Hello All-

Next Tuesday, I am starting a new job! I am so excited about this career opportunity- the people are great, the size of the organization is just right and the challenges are exactly in areas where I would like to learn and grow.

While I am gearing up to dive into this new role, I thought I would reflect on my style goals and share the first week's outfits which I have planned out.

My style goals were to:

1) practice 1 in/1 out
2) Reduce the size of my wardrobe by 10%
3) Experiment with trends and new looks.

With help from Angie, I have had a radical style transformation. I have reduced the size of my wardrobe by 50% to less than 120 items, not including t-shirts, pajamas or exercise clothes. I have also been religious about practicing 1 in/1 out. And I do the 1 in/1 out on my new reduced wardrobe, not just replacing the purged stuff. I also have several trendy and current items which I am playing around with. My style and closet has changed so radically that I think it is appropriate to set new style goals for 2014. They are:

1) Continue 1 in/1 out. The only exception are shoes which I do practice 1 in/ 1 out on but the ones taken out go into a holding zone rather than to the donate pile. Comfortable shoes are hard to come by, so I would rather save than purge them. However, the number of shoes in rotation will remain constant.

2) Reduce the number of packages to the house from online shopping. The breaking down of boxes before recycle day has become a ritual at our house and I'm tired of it. I'm also tired of making trips to the mall just to return stuff. My goal is the get less packages. That might mean ordering more at one time (although that can backfire from places like Nordstrom) or more importantly, buying more in store. Many stores have a shop online and reserve or pick up in store and I want to use this more. I also am willing to drive 10-15 miles out of my way to pick up something at a local store rather than get another package. I guess I should have a more measurable package reduction goal than "less" but I have no idea what the baseline is, so I'm just going to go with Less.

3) Plan my work outfits in advance. The mornings are busy and I sometimes have a tendency to grab the same known workhorses rather than mixing it up with more interesting stuff. My goal is to plan my work outfits in advance so I can try new pairings and make sure I am using all the clothes I have.

Ok, I put it out there.

If you're still reading, I would love feedback on my outfits for the first week! I start on Tuesday so it is a four day week. I work in the tech industry in a role that has both technical and business responsibilities. There are very few women on the technical side and most people are super casual. Being one of few women and far enough along in my career, I wear what I want. Of course office appropriate, but I don't try to fit in. Rather I embrace that I like dressy looks, eye-catching colors and skirts and dresses. I'll start off fairly conservative (for me) but once I get established, I will wear more fashion forward looks.

On to the outfits.
Tuesday: A classic black and white palette with a pop of red. This is the First Day Outfit.
Wednesday: Ankle pants with ankle straps!
Thursday: Jade pencil skirt with white loafers. I have a lot of colored bottoms, so this is a well used formula for me.
Friday: My new favorites- white jeans. This outfit is inspired by Angie's white and blush outfit last week.

I will wear a topper or coat everyday and will be wearing hunter boots or slip-on sneakers for the commute depending on the weather.

Looking forward to your thoughts!