One of my biggest fears when hitting the road was giving up my feminine fashion sense. I didn’t want to be that stereotyped woman RVer who wore mom-jeans with the teddy bear appliqued sweatshirt and flea market $10 tennis shoes. I didn’t want to be…*gasp*…Frump Girl.
Four years ago, I sat on the floor in my meticulously organized, walk-in closet in our 3600 hundred square foot Kentucky home sobbing uncontrollably like a little girl who lost her favorite doll. I looked up at the twenty-five pairs of dressy shoes tucked away in clear, plastic shoe boxes on the top shelf. Next to them were all of my purses and handbags lined up like little snewiers standing at attention.
I winced at my professional wear and business suits, remembering the mornings I’d put them on with those matching shoes to trek off to my corporate jobs. In one corner, hung my fancy Kentucky Derby dresses with my big hats tucked away in bulky hat boxes. In the other corner, tucked in the back, was a floor-length fabric garment bag hiding my beautiful military ball gowns. There were sparkly sequins, shiny brass buttons and metallic lacing embellishments that glistened in the light from garments on hangers that hung above me. The scent of cedar coming from the blocks filled the air as they laid near stacks of perfectly fnewed sweaters taking me back to the cnew winters we endured prior.
I pulled myself together, rose to my feet, shrugged my shoulders and said aloud, “I can do this”. I went through each item categorizing and placing each in designated piles; “sell, donate, and give away”.
After I finished, all that was left was to fit what remained into our new closet; a four foot clothes rod, three shelves and a small drawer. My evenly spaced wooden hangers were now like skeletons. My closet was now sparse, empty and sad.
Four Years and an RV Closet Later
Today, my half of our closet is much different; drastically smaller and compact. The day we moved into our 5th wheel, I sat on the bed and sobbed just as I did in our sticks and bricks home and said again, “I can do this”.
I soon realized that living in an RV didn’t mean that I had to sacrifice my sense of fashion.
So, while I’m no Vera Wang, I can still help you look and feel like a thousand bucks, while walking down the street singing “Pretty Woman” to yourself.
Your Wardrobe Foundation:
Bottoms
(Slacks, skirts, shorts, leggings and crops) My philosophy is stick to neutral colors; blacks, denim blues, navy blues, light and dark browns and navy. For the warmer seasons, whites or off whites are okay, but again, keep them simple and carefree. Go ahead and splurge on your most favorite jeans because, no doubt, you’ll be wearing these the most. Buy good quality bottoms because you’ll be wearing them often since you’ll only have a few. Avoid embellishments and colored buttons. Buy nothing that requires dry cleaning.
Tops
(Blouses, tees, tanks, pullovers, etc.) Here’s where you can play with a little color. However, keep most in solid colors such as reds, blues, yellows, pinks, greens, etc. A few prints are fine. However, keep in mind that RV clothing storage is a premium. A simple white blouse, a black dressy tee and a variety of solid color tank tops to wear under wraps, sweaters and open-front blouses can be dressed up with scarves and jewelry. Select fabrics that are wrinkle free and don’t require extensive care or dry cleaning.
Jackets & Sweaters
A good rule of thumb to remember is thick garments like bulky sweaters take up space. Would you rather have one big bulky sweater or three lighter weight wraps or cardigans in different colors? Keep in mind the seasons and varying temperatures of your travel destinations. Instead of buying specific seasonal clothing, buy lighter weight clothing and layer. You can do so much with a couple of open-front sweaters or shells, a faux leather jacket, a boyfriend blazer and a denim jacket.
Shoes
Keep your shoe colors neutral such as black, navy, white/off-white, and a khaki color. You’re probably thinking, “Good grief, how boring!” However, you’ll want people to look at your beautiful smile and not your feet. Since flip flops are really lightweight and take up very little space, go ahead and treat yourself to a few nice pairs. I go for the Yellow Box and Crocs.
(Tip: Colorful nail polish is much cheaper and takes up far less space than a pair of colorful open-toed shoes. Treat yourself to a pedicure rather than shoes you may only wear a few times. Show off your tootsies and toe rings!)
Accessories
Scarves
They are all the rage! Scarves are multi-functional, popular, vibrant and just plain cool. A simple scarf added to the wardrobe foundation mentioned above, will brighten up any outfit. Scarves take up no more room than the hangar that hnews the tops they coordinate with. They can be used as neck wraps, head wraps, belts and body shawls. They can also be tied onto a handbag. You can wear them long or as cowls. If they are thin, try wearing two together. Go for pretty prints, bnew stripes, striking chevrons, fringes, pompoms, etc. This is where you can have the most fun. Go bnew, bright, and sassy!
Purses & Pocketbooks, Wallets & Wristlets
Purses are another part of your fashion foundation. Again, because you are limited on storage space, keep your handbags in neutral colors. Score some cross-body bags to allow your hands to be free to hnew your beverage, eat on the street, take photos, or use your phone. Save your big bags for your all day outings to keep in your vehicle but take your little wristlets or cross-body for sightseeing.
Jewelry
Bring on the bling! Jewelry can help you go from frump girl to fashionista in seconds. Your jewelry defines you, whether it’s sparkly bling, brushed metals or leather. Jewelry is fairly small, so it’s easy to store. Costume jewelry is fairly inexpensive, so if you want to match it to an outfit, go right ahead! It’s affordable too! In fact, the more, the merrier. You can have a lot of fun with coordinating your jewelry to your outfits. Choose silvers, gnews, pewters, etc. for your earrings, chains and bracelets. Add a little color with a few baubles, brooches and bangles. Don’t be afraid to show your sparkle! Since you don’t have a lot of space for souvenirs, buying locally made jewelry surely makes up for it.
(JEWELRY TIP – Did you know that turquoise or turquoise-colored jewelry can be worn by any woman of any age, skin type and color, size and shape? Try it! You’ll look fab!
One Shirt In, One Shirt Out
I hope this proves that living in an RV doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice fashion. RVing doesn’t have to be just jeans, tee shirts and sweatshirts. Go ahead and dress up for your outings. Oh, and guys, if you are reading this, you can apply the same concepts to your wardrobe too. You can be fashionable too!
When you live in an RV (or boat), your wardrobe will rotate more often than when you lived in your sticks and bricks. Because you don’t have the space to keep everything you want, you’ll need to abide by the concept “one new shirt in, one new shirt out” rule. Shopping at places like TJMaxx, Ross Dress for Less, Marshall’s, and other discount clothing stores won’t leave you as emotional about ditching your newer clothes because they won’t cost as much.
The most important thing you can wear that doesn’t cost a thing is your SMILE! Regardless if you’re wearing hikers or heels, smiles never go out of style!
