The 80% Outfit

Think of it as the making of a really good PB&J.

Think of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s already complete, right? Bread, peanut butter, jelly. Simple components coming together to create something comforting, satisfying, and good.

But there was a little sandwich shop in Greenwich Village my family used to go to called Peanut Butter & Co. (You can still find their peanut butter in some grocery stores.) They made combinations like The Elvis, with peanut butter, sliced bananas, honey, and, if you wanted, crispy bacon on grilled bread. Or the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, with cinnamon raisin peanut butter, vanilla cream cheese (kinda like Fluff), and crisp apple slices.

None of those sandwiches needed the extra ingredients. A classic PB&J is already finished. But those little additions transformed something familiar into something more memorable. They weren't for everyone (lol, the store closed), but they had personality.

Naturally, these sandwiches are a metaphor for outfits!

A lot of people think, "Top, bottoms, shoes," and once they've got those on, the outfit feels complete. But just because something is complete doesn't mean it's well executed. If you ever had the misfortune of taking calculus, you know that.

But if your goal is to create an interesting, original, personal outfit, those baseline components only get you about 80% of the way there.

I think of this as the 80% Outfit. The final 20% is up to you and your personal taste. That could mean:

Simple joojing. A thoughtful cuff of the sleeve. A more intentional shirt tuck. Nothing's really been added, but each element is given a little more thought.

Proof of concept! The cuffed sleeves and tucked tee (revealing my hip adornment!) give the outfit so much more character without adding anything new. Kule shirt (I really love when the buttons on a colored button-down coordinate! This is a great alt option), vintage Free People white tank from NEVERWORNS! event, REYÈM pants, K. Jacques sandals ← new on TRR!, vintage necklaces and belt

Layering. That doesn’t necessarily mean piling on a ton of clothes. It could be something as simple as:

Pants under your dress.

By adding pants under my dress, the outfit feels much more intentional, with the visual weight spread more evenly from head to toe. (I wrote a whole heck of a lot more about that here). Vintage Valentino dress (similar new, similar new, similar secondhand), Rosie Assoulin x Target pants, vintage Bally shoes, vintage and Tohum necklaces

Or doubling up your tees or tanks. I love how stylist Kelly Klein used this technique to make even her hiking outfits (couldn't be me) more interesting in her Colorado dressing post from a couple of weeks ago.

The layered red tank makes the outfit look more considered, adding depth and contrast without adding much at all. Flore Flore tanks

Purposeful swaps. Consider which silhouette you are from my Silhouette System®! Are you a Cypress wearing head-to-toe white? Try mixing up the textures and styling to make the outfit more dynamic.

A few thoughtful additions (and cuffs and tucks) make the outfit feel much more personalized. Levi’s jeans, ATM tee, Shop-Pêche shoes (similar, which I actually adore), Jenny Bird necklace (similar). Added on right: vintage Anne Fontaine lace shirt around waist, BPCR bangle, vintage necklace, Jimmy Fairly sunglasses for some contrast and genre-mixing!

Or, if you're wearing your very Evergreen full skirt, swap the ballet flat for a tall boot and really lean into the drama on the bottom.

There's nothing wrong with the look on the left. In fact, I really like it! But if we're talking about taking an outfit from 80% to 100%, the right feels so much more personal, no? Left: Rosie Assoulin x Target skirt with vintage Free People tank (this Flore Flore one is similar shape), Los Angeles Apparel jelly shoes, vintage red beads; Right: swapped to Dries Van Noten riding boots (👀 on these), Sézane shirt around waist, and Machete pendant necklace

Or trade your Palm-esque everyday denim cutoffs for something that leans into genre-mixing.

Pucci halter, Levi’s cut-offs, Ballerette flats

Don’t get me wrong, I love this outfit. But it’s really only an 80% outfit. Might I suggest swapping the denim cut-offs for tiny track shorts?

Swapped the denim cut-offs for my trusty Adidas track shorts <3 Tiny track shorts forever!

Now that's giving 100%.

Thoughtful additions. Add a belt for interest. Bracelets on both wrists for drama. A headscarf for personality. Even something tiny can completely change the feel of an outfit.

Your outfit really just needs that sliced banana and drizzle of honey, honey! ;)

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Six or seven years ago I got ceramics from Jono Pandolfi, and to this day they are probably some of my most favorite homewear things I own. I recently visited his website, which is so fun to shop. It’s like a ceramic candy store.

via Instagram

That’s it for this week! Have a great weekend and don’t forget to give it 100%!!!

xo,

Eliz