Buy and Hold: Classic clothes, current attitudes

On the post about Eileen Fisher/Sari Botton, noreen commented,

"i dont think its the clothes you wear that need to change as you get older but what i think is vitally important as we age is grooming. messy just out of bed hair is sexy at 30 and deranged at 60. un-ironed clothes look insouciant at 30 and 'time for a carer' at 60. when one's body face and hair already look messy then the clothes have to add the polish that a young face and figure already come with."

Do you think the clothes you wear need to change as you get older? In my case, yes and no. 

The style may remain constant: you know, for example, that you have never wanted to wear cropped trousers. But over time, proportions and details shift. Haven't you ever looked at a photo and thought, "So '80s!" At some imprecise moment, no matter what your age, the thing that once looked current loses its lustre. 

It's not that clothes need to change as we get older, but they will as a natural consequence of social  norms and influences. The form changes, or the function. 

Change in form: women's undergarments. It is very hard to find a 1960s elastic girdle amid today's sleek shapewear. Change in function: the tennis shoe once was regulation wear on courts, then segued into everyday sportswear, and eventually showed up worn with dresses. In 1950, a woman in tennies and dress would have drawn stares.

What do we do? Sometimes I move with the times and other times hide until the next pivot. I avoided the entire dresses-over-trousers era. high heels with heavy socks will always look weird to me.

Never understood this!

Sometimes a classic item will look fresher with a small tweak. This year, someone must have decided that we are now wearing (mostly white) tees under crew-necks:

Photo: J. Crew

And instead of the French tuck, a subtle scrunch is now deemed enough.

You don't have to wear that tee under your crewneck any more than you have to roll your shirtsleeves in the "J. Crew roll", but be aware that the culture is now calling it current. (I tried the roll and have never felt so ham-handed in my life.)

An excellent site to check what gives classic clothes a current attitude: Graham St, where Hannah Macleod styles clothing on herself and her mother, Sue Mcleod. Both women look relaxed and effortless. Hannah's gentle encouragement and rationale for her choices are the next best thing to having your own stylist-daughter.

Photo: Graham Street

At Graham St, an obvious difference between the generations that Sue Macleod trades trainers for leather flats, but often each could wear the other's clothes. Mum never looks matronly; her clothes "add the polish" that noreen advocates.

Check out your "Blue Chip"brands

Mr Buffet taught us to invest in the closet equivalent of  blue chip stocks, the makers we depend on for quality, fit and joy. Check in with them, but not necessarily to shop—you want to see how they are styling your similar pieces now.

Look for a layout in tile format; let it roll past and notice proportions, palettes, mood. For example, Arket's  New Arrivals page helps me work with what I already have.  

Below, one row from a recent campaign:

Photo: Arket

My short list: Massimo Dutti (their Lookbook shows the clothes in motion), Massimo Alba  (Italian, say no more); Eric Bompard (what they do with colour, especially). Think of that half-hour as finger to the wind, a sense of what's shifting. 

If considering a big purchase, such as a coat you're hoping to wear for years, this research literally pays off. Look at this copper leather jacket from Lafayette 148; the colour is more unusual than black but would go with everything. Though not splashing out for this, its shows me what to look for next time.

Photo: Lafayette 148

That coat is beyond what I'd spend, but copper or chocolate is my sights now that I've donated a heavy  black version. 

When I look at the layouts, I pay most attention to accessories.

Feel good about your neck!

To update without changing the whole outfit, add a new necklace and that crew goes from stalwart to chic. Though currently s/o, this Michelle Ross "Helly" necklace shows the scale and style that makes it a standout.

Photo: Michelle Ross

Small scarf, big zhuzh

Meant to be worn indoors, the small square scarf or slim tie adds detail without weight. Yes, you can fold a 90cm carré down but it might be too bulky; a 60cm square is a good indoor size. Bandanas, small triangles, narrow strips: all current.

Photos: Left, Inoui Éditions; right, Boden UK

Left, Inoui "Papilloons" silk lavaliere, 8cm x 120cm, about $CAN 125. Right, Boden 60cm silk square in navy; price, $CAN 142.

noreen's note on grooming

noreen advises conscientious grooming, beginning at the top. Sue Macleod's soft bob is a good reference—styled but not strenuous. (If she colours it, the shade is so natural that I don't even notice.)

If you have long hair, consider splurging on a ponytail tie like those from Michelle Ross, made from brass or horn, more soignée than a naked elastic. (The elastics can be replaced on Ross pieces.)

Michelle Ross "Domar I" hair tie

noreen mentions the iron; I'd add shoe care to the grooming list. I recently buffed a girlfriend's shoes while she had a cup of tea at my house. (She did not own a single tin of polish.) But you should see her crisply-ironed shirt; I could up my game there!

It all comes down to attention. Surely we have times when what's on our back is the last thing on our mind. And yet, it's a lift to slip on a favourite scarf, square your shoulders (posture polishes any outfit),  slide into well-kept shoes and enter the world, itself messy now. 

I ask myself more often than ever before, Does anything we wear matter? I think so, because we have work to do, we want to contribute. Looking like we take care of ourselves is a minor detail, but a telling one. "Respect", one of my teachers used to say, "is something you bring, not something you demand."

Thanks to noreen, CK and w1chw1z, for their comments; you have inspired this post.