Looking back: One of my wardrobe goals is to limit the amount of time, money and mental energy I put into clothes. This means a variety of things: avoiding pieces that would need to be altered to fit or that require dry-cleaning or hand-washing; not bringing home pieces that would require purchasing a new support act (special undergarments, shoes with different heel heights, different length toppers, etc). It also means I'm not worrying about my old spreadsheets for purchase- and wear-tracking, because I no longer felt the information they were providing me was worth the time they took to update.

Now that my wardrobe is pretty much rebuilt and fully functional (it's taken almost six years since having my kid and four years since moving back to New England to feel this way), I don't feel the need for any constant churn or experimentation. My shopping has really slowed down, and my rate of returns has slowed waaay down. It does help that what's available at retail doesn't particularly appeal to me. I've already cherry-picked the trends that excite me (wide legs, high rises, earth tones, rib knits, corduroy) and haven't seen anything new that strikes my fancy. Including gear, lounge, and basics, I added ~30 items this year, at least 12 of which were purchased secondhand. I culled about two dozen pieces, roughly half of which I sold or consigned; the others either got donated or tossed, depending on condition.

Looking ahead: I've shopped very little the past few months (but did buy a down coat from REI on Black Friday, so I spent quite a bit without shopping much at all!). My goal for now is to focus on replacing things directly as they wear out *if* it's something I only have one or two of. For categories where I have multiples (jeans, sweaters, etc), I really want to examine whether or not immediate replacement is necessary before buying something new. I cleaned and reorganized closets over the holiday break and came up with an overall needs/wants list as a way of staying focused in the new year.

High-priority ("needs"):

• Lightweight non-gear gloves (replacement for a pair with holes)
• Fun patterned tights (replacement for some worn-out fair isle ones from two years ago)
• A belt (filling a longstanding hole; no gold hardware)
• Merino or synthetic tank top in a dark neutral (black, charcoal, navy; direct replacement for two old tanks from Icebreaker)
• Crewneck sweatshirt for lounge (filling a hole; sometimes I don’t want a hoodie!)
• One pair sweatpants for lounge (replacement for a pair with holes)
• One pair flat smart-casual sandals (filling a major hole; I’ve been looking for a couple seasons and haven’t found anything with the right combo of comfort and looks)

Splurge-y things ("wants"):

• A waxed cotton raincoat (either Barbour or Bridge & Burn)
• Try something from Elizabeth Suzann (probably Clyde Pants to start)

The two big-ticket items have been on my wishlist for years. I think about things for a loooong time before I buy, especially if they're $$$. I figure if they're really worth $$$, they'd better be things I still want a year or two later. I fully expect the "needs" list to grow a bit over the course of the year, but I also expect my numbers to stay pretty modest. As long as I don't get distracted by little non-essentials here and there, adding a couple of big, fun things shouldn't be out of reach.