Jumping on the wrap-up bandwagon with my own navel-gazey look at 2020!

I would have thought that being under stay-home orders for most of the year would have put a freeze on my closet - HA! I could not have been more wrong. If numbers alone are any indication, I seem to have been in wardrobe building mode for the last two years. Or maybe I just shop a lot when I am stressed...? Anyway, I added a lot (67). I purged a lot (76). Still, my wardrobe is smaller than it was at the beginning of the year. Here are my takeaways for 2020.

- Tracking wears: I started tracking wears last October (2019), and that has proven to be most helpful in determining what is working, and why, and also allows me to plan for replacements of favorite items.

Biggest takeaways from tracking:

• I lack variety and have WAY too much duplication. I may have 8 pullovers - but, if 6 are similar shades of green (and similar in
  silhouette), plus one blue, and one brown, they should count as 3
  options; not 8. Same goes for my jeans - 6 pairs of similar full-length med wash boyfriend jeans are really only 1 option; not 6. I need to embrace Sal's "power of one".

Also,

• I am a uniform dresser. Pullover+jeans or joggers, year-round. When I am feeling fancy, I will express it in a shoe or topper - MAYBE a scarf and jewelry. It isn't exciting, but now I know not to waste my clothing budget on things like skirts and dresses If I feel like experimenting, I should stick to one degree of separation (like a new pant silhouette) so as not to stray TOO far off-course and end up with orphaned pieces I won't wear.

- Sweater weather: I am in my third Chicago winter, and finally feel like I have this whole dressing-for-weather thing sorted... with my luck, DH
will find a job somewhere like Tucson and I will have to start all over... Anyway, why is quality knitwear at a decent price point SO hard to find?? I purged 18 sweaters due to fit and quality issues. Either I have no idea how to properly asses knits, or the pieces available at my price point are pure garbage. Enter secondhand! I added 6 thrifted sweaters and LOVE them. So far, they wash and wear like iron. Secondhand will be my first stop for knits for the foreseeable future.

- Loungewear: Pre-pandemic, my at-home/lounge capsule was comprised of demoted tshirts, tatty hoodies, and old sweatpants. I jumped on the co-ord bandwagon and finally put some effort into building a real loungewear capsule. Loungewear will now be seasonally appropriate pieces that are comfortable enough for long periods of sitting (not sleeping) or spontaneous bursts of housework, but look nice enough to leave home, or to hang out with another family. I can't believe I bought a tracksuit. *sigh*.

I did not get a chance to build a high-summer capsule, but I did add one breezy boho top, a couple of jumpsuits, and a pair of lightweight woven brown cargo joggers. Given my weird work schedule and uncertainty going into 2021, I am not planning any additional pieces for summer.

For 2021, I still need to sort out some goals. I know I want to build on some color capsules I have started (warm honey/caramel, kermit green, seaglass blue, chocolate), and texture is going to be front of mind. Beyond that, I am not sure. Ideally, I hope to have a slow-buy year and would love to reduce my wardrobe even more, but I need figure out a strategy around all of that. January will be a no-buy month as I sort my thoughts.

Thank you if you made it this far. Here is some color inspiration, a rare OITW WIW, and some favorite pieces from the year: