Exactly one month ago, I ended a 70-Day Purchasing Fast. Probably the longest I have ever gone without making a clothing purchase.
I said repeatedly during the Purchasing Fast that I wanted to try a new approach to shopping. I wanted to try Angie's and other's approach of buying at the start of each season. So I did a lot of shopping/buying over the course of the past 30 days. These 30 days literally flew by for me.
I bought bottoms (all pants); tops; one fleece jacket (for an upcoming trip); one pair of trail shoes; and one ugly, ugly hat.
Pants: Six bottoms (with two still en route from Nordstroms).
-Two bottoms for work.
-Three for dressy casual (two are still en route so I don't know if they are keepers or not).
-Two bottoms for at-home casual.
-One for special events.
I bought navy (2), black (1), olive (2), hot pink (1), and red (2). Red is the outlier here. I just wanted red.
Tops: I had such good luck finding tops this year/this season. I found twelve tops from Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic, Uniqlo, and Landsend. I took Angie's advice and duplicated some of them.
-Two linen button down shirts, one in white and one in yellow (Ralph Lauren and Eileen Fisher). I have LOTS of pants already in my wardrobe with which I can coordinate these new shirts. And linen is new to me so I am excited.
-Two silk cashmere pullovers in navy and magenta sky (Banana Republic). I like the navy with olive just like the example shown in Finds (new color combination for me).
I haven't worn the magenta sky yet. I would have bought more of these pullovers but I want to make sure the fabrication is not too warm for me during the Summer. Also I want to see how they wash. I will hand wash them, if necessary.
-One cotton pullover in yellow (Brooks Brothers). I like the yellow with navy and olive. I really want to boldly wear the yellow with red!! Again, a new color combination for me!!! I won't ever wear yellow with black. I can wear this pullover with the new pants and old jeans.
-Five cotton pullovers from Landsend in navy, magenta (duplicated), and fresh blue duplicated). I was so pleasantly surprised at the feel of these pullovers. I didn't need to duplicate them, but I thought Angie was correct about duplicating sartorial favourites.
So ... a lot of new navy and magenta tops. I will wear the navy on repeat. I am hoping the magenta will get a lot of wear too. I'll pair it mostly with my existing wardrobe of black and grey bottoms. I feel I have been using fuchsia when I meant magenta. I'll have to look up these colors.
-Two heattech tops from Uniqlo. I need these for an upcoming trip.
Jacket: One fleece jacket in navy. I have older jackets that would have worked just as well, but my fragile ego wouldn't let me wear uncoordinated items. I needed a jacket that suited my travel capsule perfectly and I was already on a buying spree.
Trail shoes: One pair.
Hat: Ugly. Might burn it when I am done with it.
The question is have I put together a comprehensive wardrobe I can wear all Summer long without continuing to buy throughout the season? I don't know. This is a new approach for me. I am hopeful that spending this month planning has resulted in some really good choices. And I believe everything pairs well with my existing wardrobe.
One last observation. I had put my old white jeans on "probation." I just didn't think I would wear them much going forward. I was wrong. White jeans are important during Summer months. They have been returned to my closet.
