If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my five years of work on Already Pretty, it’s that white button-front shirts are EXTREMELY CONTROVERSIAL. Some love them, some are frustrated that they can’t seem to find a version that works, some hate them with the fire of a thousand suns. A white button-front shirt has been deemed a classic piece by just about every style guru ever to grace the earth, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a classic for everyone. Some classics make us feel chic and timeless, others just chafe.
What one classic piece will absolutely never work for your figure, wardrobe, or lifestyle? What one classic piece do you absolutely adore and pledge to wear until the end of your days?
{ 109 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t wear white, button front shirts without looking matronly and awful, and it’s ironic because I love the way they look on other people. I can’t wear shirt dresses, either, and have yet to find a LBD that looks all right – dresses in general don’t suit my proportions, I stick to separates.
What will not work on this short, shortwaisted, big-busted, round girl: a belted trench, or really a belted anything. And I love the look of trench coats! However, i have a jillion versions of a white, buttoned shirt (not an Oxford-type one, though). And is a Hawaiian shirt considered a classic? Should be!
The little black dress (LBD, it’s so ubiquitous it has an acronym). I don’t own one, since I own nothing black except gym gear and one sad bra. Neither do I own a basic trench.
Also the plain black trousers and pencil skirt, neither do I own in any colour.
I do understand the appeal and usefulness of a white button-front shirt, but I just don’t feel feminine in one. I wear my only WBFS as a layer, over a tank or tee. (I was a nurse long ago, back in the days of white uniforms and caps, so maybe the association with uniforms has something to do with my disaffection.) As for what I love — certain pieces of jewelry, each with its own highly personal association, come to mind. And the classic that will survive? Jeans, of course!
I see the suggestion for a black cashmere turtleneck listed on a lot of classic wardrobe foundations. Turtlenecks will never work for me. I’m short-ish at 5″4″ and a very busty 32DDD, swallowing my body in one swatch of clothing from hip to chin takes away my waist and just makes me look that much more booby.
Tried them, can’t do them, not thin ones not bulky ones.
I looooove pencil skirts. My bust is balanced out by full hips and bottom and a waspish waist. I’m a very pronounced hourglass and I love it because I’ve worked hard for it, but my body can be very hard to dress because of it. Pencil skirts are usually incredibly flattering on me as they accentuate my curves. I do have to get them altered as my waist is several sizes smaller than my hips, but it’s an easy and cheap fix.
I enjoy full skirts as well, and have a closet brimming with them. They’re easier to deal with and will typically fit off the rack. But, I really like the pencils, especially for date nights with my husband. I just feel really sexy in them along with some pointy mid-heel shoes and a nice blouse.
And a tip, I’ve found that Old Navy/Gap/BR and Lands’ End Canvas button-front shirts work well with my figure. Maybe they’ll work well for others too.
I don’t have a strong opinion on the white button-down; I’ve owned ones that worked and ones that didn’t.
What I do hate with a burning passion? Wrap dresses. I’ve never found a wrap dress that flatters a body–my body–with only 2-3 inches difference between bust and waist.
Wrap dresses. Worst things ever. Requires too much fiddling to keep it wrapped. You are always one gust of wind away from a “wardrobe malfunction”. Whoever said (yeah I’m looking at you DVF) these things fit & flatter every woman…well allow me to disagree.
Can’t agree more. I have never looked good in a wrap dress, and I end up fighting it all day to stay secured.
Indeed! I was in my 20′s when the first DVF wrap dress came out and wanted so to wear it, even to the point of sewing a couple myself so I could make the necessary alterations. No way could it work. It seems impossible that they’re here again.
(Sal, you know what I’m naming for the second part of your question, but …) The Gap Tee is a staple in my wardrobe: long- and short-sleeved, crew and v-neck, black, white, grey, navy. The Tee works beautifully with everything in my closet from heavy silk Proenza Schouler trousers to boys’ surfer shorts from TJMaxx.
Mostly I agree. I thrifted a DVF wrap dress a few years ago, and it was such a pain, and never looked all that great either. Having said that, last year I found an Eileen Fisher wool jersey wrap dress with a generously cut skirt, and it does live up to the wrap dress hype!
But the classic I’ll really never wear? Jeans! I’m not a pant person at all, and jeans especially just don’t feel like me. In high school, my aversion was so well known that my friends made me promise to wear them to school once before graduation. I ended up changing after about an hour.
That’s me as well. They often look positively scandalous on me, and tend to wrap awkwardly. I hear tell that statistically, I am average height and only a little bit smaller than average build, but the damn things always hit my boob awkwardly and have far too much fabric at the waist. It’s a mess and I end up looking like a kid playing dress-up in her mom’s clothes.
Actually, I have a DVF wrap dress I love – it took me a bit to figure this out, but it looks great over a rayon bias slip-dress of a contrasting color. Takes care of the plunging bustline/walking quickly & kicking up the hem problem. This is one of one of my few pre-preg outfits that I can wear with the extra baby/nursing weight & bust.
I look terrible in white, but I loved button front shirts until I became a nursing mommy. They don’t fit now (too busty – a new experience!) and don’t unbutton fast enough to feed the baby even if they did. I can’t do anything double breasted (trenches, military style shirt dresses, pea coats, etc). I don’t like proportions that highlight my short-waistedness: tucked in shirts, high waist skirts or pants, empire dresses. I love prints, but almost always wear solids.
Current classics: brown tees (don’t show stains much) and pedal pushers and bright accessories. Pre-preg classics: above, plus trouser jeans, tuxedo pant, button front shirts, v-neck sweaters (thin and fitted), pencil skirts and cute & colorful shoes or riding-style boots (never more than a 2 inch heel, I prefer flatter shoes). I also love dinner jacket-style blazers and tipped (boating?) blazers. Most of these aren’t practical for my current role as at-home mom of an infant. Am waiting until he’s weaned before reintroducing some of these.
I loved reading everyone’s answers.
Hi Sally,
First of all, I am so glad I came across your blog and am learning, learning, learning. I’m just at the beginning stages of a “style chiseling” but am having a great time with something that has always taken a back seat. It does take time–just like anything else worth doing.
One piece that has never worked for me is the “little black dress.” Perhaps I have not yet found a cut and style that works, but no matter how I dress it up, I FEEL and look like I am going to a funeral. And when you don’t feel happy…..
Pencil skirts: until the day I die, baby!
Collared (button front/man-style) dress shirts: #@!&^%!!, how do people wear these things? Half the collar’s up and the other half’s down, the lapel fabric flips out, the collar fights with the jacket collar, they’re too boxy and don’t tuck evenly, they spontaneously come half-untucked…GAH.
The piece that will never work? The white buttoned-down shirt! I look terrible in stark white and the girls just don’t work with button-down shirts. but, I adore a pencil skirt and a coat dress.
The sheath dress. I LOVE how a sheath looks on many women — unfussy, elegant, confident. On me? they are tight in all the wrong places and baggy in all the wrong places.
Ditto the pencil skirt!
And if I buy boot cut jeans, I have to cut a wedge of fabric out at the bottom and resew them to make them straight (I do in fact sometimes do this if the jeans fit well on top) because designers seem to think that “balancing my hips” means making the ankles as wide as the hips which is not something I even like thinking about let alone wearing.
Thank you, Grace — I agree completely on the dreaded sheath dress and pencil skirt! I cannot ever get either of these things to work on myself! I vow to never try on another pencil skirt again! (Oh, and J. Crew: How about making more than like 2 skirts that aren’t pencil skirts??)
I agree! They really are tunnel-vision when it comes to skirts over there …
I do the exact same thing to all my pants. I love how a straight leg looks!
I love, love, love the look of pencil skirts, but they look utterly ridiculous on me. And thanks to my abnormally long strides, I’d probably be too scared of ripping the hem even if I managed to find one that fits. Stiletto heels can look lovely on others, but I can barely stand in them, so walking in a pair is out of the question.
I’ve had some marginal success with sheath dresses, but more often than not, they’re still tight in all the wrong spots and sag around the bits I’d love to accentuate.
Buttoned shirts can be hit and miss, as I’ve been blessed by both the boob and the shoulder fairies, so I’ve come to terms with having to keep the top buttons unbuttoned and to wear a tank or camisole under most of them to keep my cleavage at a semi-appropriate level.
Classics I’ll never give up on are ballet flats, trenches, a-line and full skirts and wrap dresses (somehow they fit my short waisted frame jusst fine).
Oh- forgot to add the classic that I DO wear–
Tall low-heeled boots.
Collared button-downs in any color never work – something with my height, or shorter neck, or broader shoulders, but it’s just too much stuff and clutter around the neck and head. i’ve also come to realize that turtlenecks suffer the same problem.
For me, a cropped, fitted solid-color cardigan (ideally vneck) has become the ultimate staple- perfect layering item year-round, looks good, can add warmth without bulk. I used to have just one black one and realized I was reaching for it multiple times a week. Started seeking them out in mutiple colors and wear them most days of the week. (Never buttoned).
Button front white shirts are fashion krptonite for me; my bustiness makes them gap and honestly I just don’t look good in a ton of noncolor at the face in my opinion. If I found one that fit, I suppose I could throw on with a colorful cardigan and scarf, but they don’t excite me and I feel like I have to work so hard to make it look good. Ugh.
Classics I love? If cardigans count, I am addicted to those. Forget crazy cat lady, I am crazy cardigan lady. No crazy prints or Christmas sweater but I do like having every color possible.
I hate white button down shirts – or any color really – with a passion. I have 42DDD boobs and I have never found a button-down shirt that doesn’t pull across my bust and/or tummy flab. I’ve tried the open over a tank.shirt look but that makes me seem boxy. I’ve also done the buttoned-to-right-below-my-boobs with a tank underneath look, and that just looks like I am trying to accommodate my giant rack, which makes me self-conscious. I struggled for a long time when I first entered the business-casual workforce because I felt like I should wear them…but finally I gave up.
As far as a classic that I love, you will have to pry my dark-denim slightly boot-cut jeans out of my cold, dead hands.
White shirts… meh. I love the look, but it’s difficult to get a good fit in a button-down shirt.
Another classic that will never be found in my wardrobe is flats. At a plump 5’1″, I feel like they only advertise my stumpiness.
On the other hand, I think I could wear a cardigan every day of my life. Cropped, crewneck, v-neck, boyfriend, 3/4 sleeve, button-cuff, ruffle-trimmed, shawl collar… you name it. If it’s cardigan-ish, I’ll find some way to wear it and make it work!
I really don’t like white button-downs. I love colored button-downs though, even if I need a safety pin to keep the girls under wraps.
My favorite classic item? Pearls. LOVE them and I will never stop being obsessed with them.
I love all classics but I feel like a lot of them are prescribed for people with a very different (ie: Business Formal) kind of dress code or theme to their life. I also feel like classics are mostly in really boring colors. I will never ever wear beige, unless it’s a trench. My life is casual & fun – so no crunchy button downs for me. You can’t really run for a bus in a pencil skirt. The only one that really sticks for me is an LBD – but mine is a ponte shift.
The only white button down I own is a boxy linen one for when I play summer pops concerts. It NEVER leaves the closet otherwise. Also, I love the belt trend on everybody else, but it whacks me in half, right across my post-partum belly, smack between my wide hips and well-endowed chest. Uh-uh.
Maxi skirts, ankle boots and open cardigans…. come to me, my darlings!
classics that I will wear forever: pencil skirts, heels, wrap dresses, trench coats, dark wash jeans.
classics that I am not crazy about, but wear on occasion: LBD (just don’t care for black but it looks good on me and I wear colorful accessories with it); white button down (no fit issues, but again maybe not exciting enough for my style – it helps if they have ruffles or some sort of detail down the front), ballet flats (most just kill my feet); black pants (again, too boring but sometimes a good canvas for a colorful printed blouse and fun shoes – although I’d rather wear a skirt).
classics that are most definitely not for me: turtlenecks
Classics I don’t wear: crisp white button-front shirt (so stiff, uncomfortable, not me at all), pearls (just not my style, too classic), pumps (feet won’t stay in), ballet flats (ditto), pencil skirts (either don’t fit at all or those that do are too bombshelly for my taste), sheath dresses (ditto).
I do love: :LBDs, black pants, jeans, boots, trench coats (but not beige ones)
I’ll join in with hating button-down shirts – white is fine on me, but I’m kind of cylindrical (not much waist) and button-down shirts always seem to want you to nip in at the waist. The ones that skim nicely over my stomach are too big in the boobs (in the past I’ve managed to get away with some plus-sized shirts cut to accommodate the stomach, but I’ve lost a little weight so now they are way too balloon-y). It’s a bummer because I love the crispness of them, but I just don’t ever wear them now.
Suits are another classic that bum me out for the same reason – it’s very hard to get a jacket to fit properly over a cylinder when designers expect an hourglass. Thankfully this has got a bit better also with the weight loss, but I still struggle. For instance, I love a lot of suit styles intended to be worn buttoned, but usually find them immensely unflattering.
And sheath dresses are hard for the same reason (which bums me out because I love the look of a good sheath dress, too).
However I LOVE pencil skirts. And cardigans!
There are very few sheeth dresses out there that accentuate my hourglass/ pear body in the right places.
This is my problem as well.
Ah, the sheath dress. I’ve fantasised about having one custom made to my pear shaped curves… either that or buying a size 8 and a size 12 and create a hybrid. Maybe I could find a well endowed friend who wants the spare halves
Me too. When I do find a sheath that actually fits properly, I feel like it accentuates TOO much. I am not comfortable with the super bombshell look even though I know that many find it attractive.
On the other hand a slightly A-line mod shaped shift dress, if it does not pull across the hips, is a wonderful thing.
Blazers. I love the way they look on other people but I have yet to find one that works for me. I have a couple of structured jackets that work but the classic blazer just does not work for me. I think it’s a combination of big boobs and a lower waist. I have that trouble with a lot of things- my natural waist sits much lower than where most things nip in or belt.
I have a lovely white button down that sits in my closet season after season. It’s very flattering on but I’ve come to the realization that I don’t find button down shirts – of any kind – comfortable. I spend the whole day feeling like I’m in a straight-jacket, unable to move!
My must-have classic would be a great fitting blazer/jacket – LOVE! Any fabric, as long as it skims the body and hits at the right part of the hip. I wear them with everything (jeans, dress pants, skirts) and find myself willing to pay more than I would for other articles of clothing because I know they will get a ton of use.
I don’t care for white button downs- unless it is really girly- I own one with lacy trim and I can make it work. I do like black ones though .
My trick with all button front shirts is to sew a snap between the buttons that go over the breasts- otherwise I gap no matter how well the shirt fits (34F here)
I cannot make khakis work for me. They wrinkle across the thighs the minute I sit down and look crummy all day long.
Oh, and the classic I love but can’t find to fit me are flat knee high boots. They assume if you have little feet (size 6) you must have little calves. I’m a ballet dancer and my muscular calves measure 17 inches!
Thank you !!
I have “sporty calves” too. 90% of the boots on the market I can’t zip up.
Me too on the boot front, have had many embarrassing episodes in shops with zips only coming half way up my calves. but try uk company http://www.duoboots.com – beautiful boots in a huge range of calf fittings! They ship to the states, and Alison at Wardrobe Oxygen has reviewed them glowinly a couple of times.
Wardrobe staples? Tunics! And dresses. If I can wear something over trousers, leggings or jeans I do (thanks Trinny & Susannah) and it’s turned into my signature style. I’m tall and curvy, small waist generous hips. I don’t wear anything that finishes at my waist or hips easily. I do always seem to have a White shirts in my wardrobe as it is the classic staple…..it never gets worn!
I could take or leave white button-downs, but the one thing that I just can’t find that looks good on me is classic dress pants. Somehow every pair I try on fits weird and makes my hip/thigh area look ridiculously lumpy. It’s weird because I don’t have too much of a problem finding jeans that fit. And I don’t look bad in yoga pants or other non-denim pants. Just dress pants look wrong.
I don’t know if it counts as a classic or if it’s just trendy right now, but 1950s-inspired dresses with fitted bodices and flared skirts are my favorite – I have short legs and my thighs are chunkier in proportion to the rest of my body so it’s just a very flattering silhouette.
This is me! Dress pants are very unflattering on my body as well, though most jeans and yoga pants look fine.
I’m not a big fan of dress pants or the color black. I’d much rather wear a skirt or a dress and navy, grey, or a mid- to light-brown. I also don’t wear a lot of blazers; it’s really hard to find and even alter ones that fit my broad shoulders, tiny waist, and long arms.
Classics I do love: cardigans, fit-and-flare dresses, pencil skirts, pearls, pointy-toe pumps, and yes, collared shirts. I find they are infinitely more flattering if you do NOT try to button them over your boobs. I just button them on the bottom half and wear them over a tank. Much, much better.
Never: white button-front shirts. Even on people who don’t look awful in them like I do, I don’t get the appeal.
Always: A-line or circle skirts. Are those even deemed classic anymore in this pencil-skirt world? I don’t care.
What a fun post – I love reading all the comments. The “classic” trench is sooooo not me. Ditto the black pantsuit and crisp white shirt. But that’s not my look anyway, I go for softer, more feminine pieces, like the “classic” cardigan, neutral pullovers, full skirts and mid-heel pumps. Oh, and black and white tee shirts forever! : >
I usually wear a white button shirt to dress up my jeans for work (mostly in the summer), but the thing I didn’t realize was how often I get things on myself – little coffee drips, dirt smudges, whatever. I either spill on myself exponentially when I wear white, or I spill on myself all the time and my other dark color clothes just cover it up.
I love my black sheath dress. Like Sal’s grey dress from yesterday, it’s a great blank canvas for accessorizing.
I used to wear button-down shirts (in white and all other colors) all the time when I worked in the corporate world. But recently I was doing a wardrobe review and realized that they really didn’t look good on me. And probably never had. So they are belatedly on my “never” list.
LBDs are a wonderful idea, but black is not a color that works on me. There seems to be this school of thought that black is a cannot-do-without color in a woman’s wardrobe, but black near my face makes me look dead and black on my bottom half makes me feel like a waitress. (No offense to the waitresses out there!) So one pair of black flats and a black leather jacket that I wear with a colorful scarf are all I’ve got.
One wardrobe item that I love, but have come to later in life, is the structured jacket. My broad shoulders and muscular arms make them tricky to find, but I have finally come to understand how wonderful they can be in an outfit. (The trick for me is to find a good tailor.)
Actually, the first thing that pops to mind is crisp white button-front shirts! It’s not the shirt that is the problem, though, it’s the white. I’ve got lots of button-fronts in other colours, but I have yet to find a white that works for me. The really bright, snowy white that I just love unfortunately makes me look a bit ill. It’s a shame really, because I love bright white on other people.
The classic black turtleneck is the other item that just won’t work. I’ve got a short neck and moderately full bust, and a turtleneck makes things look shorter and fuller. Plus it makes me feel like I’m choking.
I’m not a fan of classic diamond stud and pearl earrings, although a great strand of pearls (or several!) can look smashing. Wish I owned some.
Classics that work for me: sheath dresses, wrap dresses, shirtdresses, button-front shirts (as long as I leave the top buttons undone), pencil skirts, bootcut jeans, dress trousers, skinny jeans (are these considered classic yet?), tailored blazers, fit-and-flare coats, classic pumps, cardigans. .
Agree with the other reader: blazers…. I guess some women just pop them over anything and are able to look “put together” or so the fashion spreads suggest. “Take a casual look and spiff it up with a blazer!” I never ever know what to do with them! I add them to an outfit and they look like they came from some OTHER outfit! I can envision the “slouchy blazer a la Parisienne” but cannot pull it off. Think I am more a cardigan/knit jacket person… This may be related to me being an attorney who also does not like to wear suits… perhaps it is a generic jacket-aversion!
You can count me in the never-ever camp for white shirts. Stiff and uncomfortable for me, and there’s horrid button gap. I have always despised having to pin my shirts closed and I finally decided I wasn’t going to do it anymore! Goes for most shirt dresses and wrap dresses as well.
On the other hand – today I am wearing my Calvin Klein striped T-shirt dress you posted in the sale picks last week, with my red scarf and my red pumps and I look a million bucks and feel like it too!
I can’t wear pencil skirts or sheath dresses. They do not work on my short, plus sized figure at all. I need A lines!
Button down shirts don’t work that well for me, either, actually. And I don’t like white ones- they remind me too much of school uniforms.
Actually, I think the only “classic” piece that really works for me is jeans. I look good in jeans!
Oops, forgot to say the one piece I absolutely adore and will wear until the end of my days. Hm, let’s see….I think it’s a toss-up between the classic button-front (but not white!) shirt, and classic (well-made, high quality!) pumps. I don’t wear the pumps every day, because they’re not great for your feet and frankly they don’t suit my mom-on-the-go lifestyle, but whenever I do wear them, I feel like movie star.
My current favourite Saturday-night-out ensemble is a tailored button-front shirt, skinny jeans and 3″ pumps.
It’s funny to see how many women of varying shapes spurn the crisp white button down. They aren’t good on my flat-chested, broad shouldered, short-waisted frame either — bunchy and rumply and just a mess. And neither the curvy nor the straight-up-and-down ladies like trench coats, and I don’t either. Turtlenecks make me look … like a turtle. Black pants are not great on me, either — from waist to ankles, I’m three different sizes, too much to take in and let out.
Sal, perhaps you could do a post on “choose your own classics”? My go-to, never-fail pencil skirt, for example, is animal print, not black. My own closet classics wouldn’t necessarily make anyone else’s list, but I can’t live without them. Maybe those “classic” lists are just a starting point — a coat, a pair of casual pants, a dressy bottom, a dressy top, a sweater, but the specifics are up to the wearer? I would love your thoughts on this.
Ah! Done and done: http://www.alreadypretty.com/2012/06/reader-request-making-sense-of-must-have-lists.html
I was on vacation when you posted it — otherwise I would have bookmarked/memorized it!
Classic white button-fronts never fit me properly, but I wanted one so much that I created a line of them for women who wear 30-36 D-H bras. To me, a crisp white shirt is elegant and powerful, but after leaving my job as a corporate attorney, I went through a wardrobe identity crisis where I wondered if they were still relevant for me. I mostly work from home now and rarely need to wear a suit. However, I’ve discovered that whenever I walk out of the house in one of my white button-fronts, it still makes me feel put-together, and I can adapt it for any situation. But I understand others not feeling the same way. I love Imogen Lamport’s perspective on this in a recent post about must-have’s in your closet–it’s all about being true to yourself.
My other must-have classics: V-neck cardigans and a denim skirt.
Blue Jeans are one of the worst casual day scams ever.
They are uncomfortable unless they are MOMMY JEANS and everyone is on your case if you wear jeans that actually fit comfortably.
I’m with you on this – SO uncomfortable!
I 3rd this. I don’t own a pair of jeans anymore & haven’t for going on 5 or 6 years now. I fidgeted with jeans all the time. Too tight. Too loose. Too much material coming together in my nether regions. Too much yanking up. Too much pulling down. Too much acid wash. Too dark a wash. Too medium a wash. Too much 80′s wash. Too much whatever trendy color of the moment. Wrong jeans for flats. Wrong ones for boots. These need hemming. Those need distressing. These you can never wash without turning inside out. Those I never washed as they might shrink. Those get too crunchy when I air dry them. These get too stiff when I put them in the dryer. Too boyfriend cut. Too skinny. Too flared. Too baggy. Too constrictive if I dare bend, sit, eat, breath, cough, blink, stand, move, not move, gasp, starve, stand propped up in corner. These are too whiskered. Those have too much pocket embellishments. These have pocket bling – oh from “like last season” (rolling eyes in disgust). Those don’t have pockets wide apart. These have pockets too close together. Those are only sold in places called boutiques. These are mass produced by third world sweatshops. Those are just meant to last a season. These are investment jeans. Those are Jen Anistons fav. These are Kim K’s fav. These are “people always tell me I look younger than I really am” jeans. Those cause muffin tops. These need special low-rider thongs. Those need a belt. These need Spanx. Those make your butt look big. These make your butt look flat. Those make your butt look round. Those have stretch. These need stretch. Those are high waisted. These are mid-rise. Those are low-rise. Those are not your daughters. These are not your Mom’s. Those are your Mom’s. These only look good until I eat. Those obviously shrunk!
I’ll wear a skirt instead.
Jane, this comment would make a fantastic spoken-word piece, wow!
Never: anything white, sheath / shift dresses, ballet flats, v-neck sweaters, skinny jeans
Always: wrap and fit/flare dresses, full skirts, button-front shirts (except white ones!), cardigans, fitted blazers, tall boots
Meh: LBD
Interesting comments above about difficulties with dress pants vs. easier-to-find jeans or yoga pants – I had the most brutal time with dress pants too – they just looked wrong! – until reading Sal’s posts about high-waist wide leg dress pants. Thanks, Sal!
Fourthed! I’m a little biased as I am an opponent of pants in general*, but jeans are the absolute worst.
*except for yoga pants, which are pretty much the official pants for people who hate pants.
I am not a huge fan of either the white button down shirt (or white anything) and being quite short I don’t love turtlenecks, preferring vneck sweaters instead. My go to looks – a really good pair of dark wash straight leg jeans and a blazer.
I love the elegance and simplicity of a white shirt–on other people. They always manage to make me look disheveled and blowsy by contrast. Simple little cardigans tend to make me look gawky and akward.
I do love dark turtlenecks in soft fabrics like merino wool or cashmere. They are my go-to garment when I need to look nice and am in a hurry or sick or tired or otherwise in need of a safe dependable option. Obviously, this doesn’t work so well in summer. They always seem to lend me a certain dignity and gravitas, which is more important to me than a lot of other considerations when it comes to clothes.
Whenever I think of “the classics”, I can’t help but picture overly preppy styles: pearls, blue blazers, penny loafers and khaki pants and my most hated style of all: pseudo-Chanel jackets. Gad.
I don’t see the appeal of most of them: white button-down shirts, trench coats, LBD. Boring. I do love a nice pencil skirt, though, and can’t live without them.
This is how I feel, too. And most of them only flatter the people who exemplify that style: slim, fair, tallish. Short, rounded, peasant types like me who wander out in trenchcoats or wrap dresses or buttoned shirts (any colour) tend to look rumpled, bundled, and kinda square, elderly and shapeless instead of casual and breezy.
I’ve found a few exceptions to most of them — a white very fitted buttoned shirt with 3/4 sleeves (which is however very venerable now, and starting to develop an intransigent yellowing); a wrap dress with a full skirt that looks quite nice on me — but really the only one I’d count is the black dress — black is a staple of my wardrobe anyway, and “black dress” has far more variations than any of the other things on the list.
Cream or ivory sweaters. I must have at least 10. I’m always drawn to them. Even more if they have any kind of hand knitted detail or are a luxurious fiber.
And black ballet flats, low cut.
The Little Black Dress usually looks terrible at me. My leg shape is much better for pants and other sharper, stockier items, rather than long sleek things. Dresses that cut off at or above the knee especially suck for me, because I have big stocky calves that I don’t think fit well with dresses/skirts.
On the other hand, I swear by the button-down shirt. The solid shoulders work great, and if I find a women’s button-down that is made for people with boobs (and this only goes so far, but still), it works great. That, or if there’s a ruffle or some such thing on the front that accents it and covers the button-pull.
Pencil skirts will never work for me. Every one I have tried ends up migrating north and I spend the entire day pulling it down. No fun for an active lady with hips! I pretty much live in A-line or full skirts, and that’s fine by me. Comfy AND flattering!
I have never really understood the white button shirt thing. The only ones I’ve ever owned were for high school orchestra concerts, and they definitely were not tailored right to fit me. (I’m also not into pearls because of the high school music concert associations.) I have found colored button shirts that fit me and are flattering, but since I shop almost exclusively in thrift stores, a white button shirt in a flattering cut has never come my way. The white button shirts that end up in thrift stores often have stains. Maybe that’s the only reason why people would donate their “classic wardrobe pieces!”
I do love me a trench. Especially brightly colored ones! Less classic, but far more “me.”
In general, I believe in investing in wardrobe staples that you’re going to wear to bits, even if they’re not the normally prescribed classics. Durable leather knee boots? Work heels that are fashionable that I can also walk a mile in without slipping or blisters? Solid colored tights that don’t snag and run the first time you wear them? That basic layering tank with a cut so flattering you absolutely must buy it in every color? These are things that work for me.
Love classic sheath dresses and my little black dress, black skirts of all shapes and the occasional white button down (Ann Taylor makes the only ones I’ve found to fit my shape).
Can’t wear: the classic wool suit, classic wool sweaters, classic wool pea-coat. I’m terribly sensitive to most things made of wool. Not just itchy, uncomfortable, maybe a rash, but actual wheezing/asthma attacks. I could maybe sneak in a wear here or there, but anything that would be a wardrobe staple, worn every week or for a coat, potentially daily, is not going to be in wool for me. Had to have my main winter coat custom-made in silk tweed with plenty of inner lining layers for warmth.
I haven’t seen this mentioned in the comments yet, but what about cropped pants? I find that they look absolutely ridiculous on me. And everything out there right now is cropped — particularly the bright colored stuff.
Ha! Me too! I feel like I look SO weird in cropped pants! That’s hilarious. Actually, I kinda think they only look GREAT on Audrey-Heburn-type figures.
Well, I’m average size with a huge top heavy rack and an 11 inch difference between bust and waist, so for years I avoided the white button front shirt. Made me look dumpy. I finally found two but they are both ruched and cut in a way that flatters (and I’ve sewn the gap over the bust closed, which I have to to on everything.)
Classics I still can’t manage? White t-shirt (because I can’t find a nude t-shirt bra in a 30-H), clam diggers, middi skirts, knotted cambric shirt, sequins, wool fisherman’s sweaters
Classics I love? LBD (because they are easy to find vintage), knitted tops (for the same reason), peep toe heels, oxfords, sun hats and cloches, print day dresses, pencil skirts, polka dots rather than stripes, gingham instead of plaid, blazers tons and tons of blazers. I might have a blazer problem.
~ Gail
Oh, and leather jackets in all shapes and sizes. I adore leather jackets and I think there’s one out there for everyone.
I don’t wear: white (I have autumn colouring), most dresses (short-waisted, rectangular body, the bodice is always too long), dress pants (lack of waistline, flat butt makes them hang funny), ‘Boyfriend’ anything (the baggy boxy cut, with my 32DDD bust, makes me look even more boxy), faded/whiskered/etc. denim (see above), belted anything (see above), empire-waists (make me look pregnant)
I love: dark-wash straight-leg or skinny jeans, t-shirts (especially with v-necks), little, fitted jackets, vests, fine-knit cardigans (to layer over the t-shirts), A-line, pencil and tiered (no waist-band) skirts in lengths ranging from above the knee to mid calf, And boots: tall, knee-high, mid calf, ankle, high heel (not stiletto), medium, low heel, riding, cowboy, Doc Martin, Victorian/Edwardian. I love em all! I also love ballet flats (wear them with my jeans rolled up to capri-length), and medium-heel unusual pumps.
I thrift most of my clothing, so some items are easier to find than others. I almost always have to buy jeans new, as most are too short (I have long legs), too faded, etc.
Sheath dresses do not work for me! While I’m sure that there is a sheath dress somewhere out in the world that would work for my shape, I sure as heck haven’t found one. Also, pencil skirts! I carry all of my weight in my lower stomach area and both of those options draw your eye to that area. I just don’t think they do anything for me.
In terms of classics that work for me, I’m definitely still working on figuring that out. Honestly, at this point, shirt dresses (especially a flared out, 1950s-esque option) feel the most classic to me. They work really well for my body type and they feel like an option I can wear now and will wear for many years to come.
I’m with you on button up shirts, they just don’t fit me right off the rack. It’s something I keep meaning to sew myself to see if it’s the fit or the style, but I don’t like it enough to feel interested in doing it.
Turtlenecks are also a bit iffy. I have some, but they aren’t a classic for me. I have to cut the ski slope effect with a strong low necklace.
What I wouldn’t live without? I’m actually one of the people who likes wrap dresses. Granted some need a strategically placed safety pin at the bust but the general shape is good for me.
White button down shirts; love them and can’t wear them. First, I’m short and relatively busty; and the bit I always want to hide is my belly. I love button downs but they never seem to work with that combo of body bits. Also I sweat a lot and white cotton shows underarm patches. On the other hand, I could wear a pencil skirt everyday, happily. (usually with a black t-shirt, maybe a belt…)
I like the idea of a button down shirt but I haven’t worked out how to make it work on my apple/cylindrical body. I never tuck anything in anymore, and nice shirts ought to be tucked in.
The fashion staples I never wear? Belts and blazers. But I adore cardigans and a-line skirts!
Classics I will never own? Shirtwaist dresses, or anything else with a fifties hourglass silhouette. So unflattering to a short-waisted, wide-waisted figure!
I echo the dislike of white button-down shirts. White does not flatter me and something about the cut makes me look gawky and mannish. I can’t tell why.
Classics I love? Anything tweedy.
I used to have a problem with button downs. Tall, broad shoulders, big bust, narrow waist, long torso, I could just never find one that was figure-flattering and long enough to not slip out of my bottoms. What I found helpful and recommend is to diverge from the classic and tweak it to one’s body. For once, I am not talking about tailoring, but for example switch from cotton shirts to silk and chiffon or other materials that work well work you. Or omstead of a collar switch to tie neck – for me that made a huge difference. Nowadays the basic white shirt is THE building block of my wardrobe.
I have yet to find a classic black shift that fits me, but after the succesful button down story, I am not giving up so easily.
Also, once I find something that fits, I try to go back at the end of season and see if I can pick up a couple more on sale,
Well, I always *thought* that button-down shirts would never, never work for my figure (short, thinner, and busty). But then I discovered companies like BiuBiu and Urkye that make bust-friendly clothing!
I actually just got a button-down shirt from Urkye that I reviewed on my blog – the one I got is purple, but it comes in white as well! Honestly, I can’t wait to order more. It’s great to be proven wrong about something.
I will have to say the white button front shirt. Any collared shirts don’t work too well on me.. as some one said it looks matronly and awful on me and I don’t feel feminine in them. At least that is what I feel. I have bought several only to donate them. Also the fit issue at the bust though I am not big busted. I got a few collared shirts including 2 white shirts recently since I need them for work but thrifted them and work ok layered over tanks and tees but not alone. I love the look on others and would love for it to work on me too but doesn’t seem to.
The classic boxy Chanel jacket looks horrible on me.
I’ll always own a pea coat, a trench which I don’t belt, shift dresses and an animal print blouse.
I have one Lands End white button up shirt. It’s just okay. If I wear a tank under it and leave it unbuttoned from the bust line up, then it looks alright. If I wear it completely buttoned I feel like I’m bound and flattened. Not the look I’m going for…
I love mid length skirts. A-line are best for my generous bootie, but I’ve also found a couple of pencil skirts that work. Like someone else pointed out, they tend to ride up when I sit down, so I prefer to wear them in winter with thick tights. Skirts are also more forgiving when my weight fluctuates. Something I cannot say for my trouser wardrobe.
I agree with most commenters about the white button down shirt — it just does not work for me. I have tried on a super curvy button down shirt at Bravissimo (adjusted for my 34H bust), and though it fit great, I think I have been so ‘off’ the button down shirt idea that I no longer like how they look or feel on me (I perspire as well, so the ‘pit’ stains — not so good).
I also don’t like the way black feels on me — It looks fine, but I feel it sucks the energy out of me (I do admire how sharply and elegantly others can wear black).
I love sheath dresses as well as full skirted or a-line dresses. They are both hard to fit, but pointe sheath dresses work well for me because of the stretch. I also sew, and even when I try to ‘fit’ a sewn sheath dress, it takes lots of attempts to make it fit well (the princess seamed sheath dresses work well in most fabrications).
My own personal classics are the dress (any kind, except shirt dresses), pencil and flare skirts, and of course, the bootcut jean or boot cut dress/ tweed trouser — I will always have these in my closet!
Just popping in to say how impressed I am with how enlightened you all are about how clothes fit. We must all be faithful Already Pretty devotees!
I live in a town where formal is defined by one’s black NorthFace fleece v. one’s blue one, and where it is considered dressy enough for the symphony to add socks to your Birkenstock sandal-wear.
I have tried and tried with the crisp, white shirt, but it always feels too stiff
and buttoned up (nyuk nyuk). A softer peasant-ish or kurta-ish style tends to be more comfortable and flattering, and my work environment is casual enough that I can do this sort of top regularly. Actually, I probably put about 500 times more thought and energy into what I wear to work than my most of my coworkers, so even this kind of softer top feels “fancier” than the norm. It’s just the nature of the fashion culture in this town. If I worked in an environment with a stricter dress code, I would rely on sleeveless, silk blouses to do the work of the WBFS.
I love: a-line anything, a soft wrap dress, wide-leg trousers, simple silver hoop earrings in just about any size. Cheers!
Hmm, I do wear most classics successfully in terms of fit (tall, flat-chested size 8/10) , but find some of them boring or impractical.
—White button downs only look good freshly ironed and laundered – I dont iron.
—High heeled pumps are uncomfortable.
—A beige trench – beige is the one terrifically unflattering color I never wear, but I do love them in other colors (black, burgundy, lavender).
Ah, thought of one, “classic” red lipstick just looks cheap on me.
This is a fun post! I’m one of the few out there who actually love the look of white button-down shirts, especially if I’m in one of my Edwardian moods, but I’ve never found a sheath dress that fits properly – I’m pear-shaped, and any sheath that’s got room for my (generous) butt and thighs tends to gap in the bust and has armholes that show my bra!
I’ve never met a wrap dress that I’m comfortable in, either. In fall/winter I adore tweed blazers and turtlenecks, but a V-shaped neckline is actually more flattering on me, since I have a wide face (it seems to elongate my neck a bit, and a love me a great scarf or statement necklace!
I enjoyed all the responses. I normally think vaguely that I won’t/don’t wear this or that but hadn’t realized how much of a classic wardrobe I don’t wear. How come I always come out Classic on those quizzes?
I don’t wear button front shirts because they seem to have a life of their own, shifting away from my body. I don’t wear blouses because, well, they’re blousey.
My favorite kind of dress is exactly like the grey shirtdress you just wore. It looks boxy and terrible on me and I don’t wear them. I don’t wear turtlenecks any more because I’m older and have some jowliness and they would just frame that. I don’t wear cowl necks instead because I don’t like that fabric flopping on my chest. I would never wear jeans to dress up and only wear the few pair I have in order to be incognito and fit in with everybody else. I can’t wear pumps, with a narrow heel and wide across the toe joints, because my foot slides forward and jams my toes. I don’t like pants hemmed close to the ground because I can’t get the picture of Mr. Natural out of my mind. I never own a standard LBD. I wouldn’t want to wear one to any fun occasion. I’d want to wear a color or a print.
The responses made me think of items I *enjoyed* wearing vs. what might be “reliable.” I do own black pants and black skirt but I don’t enjoy them. I have a pair of black merino wool legging pants (not skin tight but slim) and those I do enjoy. I was thinking back to my substitute for the LBD. I used to have a longish charcoal wool jersey tee dress with reverse seaming. Looked fairly conservative but on the body is wildly sexy. And was not skin tight.
I love pleats and can’t wear them well. But recently found a skirt that was a box pleated georgette print over lining and I can wear this just fine.
I guess I need everything to obediently follow the lines of my body and its movement or to move aside (as the pleated georgette) and reveal the contours and movement of that body.
I have never ever ever found a pair of boots that even come close to fitting my calves, not even special wide-calf boots, not even those enormous dirty-work galoshes you’re supposed to wear over your regular shoes. I don’t even LOOK at boots or boot-dependent outfits anymore because I hate feeling like a giant-calfed freak.
Love this post! Classic style isn’t for everyone, after all, so why should we all have the same basics?
I will be surprised if I ever find a classic riding boot that flatters my ankles and calves – most are far too big in at least one spot and often hit at the widest part of my leg. Boopants.
I do, however, LOVE the masculine/military vibe of a trench coat. I won’t buy one in beige, but I have caramel, rust, orchid, and black.
Great question. I cannot wear white button downs. I don’t look good in white, button downs gap because I am busty and as a klutz, I cannot keep them white. I am a big fan of the belted trench, however. (On me) they are flattering and versatile. I think the little black dress is another good one, but all of these items assume a sort of lifestyle and personal style that don’t suit (pun intended) everyone. I think they are more applicable to career women who also have dressy social occasions and require a more conservative wardrobe.
Oh and to chime in again: wearing black is just not in my cards! I know there are people who pretty much just wear black and buy multiples of things in black. I don’t think it looks bad on me but it never seems like a “basic” color to me and when I am wavering on an item, I never think “Oh I will get this in black” or when buying multiples of an item, I never ever think “Oh must get it in black too!” Yet i know bevies of women who look chic and put together in black, with contrasting elements highlighted, like lovely jewelry or scarves or blouses. I don’t know my aversion… but there it is!
A leather jacket? I dunno, I’m not really a classic type person. My trench has gothic clasp, I don’t own a white shirt, black pants, or even really wear my oatmeal blazer. My “pencil skirt” is a wool blend yellow skirt, my black boots are OTK laced up insanity.
The most classic thing in my wardrobe are my seldom worn jeans and black bomber-style leather(ette) jacket.
I guess I prefer to wear pieces with a little bit of funk and forgo accessories. Just my personal preference.
I’m sure I am in the extreme minority when I say that I don’t wear jeans. I have never been able to find a flattering pair. In addition, they are too hot for the tropical climate I live in and too heavy for travel.
For my lifestyle and figure, all the classic dress styles work great: sheath, wrap, LBD, tunics. And I plan to be buried in my favorite pair of tall, low-heeled boots!
I am so glad to see all of these comments on here… makes me feel more “normal”!
I cannot wear button-up shirts, either. I mean, I suppose I COULD, with a lot of fashion tape and if I wasn’t moving and I felt like being uncomfortable all day.
Frankly, they make me sweat strangely and I flash everyone with my 34DDDs. Yup.
I have a passionate love affair with cardigans. And scarves – are scarves a “classic?”
I also have two wool straight (not long enough to be pencils, really) skirts that I would wear every single day of winter if my students wouldn’t notice.
I normally hate dress pants… I’m a long-legged pear-ish person, and they always pull or are too short or the fabric isn’t substantial enough to hide the dreaded Visible Panty Line. BUT I own ONE pair of amazing black pants that I bought on a whim from a Herberger’s in college and I would cry many tears if they disappeared.
No: trench coats
Yes: straight-leg jeans
Add me to the “no white button downs” crew. Hate the look and the fit and the fuss and just…everything. UGH. Plus they get dirty and wrinkled and look sloppy halfway through the day. Can’t find a pencil skirt that fits me correctly but I’ll keep trying. Love black trousers, colorful tanks as a first layer and will never, ever stop wearing a classic denim jacket. I rejoice every time it’s declared being “in,” but for me it’s never “out.”
I love button-down shirts, including white – just thinking how sad there isn’t one in my wardrobe at present. And I am curvy and busty. The only problem with wearing a shirt that buttons at the front is if I don’t have a closed coat and am walking with a cross body bag, the strap tends to push the button on the boobs open. what else do I love – anything simple, round neck t-shirts, a mannish jacket, dresses – mad about tulip shaped skirts as hide my thighs.
What is impossible – the dread pencil skirt again. i can’t imagine finding one I could ever put on. Also skinny jeans. Also anything drapey. Long necklaces. And tunics – would hit me somewhere across my thighs which I certainly don’t want to highlight. Not to mention shorts …
Then there are shoes – I love brogues, anything that laces up, also long boots, simple sandals. Absolutely impossible – almost all heels, ballet shoes, any kind of pumps, strappy sandals (cut my toes), pointed toes – they are all agony. Happily these restrictions don’t have to be boring – pink-red summer brogues anyone? And thong-type sandals are OK, as they don’t affect the toes.
I love white button-front shirts in theory. Love, love, love the look of them–so clean, so sophisticated, so versatile. In practice, I own two that I have each worn exactly once. They are too fussy. Even the non-iron ones have to be ironed. Oftentimes, before the pits turn yellow from antiperspirant (which inevitably happens to all my white shirts… I have seen your post about dealing with that, but find that way too much of a bother to have to concerns myself with), I spill on the darn shirt.
I also have never found a classic blazer that I have felt fit me well or was flattering to my body. Again, this is a piece that I love the look of, and wish I could utilize in my everyday wardrobe because I am ALWAYS cold and blazers would be great for keeping warm. But alas, I just cannot find one that I feel like a million bucks in.
My favorite classic staple is just a pair of plain ol’ black trouser pants.
I love the look of white button down shirts but I sweat so much I would end up with huge sweat marks. I do have two black button shirts that I love and wear often. The black hides the sweat marks better.
Also, a-line skirts never work for me.
I have a uniform in the fall…my skinny jeans, a black turtle neck sweater and these awesome distressed knee high boots. I feel so chic and pulled together when I wear that combo and yet it is so simple.
Fun post and comments! I wish I could see everyone and their closets!
I don´t do jeans, turtlenecks, and anything beige or camel – ever. And I don´t get “crisp”, can´t really figure that out. To make a white shirt work for me it must be washed with softener and not ironed. Actually, I don´t iron anything. LBDs are wonderful, as are ballerina flats (don´t do sandals), and straight skirts. I love the look of a jacket, but never wear them – don´t have the lifestyle. Scarves are my signature, I have always done classic, French squares.
I too can’t wear pencil skirts or sheath dresses, they look great on some people (my sister is on) but terrible on me. I dislike any bottoms/dress that are too short to comfortably sit in. I am tall with long legs, so a lot of items that would be fine on others are way too short on me so this can be a challenge.
I love button down shirts, though I usually avoid white because I can never find one that isn’t see-through! I don’t want people to see my bra shirt-makers. I also love faux-wrap dresses and shirts, I don’t want them to actually wrap as I agree with the worries about wardrobe malfunctions, but the look of them really flatters my figure and a faux wrap I don’t have to worry.
I loved reading all of the comments!
My “classics” that I skip are the white button down and white t-shirt. But it’s the color that makes me avoid them. White! No! It’s wrong for my skin tone (even my wedding dress was cream, not white), and I have a way of staining white beyond repair on the first or second wearing. I use creams in place of white, and that works. I also have a small selection of button shirts in fun colors, not white.
I will always love a knee-length, a-line skirt. Pencil skirts work on me, but an a-line is just so flattering. They are so hard to find right now.
My other “forever classic” is a military jacket/coat. Not a straight-up man-style, but cut for a woman.
It took me a while to realise, but I am one of those people for whom the white button down shirt is just never going to work. White makes my complexion look horrible ruddy, stiff fabrics on my upper half are problematic and shirt cuts are so troublesome for my small bust and wide hips. Sheer cream blouses, however, flourish in my wardrobe
I consider a well-fitting, knee-length black a-line skirt to be a great staple. I recently replaced a worn out version with a nice ponti knit, and it has refreshed my wardrobe wonderfully.
I can’t do shoes with heels. I look ridiculous when I try to walk in them, and I find them horribly uncomfortable. When I wear flats or boots, I’m free to walk, skip, run, and dance everywhere!
Also, I really struggle wearing black on my bottom half. I have a few pairs of black pants and a few black skirts I LOVE, but I can’t figure out what to pair them with without looking like I work at a department store or am following a hair salon dress code.
I am in agreement about the white oxford button down. It makes me feel too stuffy, and I can’t find one that fits for my busty figure. I know there are quite a few retailers that cut these shirts for bustier women, but I don’t think I can make it work with my style.
My go to classic? Pencil skirts! I love pencil skirts, they are almost the only type I wear. They are flattering, go with everything and are fun. I have them in neutrals and colors, and I am always on the lookout for more. I don’t like full skirts, I always feel like it they make my hips look big, my torso short and they get too short in the back with my butt.
It’s so fascinating reading about everyone’s preferences! Several people have said they don’t wear belts because of their short-waists or large chests (or combo of the two). I love to hear what women with my figure do to dress themselves. I am a small plus size, petite, busty and short waisted and wear a belt nearly every day – I find that it helps those “flaws.” I definitely look best when there is waist definition – otherwise, I just look like a round ball. I never thought I’d be able to wear a belted trench, but found one last fall that was perfect for my proportions – at Sears.
I love pencil skirts and wrap dresses. I have never found a white button up that doesn’t make me look matronly or want to run screaming from the mirror. I love looking at them on others, especially when they are done in a throw-away chic way. But I have trouble pulling off that aesthetic.