  Other great places to find cable knit sweaters are Brooks Brothers Women and Lilly Pulitzer (especially if you are looking for bright colors). If you are not a fan of cable knits, then a fine gauge knit sweater is a good alternative.

 

I would call these five pieces the bare bones of a wardrobe. Once you have the bare bones, you can start to add fun or trendy pieces to your wardrobe and you will already have something to make it an outfit!

 

What are your wardrobe essentials?