Shannon, Suz, MaryK, and everyone else reviewing their seasonal spending inspired me to do the same and take a serious look at the damage I have done this season. Some of you know it was a hard year for me in more ways than one - I went through a traumatic event, changed jobs drastically, and changed many of my wardrobe needs in the process. My shoe collection especially needed an entire revamp. Note that many items I bought for S/S are still getting lots of wear because of our weather here.

So, looking back at my receipts to make sure I didn't miss anything, I've kept these clothing items:

1. Dark turquoise leather moto (won out over rose gold Muubaa and galaxy moto - both returned or resold)
2. Blood red Guess moto (lucky find bought for wear-red days at work, replacing blush Muubaa as it is less $$ and a more needed color)
3. Vince Camuto citron silk shirt (replacing old poly Ann Taylor shirt)
4. Tahari leather jacket (Zap copycat, replacing United Face outdoor jacket. Price offset by reselling)
5. Vince Camuto green draped blouse (replacing the silk one that fell apart)
6. Theory lanai Blazer off Ebay (replacing AllSaints denim jacket)
7. Theory taupe blazer from Marshall's (replacing taupe cutaway blazer)
8. Lululemon Urbanite blazer (replacing cutaway Gibson blazer)
9. Madewell blue colorblock dress
10. Theory new recovery navy pants (replacing cobalt Sloans)
11. Halogen cashmere blend hi-low sweater

*Also sold and purged much more that were irrelevant to new activity levels to further offset spending. But it seemed to make more sense to only list the direct replacements.

And these footwear items:

1. Ash green leather wedge sneaks (partially funded by reselling worn 80%20 calf hair wedges. fits nicely into work footwear capsule)
2. Vaneli cat flats (replacing Crocs flats)
3. Paul Green Optimist boots (funded by replacing tan lace-up Fryes, cognac platform Timberlands, and tan Vic Matie boots, all resold)
4. Ugg Cortona convertible boots (funded by replacing chocolate brown Frye boots, chocolate Apepazzas, and black Gidigio buckle boots)
5. Oh! Shoes black platform dress booties
6. Earthies burgundy pointed toe pumps (replacing gold glitter pumps that no longer fit and were too high for work)

Honorable mention:

1. My olive Burberry trench (which doesn't really count since it was from windfall money and also my milestone birthday gift to myself, which I have not yet "received" since my bday is in December!)
2. Purple Zella coated jacket, which was bought for warmer weather but has seen lots and lots more use in Fall.
3. Anthro brocade pants, which were bought with a gift card but are still part of the F/W acquisitions.

On one hand, this kind of gave me the heebie-jeebies and made me feel like a glutton to type up, because I spent much more than in the past. On the other hand, it's refreshing, because I've actually accumulated less stuff than in the past - and for possibly the first time, I've actively replaced an item that has worn out, rather than getting sick of it first and donating. On the other hand, if we're going by Mo's theory that we don't need any more than 6 items in one category, I've almost bought an entire season's wardrobe here! But on the other hand, well, it makes sense to buy a new wardrobe for a completely new lifestyle (from 99% sedentary to 100% active).

So, to heck with it, I'm going to call it a wash on the wardrobe morality scale (it almost was a wash monetarily... almost... almost... I still have a few more things I might sell). It actually doesn't look so bad when it's put in terms of a wardrobe overhaul, right? And I've been using the heck out most of these items already.

I am very curious to see how this wardrobe holds up over time - this is by far the happiest I have ever been with mix-ability, re-wear-ability, and comfort. I feel like these pieces should get me far and allow me to purchase less next year, provided that I don't have anymore career upheavals. But since I've never done this before, it's all simply hypothesis.

Do any of you have greater perspective on this? Has your wardrobe been a well-oiled machine one year and completely broken down the next (because of changes in fashion or personal taste)? Or is it true that, once you get in a good tune-up, you can get by with proper maintenance?