Hiya, I don't know why I can't do just one post in a day - it's either none or two, apparently *sigh*

Anyhoo, Angie's blog post today got me coveting those BR sweaters; however, I feel like I've shopped a LOT this year, so in trying to determine whether I can justify another purchase, I ended up writing down and quickly assessing all the purchases I've made this year (I may have missed a few items, but this the majority).

A few observations overall:

• at about 34 items purchased, this was more than I had hoped to shop this year, but not horrific (?? you tell me??) - I feel like some re-building might have happened this year, but perhaps I'm justifying ...
• from a budget perspective, I'm in fine shape
• all in all, I shopped relatively well this year ....

Workhorses/Excellent Purchases - items that are frequently worn, and/or well-loved, and/or will likely stick around for a long time - absolutely no regrets here (20/34) - I won't list them all, but these items include high-waisted jeans, some new linen spring/summer tops, a new winter snow jacket, and accessories like a new purse, a few belts, and a new fall/winter scarf. All these pieces were neutral (black, navy, cognac, white), except for one blush sweatshirt, and one medium blue & white striped top, all fit the "polished ease" goal, and all seem current-ish but not a bit trendy, so they have good longevity potential.

High Potential Items - these haven't proven themselves yet, but I am fairly sure they will, and include my recent purchases of a deep green balloon sleeve tee, red cableknit, and burgundy soft v-neck cardi. (4/34)

Pieces that have served their purpose - these were bought for a specific reason, so any additional wear (which many will get) is bonus. Includes items bought specifically for our Italy trip (navy printed sundress, cognac sandals) and for my sad events in June which I'm not even worrying about (black dress, navy dress, navy pants). (5/34)

Remains to be seen - these are items that may or may not turn out to be good buys - I'm working on it. My Uniqlo turtleneck is one of these, because it's not a 'one and done' piece and I'm not much of a layer-er (but optimistic after today's outfit lab). My pink crewneck sweater, pink plaid, and striped cardi are counted here, and I feel like they might get more wear in early spring. My Zara puffy sleeve fitted top should come in handy over the holidays but has yet to be worn so I'm not prepared to vouch for it yet. (5/34)

Overall, I think this is not bad- I am really happy that the majority of items will be well-worn and well-loved, and I'm glad to realize that so far, nothing is a dud.

Although I would like to trust my intuition a little more, I also want to purchase mindfully - and still less - and want to give some thought to any further purchasing. I feel like I need reboot a few essential tops for winter; whereas I've really bought wardrobe completers but feel like my essentials on hand are a bit blah. Interestingly, I think my high-potential items are mainly completers, my hooray items are mostly essentials, and my remains to be seen are potential completers but also potentially neither-here-nor-there.

All that to say, I'm buying at least one of those BR sweaters