Just the Essentials

“What am I going to wear?” is a common, daily question women ask themselves when opening the closet door. Going from work to various events, changing a look from day to night, or transitioning into the weekend can be style challenges.

Celebrity stylist Lloyd Boston offers a solution—invest as much as you can in the clothing and accessory essentials that every woman needs. In Boston’s book The Style Checklist: The Ultimate Wardrobe Essentials For You, he offers lists of essential wardrobe pieces to coordinate to create the perfect look from work to weekend and beyond without overstuffing your closet.

“Many of us believe that the more clothing you have, the better off you are. But notably stylish women can attest to the exact opposite,” says Boston. All of his essentials can be mixed and matched for diverse looks that keep you in style and your closet an organized and roomy place of fresh fashion ideas and not a graveyard of dusty, ill-fitting has-beens.

What Does Age-Appropriate” Mean?
Trying to find the happy medium between dressing too young and too old is a challenge many women deal with, whether dressing for the workplace or social events. In Kim Johnson Gross’s book What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life, she addresses the challenges women face with their bodies, clothing and style as they age. Below are a few examples of what age-appropriate means to her:

Finding a balance. Wear what works for you while not dressing like your daughter…OR your mother.
Not looking dowdy. Try something new.
Be mindful of your body changes and rethink what you wear to flatter them. Don't succumb to boxy, shapeless clothes.
Dress to feel comfortable with yourself. Life changes, such as having children, battling disease or changing careers can affect how you feel in clothes.
Wear jeans at any age, but not your daughter’s jeans…
Don’t bare your midriff no matter how toned you are unless you are exercising, on a beach or in bed.
Dress for physical comfort, but don’t give up style. Stilettos don’t work for every occasion and not every fabric is sensitive to hot flashes.
Know that no matter how in shape you are…tight is always too tight.
Dressing to flatter your body is more important than wearing the latest trend. 
If you question whether what you’re wearing is, in fact, age-appropriate, chances are it’s not.



Lloyd Boston’s Work Essentials…and Then Some

 

  • classic white shirt
  • navy blue blazer
  • lightweight sweater twinset
  •  black skirt
  • business handbag (not a laptop case)
  • black pantsuit
  • gray flannel suit
  • black pumps
  • pinstriped suit
  • black turtleneck

A Few Weekend Essentials

  • khaki pants
  • easy jeans
  • linen shirt
  • short-sleeved polos
  • leather thong sandals

Some Travel Essentials

  • nude heels
  • shawl wrap sweater
  • long, lightweight scarf

Saturday Night Essentials

  • leather jacket
  • traffic stopping jeans
  • party dress

Some Finishing Touches

  • signature scent
  • hoop earrings
  • wooden bangles
  • sophisticated wallet
  • perfect sunglasses. iBi