Today's post got me thinking about how I generally approach NAS and fall shopping in general, and how things are different this particular season. (Warning: very long and rambling post below).

I usually am pretty reserved when it comes to NAS and generally stick to basics and replacements/upgrades for things I already have and like, with the occasional wild card thrown in. I am not generally a fan of shopping ahead of the season, and can't predict which trends I want to partake in that far ahead of time.

So, this year I only ended up purchasing 4 items at NAS, all of which are basics for me. They've all become workhorses. The jeans (Rag and Bone Dre) are my favorite style and I bought a pair at last year's NAS as well, in a different wash. This years was a darker wash and seems to fit a little looser than last years', which is fine. The Smartwool footies likewise are a repeat purchase (I buy some every year at NAS). The hooded leather jacket replaces a too-small black leather moto, and I wore it a lot this fall. It's a good combination of casual and edgy and goes with everything. Finally, I bought the Olivia Burton watch because I had cracked my previous large watch and wanted a replacement. The dark floral with black leather strap is a perfect match for my wardrobe and I've worn it a lot. I could also start wearing it immediately after I bought it in the summer, so it's gotten lots of wear. It is starting to get scratches on the face, but I knew that would happen (I am hard on my watches so unless they have a sapphire face they get scratched) and am fine with it.

Now what I didn't know when I shopped NAS was that it would end up being the only shopping I did for this fall, because I decided mid-September for many reasons to do a SYC until the new year. (I did also replace some bras in early September before I decided to stop shopping, but I don't really consider that "fall" shopping.) I also decided to do the big closet edit that many of you also did in October, although I was much slower with mine. I got rid of many items that did not fit well, were old/dated/in poor condition, or that I just did not like or wear. (The biggest purges were in purses and belts, mostly because although I accumulate them relatively slowly I never think about purging them, versus other things that I both buy and purge more frequently.) As a result, I really ended up wearing the NAS items a lot because they were the only new things I had this season, and because I got rid of a bunch of fall stuff. It's kind of nice, feels very streamlined and efficient. Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of clothes, as my wardrobe has always been on the large side and still is, but it still feels very focused for a change.

If I had known I was going to do a closet edit/SYC I think I might have picked up a few more items (or at least looked at them) during NAS. Specifically, there are a few things that I got rid of that I want to replace:

• everyday bootcut jeans for flats
• med or dark blue skinny jeans to tuck into boots
• slim plaid trousers
• black mid calf combat boots (this is actually a HEWI and I did look for them during NAS; they seem to be trending right now though so I am hopeful)
• replacement for my KUT black faux leather/ponte drape jacket

On the other hand, it might be for the best that I took some time to really think about what I want to replace. Overall, I think I sort of accidentally stumbled into a pretty decent three-pronged strategy to really streamline one's wardrobe, get rid of dead weight, and identify specific holes:

• shop NAS or something similar at the beginning of the season for replacement basics/HEWIs
• shopping diet for the rest of the season
• full closet edit