#5 Crisp White Shirt
style
#4 Slim Cropped Pants
J Crew turtle neck sweater / Gap top / J Crew chambray top / J Crew short sleeve t shirt / Edith A Miller stripe shirt, $105 / Gap lined pants / Forever 21 lobster clasp charm / Aqua tartan scarve
This is probably my favorite piece because it is so versatile. You can dress these pants up or down. They always look fresh and very gamine. I personally would wear ballet flats or wedges with these looks, but you could also rock some Converse with any and all of the options! I love that these two accessories could be worn with each item adding a different look. I have this exact pair of pants as well as a red pair and blue. If you are trying to keep a minimal classic closet you could choose just one color. I would choose black, but the blue and red would work with these tops as well.
#3 Pencil skirt
#2 Chambray
So, this is the aforementioned J Crew chambray. It is the second classic essential. It can be worn with just about anything. This week I chose to wear it with a surprisingly luxe looking pair of pixie crops from Old Navy. I am 5’11” and so I like to shop where they offer tall lengths. Although these pants would fit in a regular length as capris, I wanted to wear them as true crops. They hit just at the ankle on me in the tall length. They have a houndstooth jacquard print which is hard to represent in photos. I chose nude pumps and a chunky gold necklace. Here’s me:
Shirtdress
#1 LBD
Class. Classic. Classroom.
Class
: showing stylish excellence
: a group of students who meet regularly to be taught a subject or activity
Classic
: used to say that something has come to be considered one of the best of its kind
: used to say that something is an example of excellence
: used to describe something that has been popular for a long time
Classroom
: a place where classes meet
This year I had a major milestone birthday. I started seriously thinking about how I could express myself through my style. I’ve spent most of my life shopping sales and buying clothing one piece at a time. I would buy a top because I liked it and took no time to consider what I would wear it with or how many things I already had like it. I ended up with a closet full of mismatched styles none of which seemed to work together. I found myself always saying, “I have nothing to wear!” This past summer I spent a lot of time on Pinterest exploring looks and styles. I searched keywords like classic, classic style, icons, etc. Then within one week I found two different articles one in Elle magazine and one on a blog on how to look like you are rich. Now, I don’t care how much money you think I have but I do think there is something to that understated, non-logo/label, classic style that makes you look timeless and lovely. I deconstructed my entire closet, eliminated a lot of things that weren’t working for me, or I never wore, and started looking for classic pieces on the cheap.
It can actually take a lot of money to look like you’re not trying. My goal on this blog is to share how I am trying to live this look on a teacher’s salary. Welcome to Haute for Teacher. I hope you will join me in this virtual classroom as I share these basic tenets with you.
When a woman says, “I have nothing to wear,” what she means is, “There’s nothing here for who I’m supposed to be today.” – Caitlin Moran
Haute for Teacher 