From luxury retailers to fast fashion, the fashion industry’s main concern is getting to the next trend and getting consumers to buy into it. Creating needs instead of producing items consumers actually need. I launched Senza Tempo, an accessible luxury women’s clothing line, because I couldn’t find a simple, well-made, black A-line skirt — a style that’s never really out of style.

Globalization accelerated the retail life cycle and ultimately created a vicious circle that’s wreaking havoc on retailers bottom-lines (it’s no secret the fashion industry in crisis) and the environment (most don’t realize that the fashion industry is the second dirtiest industry behind big oil and rife with labor abuses.) We live in a world of short-lived micro-trends brought about by the collapse in trade barriers in the late 90s. Manufacturing was outsourced to the lowest bidder and the overall quality of our clothing declined along with prices. Clothing is cheaper than it was 20 years ago, but there’s a cost in terms of its impact on the environment and the human condition.

Ethical, organic, sustainable, fair trade — they are all great buzzwords, but if consumers really want to shop responsibly then they need to shop mindfully. In order for fashion to be truly sustainable, we must slow down. Fashion companies need to get back to basics and produce fashionable high quality, versatile wardrobe essentials. The market is missing a brand that makes garments that are meant to be worn repeatedly and last for years. Consumers need to buy less and buy better.

In order to buy less, every garment you own needs to be truly versatile. Versatility starts with the design and ends with the fabric. The designs must have clean lines and classic silhouettes. Three timeless silhouettes anchor Senza Tempo’s collection: the hourglass, shift and A-line trapeze. The shapes flatter a wide range of body types and personal styles — and they are always available. We also keep our designs deliberately simple with clean lines and European style tailoring

If you inventory your closet and identify the items you’ve worn the most, I’m willing to bet there’s an inverse relationship between the number of times an item was worn and how ornate it is.

Fabric is the second aspect that determines a garment’s versatility. At Senza Tempo, we use only the finest natural fabrics, and line all of our garments in silk. Using silk linings is common in high-end ready-to-wear, but less so at the advanced contemporary price point. Silk linings are a luxury and necessity in our view. Silk is breathable and adjusts to your body temperature — cooling you in the summer and warming you in the winter. It isn’t necessarily the wool that makes a suit or dress unbearable during the warmer months, but the fact that it’s lined in acetate, which is a plastic derivative. The one detail helps a garment better span the seasons, thus increase its wearablity. The seasons are blending, unseasonably hot or cold temperatures are the norm no matter where you live, yet most retailers continue to produce highly season specific garments.

Buying better quality items isn’t about the label, but the design, fabrication and construction. Details like interfacing around the neckline or armholes, which give it a clean finish, are skipped since the consumer can’t see them. All the consumer sees is the label. Most garment workers are paid based on the number of garments they complete in an hour. The factory where our garments are made in downtown Los Angeles, which has some of the strictest labor laws in the world, are paid by the number of hours it takes to make a garment. Whether I produce 12 or 1200 Jackie dresses my cost of labor is the same. Volume doesn’t change the fact that this dress takes approximately 11 hours to create. If volume is the goal, then quality will never be a priority.

Versatile items in classic styles that are fashionable season after season — that’s what’s sustainable.  High-quality garments made by people paid a living wage — that’s what’s sustainable.   At Senza Tempo, we’re doing both.

Why is it that the most common advice out there on how to take an outfit from day to night is to simply swap my work-bag for a sparkly clutch or heels?  It’s a great idea in theory, but in all my years in the corporate world I never once changed into sparkly heels or carried an extra clutch bag. And I certainly wasn’t going to leave my workbag at the office.

Before launching Senza Tempo I worked long hours in investment management and on a trading desk on Wall Street. If I had a date or met friends after work, I went in whatever I wore to the office. Most of the time I was lucky to get out of the office on time and not miss dinner or drinks. I carried two cell phones and living in New York City there was always a pair of flats in my bag — I didn’t have the room to carry additional evening accessories.

When trying to make an outfit work from day to night, it’s more realistic to choose a dress or outfit that simply works for both. Choose a dress with a fabric that has a little sheen to it, or a style that is a little more festive. Our Carmel and Lawson day are made with a black silk wool strikes that perfect balance. The silk elevates the wool and gives it just the right amount sheen — it’s on the dressy side, but doesn’t look out of place in an office environment. The key to having an outfit that works for the office or out to dinner is wearing something where the style is simple made with a fabric that works for day or night.

In New York City there’s a distinct difference (sometimes real, sometimes perceived) between how someone who lives Uptown dresses versus someone who lives Downtown. Uptown style is generally classic, polished and sometimes conservative. While Downtown style is a bit more casual, hip and edgy. Uptown women usually wear designer names with matching accessories, while Downtown women wear a mix of designer, vintage or smaller brands in order to create a look all their own.

As Michael Pollak wrote in the New York Times: “Uptown style means having your collar starched, while downtown indulges in the wrinkles. The habitants can wear the exact same labels and yet create two completely different looks.”  New York women who work on Wall Street or at a law firm may have a Downtown style, but office dress code is typically a bit more Uptown and leaves little room for sartorial self-expression.  New York women, regardless of where they live, make looking totally pulled together completely effortless.

How to dress like a New Yorker

Dress for comfort, but add a little pizzazz.

Embrace neutrals.

Have a style that is all your own.

Neutrals are key to building a mindful closet, but adding statement jewelry and colorful accessories are the easiest ways to personalize a simple navy shift dress or black skirt. Our English Garden scarf, with it’s oversized dimensions adds a pop of color and will keep you warm in a drafty office. New York women are always ready for anything.  You’ll never meet a New York woman who doesn’t have a pair of flats in her bag. Whether they live on the Upper East Side or Tribeca, New York women always have a style all their own.

It seems everywhere you turn someone is raving about the KonMari Method and the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The question of whether an item sparks joy, especially for fashion lovers, is a loaded question. While I’m a fan of decluttering, trimming my wardrobe is tough.  I love fashion (obviously).  An interesting cut or beautiful, bold print could be the feature that brings you joy — even if you only wear it once or twice a year.  What I did notice when I started Marie Kondo’s approach to cleaning was the amount of overlap I had in my closet, but few simple basics that would work across the seasons and in different environments.  For me, wardrobe basics go beyond tees and khakis.   I have close to thirty black dresses, but few truly simple dresses I could style in a way that would work for a business meeting in New York or dinner in Los Angeles.  The easiest way to clean out your closet is to only buy truly versatile pieces so that you need less.

The Senza Tempo approach to cleaning out your closet

Does the item spark joy?

Is it versatile?

Is it well made and will it last?

What constitutes a wardrobe basic varies widely.  It depends on your personal style, where you are from and what you do for a living. Southern women can’t live without the perfect selection of colorful skirts and dresses, while a New Yorker can’t live without a wide selection of black basics.  Regardless of your personal style, wardrobe basics need to have clean, simple lines in order to be truly versatile.  Details and embellishments reduce an items versatility.  The fabric is another factor to consider.  Far too much of my wardrobe is highly season specific.  The items that are a lighter weight wool gabardine or wool crepe are lined with acetate, which is like lining a garment in plastic.  My lightweight wool shift dress is completely unwearable come July and August because the lining is suffocating.

I founded Senza Tempo because I felt there needed to be a brand making high quality, upscale, versatile wardrobe basics. We line our garments in silk, not only because that’s what luxury ready-to-wear brands do, but also because it’s practical.  Silk is breathable and extends the wearability of a garment as a result.  We hope our garments always spark joy not only for their beauty, but for their quality and versatility.