I'd already been feeling overwhelmed by clutter and having things I don't need. My irritation resulted in me going on a bit of a rampage in my closet, making a massive pile of things I never wear, are in bad shape, don't fit quite right, or just make me all kinds of uncomfortable when I wear them. No sense in stressing out over getting dressed in the morning only to get to work and decide you really hate the clothes your wearing and let it distract you from your day.
Here's the thing. I don't need to be a certain size. I just need to wear what makes me feel good.
The pile of things to go is growing. Right now it's on the floor in a basement bedroom. The pile will be broken into three smaller groups: trash pile, things to sell/donate pile and then a pile of items that aren't working at the moment. The third pile includes items I might kick myself for tossing so it will stay stashed in the basement. Out of sight and if I don't go for any of those item in six months or so, they're toast. I'm considering this as a two tier strategy.
The to go items will be sold to second hand shops, donated, or contributed to a garage sale fundraiser for the rink.
My closet and drawers are now a little roomier and I'll make another pass through them both to try everything on and continue the purge. A bunch of skirts need further evaluation, but that will likely happen when I'm not driving to work on what feels like a frozen pond. And there's the unpacked bins in the basement that still need series review.
On that day I went to work in an outfit I ended up hating, I was so agitated that I went on a bit of a shopping spree and raided the after holiday sales at Loft, Gap and Old Navy.
I filled my cart and then had a heart attack when I saw the price tag, so I culled and then culled some more.
Here's a look at what I bought.
The pants are probably a size too big and even though I know that, there's some kind of weird satisfaction that comes every morning when my pants are loose. An irrational kind of thing, but I'll take it. In the past, I'd drop a pant size or so when running regularly, but in the last year, I've noticed that doesn't seem to happen anymore. Now it's more if I don't work out for a week or two, I feel like I've gained five pounds, even if I'm eating right. It infuriates me. Something about turning 30 maybe. Mom says it gets harder to stay in shape as we age and in her 50s, she pounds the pavement more than I do. Here's to hoping my knees hold up that long.
The two white/cream tops replace a few similar tops that are worn beyond what could really be considered acceptable use. But I loved those old tops and they went with so many other outfits that I couldn't bring myself to toss them without a replacement.
The blue and maroon tops are loose fitting and light to match with all three pairs of pants and can be layered with cardigans or jackets. The maroon jacket is my new favorite piece that was something like $100 regular price and I got it on sale for about $40.
These pieces are colors that I tend to wear the most and are versatile. They're replacing a bunch of hardly worn, only go with one thing type pieces. I also picked up a forest green cardigan that I love. I've already mixed it with a few different outfits and I'm moving toward creating a wardrobe of simple, staple items that easily mix and match versus those super cute, unique items that don't go with much, though I think I'll still stay on the lookout for a few of those when on sale.
I've decided to continue the wardrobe transformation this year, allowing myself to purchase up to one nice, versatile item per month so long as it replaces something, preferably several things. I love Loft, which tends to have awesome sales, so I'll keep an eye on items I like and snatch them up one at a time on sale. That way, I'm not busting my monthly budget and putting more thought into purchasing only what I truly like. For Montana living, I also need to build my outdoor wardrobe. Wind proof pants were life changing. So those items will come in piece by piece, hopefully on sale.
My next phase will involve weeding through my shoes and jewelry/accessories. I've got a ton of great flat shoes and a few heels or wedges that I love. All of them were great for life and work in D.C., less so for Montana. Some of those need to be replaced with snow boots and gardening boots and home renovation shoes.
While shopping for some work shirts for M, my eye drifted to the clearance shoe racks at the local mall and I scored these beauties for $25, regularly $70 or so. They will replace two pairs of black flats that I don't even like that much, so I consider it a worthy purchase.
What about you, how do you approach the beast that is the closet purge? Or chose new items to purchase? While you're thinking about clothes that make you fee good, check out Alicia's Love Your Body Resolution series.