Going through more of her blog and she points out an article in the NYT mag about "Slave no more" about how choosing simplicity and classic and ease over trend has lasting value.

A couple of quotes from the article I thought were interesting:

Coco Chanel offered when she arrived in New York, in March 1931. Asked by a reporter to define the fashionable woman, Chanel said, âÂÂShe dresses well but not remarkably. . . . She disobeys fashion.â Then, perhaps thinking of her rival Elsa Schiaparelli, Chanel added, âÂÂBut she is not eccentric. I hate eccentricity.â So she was extolling understatement and ease, yes, but also suggesting these choices reflected virtues like self-control and seriousness.

and

that is a woman of indeterminate age who knows what she likes and has shrugged off what she no longer has any use for, and maybe never did. If that sounds rather limited, thatâÂÂs the point. IâÂÂll stick with the same paint colors and my lovely old kilt, because, it turns out, thereâÂÂs a surprising amount of harmony in unremarkable choices.

In the same way, for home decor, I find myself slow to take on new trends and much more comfortable with the traditional classics. As I age, I'm finding less tolerance for frou frou and clutter and more desire for simplicity and clarity in design.

Anyone else?

Here is a link that might be useful: Slave no more

This is me for sure. I don't buy clothing that doesn't go with things I already own. The same is true for decor. I buy things that "go" rather than redesign a room.

That being said I might add a pillow, a scarf, a dress or an antique that brings in something new in such a way that it expands my view. But I never keep anything that begs me to replace what I have.

Fortunately I've had a strong sense of my design taste since I was quite young and it hasn't changed. I thing that's because I'm comfortable in it and I know it is complementary - to me or to my house.

The great thing about being so visual and focused is that I can find very nice things for much less money. So I'm able to buy high quality examples of what I love and I don't want to replace them.

Edit: I meant to add that many people would say my approach is boring, but my style is only one layer of "me".

This post was edited by 1929Spanish on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 11:50

I like visiting The Vivienne Files and totally agree with her 'core wardrobe' suggestion. I have a lot of neutral pieces that work with anything so know I can buy any top and it will work with a skirt or pants I have. I like her statement - Timeless, Elegant, Classic, Simple, Unique, Beautiful, especially the word Unique. I am having so much fun combining unusual colors and find scarves are very useful for that. I like the combo of blue and green in one of your links. I've been playing with combining purple with various colors. I have a scarf that has purple with red, another purple and blue, and a 3rd purple and rusty orange. Love those combos and they facilitate the creation of interesting outfits.

While Coco Chanel is known as the epitome of fashion I totally disagree with her on eccentricity - I LOVE eccentricity! After DH retired from the mil and I retired from business I have definitely become more adventuresome in my fashion choices. Not overly weird yet but definitely not mainstream traditional as before. It's so much fun to find clothing that is different, reflects my personality, and makes me feel really good.

Finding one's style is not always easy and but it's very difficult when one has to dress to suit other's expectations. Very freeing to be able to choose clothes based only on what I like. I embrace BoHo style now.

Wish I still had my kilt from grade 8 but that's long gone. Have kept the kilt pin for some reason tho.

Edited to add: my decor is going thru the same metamorphosis as my wardrobe and I'm no longer shopping in mainstream home decor stores but mostly in places which have one-of-a-kind handmade accessories.

This post was edited by luckygal on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 12:42