wardrobe therapy

Ever look into your closet and just wonder, "What the heck is going on in here?" The Magpie had one of those moments, staring into the abyss of a somewhat cluttered, borderline neglected closet and realized it was long overdue for a review. It was made all the more apparent when I was very honored to be included in 425 Magazine's Voices of Fashion article, featuring several a-mazing local fashion and style experts. I just felt very lucky and extremely fortunate to be included, and I keep waiting for a voice to bellow down from the heavens: What the heck are you doing on this list, you Old Bird?! But talking about trends, both fleeting and forever golden, got me looking into what's sitting on my hangers at home. I realized, good gravy, this closet needs a serious look-over!

Not everything has to be cutting-edge or with a wild and crazy look. Fashion can still be functional and there's nothing wrong with celebrating casual looks. I think about this when I look through my favorite magazines -- it's all glamorous times on red carpets or swanky parties, but let's face it, neither the celebrities nor us mere mortals live like that 100% of the time. How does one navigate through the day looking casual, fashionable and (gasp) comfortable?

The Magpie doesn't care that this Inspired photo is from Ye Olde Year of 2009. I ripped this photo from the pages of InStyle and kept it in my Crazy Hoarder Scrapbook, I loved it so much! I look back on it now and I still fawn over the feminine-sweet pairing of basics that actress Keri Russell is wearing. Of course Felicity would wear this!! (Team  Ben, by the way.) I liked the combination of thin, layered separates and oh-those-shiny-Oxfords! It was one of the early photos that convinced me I needed to have a pair for myself.

And so, even a couple of years later, the Bird remains Inspired by an everyday, casual outfit, which honestly is so comfortable, you could just live in it. It's nowhere near as grubby as being in a slouchy tracksuit all day, wouldn't you agree? We don't have to be dressed like we're going to meet the Queen, just be presentable, with a little bit of fun. From the Jaunty Wardrobe: jeans from Old Navy, striped button shirt from Express, pink argyle cardigan from Forever 21, pink sleeveless undershirt worn beneath all that (not shown), brown Oxfords from Steve Madden, Champagne cork necklace made by the Magpie.

Jaunty Fine Print: Items from the Jaunty Wardrobe photographed by Denise Sakaki, Keri Russell image from InStyle

Blame the candy aisle of the grocery store on this one. With Valentine's Day coming up, I was faced with an endless stream of red and pink confections that lodged themselves into the Bird Brain, including the old classic, Red Hots. The little cinnamon-flavored candies that you can often find in heart shapes during February reminded me of a pretty necklace I have. It's a long silver chain festooned with heart charms and is totally a Valentine's Day kind of accessory. It got me thinking about what to wear on a sweetheart Date Night.

Rummaging through the Jaunty Wardrobe, I pulled some simple favorites. I love a basic color block and the rule about No White After Labor Day is just a silly thing. I picked some sweet, candy-Inspired things and put this outfit together that may come out around February 14th!

From the Jaunty Wardrobe: white skirt from Macys, nude heels from BCBG, straw and ivory belt from Banana Republic; jewelry, red blouse and clutch were all gifts.

Jaunty Fine Print: photo from Martha Stewart, photos of the Jaunty Wardrobe items by Denise Sakaki

This Bird was rummaging through the Jaunty Wardrobe recently, setting up the next collection of Inspired outfits and shooting photos. I realized how funny it was, my little "home studio," and all the little tricks that I need to rely on to get these posts done. As I've said before, I don't use online collage software and the items being photographed are actual pieces I own and regularly wear. That means you see things show up multiple times, but hopefully worn in different ways. Taking cues from magazines who put together outfits on their pages, I wanted to do the same, but with a working wardrobe and a very limited budget (I hardly clothes shop anymore -- criminal, isn't it?), and because all these articles of clothing come from different sources, there's no way to use the internet to find existing photographs of pieces, so I knew I'd have to shoot every piece either individually or layered as an outfit. I've been doing this now for almost two years, and luckily I've been able to reuse photos of individual pieces when creating Inspired-themed posts, but I'm always reshooting or re-layering things in different ways, so I'm constantly reshooting items.

