This seems like a good time to reflect on how the year shaped up relative to the goals I set for myself.

I set out a long list of guiding principles for the year, and happily, I think I achieved most of them to some degree (and the ones I didn't were for a good reason!):

Remember it’s not over yet —I said I wanted to show some restraint because I hoped to lose more weight in 2022 .

I can’t say I exercised much restraint when it came to my summer wardrobe and I’m not showing a ton this fall, either. I lost a bit more weight as summer approached and then gained a few pounds this fall. I'm being more mindful now about returning to the eating and exercise patterns that help keep my weight in a healthier place. (my weight goes straight to my abdomen, and visceral fat is a concern.)

Re-use what I can — I wanted to try to get as much wear as I could out of older pieces in my closet. I mostly made do with older pieces last winter, but I ran out of patience with that pretty quickly! (I still reuse a few things for around the house or junkier wear).

Be complementary — I wanted to make it easier to make outfits by enhancing my complements. There is still work to do on that front, but I’m making progress. For summer I I beefed up my white complement with white sandals and sneakers, white tops, and a white topper. I also created a cognac complement that includes sandals, linen pants, a linen topper, and a purse. Generally I found it very easy to put together summer outfits that made me happy — everything felt pretty cohesive.

My fall/winter complements are a bit less fulsome. I have a burgundy complement that includes a puffer, oxfords, pleather pants and a menswear blazer with burgundy/chocolate checks.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. I knew I might have to jump on ‘close-to’ and be prepared to adjust my plan based on what I could find, and I think I’ve done that.

Treat black as an ensemble player — I all-but eliminated black from my summer wardrobe this year, but it still factors into the winter formula until I can find enough other neutrals to take its place. Bottoms are the biggest challenge to find. In the meantime, I try to wear black with colour or at light neutrals.

Lighten up and brighten up — I made great progress toward adding lighter and brighter colours to my wardrobe — especially for summer.

I basically built my summer wardrobe from the ground up this year. I added white casual sandals (workhorses), a white linen topper, a couple of pairs of light neutral pants, and, more recently, an as-yet unworn white Eileen Fisher cotton sweater that will go on vacation with

I also added a few colourful floral patterned sleeveless tops, and most were total workhorses. Pretty, practical and, as it turned out, they went with pretty much everything. Happiness factor was high.

As fall approached, I added two orange sweaters (one cotton for late summer/early fall and one heavier mock turtleneck!) I also found a pair of flaming coral linen pants on a late season sale, and am considering the wisdom of adding a red or orange nylon parachute pant.

Be thrifty — It took me until late in the year to try this, but I came away from my first thrifting haul with a few fun finds that give me a very low risk way to experiment with new looks and add some interest. I hope to try a bit of thrifting in Palm Springs this winter -- maybe I'll luck into a treasure!

Be playful — Adding more colour and pattern along with breezy, relaxed silhouettes and low-risk thrifted pieces has added a healthy jolt of playfulness. I think I accomplished this and am building momentum.

I identified a few key "WORDS TO LIVE BY." for 2022

Easy, elegant, simple, playful, timeless, creative, intelligent, functional, confident, carefree

Not sure if I always hit the mark on elegant and timeless, but I like to think I can see the rest of these adjectives coming through in my rebuilt closet.

2022 NEEDS

These were my known needs heading into 2022, and I didn't do too badly in sorting myself out…

• New eyewear (FINALLY sorted -- picked up my new specs this morning!!! — might still get a second fun pair but that will be a 2023 project…)
• Workout gear (continued to make do)
• Sleeveless tops for ‘hot summer’ (sorted)
• Lightweight bottoms for ‘hot summer’ — (sorted)
• Mid-weight knit tops for early spring and mid to late fall — heavy enough to wear alone, but light enough to layer under a cardigan or blazer if needed. Drop shoulder or raglan sleeve and a boxy cut. (still searching -- bit of a gap here)
• A few pairs of casual-ish pants (suitable for the office if needed) (sorted -- burgundy pleather joggers, a couple of pairs of wide leg pull on pants)
• A blazer — I’d like to find a light- to mid-weight, light coloured, slightly oversized blazer to dress up jeans or wear to the office. (sorted -- I bought a black Anne Klein blazer and grabbed a few thrifted menswear blazers to play with)
• An oversized denim-look shirt — (sorted for now— I picked up a fluid chambray top and a blue menswear shirt that will hold me for now)
• Jeans (still on my list)
• Swimsuit (I didn’t find one I LOVE, but I got one to tide me over)

PURCHASES I PLEDGED TO AVOID IN 2022

Scarves To the best of my memory, no new scarves in 2022!

Office-only wear — I think pretty much anything I have picked up could go to the office, but isn’t overly corporate — even the black Anne Klein blazer works with jeans or could be dressed up for an evening out.

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I’ve been thinking about my 2023 goals but that will be another post!

If you’ve stayed with me this far, thanks for reading. Your thoughts and comments are always welcome!!!

Here's to a happy, healthy and FAB 2023 for all of us.