The making of a Beauty Bundle

I am a big believer in buying what you love and wearing what you love — as often as you can! Skinny jeans? They are a no-brainer for me. It’s a shape that suits my shape and the base for many of my casual outfits.

But once I leave my comfort zone, I get nervous about trying new things. Sound familiar? This half leather/half knit taupe jacket by Per Se was a splurge for me. I tried it on, loved it, but it was a “new” color for me. I have clients who wear this color and have for years. It’s their “skinny jeans” no-brainer equivalent!

Here’s the back story: I cut off my long locks and headed toward my natural hair color a few months ago. I discovered a BIG change in my color palette and I’m still adjusting. That red hair I used to have wouldn’t have liked the yummy neutral shade of this jacket. But as time went on and I got more comfortable with my natural hair color I wanted to find the shades that supported it. This jacket offered me a new neutral to work with. I was shopping with my Bellas at the Carlisle trunk show (which also carries Per Se) and they encouraged me to go for it.

More back story: earlier in the winter I had purchased the taupe/cement colored boots by Paul Green. They seemed like a great neutral to wear with shades of gray as well as my jeans.

Within days I opened the box that had the Per Se jacket in it and it took me about a minute to realize that the boots and the jacket were a perfect pairing. I started to see a Beauty Bundle coming together!

In early spring, I found this handbag on the sale table at Nordstrom: large scale polka dots printed on a textured faux croc leather by Marc Jacobs. The colors were taupey-gray. Now I had three things that blended well in my new neutral. They wanted to play together-the jacket, the boots, and the bag. And before my eyes, a Beauty Bundle was born. I could take this bundle and pair it with jeans, a skirt, a trouser, even a dress and it would pull the whole outfit together. That’s the beauty of a Beauty Bundle. When you find three or more things that love each other and like to travel together as a team, that bundle can support many different outfits in your lifestyle.

In the outfit above, the cement colored ruched tee (by Etcetera) and my layers of silver textured chains were already in my closet. I put them with the Beauty Bundle and my jeans and I’m good to go.

And where do I go in this outfit? To the movies, to the Sonoma Square with Russ for coffee or lunch on the weekends, to a closet shopping appointment with a casual client, to lunch with girlfriends, and this summer, I’ll wear it in San Francisco when it’s freezing in July!

I like to name my Beauty Bundles. Do you have ideas for a name for this one? Do you have the makings of a Beauty Bundle in your closet? Please share!