I thought for the last round of outfit shots, I'd take a few of my glamorous "studio." When I say "studio" I mean "bathroom." Why the bathroom? Because the lighting is bright and easy to control, and I have a row of hooks normally used for our bathrobes, but it's the perfect height to hang items on a curved suit coathanger. I don't have a dress model which would give the clothing proper dimension (but if anyone wants to donate one to the Jaunty cause, give me a holler!). For now, I use a curved-shoulder suit jacket hanger works pretty well to at least get the upper structure of a shirt or blouse, and putting the clothing on backwards on the hanger actually gives it better volume for photos. If something's too flowy, I use hairclips to pinch back excess fabric from behind. For pants or skirts, I can usually put them on wide hangers to mimic the stretching of hips. For the most part, the pieces are shown flat and it doesn't have to show volume. And the most helpful tool of all is, of course, Photoshop. It helps even out lighting issues, balance colors, and get rid of the background that clearly shows I shot everything against a bathroom door. I'm also a big fan of the tools that let you push and pull the shape of items; sometimes you don't realize a shirt was shot in an uneven way, so it's nice to have a hefty post-production tool to really fix up an image. You can see in the above "before" and "after" work on a striped Eiffel Tower t-shirt I just got ($4 find!) -- from bathroom photo to potential Inspired post. Voila -- like magic!

What about you, when you're styling an outfit to be shot for your blog, what are your tricks and tips for making it look magazine-ready?

Jaunty Fine Print:  photographs by Denise Sakaki

A starlet whose style has caught the Bird's eye over the years is Keira Knightley's. She could be wearing some overly-glammed up dress, bedecked with jewels and wearing big hair that takes way too long to style, but she doesn't. Her choices are always smart and sartorial, appearing like that one girl you went to school with who would go to silent film festivals, could speak French beautifully, and would always offer half her cucumber and herbed goat cheese sandwich to you. Unlike Sienna Miller, whose style I also admire, but I'm fairly sure she'd be like the girl who'd have her minions shove you in a locker if you even looked at her for longer than ten seconds. I may be wrong about this, but that's just my initial impression.

Anyhoo, this Inspired look raises a Jaunty glass to Ms Knightley and her wily style choices. The menswear and multi-accessoried look pulled from the Jaunty Wardrobe include: black blazer from Benetton, printed knit dress from GoJane, hat from a shop in Ballard that I can't remember the name of, brown Oxfords from Steve Madden, and accessories and handbag are all gifts or vintage.


Jaunty Fine Print:  wardrobe photos by Denise Sakaki, photo of Keira Knightley from InStyle.com


 

This Bird had to re-upload this little Inspired post because strange post-Halloween happenings are clearly afoot. The post showed up on Nov 2, and then it disappeared! Clearly, the ghosts of bad fashion choices have somehow come back to haunt me. Or perhaps it's just the gremlins of the internet at work.

Either way, crisis averted, I wanted to at least have the image of the Inspired look, even if I can't remember what the heck I wrote. And really, who reads this stuff -- admit it, you just want the pretty, pretty pictures, right?? I know you're nodding your head.


Jaunty Fine Print:   wardrobe photos by Denise Sakaki, photo of Sarah Jessica Parker from InStyle Magazine

 

Hey, Magpie, no need to get graphic on us! Well, maybe just a little. In my emo high school days, I plead guilty to being swathed in dark knits and shapeless sweaters that made me into garbage bag with legs, but after my aunt once said upon looking at my closet, "Jeeze, this looks like a man's closet - where are the colors and prints," I decided -- it's time for a change, methinks.

I've always appreciated bright colors and patterns, but never felt like it would work for me, but I eventually got over this silly-bird notion and embraced all the colorful fruit-flavors of the rainbow. Even in small doses like a scarf or a small accessory, bold graphic prints can still be the Mouse that Roared, making an outfit stand out. Seeing the lovely, fitted graphic print dress by Jason Wu Inspired this Magpie to come up with something that had some printed elements, but a shot of color as this is still summer, after all.

From the Jaunty Wardobe: printed short sleeve jacket by Mossimo, magenta pencil skirt from JCPenney, white and raffia texture belt from Banana Republic, silver sandals by Tommy Hilfiger, white undershirt from Old Navy, brown faux leather handbag from Newport News, silver pendant from Tiffany and Co., blue beaded ring by The Carrot Box.


