Tardy Week 4 - No repeat November - and some observations

Here are the last of my outfits. Nothing exciting, to be sure.

1. Worn Saturday to a friend's house for dinner. Gap chunky sweater from last year, Kut Dianas and SE petty pythons.
2. Around the house Sunday. This sweater is an old Christmas gift from my mom. It hangs around the closet because the turtleneck keeps my neck warm and I don't mind it being permeated with dog hair.
3. NYDJ jeans, Gap chunky sweater, SE pettys.
4. Canyon River Blues black jeans, Cable and Gauge floral knit top, Chaus waterfall cardi, LC patent boots.
5. Eddie Bauer jeans, LE cashmere sweater, old braided belt (not a great look with this) and old Wanderlust boots.
6. NYDJ jeans, Kohls blouse, Chaus waterfall cardigan, LC patent boots.
7. A near repeat of earlier this month, except for the footwear. NYDJ leggings, Halogen tunic, Aetrex boots.
8. Saturday. Canyon River Blues black jeans, black tee, Halogen cardi.
9. Saturday for another funeral visitation. Third this month Coldwater Creek ponte pants, Cable and Gauge knit top, Ara booties, BB trench.

As I suspected in another post a while back, I have more than enough clothes considering the rarity of repeats of individual items - let alone outfits. I haven't triple checked all of my numbers, but this excercise included:
- 11 Bottoms. This includes one pair of knit lounge pants, a pair of yard-ish jeans and another pair of jeans that has dropped down to mostly 'around the house' wear.
- 23 knit tops(8), blouses(4) or sweaters(11). I MADE myself wear some of these. Others weren't worn because they are more gearish/loungwearish.
- 11 toppers, which included cardigan sweaters. 4 of these sweaters could probably go, but I think I've kept them as "second tier" items because they're still soft or they're "fine".
- 1 dress and 1 skirt
- 9 pair of shoes/boots and 1 pair of slippers.

So 47 items total, not including shoes/boots.

Unworn items in closet:
All fall/winter pants (plus white jeans) in my closet were worn.
Wore all sweaters except one holday-ish and a zebra print.
Maybe 2 toppers remained unworn. One is a khaki-ish jacket and the other is a boxy cut dark green blazer. The boxy blazer got lots of love in prior years but I'm not quite feeling it now. I'll need to give it another try.
Some knit tops were unworn, probably because they feel like second tier items as well.

Not surprisingly, I found myself reaching for sweaters over blouses. With a blouse inventory of 8, only 4 were worn. One of the unworn is a satiny special occasion blouse that should be replaced because it pulls at the buttons across the bust.

I really need to hunker down to finetune pieces rather than using a shotgun approach to shopping. It just seems like I should be able to get by with so much less. I know some pieces are kept just because I've already spent the money on them and they are 'serviceable'.

Based on what I LIKED to wear in this exercise, my wardrobe would be about 17 pieces not including footwear! I liked:
- Bottoms: NYDJ jeans, NYDJ leggings, Kut Dianas, a pair of bootcut/flared EB jeans.
- Sweaters: Blue Gap, Cream Gap, J Crew Tippi (new), Halogen tunic and both LE cashmere stripe sweaters. The LE sweaters aren't the greatest looking, but they are soft and warm.
- Knits: Gray Cable and Gauge, BR shadow stripe tee (still worn only once though). Doesn't include layering tees.
- Blouses: BR soft wash linen. That's it!
- Toppers: Spiegel lemming, Chaus waterfall, Christian Siriano cobalt jacket(unlined), AT floral cardi. All have give and stretch.

I suppose what I should do is segregate what I really like from the rest and see how often I actually reach for "the rest". Similar to Lisa's boutique concept.

I would also be open to comments and suggestions as to silhouettes, colors, etc. that you feel work - or don't. I'm self conscious of belly fat and a minimal waist and wonder if I'm not doing myself any favors with some of my sweaters.

So, if you're not in a state of befuddled stupification - or asleep by now - thanks for reading!!

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12 years ago

karymk

Veteran

What I do like about your sweaters is that they are not sloppy. They skim your body, so we really don't know what's under there. We can't tell if you have a wasp waist or a rectangular one. So this is what I try to acheive too. Number six looks good because you have vertical columns on either side of the sweater hanging down your body, then the belt going horizontal. Makes us think you have a wasp waist under there. I don't like #5. It's the half tuck thing. I would either tuck or let hang but for some reason these half tucks don't work all the time.

I love your first look first, the all white and cream. I love that gap sweater! Wish I could find one I liked....

(website)

I like #1, 3 and 7 right off the bat, without 'thinking' about why. Were these some of your fave items?

pil

Thanks, Karymk! The semi/faux tuck with sweater in #5 worked better with a different belt that has more 'presence'. I'm finding that I quite like Angie's concept of surrendering the waist, which surprises me.

Good luck finding your sweater - I'm sure you'll find something fabulous.

Mo - you nailed my favorites!

donnat

Pil, you look awsome! Love 6 and 4 and 5, but you also look awsome in those white jeans.

Anonymous

I like 1,3, 4, &6 best but that may be because I own the ivory and the navy Gap sweaters and other pieces as well. Your exercise and thoughts were so interesting and inspiring.

Donna and Joy, thanks! Looks like that column of color may be my friend

Caro in Oz

#1, 3 & 7 were the stand-outs for me too, the proportions & textures are fab.

Suz

Joining the choir here - 1, 3, and 7 stand out for me as well. You really look fantastic in these longer crotch length (how inelegant a phrase is that?) or tunic sweaters. And now, can you please instruct me in how that is done, because I would like to manage it?

Actually, I think I see, in part -- these are also "column of colour" (or at least tone) looks which are simple, streamlined, and derive interest from textures. So admittedly, some of my preference could be due to personal aesthetic bias here.

My impulse would be to put the "just okay" stuff in the "boutique" as you suggested, and see when and how often you reach for it. Because I think you are really onto something with some of these new looks, and why waste your time being less fab when you can be more fab?

Beth Ann

Pil:

I'm loving 1 and 3, but I think your outfits are all showing a lot of style growth over a year or so ago. Fits are sharper, outfits are more modern, but still easygoing and streamlined.

We all have some outfits and items that make us go "meh." I'm wearing one right now! I kept a drapey cardi in purple because the color makes me happy, even though the shape seems a little frumpy. That said, I think it's telling that you're happy with such a small section of your wardrobe.

I like Suz's idea to try the boutique. It's also helped me to think more of building a wardrobe and less of finding "wow" items. I'm also just beginning to work on refining my sense of "personal" style, since I find myself wearing outfits I'd like on someone else, but that don't feel like authentic representations of myself.

You should feel good about how well you completed your challenge!

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