investment dressing

How to shop your closet for fall 2024

 in General Fashion / Shopping / Trends  tagged fall 2024 / investment dressing / outfit ideas / outfits / tips by
sweater trends

wearing: turtleneck sweater / flare jeans (old, love these wide leg jeans) / G belt (old, also love this belt) / caramel handbag (current version here) / hoop earrings / suede boots (old, also love these) /

It is time to start shopping for the fall season! But, before spending money on all those shiny new things at the store, let’s dive into our archives and find items which can have a new life this fall season. Your bank account will thank you.

The fall 2024 season is a continuation of chic dressing. Your logo items can stay stored in the back of your closet for later use. Right now, pull forward solid-colored sweaters, striped sweaters, polo style necklines or “Golf Shirts,” and neutral hues.

When it comes to denim, these pants are our seasonal workhorses. Your skinny jeans can stay stored. The fall 2024 season is about the classic cut and wide leg denim. Flares are OK, but classic and wide leg is where it’s at.

Despite logo’s being a no-no, the Gucci GG belt is making a resurgence. I am not sure why, but hey, let’s pull those back out and rock them! I sold mine, and now I have a few regrets. Haha. That being said, I wouldn’t buy one just yet, if you have it great, if not, continue to rock your logo-less belt.

Handbags are continuing to be anonymous. Keep wearing your timeless bags. In addition, bags from the early 2000’s are making a mini-resurgence once again. If you have them stored in the back of your closet, great, pull them out. If not, I wouldn’t invest in a brand new re-make of a once famous IT bag. If you have always loved a bag from twenty years ago, look for it on the vintage or resale market. I wouldn’t spend top dollar for a re-make. This will be a fleeting trend and these bags will end up in storage again next year.

Wondering which handbag silhouettes are hot for fall 2024? Look for slouchy hobos and totes as well as east/west silhouettes. Love them!

Unknown designers are hot. There have been so many scandals lately with some of the most iconic designer brands, fashionistas everywhere are gravitating towards new, emerging designers and unknown brands. Look for style, quality, and wearable colors. This is the time to invest in quality not someone’s brand name.

Here are some of my favorite anonymous handbags, in case you don’t have one in your closet:

Let’s talk shoes! Western boots are still hot, so pull them back out and rock them with your favorite dresses, skirts, and denim. In addition, the Mary Jane is hot; as well as ballet flats, and flats in general. Ankle breaking heels are not hot. When it comes to sneakers, we are in transition. Look for styles and colors which fit into your wardrobe, there isn’t an IT sneaker right now. So, pull your favorite street sneakers out of your closet and rock them this fall. Do they need a refresher? Check out my post about cleaning white sneakers.

Jewelry is still chic. Again, keep your logo baubles in the jewelry box and wear timeless jewelry. Look for your favorite pieces in your jewelry box and rock them this fall. There is no need to buy jewelry this season unless you have a hole in your wardrobe. I recommend investing in beautiful jewelry from Louis Hill or affordable, fun jewelry from Kendra Scott.

Well, those are the things to pull out of your closet for the upcoming fall season. After you shop your closet, you can make your fall shopping list. I bet you just saved a ton of money shopping your closet! I know I did! Love that!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy shopping!

XOXO
Cathy

Price does not equal luxury for handbags

 in General Fashion / Handbags  tagged investment dressing / street style trends / thoughts by
mulberry handbags price does not equal luxury bay area fashionista

Pictured: my favorite mini tote by Mulberry /

Have you noticed a backlash on social media as well as the streets against spending a ton of money on a so-called luxury handbag? The current trend is to steer clear of logo embellished handbags, as well as handbag styles which are over-saturated. There are some handbags out there which are too recognizable and have been over produced lately. Those seeking luxury handbags have started to steer towards high quality and thoughtful handbag brands and styles. Gone are the days of the so-called “status” bag, which right now, looks tacky. The chic handbag look is high quality, quiet branding, and feeling like you scored a beautiful investment bag that didn’t break the bank.

While we have been talking about the anonymous handbag here at Bay Area Fashionista over the past several seasons, there is more to this discussion than just a mere street style trend. It goes deeper than a trend. The anonymous handbag is intertwined with what consumers deem to be luxurious in both perception and reality.

