thoughts on French Five + MK's Picks

Happy Friday guys!  So excited we made it to the weekend!  I've got my picks for the my fall French Five below, and hope you've enjoyed seeing the picks of everyone this week.  It's been fun making a little fall list of a few things to add to the closet.  My picks plus sources below....

the French Five | Sara Mueller

Next up in our French Five, the selections of Sara Mueller of A Dose of Pretty.  Her blog does just that, provides a nice little dose of pretty things.  Whether it's simple photos from her weeks around town, travels or style Sara's photos are gorgeous!

the French Five | Victoria McGinley

Today we're sharing the French Five Fall selections from Victoria of Victoria McGinley Blog.  She's the brains behind this successful site design and consulting business and a super talented chef.  Glance quickly through her recipes you'll see what I mean.

A few thoughts from Victoria on her picks... 

the French Five | Lauren Lail

Next up we have the French Five Fall selections of Lauren Lail, owner of Library by Lauren Lail.  Lauren isn't technically a blogger like the rest of the French Five selections we've been sharing, but we LOVE Lauren's style.  She has a perfect "not trying to hard, but always in style" look.  Lauren is owner and curator of Library, a collection of vintage finds that she shows off online and in her Charleston studio at 1630-1 Meeting Street.  You can check out all of her finds on her online boutique here, and the five pieces she's loving for fall are below!

More from Lauren on her picks below....

the French Five | Julia Ryan

Today we're sharing Julia Ryan's French Five fall picks.  I love Julia's style - she always looks current and fresh, but her look is timeless and classy which is really my all time favorite.  Plus, she has two young children so her picks are practical for day to day life as a mom, a mom that wants to look really cute too! :)

From Julia on her picks...

the French Five | Molly Miller

Next we're sharing the French Five picks from the lovely Molly of A Piece of Toast!  Pretty much Molly can do no wrong when it comes to style, and she has a way of making the most unusual pieces seem like they need to be closet staples.  I'm absolutely in love with all of her picks (and wish I could afford them! :)  They're perfect inspiration for any fall wardrobe.  Enjoy!



More from Molly on her Five Fall picks of 2014:

the French Five | Heath's picks

We have a really fun week lined up guys!  You may remember we laid out the concept and talked about our love of the French Five way of shopping here, and shared our five picks for this past Spring here.  We've sorta been following this method for our shopping this year, and honestly I'm loving it!  This week, we're showing off the French Five Fall picks of some our favorite bloggers too.  We'll start with Heath's picks today, and end with my five picks later this week, and in between we'll be sharing a handful of bloggers' (who are way more stylish than us!!) picks along the way.  I'm really excited.  We have a good lineup and I pretty much have wanted to copy the picks from everyone else as I see them!  First up, we're sharing Heath's picks below! 

More from Heath on her picks below...

Floral Neoprene

 

Are you guys seeing the floral trend and neoprene (wetsuit material) everywhere these days?  You may remember this skirt (and these shoes and chambray top) were part of my 5 new picks for spring.  I did end up getting the skirt, shoes and top this season and I've been wearing them seriously non stop ever since!  The neoprene material is super comfortable and easy to wear.  I've been pairing it with denim and sandals for a more casual look, and I've paired it with this top and heels for a work event and baby shower.

If you like this skirt, the dress version is on sale right now for $90!!  This is another option from Nordstrom, and this version is on sale at Bloomgdales too. 

~Mary Keller

p.s. more florals in Heath's romper round up.

Images by Heath :)

My Five

 

Do you guys remember a few months back when Heath said she wanted to start implementing the French Five in her closet?  Basically the idea is that you purchase only 5 items each season (only two seasons - warm & cool) and you keep up with your basics throughout the year.  I'm wanting to do some version of this French Five myself.  I think it's the perfect way to limit your shopping, but encourages you to pick a few fresh things each season.  I think it's so funny looking at our picks.  My picks are a little more girly, pastel and safe, and Heath's are black and camel (her favorites) and of course lots of handbags (her other favorite).

Heath's Picks:
a silk pleated maxi dress, super cute sandals, a cute clutch or handbag, and a fresh embroidered top from Mango.

MK's Picks:
a fresh pair of sneakers, an everyday denim shirt, a flirty floral skirt, a tunic and neutral gladiator sandals. 

So, what do you guy think about it?  What would your picks by?  I'm really curious.  Do you think five new items for spring/summer and five new items for fall/winter is a lot?  Do you buy way more than five per season?  I'd really love to hear because I'm curious what the norm is.  I don't think I shop a lot but when you really sit down to pick out your five for the season, it's really tough.  I realized it's hard to just pick 5, especially when you count shoes and handbags.  And jewelry, well that's a whole other thing.  Do you have any other tips or rules of thumb you consider for shopping?

~Mary Keller

French 5

A few weeks ago in my resolutions for 2014 I mentioned that I’d like to get my wardrobe in better shape with basics so I can implement the “French 5” concept of shopping going forward.  So now let’s talk about this concept a little more.  The concept of the French 5 is simple - it's based on the classically minimal French style of dressing, with the goal being to limit your purchases to 5 purchases per season.  Think quality over quantity.

I’ve noticed that I’m drawn to a more simple sense of style. Take these images for example; there is nothing that jumps out at you about these women, no major statements being made with trends etc., but they both appear super stylish (at least to me!).  So in an effort to keep my attention (and dollars) focused on things like traveling and saving for a house I decided to get my wardrobe up to date with the basics and give this French 5 a whirl.  So here are the French 5 rules…

 First and most important - only FIVE new pieces per season allowed (I’m going with 2 seasons (warm and cool) so 10 items per year. Many would debate 4 seasons but for now I'm sticking with 2.)

 Second - basics and delicates do NOT count in your five (unless they are overly expensive)

Third - handbags and shoes DO count

Last - accessories don’t count (I’m still fine tuning this rule because it could easily get out of hand)

So here are what I consider my classic basics… some I own and some I’m on the hunt for… 

Note - these basics are probably similar for everyone but not necessarily the exact same.  I’ve seen some using a smaller list than this but I just don’t see how. Maybe I’ll try to reevaluate one more time before nailing it down.

I'm excited to give this a try!  I think it will simplify not only my day to day dressing but the entire process of shopping as well. What do you think?  Do you think if you were up to date with all of these basics, you could limit yourself to just 5 pieces per season? 

- Heath

top images unknown and via Mangoandsalt.com