STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

laken1 · Hermes

How do you start your outfits?

smash · Dooney & Bourke

for me, all of my outfits start with one piece of something, but i don't necessarily use that to dictate the rest of my outfit (that probably doesn't make any sense). anyway, it's actually usually not an accessory. on monday, i mentioned that i built my outfit around my rainboots. yesterday, i wanted to wear that olive blazer and worked with the weather and what was clean to build an outfit with it. today i started with the yellow chiffon top (usually reserved for evening... but as i said, i need to do laundry!) and went from there. i chose the scarf because i needed something for my neck and wanted to wear my red shoes today, so i figured the bit of red in the scarf would help tie the whole look together.

i guess for me personally, i feel pretty comfortable just building outfits as i go and not really necessarily building them around anything. sometimes i do. but mostly i just put on one thing that i feel like wearing and work from there. i admire people who can actually plan an outfit in advance or build an outfit with a great deal of thought around a certain piece - i usually have about 10 minutes to get ready in the morning and just throw stuff on. i am currently trying to build an outfit around a patterned blazer that i bought for an event that i have to go to (see my thread a few posts down), and it's hard! i could never do that every day.

if what works for you is to build an outfit around an accessory, then you should do that. I think that for a lot of people it helps them feel less afraid of wearing a lot of color if they know that there is one certain element that is tying everything together, like a scarf or necklace or patterned top or something like that. i think that is a great way to start experimenting with wearing more colors. personally i tend to feel too matchy matchy if i do that (i actually felt pretty matchy on monday in my sherbert outfit!), so my outfits are a tad more haphazard.

anyway, that's just how things tend to work for me!

kenzie · Chanel

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to post my outfits in the thread style section b/c I don't have a USB cable for my bf's digital camera (he can't find it anyway). But, I love to wear color (and rarely wear black), so that's what I usually start with. I think about what colors or pieces I feel like wearing that day and go from there. I have tons of colorful accessories (scarves, jewelry, shoes, bags), too, and usually choose contrasting pieces from the colors of the clothes I'm wearing. So, that's how I start...either with a color scheme or one particular piece that I want to wear (usually not an accessory).

honey · Gucci

i start my outfits pretty much the same way smash does. i start the night before (as i'm getting ready for bed) and just think about things that i would like to wear/haven't worn in awhile and go from there. i also think of what i have to do that day. i.e. lots of walking means flat shoes.

laken1 · Hermes

thanks ladies - I like the "what color do I feel like" idea - I just always seem to end up in a uniform & I have lots of cute jewelry - I need to incorporate it into my wardrobe more

Keep the pixs coming on thread style- very inspirational!

mischiefandmayhem · BCBG

it's piece specific for me too. i start usually with one item. like i might just want to work with something specific, either that is new or something that i know i haven't worn in a while. from there, i'll start to think about what other items i can work with it, concepts that i've been inspired by that might be workable with it, etc. i add in pieces as i go based on what speaks to me in my closet, and always make sure that my outfits have a lot of detail to them. for example, i almost never go without accessories - hats, belts, scarves, necklaces, etc. the only thing i don't wear a lot are earrings because my lobes are really small and they're uncomfortable because i'm on the phone a lot for work (publicist).

i make a ton of mistakes all the time and put together the craziest things, but i don't mind because i want to keep innovating and experimenting. today i felt so lazy and am so sick of the weather that i wore green rainboots with juicy terry pants tucked in and a teal sweater from abercrombie over a tank. my boyfriend honestly made a face when he saw me and waved his hand, shaking his head. lol. but i think style comes from how you want to work it and what you interpret and i like that it can be hit and miss.

FashionFreak · Kenneth Cole

I usually start with my clothes and then I add accessories. I wear a lot of basics, but I always add fun shoes or a colorful necklace. I usually always wear a necklace, I don't have my ears pierced so I own a lot of necklaces. I have a necklace to go with just about every outfit. I also own a lot of shoes, all kinds of styles. I know I can always count on my shoes to make my oufit interesting. Although I don't think people always notice shoes. Even if I'm wearing a plain tee and jeans, but I have some interesting shoes on and a necklace, I feel that my outfit is complete.

erin · Chanel

i base my outfits solely on whether or not i want to wear a dress/skirt or pants. once i pick the base, i plan the rest of the outfit from there. i let the pant length dictate my shoes, and then find an appropriate top with it. i generally prefer dresses though, because it's so simple to just figure out which dress i want to wear and find according shoes/accessories to go with it.