OUTFIT: Neutral textures

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Sweater: thrifted (similar)
Blouse: J. Crew, thrifted (similar)
Skirt: J. Crew via eBay  (exact in current colors)
Shoes: BCBG via ebay (similar)
Bag: Marc Jacobs via ebay (similar)
Earrings: vintage shop in San Francisco (similar)

I had an awesome day of thrifting Friday, and found both this blouse and sweater, two items that had been on my wish list for a while - an oversized, drapy silk blouse and a light colored waterfall sweater.  Hooray!  I've been trying to add items with different silhouettes to my closet, to break myself of the 2 button blazer and knee length pencil skirt rut my closet seems to have been stuck in. It's a process, but a fun one!  

I used to think that to have a versatile wardrobe, I just needed to get the same items in different colors so I could mix and match those items.  So I bought the same crewneck tee shirt in a few colors, and very similar two-button blazers in 3 or 4 different colors.  And, if you've read this blog even a few times, I obviously own multiple colors and patterns of knee length pencil skirts.  But then I realized I wasn't able to capture the unique outfit looks I wanted.  All of my outfits had a certain sameness (something I'm still struggling to remedy).  Sure, it's okay to have one or two of basic, classic items that flatter your body type in different colors.  And that's a good start, especially once you figure out your more flattering looks for your shape.  But, once you figure those things out, it's even better to add a few completely different items to the mix, to completely change how those basic items work in an outfit.  In this case, a waterfall sweater is a completely different look than a tailored blazer.  And a drapy shirt like this looks completely different tucked in versus untucked, or even belted.

It's still a process, and I haven't perfected it by any means.  But, lately, when I've actually accomplished a look that's been in my mind for a while, it feels good.

If you're in the market for building a useful closet tips, here are a couple of options I've read - this one by Audrey, this one by Jessica, and this one by Fran.  Hope it helps!

And here are some more shopping options for this blouse and sweater combo: