$39, March 4, 2012, 9-12 at WCC

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The Art of Style

Darla Has A Ball

It’s called Stingy Style and here are the rules:

1.   Pick a current style trend that you would like to emulate, such as polka dots, lace, wide-leg trousers, cobalt blue or anything else that catches your eye.

2.   Put together an outfit following these criteria:

The main garment MUST be from a consignment, thrift or vintage shop.   Not everything has to be purchased used, just the main piece.  Get creative and put together a complete outfit using as many bargains finds as possible.

3.  Take a picture and post it on the Ahead of the Curve Style or Labels Facebook page.

4.  Name the trend and where the pieces of the outfit came from.

I’ll go first.

Trend:  Polka Dots/50’s Retro

•Black and white polka dot shirtdress (Labels)

•Wine suede ankle strap Nine West retro heels (Labels)

•Teal cardigan to mix it up (Costco)

•Vintage-style pink drop earrings, handmade by Shawna Kitzan

•Vintage beaded top handle purse (impossible to hold while holding wiggling puppy)

Who’s next?  Post your picture and description on the Ahead of the Curve or Labels Facebook page to play along!

So which trends are worthy of indulgence?  Happily, there are some amazingly wearable trends this fall, great for most body shapes that will not quickly look dated.  Wide leg trousers, bright pops of color and scarf-patterned dresses top my list.

Wide leg trousers are cutting-edge fashion and classic style at the same time.  Visually, the wide hem makes what is above it look smaller, in the opposite way that a skinny pant makes what is above look larger.  Simply put, wide-legs pants make your butt look smaller, however, almost every body shape is flattered by the flow of a wide leg pant, from tall and thin to short and curvy.   Some have a high waist, which works well for narrower torsos but are not so flattering for those thicker middles.  The other option is a lower slung tab waist, which works best for most.   If you are wider through hip and thigh, buy the best quality fabric you can afford.  If you are slimmer down south, a less expensive version will do.

Bright pops of color are just fun.  Mix several for a wild time or incorporate one into an outfit of neutrals.  If wearing screaming-neon on your body feels too far out of the box, invest in a scarf or other accessory that can easily be taken off if you get scared.  Think outside the box when color mixing, try pairing pink, red and eggplant or navy, cobalt and royal blue, for a new take on monochromatic.  For extreme kicks, try neon orange, fuschia and cobalt.  The overuse of cobalt blue is a trend of it’s own. Participation is inexpensive, as easy as picking up a new t-shirt or throwing garments together that you never would have before.

High-end designers are using enlarged, bold, graphic print designs inspired by scarves for dress fabric.  Some combine two or three completely different prints.  The dresses are usually a wrap or shirtdress style, very easy to wear.  They are stunning.  Such a dress is a versatile addition to any wardrobe and well worth the money spent.  While it isn’t necessary to fork over for the Foulard version, they are available at very reasonable prices in department stores.  The simple structure and comfortable fit make them an office-friendly choice, while the color and print make them event-worthy, as well.

Other trends are interesting but certainly fall into the cheesecake (are they really worth it?) category.  Head-to-toe plaid, while attractive in an artistic photograph on a six foot supermodel, is much trickier in reality.  Better to invest in the plaid suit and then break it up – unless the pattern is very subtle indeed, or unless you actually are tall and thin and really, really love plaid.

Native American touches can be quite lovely, with soft leather and fringe, ponchos reminiscent of saddle blankets, feathered accents and fur.  This trend is likely to pass quickly, leaving you stuck with a giant leather-fringed hobo bag and feather earrings.  If this is a vibe that speaks to you, carefully consider how to incorporate the look into your existing wardrobe without creating a costume.  Perhaps a piece of turquoise jewelry will do the trick.

And lastly, the Just Don’t Do It Trend of the season: period collars.  Think ruffs, scratchy fabric all up in your ears.  They look too much like those unfortunate collars pets have to wear after surgery.  That’s about how comfortable you will be in them, too.

When adding a trendy piece to your wardrobe, run it past these criteria:

Does it work for your body shape?

Can it be worn without feeling silly?

Do you LOVE it?

Deja Vu Consignment

16111 SE McGillivray Ste. F, Vancouver, WA

(360) 253-9053

***The Update***

Since the last time I visited DejaVu the store has doubled in size and is now spacious, bright and well-organized.  Anything said to the contrary in the following review is hereby negated.  The place still ROCKS, now more than ever.

Went Saturday shopping with my sisters and we all scored absolutely perfect designer dresses.

In a town like any town, in a strip mall like any other, there is a consignment shop called Deja Vu, which is a fairly common name for a consignment shop.  My expectations were low, specifically, I anticipated slim-pickings.   The sale racks on the sidewalk announced 50-75% off, which usually means polyester granny dresses and 80′s blazers.  Happily, astoundingly, the rack was loaded with excellent quality, perfect-condition garments:  Ami, Anne Klein, Anne Taylor, Banana Republic and many others.  There were several adorable jackets that appeared to never have been worn and demanded admiration.  The original prices were a little high for consignment but at 75% off, they were better than just right.

