Without much further ado, here’s what’s been going on in my head in the past few months:

1. The Move

As you probably know, 2 summers ago my family had moved from England to Germany. End-to-end and life/wardrobe-wise this meant:

• selling the old house (reducing the wardrobe in the process of staging the house),
• packing (reducing even further)
• moving to a different climate and changed lifestyle (casual, with no office job and dressing norms to adhere to),
• living in a small apartment for 2 years while overseeing the building of the new house (only a selection of my wardrobe in use - with regular seasonal rotation as I had little wardrobe space, the rest permanently stored away),
• then finally the move to a new, empty house (more packing, decision making and trips to the clothing donation points).

As I was unpacking, I felt sort of panic - noooo… this nice, empty, serene space must remain so. The wardrobes were installed 2 weeks after the move, meaning I had gotten used to the empty, airy space and loved it. All I was focused on after I had started opening the boxes was preservation of order. This proved to be impossible, we’re still waiting for a few big furniture pieces to be delivered so I can put things to their final destinations - but one thing I could do from the beginning when looking at every single piece was ask “Do you REALLY deserve to take up space in my nice, new wardrobe?”

So I started yet another pile of rejects. Firstly the clothes I have not worn at all and don’t plan to - the old work clothes. When I find another job, I will buy things that I’ll love wearing. Next came the colours I was not feeling. This was logical next filter, because colours play a huge role in how I feel about clothes. Then - anything that was uncomfortable even just a little bit. Finally, the clothes that were actually not me. I had realised that being on YLF made me so happy that I could wear whatever I wanted, because I had an idea how to style what used to be difficult pieces - but just because I can, doesn’t mean I should. I was (still!) hanging on to too many pieces based on this principle alone, I even kept some clothes because I thought they could come in handy in the next Picture Perfect Challenge (yes, that’s how addicted I am). I also asked my husband for a quick scan of what was left and he pointed to few things he strongly disliked. Oops, that was an eye opener.

In the end, I have never had bigger wardrobe space, yet I never had less things. There is room for more rejects, I am sure.

2. One Key Outfit

Earlier this spring I bought a dress that I loved with irrational intensity the moment I had tried it on. Interesting design, but not overwhelming, basic enough, but not boring. It’s made of fleece, so I have to wait a bit longer to wear it. But, the shop was closing and I had to decide on the spot, no returns or refunds. The dress had shifted my entire perception of what I wanted to see on myself, namely even cleaner lines, less fuss overall and stronger contrasts. Drama even.

I’ve been thinking about the concept of wearing one key outfit or piece of clothing for a while. Because too muchness overwhelms me, I love the idea of having less to chose from, but that less has to be perfect. Where this thinking will take me and will I ever be entirely happy with just white button up, black turtleneck and a dress for each season I do not know, but this particular dress came at the right moment to convince me that such concept may be achievable after all.

As a direct result of that purchase, I realised there’s less stuff I’m interested in than ever before. I am happy to keep shopping my closet and keep fine-tuning why I like some things and what is it about them that works for me. Going into summer I had only one real wardrobe need - white belt.

3. The Purchases

This summer I bought 5 things, in this order:

(1) white belt - need. It did exactly what I wanted it to, filled the wardrobe gap and made me feel more pulled together. Winner.

(2) fluid top - wildcard. It was displayed at a prominent place at the shop I walked by and that’s how I noticed it. It had found me, but I was also ready to recognise it. I bought it so I can play with it. Worn a lot. Winner.

(3) white (linen) shirt - permanent need. Fantastic buy. Worn a lot and it made me happy every single time. Winner.

(4) red Birks - unexpected purchase. Caught the glimpse of them as I was taking a shortcut through the shoe department. Love at first wear. Worn every single day until the temperatures dropped so low and it made no more sense to wear layers of long sleeves and bare feet.

