“Have you ever been intimidated by women who seem to ‘have it all together’ when it comes to their appearance?” Well ladies, read on, to learn the essential elements of a well-engineered wardrobe.
Meet Diane Jordan. She has been friend and assistant to my co-author, Janna Beatty, for years. At first glance, you might think Diane a total fashionista–well she is. But she spends very little time getting dressed. She has discovered the principles of wardrobe mechanics–and you can, too!
Recently Janna, Diane, and I appeared on ABC’s Central Texas Living with the always- gracious Ann Harder to reveal the secret — The Inside Base.
To see the segment, click here.
THE SECRET —- THE INSIDE BASE
Diane wears a matching ivory top and bottom, then adds third layer pieces and accessories to completely change her look. (She is a Gentle Color Type, so ivory looks better on her than stark white. See Q Style p. 23.)
Take a look. Diane has created a week’s worth of outfits utlizing only one inside base. Casual, career, dressy–you choose.
She didn’t even change shoes! Because, as we say on page 29 of QUINTESSENTIAL STYLE, ‘The best shoe to own is one that matches your skin, since it will go with everything you wear.”
You do not have to own a lot of clothes for this system to work.
Go to your closet and find a matching top and bottom (or a dress, like I wore on the show) for your base. Now look for ALL the toppers that will coordinate with it. The next step is to find accessories to complete the look. VOILA!
STEP 1: FIND YOUR BASE.
STEP 2: CHOOSE A TOPPER.
STEP 3: ADD ACCESSORIES.
When you shop, simply look for anything you love that you can add to your bases.
You’ll soon begin to think of your outfits as individual ‘capsules.’
So many thanks to Diane for illustrating this wardrobe secret.
“If you understand three basic principles of wardrobe mechanics, you can save yourself thousands of dollars in purchasing mistakes. You will also save time and stress while shopping and dressing–which is infinitely more valuable.”…Quintessential Style (page 49)
Don’t have a copy of Quintessential Style: Cultivate and Communicate Your Signature Look? Click here.
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8 Comments
This is a great article and video. Both of you ladies had such unusual toppers or that third piece that changed up the outfit. I seem to have problem with finding unusual toppers that work for a petite figure. Any ideas where to shop for up petite ladies?
Rose, I checked with my stylish, petite friend Martie. She says she finds toppers at:
. She says Chico’s carries petites in their larger stores and online. Hope this helps.
Sharon,
I LOVE this! Wow, who knew it could be that simple. But now that I know this, I can think of so many outfits, simple and quick, that I can put together. Thank you, thank you!
And congrats on the TV segment. Woo hoo! You look beautiful!
xx
Judy
Judy,
Yes–quick and simple. That is how a well-engineered wardrobe should work. Now we can get dressed in a flash and get on to more important things. But always with our own QUINTESSENTIAL STYLE.
After viewing the fabulous TV segment I was inspired to go to my closet and try it out. I came up with about 7 different looks with one inside base. This wonderful tip will definitely make dressing easier and will help when packing for a trip! Thanks!
You are welcome, Sherry. I am glad Janna got to explain it in person. A video is worth 100 blog posts!
Sharon,
Thank you for the praise and wonderful blog. You explained everything. I loved it ❣️ WELL DONE!
I’m LOL, Diane. You are the best model ever!