A fresh start for 2015!
MODE-K takes a new simpler look!
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Hey readers! I'll be short this Friday. Literally just got back from the gym, and realised that I had not had time to write something up about this Sunday's post!
Anyhow, The City Adventurer is probably the easiest look I've had on the blog so far, in as much as it's easy to construct, easy to wear and easy to style. Summer can never be enjoyed without a proper tank top collection and this is why this Sunday is especially interesting: I will be writing about the Tank Top - one of the staples of spending Summer In Style! Again, I will be using this #SundaySpecial post to illustrate the key principles of Affordable Fashion, so be sure to check back on The Economics of Fashion and The Equations of Fashion in case you missed out on them! So I guess this is it. I would love to know what you would like me to talk about in the coming days/weeks & I'll make sure to come up with an honest constructive answer/suggestion. Until then, have fun with fashion and don't forget to smile! SC Kelvin
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Following last week's #MidweekMode The Economics of Fashion, I thought it was important to write some more about the key concepts on how to have an affordable and complete wardrobe. To fully understand the 3 guiding principles, namely Outerwear over Innerwear, Versatility Factor, and Quality over Quantity, I thought that I would complement it with this new Week 2 edition of Midweek Mode: The Equations of Fashion.
Using simple combinations technique, we can conclude that the wardrobe output is 77, which basically is the number of tops multiplied by number of bottoms. Right now, no need to add the Watch and Shoes (sandals in this example) in the equation for we have only 1 option anyway - that is, to wear them with every outfit. The wardrobe output-to-input ratio is 77 divided by 20 = 3.8 - a figure that you'd want as high as possible.
But then, maths can not solve the Equations of Fashion on its own and for one simple reason: maths does not have a sense of style. Actually, this simplified wardrobe has a smaller wardrobe output figure. That's where the maths fail, and that's where we jump in. When taking a second look at the wardrobe example above, we can already notice that a few combinations are simply not possible if we want to look decent. For example, the Red Deep V Neck, the Pink Scoop Neck, the Ox Blood Scoop Neck and the Purple T-shirts are not to be worn on the pair of Maroon pants - they would simply not look good put together. In much that same fashion, the Olive Scoop Neck T-shirt and Khaki Polo Shirt cannot be worn with the Ochre pants. Now, the wardrobe output-to-input ratio falls to lower than 3.8. Indeed, once all possible mix and match counted, the actual wardrobe output is 52. The wardrobe output-to-input ratio is then 52 divided by 20 = 2.6. Okay, so I do hope that you're still hanging on out there. Trust me, that was the technical boring but necessary part. Once you understand these 2 terms, and I hope that by now you have, you can deduce that your goal would be to increase your wardrobe output-to-input ratio in order to get more possible outfits with the pieces you possess. And to do that, you need high Versatility Factor (VF) pieces! Another important concept to grasp in order to understand the 3 Principles [LINK] is the cost-per-use, which is simply calculated by dividing the Cost Price of a piece of clothing by the number of times that that piece is used. Contrarily to the wardrobe output-to-input ratio where you'd want it to have a high value, you'd want the cost-per-use to be low. It goes without saying that a high VF piece would simultaneously mean a low cost-per-use value. The more versatile it is, the more ways you can and will wear it. But I already talked about that in my previous post, linked above, so I won't blabber any more on the question. Lastly, the Outfit Cost Proportions is also a key concept. It goes without saying that the Outfit Cost is simply the total cost of each piece that constitutes the look, from head to toe. The Outfit Cost Proportions, less of an equation but more of a general rule, can be divided into 3 parts: Outerwear, Innerwear and Accessories. To calculate this, simply add Cost price of both OW and IW pieces and the Cost-per-Use of Acccessories. If your wardrobe is constructed according to my 'Affordable Complete Wardrobe' principles, then the Outfit Cost Proportions should be as follows (approximately): Outerwear 70% : Innerwear 20% : Accessories 10%. Once you achieve this, you'll know that you dress up in an effective (in the fashion sense) and yet affordable manner (in the economic sense). So here's what you need to remember: Equation One: Wardrobe Output-to-Input Ratio = Number of possible outfit combinations/ Number of clothing pieces Equation Two: Cost-per-Use = Cost Price/ Number of times clothing piece is used Equation Three: Outfit Cost Proportions = OW 70% : IW 20% : Accessories 10% I hope that this wasn't too painful of a read. Until next Midweek Mode post for more on affordable fashion, try coming up with some figures of your wardrobe and some of your favourite looks to make sure that you grasped these concepts. If you have questions or need clarifications, the comments are right here below! SC Kelvin Hey readers! It's time for another #SundaySpecial and this week, I thought we'd continue with dressing easy and comfy for summer. And trust me, the Mall Walker look is nothing but easy and comfy! Cotton plain T-shirt with cotton chinos on leather sandals - nothing more comfortable for a day out, strolling the mall. I picked a rather strong purple to contrast with the light khaki pants. In summer, you can really let your favourite colours speak out - but by wearing them appropriately. I tend not to associate really bright pastels (mint or pink which are borderline neon) because they tend to make me look tanned (or more tanned that I actually am, if that makes sense!). In fact, Neon is a great addition to your summer wardrobe, but careful if you're not of fair complexion. It's not the easiest shade to pull off for most Mauritians - and I speak from experience! Before we go further into the outfit construction, I would like to introduce the concept of