A few days ago, Liz at Closet Play Image posted about her Daily Dozen aka Wardrobe Workhorses: 12 pieces that bring the most value to her wardrobe.
When I started to think about what dozen items I would choose, I knew I would have to make seasonal selections since we have the full four seasons in Minnesota (even if two of them are winter). I split the year into 8 (non-equal) seasons for outfit planning purposes: the normal four plus the four transition seasons (e.g., Summer; Summer/Fall; Fall). But my sartorial seasons can really be boiled down to 3, based on the dominant way I dress my bottom half:
Fall/Spring - Pants
Winter - Skirts with tights + boots
Summer - Skirts with bare legs or cropped pants
It's been a little different during the pandemic because when I work from home/stay at home, I don't need to worry about wet pants hems, which means I can bypass the tights + boots and continue wearing pants all through the winter. Since I'm still in a Fall dressing mode, and since many of you are in climates where your winter is more like my fall, I'm going to work through my Fall/Spring Daily Dozen today.
First up, I'll say that creating this list was MUCH easier than I thought it would be! And my choices quite naturally clustered into the groupings of 2 bottoms, 2 toppers, 4 tops, 2 shoes, and 2 accessories...just as Liz's did. But that's where the resemblance between our lists comes to an end...as it should, since the Daily Dozen is not an "every woman needs these essentials" kind of list you read in a fashion magazine, but is instead a distillation of your personal style...emphasis on personal.
Without further ado, here's my list!
There we have it, without a crisp white blouse, little black dress, or pair of high heels to be seen. (I don't even own any of those things!)
Another difference between my list and Liz's is that she honed in on 12 specific items from her wardrobe, but I came up with only one specific item (the cheetah print Oxfords) and 11 general types of item. But it was very straightforward for me to pick a representative example of each item from my closet to show you...and taken together, they make a tidy little wardrobe capsule!
Is it a cheat that my item #12 is 7 necklaces? Well, my list, my rules, right? Although I probably wouldn't wear ALL of these necklaces at once in a layered necklace, if I were creating a wardrobe capsule, I would want each of these categories of necklace to be represented in it. I could mix and match among the necklaces in this collection to create many different looks.
From Liz's list, I got a very strong sense of her style (and based on the outfits she shows on her blog, she really does wear her 12 items quite often). And from my list, you can readily see one of my favorite pants-based outfit formulas: Long Over Lean. This is a style concept that's been around forever, and though it waxes and wanes in popularity along with blowing of the fashion winds, I don't see it going away any time soon because it's practical and can be a flattering way to dress. I am not a fan of it because of its purported slimming properties (although I won't go out of my way to work against that); it's more that I like the look and feel of my muscular legs in close-fitting pants, and wearing a longer top/topper keeps the back view appropriate for the public when wearing true skinny pants.
Here is a round-up of seven of my outfits of the day featuring a variant on this Long Over Lean outfit formula. We'll start with outfits using a long cardigan vest. This one adheres closely to my Fall/Spring Daily Dozen list, including the cheetah Oxfords and the oblong solid accent color scarf, and is based on a print blouse.
This variant switches the print from the blouse to the scarf and includes the pearl necklace from the Layered Necklace Essentials list.
This is a long-sleeved dotted T version that also uses a print instead of solid scarf. If I had built a navy version of the Fall/Spring Daily Dozen as my example instead of black/grey, these navy suede tasseled loafers would definitely have been included.
Here is a rare "twin set" version using a coordinating long-sleeved accent color T and long cardigan vest. The Oxfords are black but not boring due to the mix of smooth leather and suede, and I'm wearing my beloved infinity scarf + long necklace combo.
This version also comes directly from the Fall/Spring Daily Dozen list with a print blouse, pointy-toed flats, and the same pearls as before.
Here's a rare all-neutral version built on a column of black, featuring the pale grey cardigan shown as item #4 and a pre-layered-for-my-convenience necklace. These grey/black leopard wedges are a common shoe choice when I wear this formula.
Finally, this is a "dialed back WFH in an apartment kept at a warmer than ideal temperature so my husband doesn't freeze into a block of ice" version without a topper at all. I had planned on a cream cardigan vest but I was more comfortable without it.
So who is the Long & Lean champion of the rabbit world?
In my book, it's surely the English Spot! This breed has the "fully arched" body type as you can see from the rabbit below...standing on his toes, alert and ready for run. There's quite a big difference between the English Spot and the many compact/rounded or muscular breeds of rabbit.
I'm quite pleased to have discussed the Long Over Lean outfit formula and my set of layered necklace essentials in today's post, knocking two blog topics off my list! I usually take a single topic and discuss it to death over several posts (hello Rust Color Combos), so getting through multiple topics in a single post is a treat.
Do you have any thoughts on what would be on your Daily Dozen list? Would it vary by season? Do you have a favorite outfit formula to share?
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