So, I'm just going to put this to here...try to instill a sense of accountability in myself...

During the past year, I made a conscious decision to try and learn how to craft a wardrobe. I made good progress in identifying my personal style and in road-mapping my way to a complete and functioning wardrobe. I realized quite clearly that I can achieve happier results by editing more tightly rather than exploring outwards in terms of trying new trends, colors, and silhouettes.

Because I am currently in-between sizes and because I started with so few clothes, I did purchase a lot of place-holders this year--mostly less expensive items like T's and jeans--just to check the boxes in my theoretical wardrobe and to establish some functionality. A lot of the bigger purchases will have to wait until my weight stabilizes and I can foresee wearing the same size for a period of time, so there are still wardrobe holes (non-gear coats, a nice blazer, and anything that you might call an investment piece) that I hope to fill later in the year.

So, what are my New Year Wardrobe Resolutions?

1) I am going to try to buy less on-line and to shop more in actual stores. In order to make better choices, I need to evaluate the fit and fabrication in person. On-line purchases have been a little wanting and yet I rarely return items. And, I think I just need to try on a LOT more clothing so I can build a fuller understanding of brand fit and sizing.

2) Shop the NAS. Traditionally, I avoid this sale because I do not like the over-crowded rounders and negotiating crowds of sale shoppers. (I am a little bit of a diva in that I require a serene, gracious, uncluttered shopping experience, and NAS doesn't offer that!) I'm sure I could get through it, though, with the aid of a little pre-planning. Or, maybe this would be one time during the year when I could fully utilize Nordstrom's return policy and place a massive on-line order including back-up sizing. What do you think? A viable strategy?

3) I'm going to give myself permission to buy from my wardrobe list until it is completed and then I'm going to try to utilize some of the strategies I've learned here for evaluating my wardrobe to keep it in good condition and current. I've gone too long with too little. I figured out the CPW of many things in my closet and most of it (casual tops, jeans, shoes, gear) comes out to <.20/wear. My LL Bean Duck Boots are at about .07/wear. In contrast, My Converse sneakers (the most expensive item in terms of CPW) are about .45/wear because they just don't last very long. But, most of my clothes are moderately inexpensive, wear like iron, and are worn to death irrespective of season or trend. Growing up, when this pattern was formed, I didn't have a choice about my "wardrobe". As an adult, I've had trouble breaking free from this mindset. But, this will be my year! I will provide myself with a range of clothing options. I will be able to dress appropriately for a variety of social settings and occasions. My social life and interactions will no longer be characterized by insecurity about my inadequate wardrobe.

I'm going to crunch some numbers and give some thought to reasonable CPW and I'm going to figure out how much I can spend on clothes and then I am going to spend it. If I can do this, it will be the my biggest personal accomplishment in recent memory.