Jaunty Fine Print: photo from Elle.com of the Jason Wu Spring 2010 collection; wardrobe photos by Denise Sakaki

 

Finally, the summer has arrived, after months of unusually chilly, wet weather, and now this Bird is in seasonal culture shock. I'll always have much love for Jaunty layering, but it's just not practical when the sun decides to peek out and warm up our days and nights. I found myself Inspired yet again, by our favorite lady of summer, Miss Carrie-B. I know the movie's come and gone, but I still find myself going back to that lovely and simple Halston white dress from the opening. So summery and perfect! Sadly, I have no Jaunty Halston summer dress, but I had a simple jersey knit dress and chose a few sparing accessories to make it sparkle. It's definitely been a change of pace to select items in the Jaunty Wardrobe with a much lighter hand, so I'm taking all the Inspiration I can get!

Selected from the Jaunty Wardrobe is a summery blue jersey knit dress from Macys, vintage gold lattice and shell earrings (converted to clips, as this Bird doesn't have pierced ears!), vintage jade ring, aviators from Banana Republic, faux snakeskin clutch (a gift), and gold peep-toe pumps from Steve Madden.


Jaunty Fine Print: image from Sex and the City 2

 

This Bird has never hidden her love of musicals, and one of the best is An American in Paris. A simple enough story: American G.I. lives in Paris, making his way struggling as an artist, meets local girl, they fall in love, but she's already engaged to another man. But it's made all the more Jaunty by the fact that it's an amazing showcase for the great Gene Kelly's multiple talents as an actor, singer, dancer and choreographer. Many people think of Fred Astaire as one of the greatest actor/singer/dancer triple threats, but this Birdie has always favored Gene for his more modern, athletic style of dance. A sweet, rugged handsomeness with an infectious smile, Kelly charms his way through the movies and is irresistable as the American lost in love in the streets of Paris. Music and lyrics by the amazing George and Ira Gershwin, the songs and dance numbers float on air, including one of my favorite songs of all time, Our Love is Here to Stay. And the final dance sequence is one of the most impressive numbers in Silver Screen history, clocking in at over twenty minutes, no dialogue, and one of the most beautiful things you'll ever see.

Inspired by one of my favorite movies, this Francophile-meets-Hollywood outfit was put together from pieces in the Jaunty Wardrobe. Pieces include a lace skirt from White House/Black Market, striped top from The Gap, short sleeve topper from Banana Republic, heels from BCBG, necklace from Anthropologie, and the rest of the jewelry is vintage.

Jaunty Fine Print: Wardrobe photos by Denise Sakaki; images taken from IMDB.com

 

This Birdie was spellbound by these Jackie Kennedy-inspired photos by Swedish photographer Kalle Gustafsson. I originally found them on Design Sigh's post, which shows several more stunning photos -- I especially like the brocade strapless dress photo, if you take a peek at the original post. I love the warm tones that wash over some of the color photos, much like the way prints of that time have aged. They remind me of my own parents' wedding photos that had a bit of that pinkish hue. There's a sense of internalized emotion and loneliness in the images, very much evocative of Mrs. Kennedy's quiet composure in her actual photos.

While this Bird would never compare her humble wardrobe to that of the immortal Jackie, an Inspired outfit came out of gazing at these photos. From the Jaunty Wardrobe comes forth a red coral print tie jacket that this Birdie made herself (out of upholstery fabric!), a blue turtleneck shirt underneath (Macys), grey pencil skirt (Banana Republic), nude heels (BCBG), white scarf (a gift), purple satin clutch (Nine West), brown aviators (Banana Republic) and silver glovelets (Nordstrom).

Jaunty Fine Print: Photos by Kalle Gustafsson, c/o Design Sigh; wardrobe photos by Denise Sakaki

 

Sometimes a Bird just needs to feel pretty, and a pretty Birdie doesn't always need a Jaunty date at her side to do something nice. I'll be the first to admit I'm blessed to have my fella, Mr. Magpie, but sweetheart or not, it's a nice thing to preen one's feathers and go out for a night on the town and dress up for no one other than oneself. A pretty dress shouldn't just be for weddings and parties. I was particularly Inspired by this pairing of a bomber jacket and a silver sheath by Tommy Hilfiger, mostly because it takes a trend I especially like: dressing down a formal look and making it into a more basic evening look. Mixing materials that seem like they wouldn't fit is a creative way of getting opposites to work for a versatile look.

Pulling items from the Jaunty Wardrobe, this look features an old silver sheath dress from Ann Taylor Loft, a faux leather jacket from Arden B, a faux snakeskin wallet clutch that was a gift, colored tights, suede booties from The Bay, and a Jaunty headband crafted by the Bird herself.

