Good morning, El Cee! Thanks so much for getting the ball rolling. I love your challenge. I'm also swooning over your finds. Such great colors!
My challenge for the season has hit a temporary snag. I chose 25 items that I would like to make sure I wear often during the cooler months. The problem is, it's still 90 degrees here. I made it one day and nearly passed out running errands in 93 degrees. The WIW shot is pic 1. I quite liked the outfit, but until the weather breaks, it needs to be reserved for indoors or milder evenings.
Because I refuse to accept failure, I've come up with a mini-challenge this week for some bonus points:-)
We have a house at the beach that's pretty much a disaster. We bought it a few years ago when the market tanked, and we've been renting it out ever since. Our intention is to tear it down and build a home that suits us as a permanent year-round home. However, the Atlanta market (in our pricepoint) has cooled considerably, so we've decided to not tear this one down until the Atlanta house sells. In the interim, we'll use the beach house for weekends and the occasional longer stay...maybe 8-12 days/month. For the last few weekends we've been scrubbing, painting, repairing, pressure washing, outfitting the kitchen, etc. 2-3 more weekends and it should be in reasonable shape to move some more furniture down and start enjoying it. My goal with the house is to get it to the point that I don't have to pack anything at all. Just grab the dog and the husband and go.
So now that you have the long-winded backstory, my bonus challenge this week has been to put together a capsule wardrobe that will live at the beach and meet every need I may have while there. (I took some Summer clothes, dog-walking clothes, and painting/yard work clothes down last week, although I had to bring some of them back to Atlanta to wash since the washer/dryer I ordered won't be in for another week or two.)
The capsule in slides 2-4 should be decently weather-appropriate October-November, with some Summer tops helping the transition in October and cardi or jacket helping the transition as December rolls in. (For those of you who don't live with Southern heat and humidity, the average high on Christmas Day at the beach is 60 degrees.)
Slide 2 is the out and about clothes. 4 lightweight sweaters, 4 popover 3/4 sleeve tops, 6 button-front shirts and 6 bottoms (3 cropped, 3 full-length). For my preferences, all but 4 of the tops work well with all of the bottoms. Those 4 tops work for me with 3 bottoms each. I should have plenty of variety. More outfit options than I *need*? Absolutely. I like variety, and heaven knows I can spare the clothes;-).
Slide 3 is my start on shoes and accessories to keep at the beach. Last week I left a pair of flip flops, some tan Born sandals and some dog-walking/gear sneakers. With this capsule, I'll add 6 pair of shoes...2 sandals, 3 slip-on sneaks, and one pair of loafers. I will also leave one handbag there. This one is by Hobo. It's convertible from shoulder bag to cross-body bag to wristlet/clutch, so it should work well as the "only" bag. I still need to figure out belts and jewelry.
Slide 4 is the athleisure capsule (missing a couple of tees I left at the beach last weekend). These aren't actual gym/gear items for me. I see them as items that allow me to look presentable around the house or running errands, yet still allow me to ride my bike to the market or take a walk down the beach whenever the mood hits:-).
Bonus pics in slides 5-7. Slides 5 and 6 are my backyard. We also get a beautiful moon rise over the water, but capturing it is far beyond my photographic skills. Pic 7 is the beachwalk that runs between the back yards and the water. It's a bit over a mile and a lovely place to walk the dog.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's challenges!
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