081/ What I'm Wearing: Week 5
Three easy "third pieces" to add lift your outfits.
What I’m Wearing is a series where I share all of the outfits I’ve worn over a given week (or two), along with styling notes, links and related thoughts. If you see an outfit you like on my Instagram, you’ll find it here.
This week, like the rest of January, I leaned into my most comfortable, tried-and-true, don’t-have-to-think-too-hard-about-it foundational pieces. A common thread through this week’s outfits was an easy “third piece” that added an extra layer of interest to the overall look.
1) A Sheer Mesh Underlay
Going into spring 2024, the sheer trend of the last few seasons shows no signs of abating. On the runways, we most commonly saw the translucent fabric worn bold and braless, or its nakedness buffered for modesty by what are essentially elevated undergarments:
Beautiful to look at, but no small feat to pull off in the real world! I’ve self-consciously tried sheer over bike shorts, tanks, bralettes, but sheer over panties? I just can’t. (Poll: have you?)
Instead of working hard to make sheer work as an overlay, an accessible way to wear it is peeking out as a “third piece” underlay. The properties of sheer are so effective at communicating an aura of delicacy and femininity, and act as a perfect counterpoint against my otherwise utilitarian knit, trousers, and loafers.
Honourable mention goes to my me Issey Miyake pleated bag which was such a good buy (and half price in Japan)! The pleats quickly and easily add texture to any outfit, it’s machine washable, compact when stored, yet deceptively fits a lot! My 13” laptop, thick daily planner, wallet, phone, coffee tumbler, and then some….
2) A Balaclava
Last week I mentioned
’s Do Not Buy/Wear newsletter, which I hope you’ve had a chance to read by now!Tiia and I agree that neither of us will go out in public pantless nor will we wear berets (seriously, does any actually wear a beret IRL other than the hapless Paris tourist?), nor will we adding bias cut skirts, knit tube dresses, and distressed jeans to our wardrobes anytime soon.
I bring up her list again because it struck me that, despite the above, some of her No Buys are pieces I personally love and, in some cases, are key foundational pieces in my wardrobe. Sweats, Mary Janes, vests worn as tops, pearls, and the balaclava — my second “third piece,” and a garment that has grown on me in the past couple of years:
I’ll be honest: when someone whose opinion I respect says they don’t like something I like, my reptilian brain immediately goes into fight-or-flight.
Reptilian brain: Sweats and Mary Janes, Tiia?! I feel attacked.
To quote Tiia:
When we’re exposed to trends, our eye gets used to seeing them, and as a result we’re more prone to buying into them. Remember when you first started seeing people wearing sneakers with a trench coat years ago and maybe like me you thought that it looked… off? I do. I remember it like it was yesterday. Then I kept seeing it more and more, and before I knew it, I started to think that maybe I should buy myself a couple of pairs of sneakers, even though I am not a person who even likes sneakers. This is the result of the mere-exposure effect. The more we see something, the more likely it is that we begin to like it.
Reptilian brain: Balaclavas have definitely been trending. Is Tiia saying I’m a fashion victim? I feel so ashamed.
Tiia goes on to say:
There’s always a reason why the things ended up on the list in the first place. It’s not because they’re ‘silly trends’ or things that I think are ugly, but they just don’t work for my personal style or my life.
Reptilian brain: She’s not judging me personally! Shame aborted.
Finally, the higher reasoning powers of my frontal lobe kicks in.
Because of the influence of the mere-exposure effect, how can you tell if you’re buying something because of it, or in spite of it? I wrote a bit about trending products on Instagram when I bought that red H&M sequin skirt and paired it with red tights. Do I want this because of the mere-exposure effect to red (especially red tights), or because I actually love it? I wrote:
The way I assess the fashion landscape is less about looking at current trends, but rather at the over-arching, high-level direction in which fashion is moving. When something is “trending,” I’ll think about it in the context of the overall picture and what legs, if any, it may have. When it comes to buying, however, the most important factor is whether I love it and feel myself in it, trending or not.
Rather than being a dirty word, I see trends as an opportunity to explore an idea. Maybe the idea has been around and is coming full circle again (which I think is the root of the old (misguided, I might add) adage “never wear a trend twice”), or maybe it’s completely fresh and new.
