Hello everyone and happy 2012!
I've missed you - how about quick recap of what I have missed in the meantime? I am looking forward to all the catching up.
~
I think the fact I've graduated holiday packing has become perfectly clear during my recent holiday. I have managed to get through a little over 2 weeks away with unbelievably small luggage. The reason: I've clearly identified my dressing needs: comfortable, casual clothing suitable for a lot of time spent outside walking in the cold and very little inside; my styling experiments would revolve mainly around the outerwear, so I gave myself the most options there.
Just in case, I've had my cobalt blue dress on stand-by as it packs easily as is non-wrinkly, as well as b&w polka dot blouse that was dressy enough for the occasions when I did not want to look to casual, but the rest was this:
Clothes (all items marked with * are post-YLF purchases and were the key for the overall success of this experiment):
3 turtlenecks (black, grey, red)
1 b&w stripey top
(*) 2 pairs of jeans (bootleg and skinnies)
(*) 1 ponte knit pants for traveling (I don't think I'll travel in anything else again)
(*) 1 long black waterfall cardigan
Shoes:
(*) 2 pairs of boots (tall black and mid-calf black)
Outerwear:
(*) 1 black puffer coat
Other accessories - all matching and interchangeable
hats (red, b&w, striped grey and blue)
scarves (b&w woolen for outerwear, multicolored/rainbow, animal print)
(*) 2 long pendant necklaces (ginormous pearl and heart on a thicker chain)
1 silver cuff bracelet
Extras:
(*) b&w polkadot blouse
(*) cobalt blue dress
My dressing formula was super simple and seen before: turtleneck/tee&scarf + jeans + boots + necklace or bracelet, finished off with the cardigan that completed the silhouette and was much needed layer for warmth.
As soon as she saw me, my best friend said that I must have lost some weight, to which I had replied that I hadn't and her conclusion was: "Then you are very cleverly dressed!"
I have managed to look different whenever I wanted, changing just one part of my dressing formula was enough, but better than anything - and this really IS the key - I had felt different. I knew I had looked pulled together as aimless digging through my luggage has no longer been the case. I had all I needed to make me feel stylish, comfortable, warm and - myself.
One thing I will consider doing differently next time, depending on the season, is related to my jeans and something krishnidoux wrote in her early days at the forum - there are times when PPL simply isn't practical. As great as I feel in my long jeans now that we've finally found each other, slightly shorter ones would have been so much better choice as they would not be getting wet or dirty from the pavements or rainy or snowy days.
I'm still sorting through many photos and haven't bumped across one share-able in any of the outfits, but I'm attaching photos of the mix'n'match suitcase content so you can see what the fuss is all about.
