So this season I've been calling in professionals on various aspects of my life. I saw a financial coach for the first time a couple of weeks ago and he was amazing for making sure I'm on track and suggesting things to change to put me on better footing over time.

So, even though I've been moving in the right direction wardrobe-wise, I treated myself to a session with a local stylist for a closet audit (if only Angie weren't on the opposite coast...). I've culled a lot this year (... and bought...), but over the 3 hour session, we got rid of 3 more garbage bags of visibly worn-out, dated, unflattering, or not-me stuff to donate. She also identified my style as strongly "rocker" in her parlance, with some minimalist.

Before: 126 non-gear clothing items and 25 pairs of non-gear shoes
After: 81 non-gear clothing items and 21 pairs of non-gear shoes

And you know what? I'm pretty sure I'm not going to miss anything that's gone, and this week I've been so much happier with my wardrobe. My closet looks calmer, there's a much higher percentage of things I love, and it's given me permission to wear them more now that I don't feel like I have to wear less-loved things just to justify their place.

The stylist (who is awesome) came up with a list of pieces I need to get tailored, and a small list of things to acquire to make everything else play better together. There will be some swap-outs; a few items that stayed in my closet are placeholders until we find better alternatives.

My goals for this year:

1. Keep the closet neat and streamlined: Since I paid for someone to help me cull and organize things, it'd be a shame to let it drift to chaos again. After filling the gaps the stylist identified, I'd like to keep my wardrobe close to the current size. I'm sure I'll pick up a few things next year, but I'm going to try to keep it to a small number, and ideally when I can replace something else.

2. Focus on higher quality: I started doing that this year and have been happy with the results. I've found that consignment is a great way to get high-end things that I love but would have a hard time justifying at original prices (see: my new-to-me 2 Helmut Lang dresses, jacket, and blazer, acquired for a relative song compared to retail prices), and it's more environmentally friendly to rescue someone else's castoffs. I'm also now more willing to pay full price when it's for just the right thing. (That said, I'm sure I'll continue to browse Express when I have gift cards.)

3. Put more effort into choosing the day's clothes: I've started on this already, but have room to improve. The stylist emphasized the importance of a Third Piece, and I'm often guilty of just grabbing a top and a bottom and running. In 2018, I want to try to add that extra element most days. Related but separate, I want to wear my "nice" casual clothes more, rather than grabbing the grubbiest tee and jeans by default when I'm "just" running errands. To encourage this, I relegated some things to gear-wear drawers so they're not hanging with the rest of my clothes. If I'm not doing something messy or athletic, I have to grab something from my "real clothes" closet.

Aaaaand pictures.

1: Closet Before: I used to keep my scarves on multi-tiered hangers, but that got messy and confusing.
2: Closet After: The stylist hung each scarf on its own hanger. That takes up more space, but since we got rid of so much, I now have that space to spare.

3. WIW yesterday for running errands: I've almost never worn this gray lace moto vest (a Christmas gift from my mom a few years ago), but now that I can see it in my closet, I really like it!

4-5: WIW to a holiday party with my dance friends last night: The lovely thing about my dance community is that we can wear just about anything and not be judged for it. It's a fun, safe space to play with clothes or makeup in a group of creative ladies (and a gent or two). I bought this dress ~13 years ago when I was a friend's plus-one to his company holiday party, and I hadn't worn it since... and now can't figure out why. It's a flattering fit, can be dressed up or down, and it's a pretty but not overwhelming sparkly black. Cardigan/hoodie in Finds. My new Target OTK boots also got an outing... I bought them because they're fun and I was excited to find tall boots that actually hug my narrow calves, even though I knew I wouldn't have many opportunities to wear them without feeling self-conscious. I also put on a long silver necklace after I took these pictures, so that was my third piece when I shed the cardigan.