(5) red stud earrings - want. Because, as Rae once wrote, it takes very little to instil personality into the outfit and these felt perfect for me. While logic tells me that to make the outfit my own I don’t need anything big or loud and obvious - and this is what I've especially been admiring n others lately - inside I still wonder whether some things are too plain unless I make it clear I’ve actually styled something. Something to ponder on. Anyway, the earrings are worn a lot, happily. Winners.

(Miss) I am sorry I did not buy the cropped harem pants I asked the forum about and got a green light for, but they were sold out by the time I came back for them. They would have been great for my summer/holiday. I’ll put it under the experience.

In short, when I really saw that my existing wardrobe was in pretty good place, which was clear once the survivors from the point #1 were all together hanging neatly, it was so much easier to resist some temptations because I remembered I had to wear the heck out of what I already have (YLF rule #2), otherwise what was the point of keeping it. So, unless I overhaul the whole wardrobe overnight due to some strange reason, going forward any changes will be gradual. But, I’d like to be even more specific about what I need, want or aspire to, and buy less so I can wear it often, enjoy more and let go guilt-free once I no longer feel it.

4. Flavia

Just before the holiday, I accidentally bumped into Flavia (my Flavia!) at the local garden centre. We managed to exchange a few words, between us we know just enough German for a quick chit-chat. As I was cycling home, I realised she had left me with yet another style puzzle - what was it that made everything about her casual summer look (taupe-ish jeans, graphic tee shirt in the same colours) fall into place?? She didn’t even wear the ubiquitous Itallian accessory - sunnines on top of her head, yet she looked casual and glamorous.

But she had fab lipstick. Bold. So perfect that I didn't notice it at all.

That woman continues to rock my style world.

So, when it came to another lengthy trip to visit the family, which coincided with the change of seasons (summer to autumn) right in the middle of that trip, all my recent lessons resulted with: 6 pairs of shoes (there were some semi-formal events, hence extra 2 pairs), 1 pair of white jeans, 1 skinnies, 1 ponte pants, 1 skirt, both new tops and 4 old, my favourite long cardigan and 1 short for layering, black leather jacket, 4 scarves, 2 pairs of earrings and 2 lipsticks. I lived 3 weeks out of the suitcase, was dressed appropriately - warmly when needed - and felt relaxed all the time. I give a lot of credit for feeling on top of things to those lipsticks I packed with much greater awareness than before thanks to Flavia.

I bought black booties (need), red tunic with balloon hem (want) and the nail polish in the same shade of apple green as my scarf. Nobody can see my toenails now, but I can

Still here? I am yet to find the corner of the house for my WIWs where boxes don't distract in the background, but in the meantime I’keeping myself busy with thinking about my style journey. Shedev opened a great thread a while ago "Tell me a little about yourself", which pushed me to sort out my own thoughts and what I'd like to work on going forward:

1. I want my outfits to be simple, clean, practical, feminine, flattering and finished. Feel free to point to anything that you think is worth tweaking.
2. I want to identify key silhouettes, pieces and outfits that are no brainers for my body-type. Once I hit it, please shout.
3. I love colours. My heart skips a bit when I see the colours that suit the person. Looking through some of my own old WIWs was an eye opener - it became very clear what should no longer reside in my wardrobe. I want to wear the right colours for me and will always welcome feedback about what works and what does not.
4. Wardrobe is a big playground for me, but I have very little opportunities to dress for. This led to constant struggle between desire to express some creativity even while wearing what did not feel 100% me and feeling 100% me in not too exciting individual pieces. Going forward, I prefer feeling 100% me at the cost of appearing uninteresting and I want to incorporate into my outfits small details that are of significance to me.
5. I am perpetually wondering if Modern Classic is enough to describe my style. In my future WIWs feel free to revisit this whenever you want to.

Is this my longest post yet? Not sure, but I think it's close.

Thank you very much for your time. I'd love to hear your thoughts or see you in the comments section in the next WIW