Goodwill Fashion Expert—Bjorn Nasett

I don’t know about you, but I like to make lists. I put together lists all year round that suit whatever I’m working on at the time. My list today is about the essential items that a good working wardrobe ought to include for the upcoming fall/winter season. These are items that you should have multiples of in most cases so you can adapt them to the layering trend that’s so prevalent in fashion these days.  But seriously, has layering ever been out? Multiple layers not only keep you toasty warm with the pendulum swing of the temperature, but they can also keep you looking smokin’ hot on the style scene to boot! Knowing what you need to own and what you lack is the key to having a successful and less stressful shopping experience. Let’s list the pieces you must have this fall and winter, and if you’re missing these important wardrobe building blocks, you know that your local Goodwill is a great place to start searching them out.

Maybe it’s because I have spent my entire life in the Midwest, maybe it’s because I like the fashion choices they provide.  Maybe it’s just because when the weather gets cold, I like having options. All right, I’m going to come clean, it’s really because I am obsessed with outerwear! There’s just nothing to me that spells out F-A-L-L like a fantastic coat or jacket. I know that most of us own serviceable coats, but every stylish guy or gal knows that where the climate is chilly it’s important to have a wide variety of coats to complement not only your fashion moods, but also the wildly changing temperatures in this part of the country. This week let’s talk about styles of coats and jackets that will help you lay a good foundation for cozy, cold-weather style.

The title of this column is a slang term from the depression era that my grandmother used to say when she really, really liked something. The phrase became popular during that downtrodden era from the lyric of the song composed by Lew Brown and Ray Henderson entitled “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries.” The song urges the listener to let go of worry and enjoy the small things in life. This pithy saying could also describe the way the fashion world really, really liked the rich fruity tones of berry for fall fashion 2013. One of the best ways to introduce some new life into your look is the strategic use of color.  Clear, bright jewel tones will always make neutrals pop, it’s a fashion fact. They can also be downright spectacular when worn in monochromatic pairings. These lyrics from the song sum it up, “So keep repeating it’s the berries, the strongest oak must fall, the sweet things in life to you were just loaned, so how can you lose what you’ve never owned?”  Let’s see how perhaps Goodwill and a sharp eye for style can let you in on fall fashion’s secret weapon … berry tones! 

Every spring/summer or fall/winter, fashion mavens around the globe are touting what’s new for that particular season. This fall we’re told that neutral is the latest and greatest, but what exactly does that mean? Let’s first define the term neutral. Neutral, by dictionary definition is an adjective used to describe a color such as white, black or gray that does not belong in the spectrum, or not strongly or strikingly colored and thus relatively inconspicuous and able to blend easily with other colors. While that’s an accurate overview, where does that leave the fashion follower? It simply means that it’s time for you to take a look at the neutral pieces in your wardrobe and see how Goodwill and some new ideas can bolster your style quotient as you dive head first into fall and winter. There are a few key pieces that you should have, and I’ll give you some tips on how to wear them. 

Whenever a sentence starts with “when I was a kid we…” you know you’re getting a little older.  But truthfully, not so many years ago, much of the fun of Halloween was in helping to put together your own special costume, wasn’t it?  Of course, even back in the “good old days” there were store bought costumes versus homemade costume debates all the time. What I remember was how fun it was to poke around in grandma’s attic, or at rummage sales my mom went to throughout the year, to pick and choose pieces that I could craft my Halloween vision with. Now, there are a lot of ways to get your Halloween party on, but Goodwill is the undisputed headquarters when it comes to creativity as well as economy. Whether you’re in the mood for a costume that’s frightening and scary, outrageous and funny, or movie star in the making, our stores literally have all the things you’ll need. With the variety of items available putting together a distinctive Halloween costume is easy, and our prices won’t leave you screaming in terror!

For those of you that read my column here last week, you’ll know that a large part of New York City’s twice yearly Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, is all about the personal style people show off out on the street. Quite honestly the sidewalk is hands down the best runway in town! I’ve always thought that what people actually wear is much more of an indicator of where fashion is going, or for that matter, precisely where it is at this moment. So, I’ve combed through my shots and pulled together some more of the good, the bad, and the questionable, as they strutted their stuff and posed for pictures. 

Each time I return from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City, I sift through all the thousands of photographs I took and look for the most interesting and wearable outfits that folks actually display at this twice-yearly fashion pow-wow, so that I can show you, dear reader, just what goes into creating a memorable and stylish ensemble. Let’s take a peek at the clothing choices some of the movers and shakers made and break down the elements into easy to swallow fashion terminology.

As you read this, I will be winding up my time spent at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City. Twice a year, fashion followers, movers, and shakers gather at Lincoln Center and around the Big Apple to see just what the world’s top fashion and accessory designers have cooked up for us to covet and possibly interpret into our own wardrobes. As I always say, not every idea is a good one, and some are just a continuation of movements that are still on the upswing. But great or terrible, these ideas on style are there to help us create our own thought process on what we like and what we don’t. All great fashion icons knew exactly what looked fabulous on them, and perhaps more importantly what didn’t! Below you’ll find a round up of the newsworthy trends that made the cut on the runways of New York Fashion Week and those that are making repeat appearances.

Is it okay to wear white clothing items post Labor Day? The origins of wearing white only in the summer were more society based than fashion obsessed. In the good old days when it seems that folks had much more decorum, class, and might I add, dignity, men and women didn’t expose much in the way of flesh in public ever - let alone during the sweltering summers. Wearing white in the hot and humid months made sense, because white linen, cotton and silk fabrics were much more breathable than the traditional winter woven such as wool. Even etiquette columnist Miss Manners, Judith Martin, says, “Not only was there no air-conditioning, but people did not go around in tee-shirts and halter tops. They wore what we would now consider fairly formal clothes.”  

As the end of summer approaches all too swiftly, its time to examine and possibly clear out the warm weather clothing from our closets, and prepare for the fall season just ahead. I know that this seems a tad premature, but now is the ideal time to try everything on and make some tough sartorial decisions. One of the first things that I do at this time of year, is carefully look at all the items I could have worn this summer, but for some reason didn’t. You know what I mean, the pieces you bought last year that you thought would work well with the wardrobe you already own but for the duration of the summer you overlooked them. If you’re like me, you probably have things that you NEVER wore this season or quite possibly the one previous! Well as they say, “use it, or lose it” and when it comes to good fashion choices it’s that simple.

Fashion trends are like the tides of the ocean. They come and go day in and day out, year after year. Some trends wash up on shore and hang around a little longer than others; while some are passing fancies swept right back out to the sea of style. I’ve composed a roundup of this year’s top back-to-school trends that are not only cool looking, but creative and practical as well. Take your kids to Goodwill with you and let them participate in the process of selecting some awesome looks that they’ll live in during another year of hitting the books!