The Perfect Skirt

One of the big challenges for me over the past year and a bit has been wearing skirts on a regular basis. I remember when I was younger, wearing skirts fairly regularly; but over the past few years dresses, and mostly jeans have been my go-to item. I think with all of my over-shopping I found the various skirt styles, fits, & trying to pair them with the random assortment of tops I had very overwhelming.

Now that I have been focusing my shopping and mindfully adding pieces to my wardrobe, I want to tackle the issue of skirt wearing. I have quite a few skirts hanging in my closet that don't get regularly worn; now is the time to make a choice: wear, or toss? If you look back at some of my older posts you'll see that I have gotten rid of some skirts already, but I've kept hanging on to some of them, not knowing if I will wear them again. They are really bugging me, and taking up valuable closet real estate to boot.

My aim now is to figure out what kind of skirt suits me best? What kind of skirt will go with the tops and blouses I already have in my wardrobe? What basic skirt can I build a multitude of outfits around? I honestly think if I can pare my skirts down to around a handful, I will have more success at wearing skirts on a regular basis. The thought of just having one or two great, reliable skirts in my wardrobe makes me feel very happy. Right now, other than that work skirt I bought from Smart Set last month, I don't feel like I have any skirts that match those qualifications.

Certain qualities I like in a skirt are: something with structure. something a little edgy or with a few simple details. a-line. between mini and midi. Now all I need to do is find it...

June Outfits

The sun finally emerged in June and I found myself throwing on shorts and dresses on a regular basis. I have been narrowing my focus in terms of colors and items of clothing I'm wearing, and it has made me happier because of it! It is so much easier to get dressed this way. I don't even mind wearing the same things over and over (of which I did a lot in June, which is why there aren't very many outfits...). I think my faves are the outfit with my new Joe Fresh crochet skirt & pink suede moto jacket, and the H&M leopard sweater outfit. I will be wearing that one all the time come fall.

I have also decided to add a rating system to my outfits. The questions are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, and are:

Was I comfortable wearing it? Was I tugging and pulling at hems, or could I let go and not think about what I was wearing the entire time I had it on?
Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? Can it be worn to work, hanging out with friends, to a dressy affair? Having a low rating on this scale isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I would like to know what outfits can be more than one thing.
Would I wear this outfit again? If I wouldn't wear it again, why do I own it? Should I remix the garments into other outfits? Should I donate them?
How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit? If it doesn't feel like me, stop wearing it.

I'm hoping these questions can help me figure out a bit more about my style, why I wear things, and find the best outfits for me.

 

Denim Jacket: Thrifted, Skull Tank: Aritzia, Shorts: Joe Fresh, Ballet Flats: Wal-Mart

Was I comfortable wearing it? ★★★★☆
Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? ★★☆☆☆
Would I wear this outfit again? ★★★★☆
How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit? ★★★☆☆

Polka-Dot Dress: H&M, Purse: Winners, Ballet Flats: Wal-Mart

Was I comfortable wearing it? ★★★★★
Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? ★★★★☆
Would I wear this outfit again? ★★★★★
How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit? ★★★★☆

Plaid Shirt: stolen from the boyfriend, Heart Tank Top: gift from Forever 21, Pink Jeans: Thrifted Dollhouse, Ballet Flats: Madden Girl

Was I comfortable wearing it? ★★★★★
Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? ★☆☆☆☆
Would I wear this outfit again? ★★☆☆☆
How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit? ★★★☆☆

Pink Sweater: H&M, Striped Tank: Joe Fresh, Black Jeans: Urban Planet, 

Leopard Print Shoes: Steve Madden, Purse: ?? 

Was I comfortable wearing it? ★★★★★

Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? ★★☆☆☆

Would I wear this outfit again? ★★★★☆

How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit? ★★★★★

Pink Suede Moto Jacket: Bershka from Ebay, Black Tank: Joe Fresh, Cream Crochet Skirt: Joe Fresh, Tan Sandals: Joe Fresh, Necklace: H&M

Was I comfortable wearing it? ★★★☆☆
Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? ★★★☆☆
Would I wear this outfit again? ★★★★☆
How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit?★★★★☆

Pink Burnout Baseball-T: ASOS, Skinny Jeans: Urban Planet, Leopard Print Shoes: Steve Madden

Was I comfortable wearing it? ★★★★★
Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? ★☆☆☆☆
Would I wear this outfit again? ★★★★★
How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit? ★★★★★

Leopard Print Sweater: H&M, Black Jeans: Urban Planet, Moto Boots: H&M

Was I comfortable wearing it? ★★★★★
Does this outfit have multiple occasion potential? ★★★★☆
Would I wear this outfit again? ★★★★★
How much do I feel like 'me' in this outfit? ★★★★★

June Purchases

This was a very busy month for me, with my birthday and an internship. I had quite an urge to go shopping, and I did go to the mall one day this month with my mom to do some birthday shopping- I have to admit it felt really good to spend money, it felt cathartic to pull my debit card out and buy a few things. This has always been one of my main reasons for shopping, that it felt relaxing and fun. I'm not sure what to do about that except maybe find something else to replace it that doesn't involve spending money.

THIS MONTH I TOSSED: 
2x sweaters
2x button up shirts
2x shirts
1 pair of shoes

One of the only reasons I haven't gotten rid of more this month was just because of how busy I was. The month of July looks like there will be a lot of wardrobe-related tackling issues happening, including tossing some stuff and (hopefully) creating a capsule wardrobe.

Here are my purchases for the month of June:

• ZARA Leopard Attitude Sweater - I saw this sweater on the website back in January and it sold out almost immediately. I searched in every store, on Ebay, and couldn't find it. Last week when I saw it on the rack in the store I almost screamed! plus, it was marked down from $50 to $20 AND I used a birthday gift card to pay for it! I know that it isn't really something I 'need', but I know I will love it.
 

• H&M Grey Slouchy Leopard Sweater - I absolutely love this sweater and I've already worn it twice since I bought it last week. I know for a fact it will be a favorite this fall when the weather cools down.

• ASOS Pink Burnout Baseball T-Shirt - I had been searching for a slouchy soft baseball t-shirt for awhile and found this one on ASOS on sale. It's super cute and really easy to just throw on with some jeans.

• Joe Fresh Cream Crochet Skirt - I had been pining over this skirt for over a month, hoping it would go on sale. It finally got marked down from $45 to $29 and I snatched it up. It's exactly what I wanted when I talked about getting a sweet chic skirt or dress back in this post- so happy I found it!

• Smart Set Black & White Skirt - This is a amazing work appropriate skirt and I found it at Smart Set on sale for only $14.99, quite a steal if I must say. I think my goal at the moment in terms of work clothing is just to add a few very basic pieces to my wardrobe; as right now I don't have a job to wear it to but they are great to have on hand for interviews or anything that comes up.

• ASOS Leather Chelsea Boots - I have been wanting some flat chelsea boots for awhile, and these ones from ASOS were $120 marked down to $75 so I'm happy with that deal. I'm going to have to wait until it gets a bit cooler to wear them but I think they will become a staple for sure.

I'm happy that everything I bought this month was on sale (not included the H&M sweater, which was only $25). I think my focus for July is going to be working on maintaining & improving the wardrobe I currently have, as well as checking out a few thrift/vintage stores to see if I can find some good deals on a cute dress or two. I also really want to list a bunch of clothes on Ebay to sell; I have been meaning to do that for awhile.

For my birthday my mom bought me this cute skull necklace from Blue Ruby and earrings from The Bay; I love them both! They are so me.