Bad Boys, Updated
More of those wardrobe miscreants that initially charm, but ultimately let us down.
Bad Boys, Round 1 here.
The Bohemian*
His sensitivity and childlike, colorful nature were hard to resist. Sure, he knows the difference between kale and kohlrabi and is on a first name basis with half the musicians at Coachella, but what does he do all day? I mean, this one doesn’t go to work, doesn’t help much around the house, but admittedly does look great swanning around at the local Fair Trade Coffee House….
High Volume
Sometimes seen trading bootleg concert tracks with The Bohemian, this one’s volume goes all the way to 11. It’s fun at first, but after a while you realize you’re feeling a bit swamped and overwhelmed.
The Stiff
Not really so much a “bad boy,” as another let-down, his ordered, structured style and nod to tradition seemed like such a nice counterpoint to The Bohemian. But what began as definition begins to feel a bit stultifying and confining and it doesn’t take long to realize how boxed in you feel.
The N’er-do-Well
Second cousin to The Bohemian, he seemed so fun and lighthearted. You were on vacation, the rum drinks with the little umbrellas just kept appearing, and life beyond the next sunset seemed an ocean away. But back in the real world, this one just can’t seem to make a go of it, refusing to work with anything else in your closet, and seems destined for permanent unemployment.
How are you doing with identifying and purging the Bad Boys from your closet?
*I have nothing against Bohemian style per se, just doesn’t work with my life and style.
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So brilliantly written! Well, this is a good question, I have three new items from last year that I have never worn, I am still buying for a fantasy life and not day to day reality.
I can so relate to this post. And you’ve put it so cleverly, as usual.
I’m especially vulnerable to the vacation romance/purchase that never works with the real life wardrobe back home. I’ve also been stiffed a few times, and I have a bohemian that is hanging in my closet as we speak, still unworn.
So good! I think I’ve purged the Stiffs from my closet (they torment me more than the Bohemians ever could). I am looking at a few Cheap SOB’s though : >
High volume! I went a little wild with these, trying to hide those nasty extra pounds. It didn’t work. The are now being used as “house sweaters” useful to take the chill off, but never leaving the house.
I meant “they are now being used…”
Oh the vacation purchases…
I own a few of those “loose” cardigans and after I lost weight most had to be given away. A few cashmere beauties were kept and taken in for alterations. Now, that I found my waistline, after two years of a new eating lifestyle (health demands), I invested in a few great belts. I belt and layer these “bad boys”.
This is great! Love the creative way you presented the fashion bad boys!
Excellent and so funny yet true. I admit to being a stiff for almost as long as I can remember!
I now admit I love to throwing on the High Volume for coziness or even a walk down to the mail room!
The Bohemians do make me feel feminine at times, which is not all bad. Sooooo mostly clean lines ; however on the casual side and comfortable for me!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
So funny! Love it.
I think all of these are really good calls, and I love Boho Chic! But it’s hard to pull off (and keep the “chic” part).
For myself, I’m probably 75% classic (with a touch of pared-down Parisian), and 25% Boho Chic (on a good day) – but it takes a lot of restraint and attention to all the details (in my opinion), especially when you’re small in stature, or you look utterly overwhelmed and just plain silly… at any age.
Your bad boys posts are very entertaining!
The pants pictured in the last post really cracked me up.
Alas, I will never learn. I’m a sucker for all these styles, and it’s always a mistake.
Oh, I wasted so much time with Bohemian and High Volume! (Like Kristien62, I was trying to hide some extra pounds). I finally woke up and let them go a couple of years ago. But I replaced them with Stiffs, and I’m just now realizing that this was also a mistake.
I’m coming to realize that yes, I do prefer clean lines, but that doesn’t mean I have to wear stiff tailored clothes. I can still have the soft drape that I loved about the Bohemian stuff, as long as I keep it close to the body and avoid the busy patterns or frills.
Interesting how styles break out. The names aren’t always the same but the styles are familiar.
http://roseag-roseg.blogspot.com/
Hysterically written. Going to cull my closet with these thoughts in mind.
LOL! I am a sucker for bohemian….have to physically restrain myself from buying yet another kurta-style top. But I love them, and they are flattering! And have sleeves! I do still embrace the bohemian, but try to keep it restrained and age-appropriate. I’ve succumbed to the Cheap SOBs more times than I care to count, as well. Really trying to focus on the quality, not quantity approach, but it’s a process…..
I don´t know these bad boys mentioned above, never met them.
Instead, I have met some others, but kicked them out ; ).
High Volume actually suits me–I’m tall and slim and I get lots of compliments about my clothes. Almost every article of clothing I own is Eileen Fisher or Flax. But High Volume can be overdone; I do not wear the wraps and shawls and other garments that reach the knees . If you’re not careful with High Volume, you end up looking like Bea Arthur in an episode of ‘Maude’.
I think I knew a few of those guys in my past life! What a cute post! Enjoyed!
I am a good bad boy detector and very seldom allow one to come home with me. If I do get fooled I try a million different ways to make him work and if all fails I give him to Goodwill. When I turn around and go shopping at Goodwill I have to be ever so careful NOT to purchase any one elee’s bad boys!!!!!!!!!!
Brilliant post! I just woke up from a boho chic haze — I realized that I’d outgrown it, chronologically and aesthetically. Had a lot of bad boys hanging out in my closet, telling me to give them one last chance. That said, my style is eclectic and I do like mixing textures, high and low pieces, and adding unexpected elements; that mix, combined with high-quality basics, is my thing. If I stay too close to the basics, I feel dull to myself, so I’ve kept a couple of quirky n’er-do-well blouses to mix with my beloved black ankle pants. I think I’m starting to learn that overdone quirk isn’t working for me, but a smaller dash of quirk feels like “me” and balances out my style.
I have to echo the post above that invoked Maude. As I was editing the ruffles and drapiness in my closet, I knew exactly when an item had to go: I’d look in the mirror, raise an eyebrow, and say: “Huh. …And then, there’s Maude.”
Ha! I like The Stiff. What does that say about me?
I sure hope there will be another installment, because I continue to be mightily entertained.
I don’t have too many Bad Boys in the textile side of my closet, but shoes are a different story (and I’m not even a shoe person!). I end up walking my Trail of Busted Feet in one loser pair after another.