2015 Style Resolutions

I can't believe it's 2015 already! 2014 went by in a flash. I recently saw a post on the Free People blog of their stylist's Style Resolutions for 2015 and thought I would write one of my own. I made a lot of headway in 2014 and I am super proud of my progress- but there is still a long way to go!

Things I am Proud of from 2014:

• I donated, sold & tossed lots of clothing that didn't fit with my current style
• During my shopping trips I became much more mindful and focused on what garments would work with my wardrobe, and which would not. This helped me not bring home many garments that would have ended up being donated in the future.
• My style became very clearly defined

Style Resolutions for 2015:

stop procrastinating on those unworn garments!I resolve to take these pieces out of my wardrobe and attempt to mix them into at least 2-3 different outfits. If I can't do it, or I just don't like the item anymore, then it's gone!

remix my current wardrobe instead of purchasing new items to quell boredomIt's pretty normal for people to get bored with their clothing; and I remember well a few years ago how I would play around with my wardrobe, coming up with new outfits. This was especially handy since I didn't have as much money back then to purchase new items. And since this year I will be moving out on my own, downgrading the amount of new purchases I make will be very important!

to only buy/keep pieces that I really love-buy less, but better!
This one is one of the toughest resolutions to keep! Sometimes it's too easy to purchase something on impulse, just because it seems fun. I want my closet to be comprised of pieces I really love!

explore more second hand stores
Thrift shopping used to be a VERY regular occurrence for me

try out a few new hairstyles- fishtail braids & up-dos
I finally have the long hair I've been pining after for years- it's time to have fun with it and try some new things!

December Skirt Challenge - Week 1

Week 1 of the December skirt challenge has been quite challenging indeed. I am realizing that I really don't have much in the way of tops to wear with my various skirts, especially since the majority of the skirts I have are patterned and so are my tops & blouses! I have a plain black sweater on the way from ASOS which should work with almost all of my skirts. But that would be quite boring, wouldn't it? I would really like to figure out some variations on these outfits.

For now, here is what I came up with during Week 1 of the challenge: 

OUTFIT 1

Skirt - The Gap, T-Shirt - Sky Ferreira concert shirt, Cardigan - Old Navy, 

Knee-High Boots - Forever 21

I recently bought this skirt from The Gap and I absolutely love it! I had been looking for a plaid skirt for quite awhile, and this one has structure as well as cool zippered pockets, so I bought it right away. I'm not a huge fan of this outfit overall; I think the skirt could look good with a t-shirt but I don't know that this is it. I would like to find a blouse or something more dressy to put it together with.

OUTFIT 2

Skirt - Zara, T-Shirt - American Apparel, Cardigan - Old Navy, Scarf - Ebay, Belt - ?, Booties - H&M

This skirt is also another recent buy from Zara, and I have to say it is my favorite skirt in my wardrobe now. I never thought I could wear cute, flippy skirts like this but I was wrong! I think it looks pretty good on me and I like the outfit I put together as well.

December Challenge: Skirts

Throughout 2014 I have been contemplating The Perfect Skirt, what style would work best for my body, and how it would fit into my wardrobe. After focusing my shopping efforts I've managed to procure a few great skirts that I love. The only problem I'm having now is figuring out what to wear them with- that's been the reason I have gravitated towards skinny jeans over the past couple years; it's just so much easier to put outfits together with jeans. Skirts for me tend to be so fussy and I spend most of the time making sure a) My butt isn't showing, or b) The skirt hasn't turned around backwards while I'm walking (so annoying!). But this month, I am challenging myself to create eight original outfits with a skirt as the focus. In doing this I think I'll be able to see any holes in my wardrobe that need to be filled, and hopefully create a few new outfit combinations I never thought of before.

Wish me luck!

What's goin' on?

Well, the beginning of November came and went and I didn't do my usual posts on what I bought or my outfits of the month. I actually completely forgot, as I was so busy with my new job (yay!) that it slipped my mind. I've also been thinking a lot about it and I'm not sure that I'm going to continue with the blog the way it is going right now. I feel like there is something different I can do to make it truly worthwhile for me, where now it just feels like going through the motions.

I've still been culling my wardrobe regularly and plan to do a count sometime before years end, hopefully.

I've been thinking about what I want this blog to be in the next year, and there are a few things I want to focus on:

1. Doing less online shopping and taking a few 'shopping field trips' throughout the year where I focus on fabric & quality garments
2. Developing my sense of style
3. Continuing to minimize my wardrobe

I'm looking forward to what the future will bring!

September Purchases

I almost went the entire month without making any purchases. The great part was that I really didn't feel compelled to go out shopping- I spend a lot of time going through my wardrobe, purging things and reorganizing. Two of my purchases were made at a clothing market where I was a vendor, so I was in a situation where there was clothing all around me and it was hard to resist, although I'm very happy with my purchases. The third was when I decided that I needed a statement necklace to liven up some of my outfits (I bought it online so there was less temptation).

• Forever 21 Draped Statement Necklace - I wanted to get a statement necklace and I really liked grey shades of this one and think it will fit in really well with my black & white clothing.
• Born A Bad Seed Vintage T-Shirt - This label is from my city and I've always found it to be really cool. I'll admit I don't NEED anymore graphic T's, but I just love the easygoing/edgyness of this one. I've already gotten rid of a handful of graphic-t's that I own to make way for this one.
• Leopard Print Button Down Tunic - this tunic just spoke to me and told me 'I'm perfect for fall!'. & with boots and tights it will be perfect! I have a slightly similar top that I haven't worn in a long time that I will be purging to make room for this tunic.

September Outfits

WOW, September went by fast! In a way it felt very much like an extension of summer, because the weather stayed so nice out here on the West Coast for the most part. Because of that I ended up re-wearing many of the outfits I wore during July and August and don't have too many outfit photos to share.

Top: Target, Leather Jacket: Viparo, Jeans: Urban Planet, Booties: 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? ★★★★☆

 Denim Jacket: Thrifted, Dress: H&M, 'What Ever' Loafers: Forever 21

I call this my 'Norm Core' outfit...

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? ★★★☆☆

Leather Jacket: Viparo, Black & White Top: Target, Purse: Winners

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? ★★★★☆

September, so far

We are halfway into September and I have yet to make a purchase. I have done a bit of online shopping browsing, I even went into a thrift store and tried on a bunch of things I really liked before deciding to leave without anything (do I need another $12 Forever 21 dress that's too short or a cute top with unraveling seams? no).

My closet doors have been open for the past 2 weeks and I've been slowly taking things out to put in the donation bin, and mulling over other items. I even took an hour to completely rearrange by chests of drawers to make them more organized.

I kind of feel like building my wardrobe over the past 8 months has been very 'forced'. I've really been pressuring myself to find things that fit exactly into my color scheme, finding the right patterns and types of clothes, and it has made it much less fun. Meanwhile the 'perfect dress' or 'perfect boots' seem to allude me even though I'm looking so hard. Before I began this process I was much more of an impulse shopper; but I found my wardrobe purchases to be much more organic as well. I look into my growing black & white wardrobe now and am unsure if I'm going in the right direction. When I go out I see women who look so put together yet laid back and I envy them, but after all this work on my own wardrobe I wonder why I'm not there yet? What am I doing wrong? I feel like I know my style, yet I can't quite seem to make that show in my wardrobe and my outfits. That could possibly mean that there are still quite a few items in my closet that shouldn't be there and should be purged.

I'm going to continue rearranging, organizing and culling things from my wardrobe, and hopefully some clarity will come to me.