Phoenix Wedding Photographer

The Everywoman Needs List

There are some things every woman, be they teacher or race car driver or mom or novelist or saleslady,  just needs.  A really great best friend who never puts their phone on silent.  A man, be it father/brother/husband/boyfriend/son, that thinks of her as the most wonderful girl they know.  A boss that appreciates them and makes no secret of it.  A night with nothing to do.  A personal assistant ( I said we all need it, not that we all have it!)  A trusted hair stylist.  A moment in time where you were sublimely selfish.  Yes, ladies, we’re complex animals and we have very specific needs, but universally we share a lot in this department.

I feel the exact same way about our wardrobes.  While we all have individual style, there are some universal pieces that all of us, regardless of age/race/tax bracket/size, need to have stashed in the closet.  Some women don’t figure out the list until they’re 50, but I’m going to clue you in, because you’re all my best girls and you’re all so dang cute.   Here’s your exclusive look at the JennyP Everywoman Needs List rundown.  There is more to the list, but the is the basic-bare-bones-you-need-it-now version.

Everywoman Needs:  An amazing pair of jeans.

Katharine Hepburn led us down a path of no return in the 50’s:  she wore pants in public.  Well, now in 2010 the most common article of clothing worn on a daily basis is a pair of jeans.  Dark wash, distressed, fitted, flared, whatever- we wear most of our modern lives in blue jeans.  The thing is, it’s not always easy to find a pair that you really, truly love.  It’s necessary to figure out though girls, because this one article of clothing will get you through more days than any other.  Go on a shopping trip with the sole purpose being the purchase of a pair of jeans.  Yes, you heard me–just one pair of jeans is your goal on this outing.  Try on a million pairs, get a salesgirl to help, look at all kinds of brands, and don’t be afraid to spend a little more than you would hope because once you have that one pair (you only need one!) that you’re obsessed with, you’re good to go.  You just created half the outfits you’re ever going to wear.  Bite the bullet and make the investment.  I have one, just one, pair of True Religion jeans and they were worth every cent, I wear them constantly.  You need them.

Everywoman Need:  A great nude bra.

What’s the difference between a stylist dressing you and dressing yourself?  The underwear they would have put you in.  A lot of women still haven’t realized that you can either go to the gym or you can buy the right underwear.  I choose underwear).  It starts with the bra, and many, many, many of you are walking around right now in a stretched out, fuzzy, half-fitting scrap of fabric over your lady lumps, and it’s causing you to hate your clothes, whether you realize it or not.  You need to do the following:  get into your car, head to a department store or Victoria’s Secret, tap a kind-looking saleslady on the shoulder, and let her fit you for a bra.  A nude bra.  Why nude, JennyP?  Because it works under everything, from white to sheer to colored to black.  One perfect fit nude bra can change lives.  I’ve seen it.

Everywoman Needs:  A black dress.

Let’s think of common life events:  a wedding, a funeral, a Christmas party, a dinner, a cocktail party, a birthday luncheon, a date, a church service, a fundraiser.  What can you wear to all of these and look great?  One amazing black dress.  A simple, well-cut, classic, fitted-to-your-body, black dress.  I’m telling you I bought the most perfect black dress at age 20 and I still have it in the rotation.  Not many of us can afford to buy a new dress for every single occasion, so investing in one really great black dress is the smartest thing you can do.  You will never frantically panic over what you’re wearing to the next event, because you always have that one great dress in your closet.  Go get one.  Right now.

Everywoman Needs:  A perfect white shirt.

I have variations on this one because we all do lead different lives.  For some of us, we need a perfect, fitted, white t-shirt.  For some of us we need the perfect, crisp, white, button-down.  Whichever one you are, or both, the white shirt is necessary.  It needs to be a great length, sleeves you like your arms in, and fitted to your body in the most flattering sense.  This shirt will get you through days almost as often as your perfect jeans will.  What should you wear with that skirt?–your white shirt.  What should you wear with those new pants?–your white shirt.  What should you wear with those new shorts?–your white shirt.   It’s the easiest go-to piece in your closet and a staple for every one of us ladies.  You know what I’m going to say next:  go get one, now.

Everywoman Needs:  An outfit they feel GORGEOUS in.

This one is a little more elusive and can take on many shapes, but I really feel we all need that one outfit that makes us feel hot.  It might be jeans and sexy tank top, it might be a maxi dress and sandals, or it might be the best pair of black pants known to man with your favorite top.  Whatever it is, we all need at least one.  One hanger in the closet we can pull out when we’re standing amidst all our clothes strewn on the floor hating the way every other thing looks.  One outfit that can be turned to, like an old friend, and make your body look right time and time again.  I used to have this one pair of jeans that were SO AMAZING.  I swear I was complimented every single time I put them on, and I wore them until they literally ripped to the point that they couldn’t be repaired again (BKE Starlite Jeans, 2001-2008, Beloved body transformer and friend, R.I.P.).  They were my go-to, the one thing I knew I could yank on when all my other clothes failed me.  Seek out yours and cherish it.

There are so many more things we need and want and wish we had, but I really think this list can get you through a lot of days and events and life moments. After you get these pieces, you can build your wardrobe off of them.  Every creation needs a foundation!  If all else fails, you just wear that white shirt, nude bra, and jeans everyday until an occasion comes where you then pull out the black dress.  Seriously, it could work!

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April 21, 2010 - 4:00 pm

Jennifer Thye - This is all very true Jenny! Go you for being so articulate. Want to come to my house and clean my closet????

April 19, 2010 - 10:21 am

Rebecca - LOVE this! I facebooked it in an attempt to get my sweet husband to fulfill the list. I need one of everything.

April 16, 2010 - 2:07 pm

Brenda P - I loved the title “lady lumps” and I really do need that perfect white shirt. I used to have one…don’t know what happened to it.

April 16, 2010 - 10:51 am

Erin R - Amazing again! Amen on the bra sista our last shopping trip changed my whole wardwrobe and I have always, always believed in the jeans.

April 16, 2010 - 9:33 am

kimberly bee - I have a pair of RIP jeans as well… I’ll never find another like them. That’s what happens when you shop at Ross =). I love these posts. We can all use a little JennyP fashion wisdom, but I feel especially encouraged and less victim to frumpiness after I read your FFF’s. Rock on sweet stuff!

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