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Roitfeld Style Tip: Edit Your Wardrobe
By Kate Ringo Suzuki
Carine Roitfeld was recently quoted as saying, “As you get older, you must never share your wardrobe with your daughter. Never ever. You will never look beautiful in a jean jacket and a mini-skirt, even if you have a beautiful body. You have to wear something for your age or you will look really ridiculous. There are too many 50-year-olds dressing as 20-year-olds. You have to look every five years at your wardrobe and say: 'Is it OK to wear this with my legs? Is it OK to wear sleeveless with my arms?' Then you have a cull. It's not nice but you have to do it.”
I believe that she is absolutely correct: To avoid the mutton-dressed-as-lamb look we must cull. I would go further than that, to say that the wardrobe culling is necessary to women of all ages. Given time, Ms. Roitfeld will realize that the sad truth is that the reverse is more prevalent in America, that many young lambs are presenting themselves as mutton, especially when it comes to motherhood. Americans, after all, invented “mom jeans.” Welcome to America! Fortunately, Ms. Roitfeld’s advice to regularly reevaluate our closets works to correct the even more atrocious wardrobe sin of, gasp!, looking matronly. Yes, it makes perfect sense — if you want to look your age, make editing your wardrobe routine.
Editing one’s wardrobe is something that few women take the time to do. For some reason, shopping for something new seems like a far more glamorous proposition. As a personal stylist, I see this time and time again. I help women who love to shop, who have closets that are overflowing. It is my job to help my clients make the best use of what they already own. It is my job to step in and tell them what not to wear. I tell them to stop shopping so much, to slow down, to get off the sartorial hampster wheel for a moment and take a good look at what they have now, what they have to work with, and then think more deeply about where they want to be. Like Yogi Berra says, “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” When the goal is to look as hot as Carine Roitfeld does, then you need to shop less and edit more. So strong is my belief in the value of regularly editing one’s wardrobe, that I wrote the Everyday Glamour Wardrobe Edit Workbook, which is available to anyone on my web site, Everyday Glamour. It is a valuable tool!
I believe in Ms. Roitfeld’s advice because the benefits of editing your wardrobe extend far beyond looking age appropriate. There is a huge economic incentive as well. For one, editing your wardrobe helps to mitigate the Eyes-Are-Bigger-Than-My-Wallet Syndrome, which afflicts many fashion lovers and can have crippling effects. Recently after editing my own closet, I realized that all of my shoes, save for a pair of cage heels, were worn out. I became all too aware of my desparate need for black platform ankle booties. I’m a card carrying fashion lover. I love the basic suede short boots that Maison Martin Margiela is showing this season. And since I am afflicted with the Eyes-Are-Bigger-Than-My-Wallet Syndrome, I could not bring myself to get the Nine West version. I tried. I really did! So I split the difference and sprang for the Barneys Co-op interpretation, which was 30% off. It was a stretch but I consoled myself with another Carine gem, “The less you have, the more you enjoy.”
Of course the moment after I purchased the Barneys Co-op platform ankle booties, I felt a compelling and urgent need for the Rag & Bone brown ankle boots. I edited my wardrobe and I know I need brown boots! But they are $545. So I must meditate upon this quote from the Bhagavad Gita:
“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires — that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still — can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.”
Clearly whomever wrote those words never went shopping at Barneys.
Besides dressing age-appropriate and mitigating the crippling effects of the Eyes-Are-Bigger-Than-My-Wallet Syndrome, editing one’s closet eliminates waste. Not only is it the environmentally responsible thing to do, separating the wheat from the chaff makes dressing in the morning a snap. Each time I edit my wardrobe, I ask myself: Do I really need another black lace top? Do I need yet another Wolford patterned tight? And I realize, oh my god, I have a hoard stash of Wolford patterned tights. I can’t stop. I have a problem. But you know what they say, the first step toward recovery is to recognize that you have a problem.
When you realize that you really do not need any more black lace tops or Wolford patterned tights or... whatever it is that rocks your boat... then you reach a state of enlightenment whereby you will recognize with clarity your real need. What I really need is a Rick Owens leather jacket. Uh oh.
A Rick Owens leather jacket would look good on me — especially a brown one. Everyone in New York has a black one, but since I edit my wardrobe regularly, I have a good sense of what looks good on me. Editing your wardrobe forces you to wake up and take a good long look at yourself. This wardrobe editing business is not for the faint of heart, folks. It is the proverbial slap in the face. You see your flaws, but you can console yourself by recognizing your assets. And the good news is that once you know yourself, your flaws and your assets, you can then make an informed decision about what to do about it. In the end, editing your wardrobe gives you a renewed sense of confidence.
Carine says we should be editing our wardrobes every five years, but if you are not French, if you don’t get free designer clothing, and if you do not have perfect model proportions, then I recommend editing every six months. So what are you waiting for? Go to Everyday Glamour now and get the link to the Everyday Glamour Wardrobe Edit Workbook! Did I mention that it is free? Yes, it is free! Then you can get started! Is it a lot of work? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
Carine Roitfeld, Naked Queen by Mario Testino, V Magazine #73, September 2011; © 2011 V Magazine, LLC.
