Fashion Hits and Misses | Perfume Posse

Musette’s here a-visitin’ this week (woohoo!!) so I’m writing this ahead of time and it’s also off topic. Let’s chat about fall/winter clothes, I’ll be on here responding to comments. If that bores you, see you next time.

It’s getting cooler outside and I’m slowly rotating wardrobe pieces. As you (probably) know, I love clothes, and fashion, and I’m always playing with new styles and ways of wearing things. The idea of a capsule wardrobe horrifies me. Let’s chat about current clothing trends and “basics.” You know those lists of wardrobe staples – like, every woman’s wardrobe should include X. (Menz, I’m sure you have similar “must-have” lists.)  I have feelings…

Trench coat – a “wardrobe staple” on lots of capsule wardrobe lists, but not for me. I just got rid of my second (third?) trench coat. It was gorgeous – a (thrifted, I mostly buy secondhand via consignment/thrift, eBay, etc.) dark green trench from a fancy label. I think the issue is that I’m petite and no matter how elegant the coat itself is, I always feel like I’m a child wearing my dad’s raincoat. Don’t even get me started on the current, cropped-at-the-waist and belted version, which seems silly if it’s supposed to be functional. Other coats, though? The warm kind? I have a bunch, which brings me to …

Brown – the color, which is having a big moment in fall/winter fashion right now. I adore a dark, rich brown, and consider it a solid alternative to black. The older I get, the less black I own, replaced by navy and grey and now brown. I’m stocking up on dark brown sweaters and pants while I can. I just bought an absolutely stunning brown Suri alpaca wool overcoat from Pendleton, among the more expensive secondhand purchases I’ve made. Looking forward to wearing that in a few weeks.

Hobo bags – an on-trend bag this fall, which is great, because my bag collection is mostly hobos – big, slouchy bags with a shoulder strap. I have several — yes, I’m a bag-switcher depending on what I’m wearing, I have one of those handy bag inserts that make it easy. People online raving about their au courant Insta-famous structured bags that aren’t even easy to open/close/use/maintain make my eyes twitch. If it’s a good quality (vs. merely expensive) bag to start with, it only gets better looking with age, including my suede ones.

The white button down – the impetus for this post. I have never been a white button down person. All I can think of is years of being stuffed into my old-school work blouses with darts and pleats, very fitted and not comfortable. Well, the look now is oversized. So I’ve thrifted several to test-drive and … I think I’m on board! I doubt they’ll see me through the winter – it’s too cold here and it’ll be all sweaters all the time – but with jeans they’re fun!

The knitted vest – full disclosure, I think (thought?) vests were stupid. If I’m cold, I’m cold all over. I probably owned a fleece vest, and a down vest, at some point in my life but those are long gone. But eBay served me up several inexpensive, oversize wool vests, and I’m wearing one right now over a white dress shirt. It’s nice!

Oversize sweaters – which is all my sweaters except the more fitted, dressy cashmere crewnecks. I’m the quing of the giant sweater, have been for decades. So I guess I’m on trend at the moment. No, I don’t know why I feel stupidly childish in a trench but not a sweater big enough for two. Life is full of mysteries.

Wide leg jeans – all my jeans were “normal” width, probably mom jeans at this point. Last year I bought several pairs of wide leg jeans and I love them. Absolutely love them. Mine are more of the stylish variety, no rips or holes or doodads, and they aren’t gigantic. I’d also probably buy a pair of currently fashionable barrel jeans, except the wide legs are ticking that box for me. I also love all the dorky wide-leg pants that look like ugly gaucho pants on the 5’10” models but are just regular ol’ pants on me!

Perfume — right now it’s cool and rainy, which is so unusual here that we’re enjoying it. I still wouldn’t be wearing that trench if it were in my closet, though. The scent rotation the past few days has been Chanel Coco and Amouage Lyric, and yes, I smell fabulous.

What are your fall/winter seasonal staples? Have you dipped your toes into any recent trends?

images via Pexels

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