Closet Purge

I have a bad habit of buying clothes and then forgetting about them. I’ve posted about this before, and the problem is an obvious one: I have too much stuff.

I once read that each time you buy a new item of clothing you should get rid of an old one, but that’s a bit extreme for me. Given my lifestyle, my wardrobe includes LA and NY clothes (places I frequent), as well as Nevada City clothes (the place where I live). Suffice it to say that something I might wear locally to have lunch with a girlfriend is not necessarily something I’d pack for LA.

That fact aside, my closets were still too full. So this morning, feeling a bit bold and ruthless, I launched an attack. By the time I was finished, I had two large garbage bags filled with clothes and shoes to take to the thrift store.

The good news: I feel as if I’ve accomplished something useful.

The bad news: My closets don’t look that much emptier, which means that my clothes must have really been jammed in there. Hmmmm…so maybe that’s good news after all.

More Great Pants from Anthropologie

I have a thing for slouchy pants. They look fabulous on skinny days and camouflage brilliantly on chunky days, making them the ideal wardrobe staple. (Sam, my stylist buddy, once described my body type as “rectangular, with a hint of pear,” so anything that skims breezily over my hips and thighs makes me happy.) All of that is to say that these pants from Anthropologie make my heart beat just  a little bit faster:

Origami Pocket Pants

Cross-Front Crops

On Sale at Bloomingdale’s!

I’ve been lusting after these sandals ever since I spotted them on the Bloomie’s Web site, and now they’re marked down from $265 to $159. Since I missed out on a great deal on the Stuart Weitzman platforms, I’ve decided these have to be mine.

OK…so maybe I have a problem…

An Open Letter to Andy Roddick

Dear Andy,

I hope that today, instead of mourning your loss to Roger Federer, you are celebrating the irrepressible skill, talent, and artistry that you exhibited during the men’s finals at Wimbledon. You are an extraordinary athlete, and it was a thrill to see you play what must have been some of the best tennis of your life.

And yes…one day soon, your name will be up there as a winner of the tournament.

OK…Can I Just Live in Anthropologie?

There are definite themes in my wardrobe. Other than jeans, most of my bottoms are black or gray–always have been, probably always will be. I occasionally buy pants and skirts in other colors, but those are the items that sit in my closet for months at a time–unnoticed, unworn, unloved.

Basics like black and gray represent great flexibility–coordinating with a variety of tops–which is why I’m constantly drawn to those colors when I go shopping. And let’s face it: if you have even a hint of hips or thighs, there’s nothing like a dark color to offer great camouflage.

These cropped pants from Anthropologie absolutely fit the bill, enhanced by a touch of tweed that gives them a fabulous menswear look.

Buyer’s Remorse–in Reverse

Well, I didn’t buy the Stuart Weitzman platforms pictured below, even though Gilt Group was offering these $355 shoes for $187. I just wasn’t sure if they’d be comfortable, even though I’m a big fan of stilettos and can usually wear them for hours without pain. Furthermore, my reliable friends Penny and Jan both delivered a resounding No! when I made my original post musing about the purchase.

And I regret my decision.

While cruising through Nordstrom Rack yesterday with Penny–she of the don’t-you-dare-buy-those warning–she found a very similar pair of Weitzmans in tortoise-shell brown in my size. I don’t wear much brown–hmmm, it may be the case that I never wear brown–but I tried them on out of curiosity. And they were spectacular.

They felt great…they looked elegantly sexy…and I could feel my remorse setting in. Why didn’t I buy the black ones? (They sold out almost immediately on Gilt Group.) Even Penny, dear friend that she is, admitted that she’d been wrong.

And so it goes sometimes: we opt out of a purchase and later regret doing so. I’m encouraged by the fact that this particular wish-I’d-bought-that regret doesn’t even come close to the bad buys I’ve made over the years that I truly regret. That–and the fact that Jan still thinks I would have been a jerk to buy them.

Shoe Confusion

So I can’t decide if these Stuart Weitzman Exert platforms are fabulous shoes or oh-my-god-my-feet-are-killing-me-what-was-I-thinking! shoes.

Weitzmans are notoriously comfortable, in spite of towering heel height. And, of course, the higher the sole platform, the lower the heel seems–and feels.

I think the design on these is superb…I’m just wondering if buying them would turn out to be a too-old-to-wear-these faux pas.

Any opinions from my baby boomer sisters?

Sam Saboura’s Style Team Officially Launches on liveperson.com on June 26

I’ve been preparing for this…getting nervous about this…and then getting really excited about this. After agonizing over how to use the live chat software–and it’s so easy, it’s embarrassing–I’m ready.

With an official launch date of Friday, June 26, the fun begins.

Sam Saboura and his style team will offer advice on liveperson.com on a host of issues: dressing on a budget, finding your own personal style, menswear, hair and makeup, and the particular clothing concerns of baby boomer women (that one’s my specialty).

We’re available for live chat (if we’re online at the time you want us) and via e-mail. There’s a small fee involved, but you get to control how much you want to spend.

Please stop by any time: liveperson.com/elle-mansfield

More from Anthropologie

Anthropologie’s Languid Cargo Crops are a great summer basic. I’d ditch the fabric sash, though, because it’s a tad too cutesie.

I also love the Peasant-Tied Cardigan, which is the perfect top to camouflage the lumpy-fly look that we invariably get from even the best-fitting jeans. Wear it alone or layer it over a tank top.

Stories I Never Finished

Four years ago, my husband and I moved from our home in Northern California to Los Angeles–a temporary change of scenery dictated by a lucrative work-related project for him. While we were there, I started—and never revisited–a couple of short stories about the move and the culture shock of being an older/mature/seasoned woman in the land of youth and beauty. I offer them here…now…because perhaps if I see them in print, I’ll be inspired to add a few hundred more words…

And We’re Off…

“Pack up the Buick, baby, we’re movin’ to LA!”

The words filled the house as my husband burst through the door, a grin of utter self-satisfaction on his face.

Never mind that we don’t have a Buick. His message was clear nevertheless—he had just received word that he’d won a large environmental contract with Los Angeles County, and we were on our way to southern California.

***

Crone Among the Roses

I’m 57 years old, my hair is dark, and I live in Los Angeles. Loosely translated, I think that means I’m an alien.

Every day, everywhere I go, I’m faced with youth and beauty. It doesn’t matter if I’m at the gym or the bank…the dry cleaners or the grocery store. If there’s another female present, odds are she’s a blonde with an unlined face and a tight butt. That’s not to say they’re all younger than me. Far from it. Some of the smoothest faces I’ve seen are on women several years my senior.

Youth. It’s not just for the young anymore.