Hi Fabbers!

Picture 1 -- Here is my "smart casual" outfit of the week. Nope, it's not super special but the white jeans means I don't wear it for my everyday looks. I went out to dinner in a brew pub in it.

Observations for the week:

• Picture 2 -- I almost wore this. It's very similar to last week's smart casual outfit. I wanted to see how it felt to dress more repetitively. And guess what, I changed out of it and wore #1. Meaning = I do need variety.
• Overall, it's been so easy to get dressed in the morning with a more limited number of choices to pick from.

• But -- I did cheat once! Again, I craved color and was feeling like orange. So I pulled out my J Crew orange tee from 2.5 years ago (getting quite worn). It goes really well with my Nine West Vilta sandals from last year. Suz pointed out I must crave color due to my black - navy and white color scheme for work. She is so wise!

• Shopping. No shopping this week, and it wasn't a struggle. I've been thinking about my fall list. In July I pre-ordered these Helmut Lang booties, so glad I did, they're already sold out in many sizes and won't ship until September! So this purchase was safely away from Austerity August.

• Future needs. As is the case with many of us, if I didn't shop for a year, my wardrobe would still be fine and current. I have, however, noticed a few holes:

• A dark green chunky cardigan for fall, to replace my Free People dark green cardigan. I have realized, I like a variety of colors for my casual wear and instead of fighting this and limiting myself to just a few colors, I am going to embrace it. So I have 3-4 green layering tees that are crying for a new knit topper (the FP one is just so unattractive on me, although it was well-worn last year).

• A washable blazer for work when the weather cools down. The one I have, from Daniel Rainn, is worn out.

• Wants: If those are my only two fall needs, I have plenty of wants collected! Bags, because I tend to use them everyday for months (rather than frequent changes), will get used and loved. So all around a good shopping choice for me. Below you can see the bags I'm considering.

Picture 3 -- Uniform look, if I wear black pants does this mean I am an early adaptor, apron-pants wearing fashionista?

Where I could use YLF help:
The area where I am most challenged is coming up with a final wardrobe count. Any suggestions? I do have four seasons. Longest seasons are Spring and Summer, then Fall. Winter is short and mild, but we do get winter, including snow.

Shopping help. If anyone finds a chunky dark green cardigan, preferably no dry-clean only, please let me know! Also a washable blazer, any color, for work. Thanks!