Edited:

• I did a quick Underpinnings edit at the start of the year and passed on some undies, socks, and a couple other items, mostly due to wear. It was SO GREAT how quick and non-stressful this was after having done a thorough Basics edit at the beginning of 2019!
• I also put a couple of things from my holding zone to the donation bag and dropped them off at Goodwill.

Added to my wardrobe:

• Silver marcasite small hoops. To replace the one I lost in Stockholm. These fill the function fine, though I have to admit I don’t like them quite as well as the old ones. Sigh. Isn’t that always the way?
• Abalone drop earrings. A couple of years ago I identified abalone as a key material for jewelry for my deep winter wardrobe (bc of the similarity to Northern Lights…sounds wacky since abalone is usually associated with a beachy look but it really works for me!). These are lightweight and small enough for everyday wear. High happiness factor here!
• Heattech camisoles (3 white, 1 light pink). Identified as a priority in my 2020 plan. Previously, I had stocked up on black camisoles but only had 1 white one. I found that I was wearing it so much it got dingy fast!
• Heattech leggings/long johns (black). I had tried to buy a pair of these before our Stockholm trip but they were sold out. I have less immediate need for them now, but added them to my camisoles order to take advantage of free shipping.
• Blue cotton popover tunic with white collar. Light colored tunic length shirts were on my priorities list for my cold weather wardrobe. I like the menswear look of this and the fit is good. See below for outfits.
• Mid-wash straight leg jeans. See photos below, would love your feedback.

Tried but didn’t work out:

• Silver oxfords. On my priorities list for footwear. But these were too small. Returned.
• Blue striped pullover. Would have been a nice transitional option. But the color wasn’t quite what I expected (medium blue and pale blue stripes…I had thought the lighter stripes were white — as a result it read more like rugby stripes than Breton stripes) and the neckline was more like a crewneck than a boatneck. Overall just blah on me. Returned.
• Ivory corduroy straight leg pants. Straight leg pants are a priority for my cold season wardrobe (and honestly a bit of a hewi at this point!). I have never been interested in the forum-favorite white jeans but somehow the idea of a pair of pale corduroy pants appealed to me. Unfortunately these turned out to be too small, even though their measurements corresponded to pants that fit me well. (Buying pants secondhand online has been a bit of a crapshoot even with measurements.) These weren’t returnable so they are in my holding zone for now because I do like the idea of them. If they don’t fit by next fall I’ll resell.
• 2 pair heavyweight crew socks. My Underpinnings edit revealed that most of my thicker socks are showing wear. But these were just too thick, and the quality didn’t seem great. Had no desire to put them on my feet, so I returned them!

Overall:

• I did a pretty good job focusing on the priorities I identified at the beginning of the year. Definitely feel that I am reaping the rewards of that effort. I feel more in control of the wardrobe building process than I have in the past.
• My purchases came in about 40% under the monthly budget (see link above) I have set for myself. That’s interesting, as January is often a big shopping month for me. Maybe just the act of setting a budget (which I’ve never explicitly done before, and my current one is pretty generous to be honest) causes me to slow down and be more judicious. Hm.

What I wore:

I wore 5 pairs of pants, 12 tops, 6 toppers, and 4 pairs of shoes throughout the month. So, not much variety. I also wore a number of outfits multiple times (more than twice, even). I know that for some forum members this sort of simplicity and repetition brings peace and contentment. It kind of makes me feel like a hot mess! (Actually though, I’m not sure if that is intrinsic to the clothes, or if it’s just that I end up wearing the same thing over and over when my life is chaotic in other ways, as it was this past month. I also don’t mind repeating outfits — just not, you know, three times in a single week.)

On the other hand I wore the same coat and carried the same bag all month and I was pretty much fine with that! Funny how that works.

A couple of outfit photos with the new tunic:

Photo 1. black ribbed leggings / light blue tunic / burgundy cardi / patent stompy boots / vintage cat brooch

2. Close up of brooch.

3. Inspiration photo

I’d been wanting to copy this outfit for a while and finally have the pieces to do it — and enjoyed the result. I don’t think I’ve ever worn the brooch before! I am always attracted to brooches but never actually wear them. I think in this case the stompy boots (channeling Dame Vivienne’s punk vibe) save the look from being too sweet.

4. gray skinnies / light blue tunic / black midi cardi / cognac riding boots

Although blue standard length tops are on my do not buy list, I thought that a blue tunic length shirt would be useful because my least structured bottoms are black and gray. But I did not like this outfit AT ALL. It’s just so basic and blah. I started to worry that maybe I’d bought this top just to make that one particular outfit above? That would not be good. After more more thought, I realized this outfit was not only all neutral, it featured no pattern, and nothing to tie it together (i.e., none of the colors are repeated). I suspect that outfits with this top need some kind of saturated color to make me happy. That I can do.

Finally, some pics of the mid-wash straight leg jeans (photos 5-7). A lot of you know what a saga my attempt to add straight leg pants to my wardrobe has been. I am VERY happy with the fit of these (fitted just at the very top of the thigh, then loose and straight through the rest of the leg). They’re the right color/wash, and very soft.

I’m definitely keeping them in some capacity. My question is about the length. They hit right at the bottom of my ankle bone. They’re too short to wear with loafers and oxfords (they don’t cover enough of the vamp, and my socks show — yet they’re too long to look intentionally cropped). But I think I REALLY like them with ankle boots as shown here — I *think* they work as a “shorter full length” pant in this context but am I fooling myself?

Anyway if I’m doing the shorter-full-length thing wrong I’ll roll or hack them and wear them as crops in warmer seasons.

Thanks for your input!