POV: What if statement pieces are more useful than basics?

If we’re seeking ease and timelessness, maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong place.

After a dinner we had just before I left Miami, my friend and style icon Christian shared her approach to dressing and where it came from in the most beautiful way.

I loved her vulnerable post about why she doesn’t save her best pieces. But this one part actually made me do a double take: “[T]he next time you find yourself searching for something to wear, save yourself some time. Just pull out that one statement item (or two, or three) that’s hidden in the back of the closet, and just wear the damn piece!”

Here was the suggestion that these big impact pieces, which I often think of as “questions rather than answers” or at least pieces that aren’t easy and effortless, are just that. Insert mind blown emoji here.

the call of the magpie

For a while now, I’ve been on a mission to GET AWAY from statement piece shopping. It’s where I’m naturally drawn. My eye has always alighted on things that are sequined, shiny, fanciful prints (that Prada lipstick!), exaggerated shoulders and skirt shapes.

I had a sort of… disciplinarian stylist at Saks. And one day she said (her energy is not unlike Carrie Bradshaw’s waxer): “Rachel, no more crazy for you. You need basics to go with all this crazy.”

A couple weeks later I texted her a pair of printed Prada shorts and she texted back just 3 words: “Not for you.”

Fuck, I thought. She’s onto me. The wild ride is over.

finding my “fundamental” self

Over time, I came to agree. And investing in great basics stopped feeling like a punishment. First of all, it made sense. So much of life is itself the basics (coffee runs, WFH, pizza dinners, errands). It stands to reason you invest in what you wear most.

And it’s a Tibi linchpin, embracing this notion of the importance of “fundamentals,” with your focus on curating what you need there. Comprising of “non-basic or “pushed” basics.”

So now, “fundamentals” aren’t, say, a pair of well-fitting Levis and a Lacoste polo I found in the men’s section of a thrift store last summer, but an uber modern, of-the-moment shaped jean and a mock neck unisex t-shirt with a boxy-but-not-really shape and elbow length sleeve.

Which makes sense, because dressed in the Levis and Lacoste, say, I don’t feel quite something, and I have to account for it by adding something else, say a weird shoe, a bright sock. This is where Amy’s “pushed basics” theory comes in — if your basics are too basic then you’ll feel dull and need something when wearing them together.

why Christian’s theory holds water

But if your “basic” pieces are modern, then inherently they have a shelf life. We won’t ALWAYS be psyched we own 3 pairs of Sid jeans, for example (who me?) Modern/fresh is a moving target.

So now, rather than spending on statement pieces that we (or someone else) deemed too frivolous and impractical, we just shifted, spending the most on these modern basics. And keeping them updated.

And no longer are these pieces these malleable “things that work with everything.” A jean like the Sid, for example, doesn’t work with everything. You have to think about it. The proportions. The shoes. So what is a focus on basics really solving for?

Now let’s take Christian’s approach. How about just grabbing one statement piece to start the look with? Say, for example this LV runway piece I’m selling because I deemed it too statement-y for me. It does all the work. What if I didn’t overthink it and just put it on over any ordinary navy t-shirt and a pair of Levis. And loafers. Or a white T and flip flops! The jacket makes the whole thing so easy.

And this approach has some serious benefits.

First up, now with the statement piece doing the work you no longer need those pushed basics. The tee can be any tee, same with the jeans. Simpler is better; that means less need to spend on those basics. And a bigger chance that they won’t date.

And speaking of which, the statement pieces are generally immune to age because they’re not tied to a TREND and are often ahead of their time or timeless. For example, maybe it’s a vintage Dries opera coat like Christian has (era-less!) or maybe it’s a Yohji men’s suit jacket. Or a hand knit sweater.

So in other words, basics feel like less of a risk but really they’re more of a risk.

Is this “daring dresser”-specific?

Christian uses her theory in a few ways. In one, she layers on MORE STATEMENTS. Where everyone else would do less she does more and somehow the cacophony of it all turns harmonious. You’ll look at her and be like “how is this working?” and then just as with the Tibi “ton” color theory, your eye settles in.

But that’s Christian’s “special event” formula. That’s how I see her at a special dinner, a fashion show, a party in the design district. And yes, it’s Christian specific. But when it comes to her everyday formula, more often than not it’s statement + classic + classic (+ classic).

Like here, below — it’s Levi’s jeans, white tee, classic Chanel Mary Jane and the statement jacket.