WIRW this winter (keeping it real)

It's finally warming up enough to consider putting a few things away, although they are talking about snow next week. While I come to YLF for help with my city clothes, you guys constantly remind me to pay attention to my real, mud-and-manure-strewn life here at the farm.

Inspired by your closet counts and spreadsheets, I looked at what I really wore on the farm once the weather got cold last fall as a way to figure out what I need for spring/summer. It ain't pretty, but keeping it real. If I wasn't going any further than the post office, these items comprised my day-to-day wear. Numbers in parentheses at the end are the items that need replacing.

3 pairs camo hunting pants (2)
2 pairs jeans (1)
1 pair fleece pants (morning chores and gym mostly) (1)
9 l/s knit shirts, mostly tech fabric (0)
1 light fleece (1)
4 mid weight fleece (1)
1 "dress" fleece not used for chores
2 wool sweaters (1)
2 down vests (2)
1 goretex jacket (1)
1 wind-proof hat (1 back-up as this is critical)
various gloves, scarves and bandannas
heavy hiking boots
lightweight hikers
mid-height snow boots
waterproof shoes
2 lounging Nick and Nora pajamas
gym clothes (bike shorts, shoes, etc.)

If you've read this far, I think it's interesting that the numbers add up to a 3/33 type wardrobe. With that, I got dressed everyday for 6 months, no laundry bottlenecks. Putting it all down here, I see I need to budget some serious cash for fall gear.

Spring/summer isn't much different, substitute s/s and tanks for l/s tees, l/s button shirts to stay out of the sun for the fleece. I will downgrade some city tees for farm chores. For pants/capris I'm in a world of hurt right now, but I can wear the hunting pants/jeans until it heats up in June. I can retire the snow boots for the season, get out the water sandals soon. And the dreaded irrigation boots, ugh.

Just writing this out makes me look forward even more to my next trip to the city at the end of the month! And happy that I live here with deer and sandhill cranes that don't care what I'm wearing.

10 years ago

Ledonna N.

Veteran

Sounds very beautiful where you live. Now that you have everything written down now you know how to move forward

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

I love these kinds of posts. Sounds like you had your practical wardrobe down to a science this winter!

rachylou

Your dress fleece made me smile. Is all your fleece black? Or do you do navys and greys? Or pastels? I have a blue one with cute fake plaid shirt tail.

L'Abeille

Ok I need to know. What are Nick and Nora pyjamas? Sounds like something I ought to have (DH and I have been watching the Thin Man movies).

Beth Ann

This post is a reminder that clothing really serves, well, a "function!" Also another, important reminder that there are different types of workwear.

Did you feel good in what you wearing? In my workout and travel wardrobe, I think of function first, but find that proportion and color are important to me. And I had some fun with earrings (although not dangling ones) to create interest.

Abeille, Nick and Nora is a brand -- great retro, clever designs.

http://www.target.com/bp/nick+&+nora

Meredith

It's always fun to hear what people wear to be appropriate in their environments and I think attention to functionality is especially important when you're working outside. Out of curiosity, what are irrigation boots and why are they dreaded?

Rambling Ann

And you guys wonder why I need so much help from YLF when I need to clean up! Honestly, there's a lot to be said for the daily opportunity to practice.

Hunting pants are the bomb though. The patterns are kind of a floral, and the pockets! I started wearing them before we bought the farm when I was doing a lot of outdoor and travel photography. The few women I know here who have farms/ranches wear Carharts or jeans instead.

rachylou-2 black, 1 grey, 1 light blue, dress fleece is lavender. DH gets sick of looking at all black fleece.

L'Abeille-I've only seen them at Target and only in the late fall. I actually have 3 sets, one stays in the city apt. Sock monkeys!

Beth Ann-I have more of a sensory response than an emotional one to what I'm wearing when I'm working, same as hiking or photographing. Is it soft on my skin? Am I warm enough? Is hay stuck to my fleece? Why is this piece of baling string in my pocket? Can I swap out shoes easily at the door? I love to wear earrings but my ears get cold from the metal when it gets windy. In winter's quiet season, I go in and out a lot so there's a lot of layering up.

Meredith-like Wellingtons, black, bought at the feed store. Dreaded for 2 reasons: earwigs sometimes get into them (ugh) and wearing them means I am down in a muddy ditch with a shovel and tarp, making a temporary dam to direct water to different parts of my orchard without actually falling into the canal. This is a skill folks around here are either brought up to or have abandoned in favor of modern technology, like pumps. I am still a beginner - though last year I didn't fall in once!

rabbit

Good utilitarian work clothes are so important, and it's such a bummer to have to replace them because they get, well.. WORKED to death. I like fashion clothes but I also have a great fondness for my backpacking gear and grubby studio clothes, because they can mean the difference between life and death occasionally, or just because they do their job and take abuse constantly and I never have to worry. Thanks for sharing.

Ok, I completly understand the dread now!

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