Monday, September 4, 2017

A/W 2017 | Wardrobe Planning

Do people still do these posts? Is the 5 piece French wardrobe format still relevant? (I do) (And it is still a reasonable framework for clothing purchases for me)



  1. Black leather boots - I've wanted a good pair of black leather boots for a very long time now, and I think this may be the season I finally drop the $ on a pair. These will probably serve as my primary autumn/winter professional shoe, especially once clerkships begin next year. As such, they need to be comfortable enough to wear all day in clinic and on the wards, though I probably will also buy something like Danskos for the OR and wherever scrubs are worn. Why boots, though? I thought about another black leather shoe like loafers, but these shoes must be suitable for snow and ice. Not that I'm expecting to trudge through inclement weather in them, but must be able to handle the elements in some capacity. Hustling the mere 50 yards from the medical school to the hospital in my heels during February was...not enjoyable.
  2. Trousers - I have a pair of black trousers, but I expect I'll need more come third year. It may seem odd that I'm planning on buying stuff for clerkships right now, but I figured slowly adding to my professional wardrobe is better than trying to do it all at once. This will probably be bought from Old Navy (the popular Pixie pants...stupid name) or Uniqlo.
  3. Black jeans - I recently cut up my pair of black jeans (more on that later, but it was in the name of a DIY project, and it was looking pretty shabby) so I may need to replace it. I'm not sure if I actually will. I'm curious to see how I fare this autumn and winter with the jeans I already have. Given I wore my selvedge denim jeans every day in January and February, I probably won't buy a new pair.
  4. Shirting - I really want this flannel shirt, the Black Stewart colorway of my known favorite L.L. Bean scotch plaid. I also am thinking of slowly adding to my professional blouse/shirting wardrobe for next year.
  5. Something for hiking - hiking pants? A jacket? In all likelihood, I'll buy more than one pair of trousers and fill up this spot. Not that I really stick strictly to the 5PFW model anyways. Oh yes, and I lost my watch somewhere and will need to replace it. I'm an idiot.
Reflecting back on last year: I am basically all set on winter gear, and would only really consider adding to technical outdoors clothes, and probably not even this year. I actually did buy the little black dress I mentioned last year, which I'll have a post about later.

The two other changes I'm making to my wardrobe are a refurbishing of an old coat (I cut off the sleeves and replaced them with material from my old jeans...it doesn't look as bad as it sounds), and the eventual tailoring of my raws. The waist is ridiculously large and I need to take it in. Since the fabric is so heavy and the jeans are so integral to my cold weather wardrobe, I may need to get this professionally done.

Lastly, I am planning on doing a wardrobe declutter soon. I hate that idea, that even after being choosy about bringing stuff to Boston I have things I don't wear and will get rid of. But that's the truth, and I'm holding myself accountable. I'll follow up at the end of winter with a wardrobe inventory of sorts to continue holding myself accountable. To be honest, the only things that I really "need" to buy are the boots and the trousers.

10 comments:

  1. Good luck finding a tailor for the jeans! Boot shopping should be fun. Are you leaning toward the Chelsea-pull on style or more of a zippered one?

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    1. I am leaning more towards a zip than Chelsea style. I have and enjoy wearing a pair of Chelsea boots, but I think they are not as formal as I am trying to look for the hospital.

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  2. I think it's sensible to have things to buy in mind for the future - best way to avoid the emergency purchase! I keep going on about them but my black boots have served me really well for my professional dress. It's interesting how Chelsea boots count as formal business shoes for men, but count as more casual for women.

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    1. The boot search is probably going to be a challenge. I really do like Chelsea boots (I have a dark brown pair from Dr. Martens) but I think our hospital leans more formal. On the other hand, I've seen an ortho resident wearing cowboy boots under his scrubs so who knows.

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  3. I really want a pair of Chelsea boots. I've been searching for the perfect pair but I'm yet to find them! xx

    rhymeandribbons.com

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  4. It's definitely good to start thinking about a professional wardrobe now, even when it won't be fully needed for quite some time! Despite knowing for a long time that I'd be going into law, I didn't fully think about these things until my second summer job, and when one is pressed for time, weird and wasteful shopping decisions are inevitable (or at least they were for me!).

    Though they may only be here as illustration, rather than as a specific item you're actually considering, I also had to chime in to note that Ilove the Sam Edelman Pettys for professional wear. I was in California for a while and I saw several black leather pairs at the brick and mortar Nordstrom Rack and the sale section at Nordstrom I find them formal enough for "full dress" business formal in winter (and I have tons of nitpicky/excessively restrictive personal rules about business formal dress). Admittedly my taste in boots might be weird and conservative (I just don't get the appeal of a lot of ultra popular styles like the Acne Pistol booties at all, for instance), but that must mean that the Pettys are a particularly accessible style!

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    1. Yes. The Petty boots are pretty high on my list, and worn by many of my classmates who all vouch for their versatility. My misgivings about them are the sole (don't look very durable), and that they are a bit shorter than I would normally want in even ankle boots. Because of their ubiquity, it will be very easy to try them on in person and see if they suit me. They are pretty affordable, and so many people wearing them is a testament to their utility.

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  5. I think it's good to have a plan so that you don't go ham with all the new autumnal collections! I'm super susceptible to autumnal marketing o.o // I've tried decluttering a few times, and though it's looking slightly better, there's always more wardrobe decluttering that can be done! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's

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    1. Autumn marketing always gets me. Most of the color that I do have in my wardrobe (which is otherwise black and charcoal grey) is navy or dark red, and autumnal colors. I look best in those colors, and hence am susceptible to marketing this time of year.

      I haven't actually had a big declutter since I finished college, and I did take a limited wardrobe with me to med school. But there are still things that need to go. I just feel guilty about buying them in the first place.

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