Wardrobe Solution or Settle?
Friday, February 29, 2008
I took a picture of this woman at an event the real estate communications firm Delucchi held to celebrate their new “green” space. I thought she just looked very put-together. Not fashiony really, but admirably well put-together. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but she’s pretty petite, and the clothes seemed to fit well and look nicely sophisticated.
ANYway, so we’re chatting and it turns out that pretty much everything she’s wearing (except her Marc Jacobs handbag) is from this collection called Carlisle, which is a full line of clothing designed to well, pretty much make you look coordinated above all else. In fact, she’s a rep for them. I guess the idea is that it’s a system of dressing where everything matches and you never have to stand in front of your closet naked and late for a meeting trying to figure out how to put an outfit together. It’s “very Washington,” and I kind of hate it and understand it all at once. While I love the idea of looking gorgeously coiffed and put-together at all times, I feel that “fashion collections” sucks all of the fun and uniqueness out of finding designers you love and crafting a personal style. There’s just GOT to be a happy medium. On the other hand, a ton of women hate trying on clothes and don’t give a hoot about fashion, so you might as well look decently put-together? I dunno. From a business-model perspective, it’s kind of genius because there’s a great social element to it, so you can combine socializing with shopping, and there’s no shlepping around the mall or all over town searching for a parking spot, etc. And I can see the appeal for the busy professional woman. A certain well-dressed powerful media executive in town used to care very little about clothes until one day she did an apparent about-face and flights of personal shoppers would stream in and out of her office suite with gorgeous suits and dresses for her to try on. She made the decision to kick it up a notch in the same way she might have accepted a business deal. She certainly personalizes her outfits, but the idea of ease and letting someone do the “dirty” work for you is a common thread. What do you think? Do you enjoy shopping for yourself? Only for certain things?
Comments
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
Carlisle is for older moms. It’s in a warehouse in the Garment District in the City. It’s like Filenes.
The idea, in theory, makes sense. Look polished without much effort. But looking at the collections and seeing just one color at a time is really, really, really boring. Especially for someone (i.e. me) who likes to wear multiple colors at a time.
That said, there are a few gems in there I’d buy separately — the multicolored halter with the side tie at the neck, and the yellow sundress that’s clearly “inspired” by one of Oscar de la Renta’s gowns. But the idea of buying something that’s like the Nutrisystem of fashion?… not so much.
Carlisle is certainly not the same price point as Filene’s. It is conservative – I agree – but if you have ever been to any of their shows – you know it is tres expensive.
I think there’s a difference between hating fashion and hating shopping. I ADORE clothes and fashion, but in my professional world where I have a long queue of things that need to be done *yesterday*, I simply don’t have the patience for “the hunt”. Personal shopping is like getting a bullet-pointed summary of all the clothes someone thinks I’ll find important. It may not be spot-on or truly personal, but if the have-no-time alternative is Frump Town USA, then…