WWJD (i.e., What Would Jackie Do?)

Most of the time, I consider myself to be a pretty classic girl - you know, White Gloves and Party Manners. However, there are times when I succumb to the pull of trendier clothing items that I KNOW I will end up getting rid of in a year. While sometimes that's ok (see, e.g., the darling Dalmation print ballet flats I bought last year - STILL love them), I really do have to restrain myself on occasion. I have found that when I am struggling to fight the allure of items that are on the funkier side, I have only to ask myself one question to rein myself back in. WWJD? No, not that "J." I'm talking about this one:

While Mrs. Kennedy's (I'm not even going to address the Onassis period - I'm not a fan of oversized sunglasses) political views were quite different from mine, her sense of style was simply beyond reproach, in my opinion. There are so many occasions when I have been standing in a store, trendy sweater in hand, asked myself if it's something I could picture Jackie Kennedy wearing, and put it back. I have never regretted those decisions. I HAVE, on the other hand, regretted those rash moments where I have ignored the WWJD litmus test and thrown caution to the wind. I always end up looking silly in those purchases, and wishing I had left them in the store. It's not that they aren't darling. It's that they look ridiculous on me.

Now, lest you think that I am running around Target in a little black dress and pearls, have no fear! Jacqueline Kennedy could look just as fabulous in a casual sweater as she could in a ballgown . . . It's just all in the sweaters she chose. For me, determining which sweaters fall into the "yes" category and which ones fall into the "Um, no" category is the tough part. In addition to the challenge of determining what is cute and classy, and what is destined for the donation box, there is also a fine line between "classic" and "frumpy." (Talbots, in my opinion, often loses sight of that line). I want my clothes to be classic, not matronly, and I want just enough trendiness in there so that I don't look dated. It's complicated. Allow me to demonstrate:

Something like this little Lilly number I tried on this weekend would be a clear "yes, please!"

As would this sweet sweater from J.Crew:

Whereas this would be a definite, "no, thank you" (as an aside, what is UP with all the ruffled and bow blouses this season? I feel like I'm watching "Tootsie" when I flip through magazines. Ick.)

OK, so clearly I would probably never even pick up the turquoise number and have to make the WWJD assessment, but I'm exaggerating to prove a point. Really, for me, if comes down to making sure that I keep myself more on the Charlotte York end of the spectrum, and less on the Carrie Bradshaw end. (Because somehow I'm guessing that Jackie Kennedy wouldn't have walked around Washington in a tutu with a giant flower pin. I'm just saying).

Am I the only one who does this?