A wardrobe in a suitcase

Underfed Badass....and rant.

September 11, 2014

Hello Fabbers!

Sorry I've been silent for a while. Life has intervened and kept me glued to my work and tending to lots of visitors!  

That being said, I'm feeling very frustrated with my wardrobe right now. I'm SICK AND TIRED of jeans. Which is not a good feeling for me, going into autumn, where I'll need to wear something warmer for the next 8 months or so. I feel like I'm caught up in a frump rut, and a lot of the clothes I have don't represent my style or the direction I want to head. 

I've gone digging through my closet, and I feel like my wardrobe is all over the map. Part of this is due to the fact that I haven't had a proper 4-season sequence in about a year.. (from 9/13, I've done Spring-Winter-Autumn-Summer, now back to Autumn) and looking forward for the next year, it's going to be Autumn-Winter-Spring, Autumn-Winter-Spring. 

And colours...I'm sick of neon (fortunately, I didn't go too far down that path). And I'm sick of pastels. (mostly because I feel like I've been wearing them quite a bit for the past year) I'm really starting to see the appeal of a more limited colour palette for my lifestyle. 

And I feel like my inner badass is underfed. 

I like refined...but I think, right now, it suits other people more than me. I like *not* looking like a overgrown grad student. But the reality is that I *am* a grad student, and if I go too far down the 'sophisticated' path, I stand out (and in an odd way). I have a casual lifestyle, and things need to be washable.  The other reality is that my neutrals have shifted from brown to black over the past year, but I still look best in navy. I'd like to experiment more with deliberate mixing of black/navy. 

I think I want to restrict my colour palette to...black, white, blue (navy/denim), red, and purple. 

The good things: 
The plantar fasciitis has mostly resolved itself, so I'm a little less restricted in my shoe choices (but still, no flats, no cheap shoes. 1/2"-1" heel is best)

I feel like my 'business-wear/conference wear' capsule is pretty well set.

If you've read this far...thanks! I'd love to hear comments, and ideas on how to express badass-ishness. 

Posted in the Dressing category
This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

14 Comments

  • rute replied 9 years ago

    I'm tired of jeans also this season, so I'm back to dresses and leather jackets! That can be a good way to express your badass-ishness.
    Leave you some of my inspirations (from Mango)

    1 2 3
  • froggiebecky replied 9 years ago

    ooh...I'm liking those. Particularly since tucking jeans into boots has never been my thing (I don't like my jeans that tight, and I don't want to track down boots with calves large enough to accommodate both muscle and fabric..). thanks for the ideas! 

  • viva replied 9 years ago

    And what about really nice black leggings, those short black boots from above, and a great plaid tunic on top? Throw on the black biker jacker, and you've got more sophisticated badass. You could add a navy cropped sweater under that biker jacket for more warmth.

  • Suz replied 9 years ago

    Ooh, Viva -- like your suggestions -- you and I could be triplets with FB if we did this; we already have the leggings....

    It sounds like you need a wardrobe refresher for sure -- living out of a suitcase and wearing the same items again and again, and the same silhouettes -- gets really tiresome after a while. I like the suggestions so far but do they work for you as a grad student, do you think? 

  • froggiebecky replied 9 years ago

    Hmm...I like it, intellectually. I find...

    Pants are hard to fit for me. I've never been a leggings fan, mostly because I'd rather show off my waist and downplay my thighs. I'd be much more likely to go for a dress, tights, and boots (or leggings and boots).  I've got...shall we say, an American build :) I haven't found trousers I love in the UK yet (to be fair, haven't looked very hard), and it's really tough in Australia, where a lot of things are cut slim through the hips and thighs. I stocked up last Xmas in the US, and I'm going back again this year, so there will probably be some shopping involved. 

    I do have a budget, too, so I end up at places like H&M and Mango (Spanish company). I wander through Topshop quite a bit, but find that a lot of it is overpriced and aimed at the teenager set (lots of crop top and acid wash right now). I find a gem about every 7th trip in. 

    I think, right now, I'm gunning for: 

    1. Shoes. Need some black flat-type things. Clarks has a ballet "flat" with a 1" internal heel. Want some Cons, but those will have to wait 'til I'm back in the US (they're 2x the US price here, and 2.5x in Oz.) Want some new Fluevogs, too, but don't want to commit to the price or mail-order hassle. Shoe reserves are depleted, so OK to add here. Prefer flats to heels. 