When something is trending, eventually the market becomes flooded with different iterations of it and I can experiment with variations that feel right for me.
For example, cut-outs were a big trend for the past few seasons. I tried on so many cut-out pieces because they were everywhere. I couldn’t avoid them. In the end, one skirt stood out to me: the @awake_mode laser cut skirt. It wasn’t because it was on-trend, but because, first and foremost, I loved it and knew it would fit into my overall wardrobe.
Ultimately, when I buy something for myself, I want the reason to be because I love it and intend to keep it for a long time and not just because it’s on trend. It may seem like I’m buying into a trend, because it’s everywhere, but time will prove that it is in fact timeless for me.
It seems to me that the antidote to the mere-exposure effect is for me to go through the Five Questions I Ask Myself Before I Buy Anything, and balaclavas passes that test easily.
They make so much sense for my life here in Canada. When my family started wearing them a couple of years ago under our ski helmets, it was a game-changer. Skiing is so much more enjoyable when your face/ears/neck aren’t frozen. If they work on the slopes, why wouldn’t they work for me in the city? I’m never hot enough and always cold (stop sniggering, I know that will change soon). I haven’t found the right toque (non-Canada translation: beanie) for me yet which is why you see me running around town in my son’s Pokemon hat. I love that they do double-duty as a scarf and keep my neck warm — so key! And, yes, they can add another layer of interest to an outfit as a “third piece”.
For me, the balaclava is definitely a buy in spite of the mere-exposure effect and, in fact, I’m thankful they’re on trend because it allowed me to “discover” such a practical garment to add to my wardrobe!
Despite being satisfied with my analysis, I was still curious why Tiia, being a cold-weathered Finn, won’t wear them. So, I asked her!
And she said: “Babies and toddlers in Finland wear balaclavas in the winter before they ‘graduate’ into wearing beanies or other proper winter-appropriate head gear. I can’t help it but adults who wear balaclavas look like giant babies to me!”
You know that saying, “people think far less about you than you think they do”? The reason Tiia put the balaclava on her No Buy list is so culturally-specific and personal to her and has nothing to do with me (or you), her judgement of my (or your) taste or style. If I thought I looked like a giant baby in a balaclava, I wouldn’t wear one either.
All of this to say, it’s great that you’re learning from this newsletter, and from Tiia’s, and from whoever else you’re reading. My analytics show that the readers of this newsletter have the highest overlap with The Cereal Aisle by Leandra Medine Cohen
and, all of which I subscribe to and read every week. And every week I learn something new, something inspires, something resonates.But at the end of the day, it’s your life, your style and your preferences you’re buying for, and no one knows you better than you!
3) The Humble Button-Up Dress Shirt
The third “third piece”. We all own one. This one technically belongs to my husband, but whatever. “Technically” because I “bought it for him,” but not really.
Throw it on under your intended jacket and see what happens!
Just an update here about the next couple of weeks. I’ll be in New York for fashion week where I hope to stumble upon much inspiration to share with you all. I’ll most likely post Part 3 of my How To Build A Foundational Wardrobe series after I’m back.
Love and gratitude,
Irene
Ok I read the do not buy list and MANY of her items I don't agree with.
I love hoodies under blazers and have long before Miu Miu's runway show. I leverage hoodies often to add friction to an outfit and bring it down a notch.
Leggings as pants I don't do often but I love how it looks with a blazer and my Bottega lug boots
Bicycle shorts I live in the summer, again, love with a blazer (can you tell I love blazers? 😅)
Pearls are timeless, the ones I wear I dont wear often but I like incorporating them from time to time, and again can add fun friction to an otherwise casual outfit
Torn jeans?! I LIVE in my margelia slash jeans. I think this is the one I rolled my eyes at the most
I'm hear for the socks in dainty sandals, I live in Canada and this extends my wardrobe and again can add some fun friction and unexpected elements to an outfit
Anyways... To each their own and I generally hate it when someone trys to tell strangers what not to wear in broad strokes.
Irene, you are by far the most stylish person I've ever seen wearing a balaclava! It totally works on you, and bonus points for the fact that it serves a practical purpose, too.
As always, thank you for the shout-out. I feel honored to be a part of the In Moda Veritas conversation!