Colour Blocking, which simply means dressing up with bold strong colours. I think it's a real easy option for summer, especially when you'd want to add some colours to your wardrobe - something you can't really do in winter, where the opposite actually happens and you try to blend the outfit colours into a smooth blend of the same cool shades (but we'll get to that later this year for our #WinterInStyle Series!) So yeah, back to the outfit, I picked the strong purple because it attracts the eye on the upper body. Given that I have really thin legs (working them out is a real pain but I'm sticking to my squats this year!), I prefer attracting the gaze to my upper body, which used to be more flattering before my elbow injury... but meh...still better than my thin legs! I rolled the hems up my pants because it tends to give the chinos some structure at the base. Light Khaki is probably the best option after a pair of blue jeans. They are so easy to wear and anything from white to dark shades work great on them. Mine are straight-slim cut. With thin legs, you don't want a skinny cut or a normal straight cut - both would make you appear too thin. I completed the outfit with my leather sandals from Truworths which I just love! At Rs1300, these were a real steal! Plus, I've had them for over a year now (bought them for Christmas 2013) and they are still in perfect shape. Comfy and light, they allow for your feet to breathe and sport a casual summer look yet with a stylish feel. They are the perfect blend of gladiator and Italian sandals which, by the standards of my 'Equations of Fashion' (coming up next week in Midweek Mode Week 2!), the perfect summer piece. For a leather piece of OW, they weren't too expensive, and its Versatility Factor is pretty high (you can literally wear them all day and all night in summer, from going to the beach to a backyard barbecue night) and, well it's quality. So, it does match the 3 Principles of Affordable Fashion from The Economics of Fashion. I added my Fashion House men bag - because long trips calls for water, sunglass case (when you'll actually walk into a shop), book for the bus travel, etc. I love using them in pair because they are of the same dark brownish shade leather and thus work to perfection when combined. The only downside to these leather sandals is that if you walk in the sun, you'd probably end up with nice tan lines across your feet - and these aren't very nice. That is why I would not wear that outfit for a day on campus. I would probably switch the sandals with boat shoes to keep the summer feel to it. Finally, I picked ALDO leopard sunglasses, from ALDO Bagatelle, given that it blends well with the brownish (of the leather) and adds to the earthly shades, rendering the whole look consistent and complete. You can also notice, from the above picture, the leopard fluid-ish design of the frame which add that bit of edginess to the almost too simple outfit. I did also get those on sales (#poorstudprob) and they are still looking solid, and it's probably my third summer wearing them!
So voila! This is it for this Sunday! Be sure to leave comments and get back next week for another look to rock Summer 2015 in Style! SC Kelvin Hey readers! It's already Friday and time to get ready for Sunday 25th with another #SundaySpecial!
As you can see, we're going for solid, bold colours this Sunday with The Mall Walker. This week I will be continuing about easy comfy summer wear and my idea of a comfortable outfit for a day out, let's say, shopping (I know you like that too, right?)! On top of that, I will also introduce the concept of Colour Blocking. The Mall Walker issue will also be a good example to illustrate what was theorized previously in The Economics of Fashion. So if there's anything you might have missed or didn't quite understand, there's always the Sunday Special series for you to visualize concepts of Outerwear Over Innerwear, Versatility Factor and so on and so forth! Lastly, got some bit of news for you readers! I'm officially back on LOOKBOOK where I will probably be posting a few shots every now and then. So if you're out there having fun with fashion, let me know and I will be really excited to see what some of you are up to on LOOKBOOK. So I guess that this is it for tonight! Be sure to get back on Sunday for The Mall Walker! Until then, have fun with fashion and don't forget to smile. SC Kelvin Before we delve into the whims and caprices of my fashion moods and explore some of my mix-matching, I thought it was important to talk about what I call The Economics of Fashion. Being student is almost always synonymous with being broke. You're young, unemployed, with barely enough time to actually having a 'life' while studying. Basically, there are very few ways to debit your fiduciary assets: birthday presents, Christmas presents, New Year presents and... yeah, that's pretty much it. When part-time work is an option to some, others - people like me - tend to, well, not have one. This situation is almost always put up for debate during my shopping sprees. I so wished I was working so I could buy this! I need this, right? Enough of reminiscing, here's what helped me a) have a complete wardrobe and b) do it in an affordable manner: The Economics of Fashion. As we embark on a new year, I hope this helps you put up a complete and affordable wardrobe to rock 2015 in style!
Here are the 3 Principles to surviving the economically tough times of student life in style. Of course, applying these principles, playing by the Fashion Rule Book and expressing yourself are key to looking good. I mean, who doesn't want to look good. After all, look good and you'll feel good. And, in the end, who doesn't want to feel good. As Aristotle puts it, it's what we all strive for. Happiness.
So that's it for today! Let me know if this was helpful and stay tuned for next week's blog post which will look further into the application of these principles! Until then, have fun with fashion and don't forget to smile! P.S. I'll be writing more about affordable style wardrobe next week, so be sure to check in again next week for another Midweek Mode update! SC Kelvin |
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AUTHOR22-year old Fashion enthusiast. Find here ramblings about my fashion moods and occasional reflections. Categories |