    2. Dresses. Casual dresses that I can wear my boots with (currently have brown and purple.) Can easily add a dress or 2. 

    3. New moto jacket. I've got one (Michael Kors, even!) that's too big, but fits over bulky sweaters, so good in the winter. The reality is that I have...that, a long puffer one, a cape-trench thing, and a wool jacket that I made and won't part with. This is about 3 jackets too many for Australia.  Possible solution is taking some jackets back to US for storage, or selling some. 

    4. Skirts. Again, I've got...a couple with limited application (quite fluffy/fancy), 2 pencil (black/navy) and 1-2 casual that I'm not in love with. I need to set things out and make some decisions. 

    5. Bottoms that are not jeans. PLEASE. 

    6. Toppers (not necessarily outerwear)...a cool winterish thing would be nice. I've got a jean jacket, and my cool french jacket, and a couple cardigans. And 2 blazers. One's business, and one's better suited to going out at night (if I had a cool dress to wear it with!) 

    When I started the whole "life out of a suitcase" thing, I was really quite happy with my selections--I had put everything together in such a way that it meshed quite nicely. After losing a ton of weight, the haphazard replacement has kinda gotten out of control, I think. 

    I might go try on some leather leggings, though. I'm heading out shopping this afternoon, to check out a couple new retail stones. H&M left me empty-handed yesterday. A couple cute toppers, but their largest size was too narrow through the biceps for me. 

  • Mo replied 9 years ago

    I feel for you. I do the season jump too with my moves.  Sometimes it's 1.5 years between buying an item and getting wear out of it because of an unexpected move (Allsaints shearling leather jacket comes to mind).  
    I hope you find the items you need to refresh your wardrobe and get you back on track!

  • Angie replied 9 years ago

    Try black Ponte pants too. A skirt with moto boots. Checked pants with moto. Or black jeans with a dark blue support act. 

  • anne replied 9 years ago

    Interesting comment about Australian trousers. I didn't realise they were cut differently - I just know that I find them very hard to fit !(similar body types, I'm guessing)

  • catgirl replied 9 years ago

    I don't think "sophisticated" and "bada$$" are opposed.

    Boots and edged up hair bring in my needed dose of vitamin BA.

  • Aida replied 9 years ago

    I like your thought to mix navy with your black; that'll add some sophistication. Would like to put in a plug for being able to dress badass without needing a lot of black, if you're not into black (like me); it's tough, but certainly doable. Finding which areas you like your badass in will be very helpful, especially on a budget. For example, maybe you like sleek polished hair but tough distressed boots. Or classic dresses and funky rocker toppers.

  • rabbit replied 9 years ago

    Just adding to what Aida and alaskagirl said, I find unexpected outfit juxtapositions badass, so things like a more 'adult' skirt with moto boots,  or more distressed or tomboy pants with refined shoes can give a good mix to my eye.

  • Cerinda replied 9 years ago

    I, too, feel your pain.  The best part of finishing coursework was escaping the daily burden of looking less sophisticated than my (5 - 20 years younger than me!) frumpy faculty!

    Sounds like a great shopping list.  Are you set for outwear and bags?  Got the BA hair you need?  

  • Gigi replied 9 years ago

    I don't have much of an inner badass, but what about a really edgy belt? Janet, the queen of badass (and I mean that in a good way! :) ) posted pics of her belt collection in this thread:
    http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ave/page/2

    Having an edgy belt might elevate some "normal" pants to the badass category.

  • replied 9 years ago

    Ponte pants. I work from home a lot, and was sick of jeans last year. I am bit curvy so skinny jeans take many many try ons to find a flattering fit.....so ,by chance, I tried pointe thinking they might pose the same problem as the skinnies but they glossed over my bumps and look very tidy. A plus, they were a very economical substitute.

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I'm a American scientist-in-training at a university in Sydney, Australia. My research has me frequently travelling to the Great Barrier Reef and Edinburgh, Scotland. I'm not really a minimalist, but I have to make it work. Read on and see if it can be done, and if so, how!