Looking to start a whole new wardrobe for myself. I'm 24. I'll be receiving my doctorate soon and I am also a newly single mom. I feel my clothes in my closet don't really fit my personality or style. I considers my style to be classy but not stuffy. I usually shop at anthropologie and loft. But I really like Zara and Helmut Lang although I don't have any pieces from them yet. I am LV and Tiffany girl as well. Just looking for suggestions on clothing lines that might fit my style more.
Starting a whole new wardrobe
- Thread starter trustlove
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I find that J Crew pops in my head when I read the first sentence of your post. I find their clothing to be classy but not over the top. Simple, sophisticated, and has that professional feel to it and perfect for everyday wear as well. Perhaps also invest a few statement pieces when you can to add a touch to your wardrobe 
! And congrats on getting your Doctorate soon, it's no small feat I'll say! I'll be applying for graduate school next year for the PhD program to continue my biology work... That will be fun :3.
! And congrats on getting your Doctorate soon, it's no small feat I'll say! I'll be applying for graduate school next year for the PhD program to continue my biology work... That will be fun :3.
Congrats on your upcoming degree; what a huge accomplishment!
No matter where you shop, my suggestion is to focus on quality. For example, hold off on buying a couple polyester shirts from shop xyz when you can buy one classic/quality blouse from a store such as Brooks Brothers/Talbots that will last you years and look fab.
No matter where you shop, my suggestion is to focus on quality. For example, hold off on buying a couple polyester shirts from shop xyz when you can buy one classic/quality blouse from a store such as Brooks Brothers/Talbots that will last you years and look fab.
Thank you!
That's a good suggestion. I would rather have fewer high quality articles of clothing than numerous low quality clothes that don't hold up.
I find that J Crew pops in my head when I read the first sentence of your post. I find their clothing to be classy but not over the top. Simple, sophisticated, and has that professional feel to it and perfect for everyday wear as well. Perhaps also invest a few statement pieces when you can to add a touch to your wardrobe
I'll have to check out jCrew I always forget about them but they have really nice things. Thanks for suggesting them. Yes I definitely need some statement pieces. Right now I feel like my only statement piece are my LV purse and some Tiffany jewelry. Thank you! I wish you the best of look as you continue with your higher education. Congratulation on your current degree(s).
Congrats!! I'm a new fan of IRO, especially their jackets. Great style but not over the top. I agree with PortlandKelly, focus on the materials. It's better to spend a little more on clothes that you love and in good materials, than pieces made of, for example, viscose.
www.inhabitNY.com. has wonderful clothing. If you can catch their sales and then coupon code which always are $20.00 off, sometimes with free shipping. I buy items one at a time with the 20 dollars off code. I am trying to teach my daughter that good quality clothing is better than the teen mall stores. Looking classy in nice well made clothes sure beats things that don't last and fall apart after a few washes.
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I do agree J crew is a good start i also like theory for blazers and pants and j crew for tops.. I need a new wardrobe as well but my issue is that i gained a some weight and none of my clothes fit me. I have all these banana republic dresses and marc by marc jaobs tops in sz 0 and dont know what to do with them most of my clothes are brand new with tags on..
Whilst I agree that buying less is better than buying lots of cheaper items, I do think you can mix and match cheap with designer. As a busy mum, you dont want to be always at the dry cleaners if you buy silk or dry clean only tops.
I have recently bought a few Helmut pieces and love them. If you like HL too, my suggestion would be to buy a good quality blazer from HL (sales is a really good time to buy) and then perhaps some cheaper blouses to wear underneath?
I found these tops in topshop recently which I think are very Helmut Lang inspired. (and quality isnt bad for the price, I have hand washed them several times so far with no probs)
http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/s...=-1&productIdentifier=product&catalogId=33057
http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/s...=-1&productIdentifier=product&catalogId=33057
And I wear one of these HL jackets over the tops
http://www.harrods.com/product/villous-sweatshirt-jacket/helmut-lang/000000000003470666
http://www.harrods.com/product/tuxedo-blazer/helmut-lang/000000000003350190
I also second IRO and Theory and what about Maje and Sandro?
Congrats on your doctorate!
I have recently bought a few Helmut pieces and love them. If you like HL too, my suggestion would be to buy a good quality blazer from HL (sales is a really good time to buy) and then perhaps some cheaper blouses to wear underneath?
