Thank you all for your comments on my Urban Snow Queen/wear all the clothes challenge. Here is a wrap-up of the challenge and some of what I learned before I shift gears for spring.

I think overall, my Urban Snow Queen persona involves 3 aesthetic “modes” or aspects:

• Nordic Noir (gritty, dark neutrals, denim, stompy boots)
• Folkloric (braids, amber jewelry, patterned knits, dark florals, embroidery, silk jacquard)
• Offbeat Equestrian (long over lean silhouette, riding boots, big cardigans)

Individual outfits can feature either one main mode, or a combination. Equally satisfying. But at least some outfits should juxtapose multiple aesthetics. Some days I want to just wear something simple and other days I want to pull out all the stops. And that’s ok!

Outfit formulas:

• “Jeans and a sweater” = relaxed skinny, straight-leg, or cropped straight pants + hip-length, semi-fluid fit pullover.
• “Long over lean” = leggings (or very skinny jeans) + tunic sweater
• “Long over lean and layered” = leggings/skinnies + tunic shirt + cardi
• “Volume on volume” = straight-leg pants + tunic sweater + ankle boots

Mind you, I’m open to other outfit formulas – these just seem to be what my current collection of clothes is good at.

Wardrobe holes that emerged from the challenge:

• A couple pairs of velvet trousers or relaxed skinnies in my current size.
• I’d love to up my jewelry game a bit: more substantial abalone, amber earrings; baroque pearl pendant/earrings; choker-length necklace
• bags: light metallic, burgundy
• outerwear: something relatively dark in color, warm, but not gear.

One of the goals of the challenge was to assess how well individual items in my wardrobe are working – fit, fussiness, overall contribution to style goals. Here’s how the capsule ended up for those who are interested in the deep analysis – feel free to skip this part and just look at the pics at the end (collecting a few of my favorite looks from the challenge):

First, the workhorses that I turned to over and over again:

• Black relaxed skinny cords, Black ponte leggings, Charcoal raw-hem straight jeans, Medium wash straight jeans, Medium wash skinny jeans, Liberty-print leggings*, Gray oversized cowl tunic sweater**, Plum cowl neck tunic sweater**, Black/white/gray Nordic mock neck pullover, Polar bear tee, Black/white Nordic long open cardi, Black tall boots, Black patent stompy boots, Cognac riding boots, Burgundy patent ankle boots

*You wouldn’t imagine such a bonkers item would be a workhorse, but they were surprisingly versatile and featured in several of my favorite outfits

**Honestly, I’m feeling a bit sick of these two at the moment. I notice that I tire easily of items when I’ve worn them frequently in a short period, but like them again after a rest. More support for my “generous number of items + buy and hold” strategy.

Second, a group of items that strike me as important to the aesthetic but more limited in terms of styling or practicality:

• Ivory velvet skinny jeans, Light wash skinny jeans, Burgundy cords, Black/blue/white Nordic pullover, Aqua cowl neck pullover, Black burnout velvet top, Rose jacquard Asian vest, Pale lavender pintuck tunic, Ice blue pintuck tunic, Burgundy cable midi cardi, Charcoal reindeer cardi, Ivory/pastel fair isle cardi, White stompy boots, Blue patent ankle boots

Some unexciting essentials/neutral glue:

• Black skirt leggings, Charcoal skinny jeans, Black open big cardi, Black portrait collar sweater, Black henley long-sleeve tee, White pintuck tunic

More mostly-neutrals that are occasionally useful. Good fit and I like them but don’t want to wear these styles super frequently at the moment:

• Black midi cardi, Black snow boots, Black ankle boots, Gray pull-on skinny jeans, Black cable cardi, Teal velvet skinny jeans, Black cashmere knit pencil skirt, Black silk jersey tunic, Gray silk tunic, Light gray cable cardi, Camel cable cardi

On the fence: Burgundy cashmere turtleneck, Burgundy silk-cotton shirt, Black patent tassel loafers

Removed from active wardrobe: Charcoal velvet trousers (fit), Light gray raw-hem straight jeans (fit), Lavender velvet skinny jeans (fit), Medium gray long cardi (over it), Gray/multi Swedish cardi (sentimental), Black scoop neck layering sweater (fit)

Thanks for looking & reading! As always, grateful for any comments.