thoughtful style: Amy Smilovic
the Tibi founder’s ‘creative pragmatist’ approach to getting dressed is insanely good
In a world full of people whose closets don’t reflect reality, Amy Smilovic’s declaration of being a ‘creative pragmatist’ is a welcome change to the never ending conversation about getting dressed. The founder of ready to wear line Tibi, one need not look further than a few previous runway collections to get an idea of what a creative pragmatist looks like. Founded in 1997, Tibi’s original run of products looked starkly different than their line does today (think bright patterns on shift dresses). Amy has been open about the fact that the line was a reflection of what the market wanted and not really what she believed in. But she decided to bet on herself and her cool, effortless style ethos and Tibi is still standing while countless other mid range luxury fashion brands have come and gone. The line itself is incredibly wearable and is seasonless in terms of trends. I would even make the argument that Tibi is the working girl’s answer to those other, pricier nondescript brands like Celine and The Row without having to sacrifice quality. The result is a brand that many women return to season after season because they’re almost guaranteed to find something they like that will already work with their existing wardrobes.
On Amy’s Instagram page, she routinely styles Tibi pieces from many seasons ago and doesn’t make it a point to emphasize newness (and as someone whose job it is to create new collections, she could make the case for styling new pieces a lot more than she does). All of this combined with her (dare I say) cerebral methods for getting dressed make her a constant fashion fixture for an overthinker like myself. (If you think that’s an exaggeration, take a look at her Substack article about holiday dressing.)
I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people suffer from the first world problem of having a ton of clothes but nothing to wear. If that’s you, folks like Amy are the answer to your problems. She routinely posts herself coming up with a calculated set of clothes for travel, day to night scenarios, and cool hacks like how to turn your sweater into a scarf without looking like a crazy person.
As someone who has a very rigid standard for the things I bring into my closet at this stage of my life, Amy is a woman after my own heart. I don’t think we have identical mantras but there is definitely some overlap and I can always admire a woman who is calculated about her wardrobe. For example, one of my own rules is that if possible, do not buy anything that can’t be worn at least 2 out of 4 seasons. There’s some things like shorts and sandals that are specific to summer but even then I could make an exception out of those things if I wanted to. I could wear my culottes (never was a Daisy Duke gal) with over the knee boots and I could wear my strappy sandals with colorful tights if I was truly committed to maximizing their usefulness. A button up tied around the waist during high summer gives my outfit some more dimension and also doubles as a cover up for the frigid AC units in every indoor space during that time of year.
And if your eyes are glazing over at this point, just remember that necessity breeds invention. If you simply just buy a ton of everything, you’ll never refine your eye and become centered in your taste. And as we have seen, a packed closet doesn’t mean an outfit for all occasions.
And just for good measure, here are some of my picks for items that are workhorses in my closet along with some little blurbs about how I maximize their usefulness. You’ll notice that there’s some repeats in here from the holiday gift guide and that’s because I like to convey different use cases for the stuff we own.
Happy shopping!
Item must have: fitted white tees
I swear by a pack of Hanes crewneck tees and you can dress them up for a semi casual outing. The base of my outfit would stay the same but I would switch up the shoe depending on the season. Throw on a coat/light jacket/opened button up shirt and head out the door.
Item must have: stylish denim shirt
I think a denim/chambray shirt is such a life hack. You look instantly chic as soon as you throw it on. I’m having a 70s moment right now so bonus points for a pussybow embellishment as seen above. For me, I would do an elevated Canadian tuxedo moment with matching denim pants and lean into the 70s vibe with my accessories.
Item must have: the leather skirt
I’m thinking ‘holiday parties’ with this medley. I’m not one to take holiday dressing literally (i.e. cheesy Xmas sweaters) because then I can only relegate myself to wearing it once per year. This is my way to be festive with pieces that I can break up separately and wear all year round. If you have to wear something that is literally Xmas themed, I would skirt around that with a small, noncommittal item I can bust out every year like some reindeer antlers on a headband.
Final thoughts
And as with everything you will see on this platform, nothing and no one on here is intended to be a blind copy and paste situation. The point is to get inspired by what you see and to find ways to incorporate it into the life that you live. Amy wears a lot of androgynous items for example (blazers, button ups, pull over sweaters, etc) but you don’t have to if that’s not your vibe. The approach to getting dressed is the most important takeaway here. I think in the last few years, society has sort of moved away from looking at our clothes as workhorses in our lives. We place more emphasis on the items that are meant to be stowed away for a special occasion, that need to be zipped up tight in a garment bag and that really bleed us dry when we calculate the cost per wear. What I like about Amy Smilovic (and hopefully what you take away from her) is how to build out a closet that actually puts in work and supports you throughout your day to day life.
TL:DR: Amy Smilovic’s approach to getting dressed reflects how we should dissect our wardrobes if we want clothes that will truly go the distance in our lives
-xoxo Jenn
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