 

Who says just because it's after New Years, one has to put away their sparkly favorites? The long, grey days of winter are still before us, so it's even more of a reason to wear our favorite bright colors and throw on a sparkly bauble or three. Dazzle the daytime wear by throwing on some nighttime gems, and get down with your bad Jaunty self!

At the risk of looking like a crazy Auntie Mame, this Bird was inspired by the big jewelry of Vera Wang's spring collection of last year, which still looks fresh today, given the carryover of statement pieces. Forever hovering over favorite store, J. Crew, their blingasmic Carrington bow necklace caught this Birdie's Jaunty eye and I've been flying circles 'round it ever since! Maybe it all harkens back to childhood, where imaginative afternoons were spent layering on sparkly finds from my mother's jewelry box, but this Bird has never lost her love of glimmering treasures.

Hand-picked from the Jaunty Wardrobe, the items featured are a jersey knit dress from Maggy London, black and cream ginormous bag from Nordstrom, orange tights from Forever 21, purple raw silk scarf was a gift, grey mary jane heels from Nine West, blue short cardigan and super-duper bling necklace from Express.


 

Before there was Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, there was the true original rivalry, one whose regal cattiness defied all prepubescent hormones. Team Alexis vs. Team Krystle from TV's 1980s-a-licious Dynasty. Boys, step aside, as biotches with sequins and shoulder pads totally rule.

Not totally languishing in Lady of Leisure status, this Bird has been keeping the television on while puttering about the homestead doing holiday tasks like baking and cooking. Daytime television becomes like a treasure trove of random finds like Danielle Steele miniseries, and yes, a little bit of Dynasty luxe. I was never a huge fan of the series when it was on; I thought the physical fights between Alexis and Krystle were awesomely ridiculous, but all the drama in between seemed boring. I'm still uninterested in the petty squabbles, but watching those old episodes now, one can't help but feel inspired by the boldness of the costuming on those shows!

Granted, this Bird isn't going off to any soiree that would require a full-length slinky gown covered in sequins and shoulders a mile high, but the 80s definitely inspired this outfit pulled from the Jaunty Wardrobe. Bold printed strapless dress and wide snakeskin belt from Express, rad bright pink tights (Forever 21), black sports jacket from Benneton, and black suede booties from The Bay. The 80s were all about piling on the accessories, so throw on some vintage jewelry, silk scarf (a gift), chain strap bag (vintage), and little silver glovelets (Nordstrom).

Give to me your leather, Take from me my lace -- yes, of course I should have used Stevie Nicks' Leather & Lace as a title, but that memorable line always makes me giggle. And it seems a little more naughty than what this Bird was trying to do with this Inspired post about taking an undergarment texture like lace and balancing its ladylike charm with a bit of toughness.

Granted, if you're a lawyer or a banker, this probably isn't something for the office, but the Bird herself has worn this in the evening for a dinner meetup with friends and I don't think anyone mistook me for a Hell's Angel or started singing Fleetwood Mac lyrics at me... that I know of, anyway.

This Bird took cues from a leather-trim lace vest from St Ærk, as well as the delicately feminine touches of lace from Stella McCartney's Fall 2009 ready to wear line. I love the texture of lace, but it can really formalize a look, so adding a material like leather and the casualness of a t-shirt can balance it out, still leaving room for adornments like jewelry and a feathered cap. The satin clutch softens the top half, as the jacket, once zipped-up, can look a bit severe.

Several of the Magpie's favorites were pulled from her wardrobe for this: the lace skirt was from Black Market/White House, motorcycle printed/sequined t-shirt from J. Crew, faux leather motorcycle jacket from Arden B., purple satin clutch from Nine West, and the black leather boots are amazingly comfortable Franco Sartos. The gray wool cloche and jade rings are vintage, and the feather adornment was made by the Magpie herself, as she can be a bit of a crafty Bird.

* Special Note: know what rhymes with "lace?" How about "space," as in I totally SPACED on answering a reader's question a while back over what script font I use on the posts! I'm so sorry I'm such a FLAKE! The script font I use is called Edwardian Script, which is available for purchase on sites like fonts.com. I've also found some good free fonts on sites like BetterFonts.com if you're looking for other resources. Apologies for the very belated answer -- if anyone has questions or want to yell at me for not answering something sooner, feel free to email me directly!