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Customizing the Classics Archives

Does Anybody Care About Making and Selling Beautiful, Comfortable Shoes? Heck YES!

This is a shamelessly sponsored post! Yes, I was given a pair of shoes, which is a pretty sweet deal. But I hope that you know me well enough by now to know that if I didn't think that something was worth your time and effort, I wouldn't write about it - I'm not going to sell out and waste your time, and my good reputation...

Last week, I was invited to the Thierry Rabotin shoes trunk show at Hanig's Footwear. I've been buying shoes from Hanig's for... 25 years? maybe, and I've been buying Thierry Rabotin (1 pair every 6 months, VERY carefully chosen) since they began carrying them. So I just thought that they were inviting me because I'm an old, and pretty good, customer...

Heck no! They offered me a pair of CUSTOM SHOES, in exchange for ... View the Post

Does every woman need a denim jacket? Customizing the Classics

A couple of people have asked me about the widespread advice that every woman show have a denim jacket. Of course I disagree with this idea - I don't think anybody else can tell you what you should have in your wardrobe.

Traditional denim jackets can be really cool, but they're not always flattering:

There's nothing particularly wrong with denim; there are a variety of options in denim that could be a lot more flattering than the traditional cropped, narrow fit.

Maybe the cut is okay, but the color doesn't work very well; there are denim jackets in other neutral colors that might be a lot more useful for you.

Or you could get really radical and choose a jacket in a bright color, or a fun pastel.

And for many of us, a cardigan ... View the Post

Must every woman own a pair of Khakis? Customizing the Classics…

When you read those "10 wardrobe classics every woman MUST have", you'll often see a pair of khaki pants included as one of the ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED pieces of clothing...

What utter tripe - there is NO REQUIRED GARMENT for any woman's wardrobe.  (Yes, I firmly believe some women can live without a bra, and if you wear tights every day, then other undergarments might be optional too...)

That said, there is some logic to the idea of a pair of khakis are a core garment...

First, the specific definition of "khakis" is pretty loose to start with, and could include any of these sort of things:

But the general goal, in saying that you must own khakis, is really to make sure that you have a pair of washable, "dressier than jeans", ... View the Post