Inside the shop, the sale continued with a rack devoted to Chico and Cabi.  The displays at the front of the store held designer brands and a fantastic selection of handbags and accessories.  Rounders through the middle separated clothing by size and type.  There were the standard three “Tops” rounders labeled by Small, Medium and Large but also a rounder specially for blouses and one for shirts (such as Foxcroft).  This set-up was a bit confusing at first, but this shop has so much inventory that the divisions are clearly necessary.

Off to the right were racks of pants, skirts and jeans, a wall of dresses and a little selection whimsically labeled “Cute Things.”  While shopping the racks, I resisted the urge to drag a mountain of stuff into the changing room and spend wads of cash.  Resistance was difficult because virtually every garment in the store was so freaking CUTE that every rack could have been labeled “Cute Things.”  Most jackets were priced in the twenties and most blouses in the teens.  My sister shopped the sale rack and bought a silk Ann Taylor blouse and denim vest and spent less than $15.  She has more self control than I do.   A little Banana Republic suit ($34) with wide leg pants and a cropped jacket looked at me like a brown-eyed puppy in a pet shop window.  Better to just resist completely.

This gorgeous silk blouse was about $13.

Boots lined the high shelf all around the store.

At the back of the shop was a small selection of plus-sized clothing, a clearance rack, shoes and a small jewelry case, all worth scouting.  The plus-size racks were small but well selected and priced with some very nice jeans for about $15-20.

Deja Vu was a wonderfully pleasant surprise.  The little touches matter so much in a consignment store:  beautiful dressing room curtains, organization and good lighting, adequate labeling and sturdy display racks.   It is not difficult to make a consignment shop feel like a boutique and this one is beautifully done. This isn’t the place to shop if you are looking for a shop full of bargain basement prices but for mid to high end wardrobe pieces (including suits) Deja Vu is most certainly worth your time.

If you are not feeling well, do not go shopping.  Iffy tummy?  Burbling bowels?  Just stay home.  Shop another day.

If you are already shopping and the iffy and/or burbly hits you, proceed quickly to the nearest exit.  Even if you are in the dressing room, half into a really cute top that is totally on sale, GO HOME.  Drop the top on the floor and run, darling, run to your car in your bra, if you must.  If you cannot make it home before the tsunami of bodily fluids erupts, at least it will be contained in your own vehicle where you can clean it up later yourself.  No apologies or embarrassment necessary.

Even the parking lot is a better choice than the dressing room.  The rain always comes again.

Unacceptable choices:

Vomiting in the corner of a dressing room and covering it up with the garment you were trying on.

Stopping into a store for no other purpose than to use their bathroom when you are violently ill, instead of being violently ill in your car or by the side of the road.

Someone has to clean that up, you know, and they are probably making minimum wage.

Other things that are reportedly done in dressing rooms, but should not be:

Relieving oneself

Changing feminine hygiene products

Sexual activity

Please, ladies, only just change your clothes in there.

For those of us who would never dream of doing any of the above-it is entirely possible to try on clothing without taking your shoes off.  It requires similar skills to using a public restroom without actually touching anything.

Believe me, I am just as shocked as you are.

Armadillo is a little shop of designer deals, sure to suck you right in. Everything inside is real-deal designer, overages and sample sale goods.  Some of the prices are several hundred bucks, worth the money if you’ve got it.  However, if you browse… there are many, many garments for $40 or even less.

They are located on Granville Street, before you get to the stretch of boutiques and consignment shops.  It isn’t hard to find, just hard to park.  For some reason the day I was there, a band of musical geniuses were playing the blues on the sidewalk right outside the door.  There was something surreal about shopping designer goods on sale and listening to the best rendition of “You Give Me Fever” I have ever heard.  As experiences go, it was up there.

My score:  this German-made Tuzzi shirt, tie in the front or the back, $20.  The fabric is like nothing I have ever felt before, like a stretchy cloud.

If you go, take the time to chat with the owners.  They are knowledgeable, really friendly and eager to help you find what you’re looking for.

A textile worker takes a break at dawn after sanding jeans all night at a clothing factory in Guangdong Province, China. The blue dust from the jeans is a heavy irritant to the lungs. The factory where this worker is employed uses a wear-and-tear process to achieve the fashionable distressed look for the approximately 10,000 pairs of jeans it produces every day. Thousands of workers labor around the clock scrubbing, spraying, and tearing jeans in order to meet the production demand. China is one of the world’s largest producers of jeans.  (from ehp.com/Waste Couture)

Where does it all go? Of the 11.8 million TONS of textiles discarded in the USA every year, only 15% of it is recycled, the rest of it making up 4% of the solid waste in our  landfills.

Considering that the most popular store in Bellingham is a consignment shop, this qualifies as preaching to the choir, but even here, most women wear only about 20% of the clothing in their closets.  We hang onto garments for a variety of wonky reasons and then continue to buy too much stuff!

Back in the day, clothing was never thrown away, but mended, darned, tailored, handed-down and in the end, turned into memory quilts or ripped up for use as cleaning rags.  No one threw clothing away just because they were done with it any more than they would have thrown away fat in the kitchen.   Did anyone else’s mother save a little container of bacon grease in the refrigerator?  It was unthinkable to throw away something so useful and valuable.

Speaking of food, the reason dieting is so hard is because you have to eat, no going cold turkey.   You have to actually do the work to change your habits and eat responsibly.  Creating an environmentally friendly and fiscally responsible wardrobe is a similar process.  We have to wear clothes because of those pesky public decency laws and as protection from the elements, however there is a responsible way to fulfill our retail therapy need and have our fashion fun!

Let’s start by having a wardrobe strategy.  What if every garment in your closet was tailored to perfection, complimented your coloring and body shape and could be mixed and matched with everything else?  What if most of the pieces therein were of reasonably high quality and would last for years?

Here’s how to free up your closet real estate:  get rid of everything you haven’t worn in the last year.  Be merciless.  Put every garment through the filter of appropriate structure for your body shape.  Be honest.  Donate those garments that don’t make the cut to charity or set up an account at a consignment shop to make some extra bank.  Have worthy garments tailored to fit so they can be worn regularly.   No fair throwing any of it the corner for dealing with “later.”  Do it now.   Then take a discerning eye to what is left in your closet and make a list of the things you really need in order to have a versatile wardrobe.   Stick to your list and be willing to hunt for a deal.  Be picky.  Require new purchases to meet the criteria of your best structure and color and be wearable in at least three different ways to avoid impulse buys.

And, please, extend the life of your “keeper” garments by washing them in lower temperatures and line-drying.

Bellingham consignment shoppers (that’s almost everyone) have all purchased a garment only to discover that it once belonged to an acquaintance.  It might be déclassé in other places, but in Bellingham, it just means you live here.

I recently scored a screaming hot Labels deal, a United Colors of Benetton skirt for $9.99.   Absolutely unpassupable!  Lime green on lime green houndstooth, so not an obvious choice for versatility and it’s a little too short, the hem comes to just barely above the knee.  It would be a miniskirt on anyone else.   My knees, which are concurrently chubby and saggy, will show, so opaque tights are an absolute must. That fact, combined with the wool fabric makes it a fall/winter skirt.   Hmmm… a designer Italian two-season garment for $10.  Not bad.  Heel height is a must as well, to lengthen out the stubby legs.

Now, what to wear it with…

Wild:  just go for it with a groovy top, leather boots & jacket and big silver accents.  No wallflowers here.

Tame:  make it sophisticated and office friendly with charcoal gray top & cardigan, demure black and white bag, steel gray beads, all serving as a backdrop to showcase the skirt.  Just add gray tights and black pumps.

In between:  Keep it casual with a purple turtleneck & beads, denim blazer and leather purse.  Add leather ankle boots or platforms with tights to match the shoes to finish the look.

When adding a statement piece to your wardrobe, run it past these criteria:

Can it be worn in at least three different ways?

Can it be worn on a regular basis without feeling silly?

Can it be dressed up AND down?

Do you LOVE it?

Tall, lanky men should stick with slim cut trousers, no pleats or extra fabric, tailored shirts and jackets and slim shoes.  Loose, baggy clothes make skinny look scrawny. Avoid gorilla arms and high-waters with long-enough sleeves and pants.  Don’t sacrifice on length-you can’t make ‘em longer.  Search out the proper fit.  Have fun with horizontal stripes and layering.  Wear contrasting colors to break up the body-line.  Shorter or heavier men need to lengthen, but you have that covered already.

Close-fitting but not tight.

Short, slim guys really need to keep it simple with sharp, clean lines and superb tailoring.  Bulky or too-big clothing will only serve to make you look smaller, like a kid playing dress-up.   Jackets must fit in the shoulder, taper to the waist with a hem that stops at the bottom of the rear.  Choose flat-front pants, slim shoes and tailor everything.  Accept the fact that everything you own will need to be cut down to size.  That’s just the way it is.

The larger man can slenderize his middle with a few tricks.  Square off the shoulders with small shoulder pads.  Choose boxy cut sweaters and jackets with hefty fabrics and built-in waistline detail.  Shirts can have big bold patterns and colors but avoid clingy knits, horizontal striping and ribbed waistbands.  Ribbed waistbands put that tummy on a shelf and if you raise your arms, whoops, there it is!  Pants can be single-pleated, although, pleated pants MUST have a cuff to weigh down the extra fabric  created by the pleat, thus keeping it from ballooning out around you.  A wide straight pant leg with a flat front is best.  Choose sturdy shoes, wide ties and big accessories.

ZZ Top said it best, “Every girl’s crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed man.”  Think about it.