FASHION : Simple Wardrobe, Fuller Life : Author advises people to spend their time on more rewarding activities than fussing over what to wear.
If you have a closet full of clothes and complain that you have nothing to wear, you might want to talk to Santa Barbara author Elaine St. James. She’ll have your closet so pared down you could stash your exercise bike in there and still have room to maneuver.
St. James’ “Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter,” has been a Book of the Month Club selection and landed her an appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s TV show.
Several years ago, St. James began to simply her own life.
“I was getting ready to go into the grocery store one day and happened to see the woman in the next car lift out this huge purse, which she pulled over her shoulder,” St. James said. “I realized she was going to spend 40 minutes walking around with that big, huge bag on her shoulder, come to the checkout counter, take out a single check and come back to the car carrying that huge bag.
“So I went home and took everything out of my bag, put it on the dining room table and said, ‘OK, what have I actually used in the past week.’ ”
She eliminated everything except a couple of blank checks, her driver’s license, a pen, credit card, library card and lipstick. She jokingly wrote “Gucci” on a wide rubber band, wrapped it around everything except the lipstick and stuffed it in one pocket. The lipstick went in the other one.
“I’ve traveled all around the world with just that,” she said, adding that she can travel for a month with just a weekender bag.
How did she find the right pared-down wardrobe?
“I had been kind of sly and unobtrusively interviewing salespeople in fashion departments up and down the coast when, one day in Nordstrom in Santa Barbara, I met this person in the Collector’s Department,” she said. The woman, who worked at the store, had a put-together look and was willing to spend time putting St. James’ look together.
“When I started looking for my simple outfit, I was looking for a pantsuit because I thought I didn’t look good in dresses,” she said. As it turned out, a dress in her closet and the jacket and skirt she’d worn for years were exactly the look she ended up with. She advises people to get rid of all those clothes that don’t work.
St. James’ own wardrobe now comes in black, white and gray and consists of two interchangeable jackets and skirts, two pairs of black shoes, one pair of pearl earrings and no purse. She evaluates her needs according to how she spends her time.
As a working writer with days of solitude at her computer, she decided comfort was a priority. For someone working five days a week in an office setting, dressier outfits would be more appropriate.
“I can sit for weeks and never see another soul, but I am doing a lot of public appearances now and want to project a simple image. Then I might want to meet a friend for lunch and don’t want to wear sweats or my speaking engagement outfits,” she said. “So the key for women (is) to figure out what you really need clothes for.”
After scouting around, she found a DKNY sweat outfit she fell in love with, and bought three sets in black, dark gray and light gray. For speaking tours, she settled on two Donna Karan jackets and skirts that are interchangeable but not identical.
“They nip in at the waist and the long skirt gives me a longer, thinner look I was looking for but couldn’t achieve with pants because I’m long waisted. I have dressy black flats for the speaking outfit and black and white sneakers with big white laces for the sweat outfit,” she said.
For casual lunches with friends, she throws on a simple, black V-neck sweater over either skirt and is ready to socialize.
Her clothes are also low maintenance. She isn’t sure where her iron is, and rarely visits the local dry cleaners.
The sweats are cotton, cut generously with the requisite pockets. The material is a kind of flannel, something she calls “duck fur” that holds its shape, looks good and tumbles out of the washer practically dry.
For St. James, the decision to unclutter her life came from a desire to have more time to do things that really mattered. Simplifying has given her the freedom to just get up and go with her husband, Tony Gibbs, an editor for Islands magazine. And to have time for herself.
It also gave her a whole new career: writing books on uncluttering her life. And she even ended up with the time to finish her second book, “Inner Simplicity: 100 Ways to Nourish Your Soul,” due out this spring.
Look for it at your local bookstore, right after you clean out your closet.
