The French Foundation

I have come to the realization that I need an intervention of sorts. A full on literal and philosophical closet make over. I need to trash (or rather donate) many of the items that have not and will not see the light of day. I hold on to them not because they're timeless pieces that will inevitably come back into style, but because... well... I don't really have an excuse why. They take up space and just sit there. There is the hot pink skirt that was perfect in Cancun with it's scandalously delicious shortness, and there is the teal jersey dress that once had silver studs before I washed it in the washing machine... it seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyway, drastic steps are in order!

I have decided to go French. To adopt the French philosophy of dressing which is to purchase a few quality (i.e. expensive) pieces each season and then to build upon those with trend pieces that are less expensive. The theory being that you hold on to the quality pieces longer and classic styles don't go out of fashion. I realize that I have never had this fashion foundation. I believed that more was, well, more -- even when it was cheap and only got 5 good wears. And more is more, but when you're replacing cheap dress after cheap shirt do you really have more? Me thinks not.

My husband, who is French, has a great wardrobe (although since he works at home he's usually wearing sweats and a white tee shirt or shorts and a white tee shirt). He has Dolce & Gabbana shirts that make him look so hot I need a drink of water to cool off. He has Armani leather jackets, and a nice suit... Chanel, I think. Most of his jeans fit him perfectly. And then he has his flashy colored stripped shirts that he bought here or there and a couple of H&M hoodies. But "the good stuff" is in pristine condition and he always looks perfect in it even when it's paired with a $3 tank top. He didn't run out and buy them all at once. I don't even know how long he's had some of them and I wouldn't be able to guess because they are pieces that are timeless. He set the framework with key pieces and then built around them. For him, I'm sure, this was not on purpose or some conscious thought, like it is with me. It's just cultural and that is what you do.

When I lived there (there being Paris) way back when, my friend was a girl L. She was always impeccably dressed. Her pants fit her well, her shirts always matched and she was the most chic 18 year-old I had ever seen. Quickly, I noticed that when I saw her she was often wearing the same thing. And when I was invited to live in her tiny flat with her, I realized that she would go days wearing the same thing, or the same pants at the very least. It did not have the same feeling of "OH MY GAWD, Becky, she is wearing THE SAME thing that she wore yesterday" disgust that most American youth have, which is probably more related to worries of being seen as poor rather than for hygienic reasons. We shopped together and each piece she picked was done with thought. She always looked great. I always looked for the best deal. When she got one shirt, I got 4. We both paid the same amount. (Ok, so I may be embellishing some here, but you get the idea). She always looked flawless and I just did not compare although I had two times the amount of clothing that she did literally with me there in France.

There is no great mystery to the chicness that French women inherently possess, sorry Cosmo, or Marie Claire. It's about quality control. Pick quality pieces that are perfect for your body (which may require tailoring), pay for quality fabric, cut, etc. Build a wardrobe foundation and then you can buy cheap little pieces to punch it up, so that you actually have more than three outfits to wear. I am American. Here we want more. We want the most -- super size my everything and for the cheaper the better! Even if it hangs in our closets, like my hot pink skirt, and never gets worn. I'm given up more in favor of being chic. I am learning that sometimes less is more.