I have not followed any sort of shopping strategy since I was a kid and did the whole school clothes thing with mom. The lack of strategy was often apparent, as I would become obsessed with some idea or another and just buy stuff that fit with that idea (leaving myself with 8 pairs of similar black boots or more smiley face adorned garments than any single human has a right to own).
This year, I've decided to attempt to limit my spring purchases to these few garments in finds. I've actually got my spring/summer wardrobe fairly well sorted. It's a lot of garments that I love and wear as often as I can get them through the laundry cycle, so I don't NEED anything much. However, considering the rate at which my wardrobe has been getting destroyed here lately, I figured it couldn't hurt to buy a few things BEFORE I trash something. My logic is that maybe it will keep me from running around like a chicken with its head cut off, scrambling to come up with clothes, buying any old random thing that I might be interested in.
The black joggers are a replacement for the grey ones I ruined with black sticky goo. Those grey ones were a heavy hitter in my wardrobe, working for my job and leisure. I like these black ones even better than the grey ones.
The black tunic top is meant to save my beloved Barbara I Gongini top. I'm not saving the beloved one for some 'occasion', I'm just not wearing it to work; I'll wear the one in finds to work because it won't hurt me if it gets trashed.
The sneakers are a pair I have been lusting after for, well, like forever. I saw them pop up on zulily for a fraction of what I've been seeing them sell for, so I went ahead and bought them even though I don't necessarily NEED any sneakers right now. I'm fairly certain that I'll trash a pair of sneakers before spring/summer is over, and these were my Platonic ideal of sneakers so I went for it while they were so heavily discounted. (Side note: why am I sitting here trying to rationalize & justify a wardrobe purchase on a forum dedicated to wardrobes? LOL)
The long blue duster cardigan was kind of a whim. I couldn't get the full length white coat inspiration pic from this post
(https://youlookfab.com/welookf.....nts-length)
out of my mind. However, a coat doesn't get much wear here, and Ivory would last about 6 nanoseconds. So I'm going with a long dark cardigan.
The blue top was a birthday gift from my mom (she sent money, I bought this), and is unusual enough to appeal to my dystopian side, yet still rather normal & minimalist looking. It even came with matching arm warmers, which makes accessorizing it on cool days fairly easy LOL
The light colored top is a bit dystopian and therefore perfect for work. If it gets snagged on something, it will blend right in with the distressing and it won't break my heart for it to get trashed beyond hope. It will save some of my lighter colored tops for days when I don't have to worry about smashing blackberries into my clothes by accident. Possibly related fun factoid: I actually wound up with blackberries smashed INSIDE MY BOOTS on Saturday, and it wasn't very pleasant
The dark grey one is a wild card and a bit of a gamble. I'm not sure I'm going to feel comfortable in my own body in it (mid life weight gain, blergh). But it's different, and it looks breezy enough to actually be a good piece for our summers.
I'm hoping that, by adding a few pieces now, in a thoughtful and planned way, I will prevent the scramble and mistakes I've just lived with in the past. I've read so many posts from you wonderful ladies, the ones where you've tried a new strategy, and they've inspired me to think differently about how I approach my wardrobe and my style shift that I've been going through. So if you've stuck around to get to this point, thank you for the inspiration!
