Come & spend the day at Monica's

9/9/2013

Clothes & Friends: Helping Monica Reinvent Her Wardrobe

I rode public transportation that morning just in case I might drink one too many mimosas while we "worked."
The task: sorting, purging, and creating new outfits from Monica's wardrobe.

After a quick tour of Monica's lovely house and yard and a check on her kids' sick hamster, we got down to business.

Monica shares a closet with her husband, so you'd think she wouldn't have many clothes. But that's what we all think until you take them all out and try them all on :-). We watched the bed disappear beneath more and more clothes--first skirts, then tops, then camis, then dresses, then sweaters. I had the seat of honor--leaned up against the bed frame, feet up, mimosa in hand, critiquing outfits.

Challenge A: The Skirt

Monica has owned this silk skirt for a decade (!) but never managed to wear it. It's a little tight on the hips but fine covered with a longer top. It became a staple for us, and we discovered two outfits from it:
an everyday or casual work outfit and a date-night outfit:

Monica is mom to three & a college professor

Casual Work or Everyday Outfit

Sometimes it's fun to pair colors in unexpected ways.
The blue marled tee looks great with the salmon skirt, and Monica's ombre scarf ties all the hues together.

Date Night Outfit

This top is actually a camisole that Monica usually wears underneath things, but it's so lovely, lacy, and structured, we think it looks great on its own!

Monica has tons of cute black heels and boots.

General Tips for Monica

Longer tops look better on Monica than cropped.
Monica looks great in layered looks. Colored camis are a staple for her.
Some of Monica's tops are too big on her (some she wore while pregnant); future purchases should be one size smaller.
The only purchase we think Monica needs to make: a steamer.

Challenge B: The Flowy Pants
We both love Monica's 70s style flowing flarey pants and found by surprise that a deep red cami brought out their colors. Add a neutral pullover or cardigan, and, ta da!--a completely appropriate, decadently comfortable outfit:

Monica: "That flash of red at the hips really pulls the outfit together in ways I never considered!! :)"

A deep red cami brings out the red touches in Monica's soft, flared pants.

Casualties from the Closet:
We purged only 5 items from Monica's closet, things she wanted to donate or swap anyway

Time flies when you're trying on clothes. We found many good combinations from Monica's lovely single pieces and hung them beside each other. Monica suggested too late that we should have been taking photos of all the combinations so she wouldn't forget.

I left Monica's just a little tipsy but definitely buzzing from the great fun, from all Monica's lovely clothes, and from being a part of helping Monica find exciting new ways to wear them.

You may also like...