I found these tops in topshop recently which I think are very Helmut Lang inspired. (and quality isnt bad for the price, I have hand washed them several times so far with no probs)
http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/s...=-1&productIdentifier=product&catalogId=33057
http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/s...=-1&productIdentifier=product&catalogId=33057
And I wear one of these HL jackets over the tops
http://www.harrods.com/product/villous-sweatshirt-jacket/helmut-lang/000000000003470666
http://www.harrods.com/product/tuxedo-blazer/helmut-lang/000000000003350190
I also second IRO and Theory and what about Maje and Sandro?
Congrats on your doctorate!
I agree with the previous poster. I do mix some very expensive items with cheaper pieces and I have a few inexpensive items that are very high quality fabric and well made.
I buy a lot of J Crew and Madewell (oh, how I love Madewell!) and a few pieces of Tory Burch, Banana Republic, Talbots, Kate Spade and Brooks Brothers. My favorite tees are usually from Gap.
What is your lifestyle like and what is your career? Also, can you give us an idea of your size and body type? I find some brands and designers just don't work for my body type at all.
Congrats on your degree!
I buy a lot of J Crew and Madewell (oh, how I love Madewell!) and a few pieces of Tory Burch, Banana Republic, Talbots, Kate Spade and Brooks Brothers. My favorite tees are usually from Gap.
What is your lifestyle like and what is your career? Also, can you give us an idea of your size and body type? I find some brands and designers just don't work for my body type at all.
Congrats on your degree!
Congats on your degree!! I agree with everything posted but I also wanted to comment that being a mom you WILL need cheap disposable clothes sometimes too!! You wouldn't want to ruin your gorgeous silk blouse because that's all you own while carrying the baby
Jcrew is awesome, and Zara is very trendy and can have some very cheap or very nice made clothes. you are still young, so I would still check out H&M and F21 for cheaper trendier clothes.
You won't be wearing the same blouse for 10 years anyway, it all depends on your budget but you are only 24 once, be young and wear fun clothes too!
Jcrew is awesome, and Zara is very trendy and can have some very cheap or very nice made clothes. you are still young, so I would still check out H&M and F21 for cheaper trendier clothes.
You won't be wearing the same blouse for 10 years anyway, it all depends on your budget but you are only 24 once, be young and wear fun clothes too!
Here's a good link to a site where she discusses a core wardrobe and is a a mother of two I believe. She has a nice wardrobe and an at home wardrobe kind of...pieces that mix and match, plenty of tees and some jeans for days home with the little ones.
http://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com/
Talbots is nice, too.
http://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com/
Talbots is nice, too.
I would say my life style is pretty active consisting of (1) being a mom to my amazing 18 month old son, (2) clinical work, I'm a therapist at a high school, and I'm hoping to start my clinical internship next year, still waiting to hear (part of my grad program), (3) grad school, although at this point in the program I only have 3 courses left next semester, (4) errands, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. My son is very very active so I live in jeans most of the week. But even then I love pairing them with a classy blouse. As far as celebrity style I would say I think Katherine Heigl's daily style fits my style. I also like Olivia Palermo's daily style. I am size 2 in pants/jeans and a small in tops.
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I think J. Crew is a perfect suggestion for you - I looked at pictures of Katherine Heigl in everyday dress and it's dead on! I also second the advice about mixing high and low pieces - don't be afraid to buy trendier clothes at Zara, etc. In addition to mixing high and low, though, I'd like to suggest that you add some vintage pieces to your wardrobe. Nothing can add dimension to your look like vintage can! I find that the vintage pieces that work best mixed in with a modern wardrobe are outerwear, cashmere, and jewelry.
Have you considered reading a couple of books about style? They can help you develop more fully your own personal style and can offer guidance about core pieces to buy so you can be more thoughtful and critical about your purchases. I recommend Nina Garcia's book The 100 and Parisian Chic by Kiki de Montparnasse (the queen of style a la francaise).
As far as particular brands, in addition to J. Crew and Zara, checkout HELMUT Helmut Lang, T by Alexander Wang, 10 Crosby by Derek Lam (especially for footwear), Loeffler Randall (also footwear), and A.L.C.
Have you considered reading a couple of books about style? They can help you develop more fully your own personal style and can offer guidance about core pieces to buy so you can be more thoughtful and critical about your purchases. I recommend Nina Garcia's book The 100 and Parisian Chic by Kiki de Montparnasse (the queen of style a la francaise).
As far as particular brands, in addition to J. Crew and Zara, checkout HELMUT Helmut Lang, T by Alexander Wang, 10 Crosby by Derek Lam (especially for footwear), Loeffler Randall (also footwear), and A.L.C.