There are so many brands in the world which have superior advertising and marketing strategies. They have made us believe through imagery, celebrity and tastemaker endorsements, lifestyle images, and more that luxury is something which can be bought. I assure you; luxury cannot be bought.

Let’s take designer handbags for instance, since “handbags” is a favorite topic of mine. Many “IT” bags can be thousands of dollars while many mid-market brand handbags are in the hundreds. Is there a difference in quality? Well, funny you ask. . .

If you asked me fifteen to twenty years ago if price equaled quality I would have jumped up and said yes! Now, so-called luxury items from designer brands have increased production and cut costs resulting in lower quality products at higher prices. I don’t want to name names, but I will say there is a designer I used to purchase bags from multiple times per year about twenty years ago. Once their bags hit $3000 I stopped buying them. It seemed like I had enough bags and knowing the same bag had been under $2000 just a few years prior to the price hikes, I couldn’t justify the new, higher prices. I dodged a bullet there! That same designer brand now charges $6000-$10,000 for the same bag I purchased for under $2000 fifteen to twenty years ago. In addition, the quality has gone down and my bags are better made than the new ones.

Now, in the past few years, I have found mid-market brands are making better quality bags than so-called “IT” designer brands. Coach, for example, is still killing it with high quality bags. I have also fallen in love with Toteme, Mansur Gavriel, Mulberry, and more. In fact, Mulberry is higher quality than any other designer bag I have experience with.

There are designer bags priced in the high thousands, as well as in the five figures, which don’t hold a candle to Mulberry’s quality. I found Mulberry bags to be the ultimate investment and they offer a feeling of luxury no other designer offers me. Love that!

Here are a few of my favorite high-quality handbags which won’t break the bank:

I have always looked at purchases as investments, not status symbols. Finding better quality at lower prices is the most luxurious thing for my bank account, and me! What do you think about price and luxury? Do they go hand in hand or are they two separate entities?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Summer internship capsule wardrobe

 in College Parent Tips / General Fashion  tagged capsule wardrobe / investment dressing / outfits by
what to wear to a summer internship summer internship capsule wardrobe

College student summer internship capsule wardrobe from top left: blue blouse / navy blazer / classic black loafer / silver hoops / golf shirt / black tote / navy trousers /

Summer vacation is here! Do you have a college student heading off to an internship with a closet full of college tee’s, sweatshirts, pajama pants, sweatpants, jeans, and shorts? Yup, me too! This means your college student, and mine, will need a few office appropriate wardrobe staples to get through the summer. So, I put together a summer internship capsule wardrobe for my daughter, and yours!

The key part of a summer internship capsule wardrobe is to make everything mix and match, as well as not go out of style. This is important because your daughter can wear these items again next summer, and also when she starts her real job after graduation. They can also be worn for on campus career events during the school year.

I recommend one simple suit. Since it gets warm here in the summer, we opted for a summer suit in navy; not linen, just lighter weight than a wool suit. This way she can get away with wearing it during the school year for on campus career events. A navy suit can be mixed and matched with other pants and the trousers can be worn alone with a blouse for a business casual look. A suit can be broken up into multiple outfits, making it the base of the capsule wardrobe.

To keep things simple, we picked up two blouses and three golf shirts. This is a one-week wardrobe. All of the tops match the navy suit in shades of blue, green, and beige. This eliminates needing to think in the morning since everything matches. After all, college students are not typically morning people.

College students tend to live in sneakers and flip flops, so I would only invest in one pair of comfortable and classic shoes. We went with classic black loafers. She can wear these for years and they are comfortable. Perfect!

One useful work tote is ideal for a summer internship. It fits an iPad or notepad for note taking, snacks, and everything she will need for a day at work. If you have an extra tote to lend her, that’s the best way to go. If not, I would invest in a classic black work tote such as the one pictured. She will get a ton of use out of it both during summer internships and when she starts her career after graduation. It is the perfect investment bag for a college student with big goals!

Shop for a college student summer internship online:

This is a small and timeless summer internship capsule wardrobe your college student can use for years. It can also be worn in formal office environments as well as business casual. Love that!

Wishing your student good luck in her internship, and a fabulous future career!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy