Layering Trends: Fashioned-Challenged Moms Can Make It Work

Anyone who knows me knows I know nothing when it comes to fashion. Phew. Say that 10 times fast. I think that profound statement came from a lack of sleep stemming from a household of sickness.
It's true, though. I pretty much wear the same thing all the time: jeans, cardigan, boots. I hardly wear any make-up and, with small kids, I don't have time to get my hair done regularly. I cut my own bangs a lot. 
I am so in awe of people who are put together. But I just want to know: How do they have the time? Is this some sort of gift I am lacking, kind of like missing that math gene? Is there a course I can take: Evelyn Wood Speed Fashion? It would take me hours to look good. I have really thick, long poker-straight hair. Curling that mane is a part-time job.

Recently I did an article on a trend in fashion: layering. My original piece featured a really cool mom, my friend Marcy. The one that got published featured a story on layering for winter (not as fun, plus where's our New England winter??). Marcy is a work-at-home mom who is just super awesome. And super busy. She's like me—and a lot of other moms I know: She just doesn't have time to cater to every magazine's idea of how we should look. Here's her story and how it relates to the layering fashion trend, mixed in with some advise from some great layering gurus. I hope you enjoy!

THE STORY! 

“Sometimes I gaze into my closet and wonder when I hired a fashion-challenged male teenager as my wardrobe consultant,” says Marcy Kelman, a stay-at-home mom in Monroe. Kelman’s closet consists of what she considers to be very boyish pieces: jeans, t-shirts, polos, Converse, and hoodies. She thinks she’s dressing for the skate park; kids probably consider her the coolest mom in the carpool.

“I’ve been working from home for the past 10 years, raising two kids,” says Kelman, who writes children’s books for Disney Publishing. “Since I don’t work in an office, I haven’t had the need to buy ‘nice’ clothes.” Comfort has been her go-to. But do we have to sacrifice fashion for comfort? How do you achieve a polished look without needing an entirely new wardrobe?

Making it work. Welcome to layering ladies! It’s all about “making it work,” a catch-phrase we might be sick of hearing, but has particular significance when you want to be fashionable and not spend a ton of money. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” says Rowayton-based Fashion Style Consultant Trish McQuillen. “People need to learn how to make more outfits out of what they have.” So they stay classic and not get tired.

And who wouldn’t want to look like they just stepped out of a Vanity Fair photo shoot meticulously styled by Rachel Zoe so every obsessive detail looks utterly effortless? Dare a woman to say no.

A good staple. Here’s how layering works. Start with a good base piece, like a Henley or a T-shirt. Then pair it up with a cardigan or a vest, and cinch it with a belt—a great slimming feature for all body types. You can even layer in different ways to make a few pieces in your wardrobe go a long way. Add a faux fur collar to your cardigan or a beautiful scarf to create something more sophisticated, taking your outfit from day into night.

“Play with proportions,” suggests Jennifer Sauer, Milford fashion and handbag designer of the line Vessel Couture. “Things look more fashionable when they are peaking out—the longer pieces under shorter pieces and long sleeves under sweaters.”

A total fabrication.

“Textural dimension in outfits is important,” explains Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, Vice President and Creative Director of The Mitchell Family of Stores in Westport and Greenwich and Huntington, New York. “Think wool sweater or think cashmere underneath.” Or trying paring corduroy with cotton or a tweed jacket with a T-shirt and suede riding pants topped off with a pair of riding boots. Or substitute that pant for a pencil skirt, that jacket for a cable knit sweater.

Layering is as much for function as it is for fashion. It will keep you warm, but it’s also a lifestyle. Think of it as a philosophy, it’s a fail-proof way to make your old clothes new again. It’s practical, utilitarian, decorative. Not to mention sophisticated. It feels very Abercrombie—or on a higher level, Ralph Lauren.

The Layering Movement. It’s actually Brunello Cucinelli, says Mitchell-Namdar. Research Cucinelli and you’ll find he refers to himself as the Italian Ralph Lauren, and his devotees refer to him as the father of layering. With his different fabrications and uses of soft-muted colors like grays, browns, navy, and dusty rose, his looks are so timeless, his designs so clean, you can’t help but aspire to achieve it. It’s inspiration for everybody, transcending age, gender, body type, and fashion-challenged women everywhere.

“Its really taken hold in the last year and a half,” says Mitchell-Namdar. “It’s been gaining more strength as a fashion [statement].”  One that you can easily take into the spring, too, he says. For warmer weather, layer sweaters with lightweight cotton blend dresses or adding in a micro-cashmere vest helps seasonally as well. Transitional seasons add the bonus of shedding a few layers and adding them back on.

Boy, oh boy. Vests, sweaters, T-shirts? It’s all sounding very “boyish,” isn’t it? Kelman is blindly aware that she is already ahead of the game! All she needs is the confidence to put it all together and switch up her wardrobe.

“People tend to have these go-to outfits that are only using 20 to 25 of your closet,” points out McQuillen, who spent most of her career at Giorgio Armani and now runs her company Design Inc. Most people aren’t aware of all they own and will go right back to what they know, wearing the same outfit over and over again.

“I’d like to have a closet that includes all-purpose staples, like black dress pants, stylish shoes, skirts, and nice blouses,” explains Kelman. “These go-to items currently don’t exist in my closet. If I could find dressy alternatives to the things I enjoy layering, I think that would open up a lot of options for me.”

McQuillen can help. She provides consultation services to pare down a client’s closet by creating a clothing inventory to style a few outfits out of only a few pieces of things you already own. Whatever is missing, she’ll recommend as “fillers,” like a great scarf, belt, or trouser. She may even take you shopping for it. A wonderful service for those who are too overwhelmed to shop solo or just too busy.

Busy? Sort it out. To make your life easier during the hectic work mornings, you might want to try basic organization: sort your closet into sections. “I put all the outer pieces like jackets and vests in one area, button-down shirts in another, and short and long sleeves in another,” recommends Sauer, who is also Department Chair of Fashion and Merchandising at Sanford-Brown College in Simsbury, formerly Gibbs College in Norwalk. If you know what you own, you can expand your wardrobe three-fold.

Runway ready. So how do you turn those old pieces into something beautiful, so you feel like you’ve stepped out of Vogue?

Modern fashion is all about color blocking or mixing, says Sauer.  You combine different colors that support and compliment. Look through any fashion magazine and “everything is a mash-up. Gone are the days of matching your shoe to your bag,” she says. Hello to taking risks. Add in your leopard, zebra, or bright yellow accents. Play with your accessories like adding chunky necklaces or a textured bag to pop against your outfit.

Once you do it, you may get hooked, because it’s just fun.