I have some time this week, and probably won't after the holidays, so I'm joining Suz and and SarahD8 in reviewing my year a little early. I found my goals set back in January to use as a framework. My goals were:

1. Continue using the 5-piece French system, with two annual purchasing seasons, focusing on supporting brands that match my lifestyle and values.


I sort of abandoned the 5-piece system this year in favor of just counting my purchases, and I think my wardrobe suffered for it, with too few statements. That might have been inevitable, though, because it was a year of redefining essentials for a new climate (see next point.)

I did change my purchasing habits to align better with my values. Not only have I bought less this year (23 items, vs 35 in 2018), I also bought better.

10 of my 23 purchases were from what I think of as "sustainability first" manufacturers, who make sustainability a major part of their business model.

Of the remaining 13 pieces, 1 was from a small Etsy seller, 2 from a B-Corp, and 2 from specific eco/sustainability lines from larger retailers.

All told, that means that 65% of my 2019 purchases were produced in a "better" way than I might have chosen if I weren't paying attention. I'm happy with this, and will try to do even more next year.

2. Keep my mid-year relocation plans in mind when purchasing...I'll need to be prepared to alleviate some summer boredom and put more of my budget towards (ugh) warm-weather clothes.


I definitely limited my purchasing while anticipating moving and I also definitely hit that summer boredom wall. I think I navigated all right and didn't go on a shopping binge to compensate


3. Create a theme-park capsule

Done! We go to Disneyland about once a week, so this capsule (which is really just a few t-shirts) gets plenty of love.

4. Create a new work-at-home uniform.

I ended up with a jumpsuit for this purpose. It's really more a work-at-home FFBO than a uniform, but it serves the purpose.


5. Keep my wardrobe roughly the same size--117 pieces, counting tops, bottoms, dresses, toppers, outerwear, athletic gear, scarves, belts, footwear, and bags.

As of right now, I have 103 items, with another 10 in the holding zone. I have been learning that sometimes when I think my wardrobe is way too small and I'm bored by it, I really only to need to swap out one or two things to make it feel fresh again. I think I could go smaller.

Some favorite WIWs from the year:

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4 years ago