Most recent mistake, and trying to not make more ;)

So my flouncy skirt I drooled over I now realize was a shopping mistake. I bought the pencil skirt at around the same time. 2 black 'officey' skirts was more than my wardrobe needed. Even with thoughts or efforts at dressing them down, I realize I overstepped. I am going to try and resell on eBay.

On a related note, since my life is 90% casual, I really need my purchases to reflect that. In an effort to replace the white linen breezy skirt, I bought a seamed grey cotton skirt on deep sale today. http://www.karmaloop.com/product/145763 I will not be afraid to wear and wash this like crazy, and can already see it with Heather's multi buckle belt and my gladiator sandals. (I know it will be longer on short me than the model!)

When I look at what is left hanging in the closet season after season vs what I throw on day to day, the discrepancy is larger than I like. We all need a range of dressy and casual wear but honestly my percentanges are too far off lol!

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14 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I like the grey skirt and think it will play nice in your wardrobe and lifestyle.

thanks Anna, it does feel so much more 'me'. Funny, the black skirt had the basic shape I was looking for but everything else about it was so *not* me. I have to trust my instincts a bit more

Marley

That gray skirt looks perfect for you! I soooo know what you mean about your purchases needing to reflect your lifestyle! Mine is also 90% (if not more!) casual - and I sometimes still purchase items as if I am going to the office everyday! Hate that! However, it has really helped me in my SYC "journey" - because since I am unemployed and looking for a job - and have NO idea what that job's dress-code will be, it is much easier to just pass up on clothing that ordinarilly I would go ahead and buy!
Hang in there Mo - and, do you have any idea when you are going to be moving back out west?

san

All three skirts are very nice.
It is so easy for me to fall into a pattern of shopping for a fantasy life rather than the ultra casual life I actually have. I hear that it is actually quite common to do that.

Marley, it sounds like you can really relate! I really don't know when we are going back, other than this fall. Like you, the job thing is kind of up in the air for me. The biggest factor will be when the snow starts to pile up and the BF's mom will need us there. That can vary widely year to year. And why is it so hard for us to buy clothes we need for our daily lives anyway?!? We're intelligent ladies, right?

Thanks San. I agree they are all nice skirts, but only one feels right for me, you know? Yet I bought all of them nonetheless, didn't I? Ha ha ha.

catgirl

Oh, Mo - live and learn! Revisit this thread each time before you purchase and that will help.

rae

Bummer about the skirt, but hey it's not that much to pay for a life lesson in shopping. The new skirt looks really fun and perfect for your lifestyle.

Deborah

Love the grey skirt, it really does look like you! I find it difficult too as I am particularly drawn to dressy clothing more suitable to work and going out but then struggle with dressing for my non work hours lol I guess we are all learning.

Lisa

The grey skirt is lovely and perfect for your casual lifestyle. I also have this problem. Sometimes I purchase items for the life I "want" to lead and not the life I "really" lead. Those items are ALWAYS the wardrobe orphans in the long run.

For me, I work in a casual office environment but I do not like to dress as casual as my coworkers (jeans, sneakers, sweatshirts, etc). It took me a while to realize I can mix my tastes. I wear blazers which give me that formal element I like with jeans which fit into the casual office vibe. Or I wear trousers which have a formal vibe, with a casual blazer (such as a cotton twill) or a simple top. Perhaps you can find a way to blend your tastes as well. The small tweak made a big difference for me. When I purchase items now I stop and think, how can I mix this up (or down) in style to fit into my "real" life.

Lisa, great point! I think I find dressier tops easier. Dressier bottoms I seem to have a harder time integrating. But learning this is valuable! I find I'm reluctant to put on a bottom that will have to be dry cleaned or feels constrictive or otherwise confining in my mind, if that makes sense. I love a nice top and tailored jacket over jeans. That's a mix I'm comfortable with lol.
More importantly, realizing that, much like we need to dress for the weight we are at this moment, my daily life activities right now need a wardrobe to encompass them. Even if I don't really want to be stuck home with the cat with walking as my means of transportation, that's what I've got! And I should have things that I really like to wear for the lifestyle I'm living right now.
Simply put, my biggest clothing decisions these last 3 months have been, what can I wear that I can walk a mile or 2 in the heat in and still feel stylish? The wool flounce skirt wasn't it LOL!

Jonesy

This seems like a wonderful realization, Malina! There are always new things to learn, eh :)?

goldenpig

Great lesson Malina! I do like that skirt but agree if it's not working for your lifestyle it has to go. Claire had a very similar thread about this last month about shopping for the life you lead, not your fantasy life. But in your case with two different climates it's still tough!

Yeah, Natalie, I had Tahoe winter in mind with boots when I bought that skirt, possibly having to work a desk job if there is no room for us to be hired back at the bar. But these are all intangible maybes of the future and right here right now I don't have a good casual skirt to stroll to the store in! ( I am keeping the seamed pencil skirt for those intangibles of the future, so I'm not just living in the moment lol.)
But yeah, I guess always having 2 climates in mind does get to be a bit much. It's a crazy way to live!

Jonesy, indeed, lessons are to be had at all stages along the way!

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