My Week in Fashion: Monday

For over a decade, I've been posting critiques of celebrities' red carpet fashion. But it occurred to me that I've never really posted much about my own fashion or style. So I thought it might be interesting to post a week's worth of what I wear in my daily life, along with an explanation of why I chose that particular combination of pieces. 

But before I do that, let me share a blunt description of my own body type, along with the issues I need to keep in mind when I choose my clothes. Let's start at my feet and work our way up. 

My feet are definitely a problem area. I have all kind of foot issues, including feet that are wide across the toes and narrow at the heel, an extremely high instep, messed-up toenails, bunions, and a failed bunion surgery. As a result, I can't wear heels over 1" or open-toed shoes, and I have a difficult time finding shoes that are wide enough to fit comfortably without flopping off my heels. As a result, I wear a lot of boots and sneakers, and I am very limited as to dressy shoe options. 

Next are my legs. I am relatively tall, and most of my height is in my legs, so I sometimes have trouble finding pants that are long enough unless they are available in tall sizes (but I look fabulous in short skirts). I also have relatively slender calves, but I carry a lot of my extra weight in my thighs. This results in two issues: 1) wide width boots often come with wide shanks, which are too loose for my skinny calves, and 2) pants that fit in the waist and hips are frequently very snug in the thigh. 

Even at my most slender, I've never had an especially narrow waist, so I'm fortunate that pants that fit my hips generally fit in the waist as well. However, as I've aged, the weight I've gained that hasn't landed on my thighs has formed a very rounded tummy, so I try to select my tops to skim my figure rather than being snug, and I never tuck in my shirts. 

Although in my youth I was relatively small-busted, I am one of those fortunate women who developed terrific boobs during my pregnancies, and didn't lose them after I weaned my children. Although a flat-chested, willowy figure is great for couture fashion, it can be difficult to dress in off-the-rack clothes, and a curvy figure often requires buying too-big clothes and having them tailored. But I am fortunate to be right in that sweet spot where I fill out my clothes nicely without straining them. Yay for having a great rack!

My shoulders are quite sloping, so I need to avoid boat and jewel necks, broad or shallow v-necks, and draping cowl necks. But they're not particularly broad, so I can easily camouflage the slope with shoulder pads without looking like a linebacker.  The up side of the sloping shoulders is that I have a long, slender neck that looks even longer, so I can wear high collars, voluminous scarves, and long earrings well. In addition, I have very long arms, which means I look great in sleeveless styles, but I need to cuff or push up the sleeves of most long-sleeved tops and sweaters to avoid showing too much of my wrists. 

And finally, I have a long, narrow face, so I avoid pulled back or long, straight hairstyles, and I have red hair and fair skin, which affects the colors that work on me. 

Now that you know what I have to deal with, let's take a look at what I chose to wear this week, one entry each day. 

I work part-time, and today (Monday) was one of my in-school days. I work as a seamstress and costumer at a high school, so I frequently spend time lugging around large boxes of costumes, kneeling on the floor pinning hems or cutting out pattern pieces, and climbing up and down on stepstools. Which means I need clothing that I can move around in, and durable fabrics that won't snag or stain easily. So here's Monday's look:

Skinny jeans, a gray cotton button-down shirt, long cotton scarf, and knee-high boots. 

The jeans are Calvin Klein skinny jeans that I got at Coscto for about $18. (You can find a similar style at Amazon for $25.) They have a LOT of Lycra (they're more like leggings than skinny jeans), which means they move comfortably with my body, and they're medium rise so they're not dorky-looking mom jeans but I also don't have to worry about accidentally flashing my students if I have to squat down in them. Many designers create cheaper styles to sell at Costco, so these jeans probably won't wear as well as a pair from a higher-end retailer, but since I'm likely to rip or stain them before they wear out, this is a cost-effective option for me. But I wouldn't recommend it for everyone. Sometimes multiple cheap pairs are more cost-effective in the long run, but sometimes investing in a single, higher-quality item makes more sense. 

Which brings me to my boots. 

Because of my foot issues, I tend to stretch, scuff, and/or wear through most of my footwear at the base of my big toe. However, well-fitting and well-made shoes tend to be more comfortable and last significantly longer than cheap shoes. So instead of buying several pairs of $15-$20 shoes (ah, those Payless days) that only last a year, I invest in better-quality footwear that can last for 5 or even 10 years. I've had these boots for about 5 years and they're only just now starting to show a scuff near the toe (which I'm sure I can fix with a little shoe polish). I think I paid about $70 for them, so spreading the cost over time, they were a much better bargain than cheap shoes or boots. By shopping online, I was able to find a pair of extra-wide-width boots that didn't have extra-wide shafts, and although it's difficult for me to buy shoes without trying them on, I lucked out with this pair and they fit perfectly. I like their relatively tall shafts, the curve at the top of the shafts, and the crossed doubled buckle strap detail at the ankle, which makes them interesting without being overly fussy. This pair of Kenneth Cole boots from Zappo's is a similar style, and costs about $68.

One side note on these boots with this outfit: I usually wear my similar black boots with this shirt, because I don't like to mix gray and brown, but I wore a brown leather jacket so I decided to match my boots to my jacket. If I had worn my black hat as I often do (you'll definitely see hats later this week), i probably would have gone with the black boots.  

This light gray cotton shirt is a staple in my wardrobe. I've had it for years, but I think I got it at Costco for about $14. I found a similar style on Amazon for $25. It has princess seaming to bring it in close to the body over the ribs (but not so close as to be noticeably snug against my belly) and flare slightly at the hips so it lies well, without straining across the bust or gapping between buttons. The curved hem adds a polished (and intentional) look to the untucked shirt, and the fabric has just a little Spandex in it for extra give (as well as softness and wrinkle-resistance). It has 3/4-length sleeves with double-wide cuffs that can be either folded back or left long, which is great for my long arms. It also has a slight v-neck which doesn't button all the way to the top, so it's great to wear with scarves because there's less volume at the throat. 

I wear scarves a lot, because it's a great way to add a pop of color and variety to an otherwise drab or neutral outfit (like this one!). It's also a convenient way to add seasonal flair - in the fall and winter, I wear a heavier, knitted scarf in a red and green plaid or a dark burgundy, but in the spring I wear soft pastels, and in the summer I opt for brighter, richer colors. The dark gray background of the scarf ties in with the lighter gray of the shirt, then adds springy pops of pink, mint green, and several shades of blue. I've had this scarf for so many years that I don't even remember where it came from (possibly Kohl's?), but I found several similar rectangular floral print cotton scarves at Walmart for about $10. I like long scarves that I can loop around my neck without having to tie them, because the long vertical lines of the tails are slimming, and I'm tall enough to pull it off. But a large square scarf, folded corner to corner, with the point in front, doubled around and tied in front, or an infinity scarf, can work great with many figure types. 

As I mentioned above, I frequently wear hats with my outfits (especially when it's raining, snowing, or windy), although I generally (but not always) take my hat off when I'm working at my desk. I have a plain black hat that I often wear with this outfit, and there's a fabulous gray fedora lurking in a box in my closet that I bought myself so my kids could give it to me for Mother's Day that will go perfectly with this outfit in the future. But I was having a particularly good hair day (which is surprising, considering that I'm in need of both a cut and a color at the moment), so I went bare-headed this time. 

So what do you think? Would you wear this outfit? How would you adapt it for your figure, taste, and existing wardrobe? And most importantly, will you try a look like this in the future? If you do, let me know - and send me a photo! I'd love to see your take on this look!