A Seasonal Wardrobe

Doing a little writing this morning as a welcome change to sitting by my computer waiting for shipping updates on my Selkie orders and softly rocking  myself when I see they'll be delayed another whole day, when I came across this post that I meant to put up two months ago and somehow it slipped by me.  However, since I keep referencing it in current posts, I thought I'd better go back and do some explaining so we're all on the same page.

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen something pretty, bought it, and then at the end of the season, went to store it and realized I had something almost identical already in storage that I'd forgotten about.  Talk about buyer's remorse.  While we often talk of shopping on this blog, we don't often talk about what to do with all our great finds.  The fact of the matter is that I, like so many online shoppers, have begun to feel like I am drowning in stuff, as though the things I own, own me.  

Over the past two years, I have been working at cleaning out my massive clothing collection/addiction while simultaneously only buying things that are tasteful and timeless instead of nickel and diming my money away on fast fashion.  The results?  Well, I still have a lot of clothes.  So many in fact that I lament the way each season slips by with so many pretty things that never made it off the hanger.  

Inspired by the sudden drop in temperatures and a recent burst of energy, I have set about a complete closet overhaul.  I took every single thing out of my closet and my storage bins and organized them all into four groups, one for each season.  I did have to make a trip out to buy a few more bins so that I could tuck away anything that didn't fit autumn, but it was worth it to finally have an organized and uncluttered closet.  The things that are now in my closet are Autumn Only.  I'm going to wear them exhaustively for three months and then, at the end of November, I will pack everything away for 9 months and bring out my winter things.  

The seasons here aren't really what I would call distinct.  Rather, they tend to blend into one another, often having false starts and ends which is why my closet has been such a catch all with everything from heavy sweaters on the shelf next to airy cotton sundresses.  No more.  Now I am wearing my clothes by season and layering if necessary with what I have available since cardigans and tights are pretty much year round for me anyway.  

In order to make the space for this transformation, I did have to part with many pieces.  If I had something listed on Poshmark and realized it hadn't sold in the past year or two, I donated it or sent it to ThredUp rather than let it sit and take up space anymore.  It wasn't easy but once they were dropped off, it felt so wonderful to be rid of the burden and have some room.  With the new tax regulations on the way, I doubt I'll be selling on Poshmark much longer anyway, so why not just donate them to others instead.  After that was done I organized everything into seasonal bins so this whole process of changing for the seasons should be much easier moving forward.

The whole process took me several days, and I mean full working-dawn-to-dusk kind of days to get all this accomplished.  The morning after completing my closet makeover, I opened my closet door and smiled to see all my options neatly laid out.  This is as opposed to my usual look of confusion as I try to decide what to wear from the endless choices available.  I'm hoping that in this way, I'll be able to buy less and enjoy more.  I'll keep you posted.

Shopping Info:  Trousers are from Unique-Vintage.  

A Forever Fox

Another flashback post, this outfit has been one of my most popular blog posts. The photo above is actually one of my all-time favorite photos.  The excitement is genuine and my hair looks amazing for once.  Normally the curls would fall out before I could make it from the bathroom across the hall to this room to take the photo.  This was also taken before my hair was mostly grey, which it is now.

This little fox sweater is still my favorite of all my fox print tops, and I wear it every autumn with different skirts.  It was just a fluke finding this sweater on ThredUp.  Even though I'd been searching for a fox sweater, this one turned up in the kids' department.  I guess that's why it fits me better than most adult sweaters which seem to be too wide and baggy or hopelessly long for my high-waist skirts and trousers.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a really great piece of clothing is one that will give you lots of outfit options and work well with your changing style for years to come.  This little fox sweater certainly fits the bill.

Novel Intentions

    Even though I was bookish in school I rarely read a book outside of class.  I'm not sure if I didn't like reading or I didn't like being told to read.  As a little girl I loved to listen to my mother read to us and I attributed my active imagination to the stories she read.  I pretty much made straight A's all through school, but when it came to reading, and particularly those high school reading picks, I was totally bored.  It seemed like a waste of time to read about the great things people once did when I could be out doing great things and trying to become someone great instead.  Even if those "great things" were just climbing trees, building forts, and daydreaming. 

    I love reading now.  Maybe it's because no one's forcing me, or maybe it's because climbing trees and building forts isn't as easy as it used to be.  Whatever the case, there's always a stack of books by my bed and occasionally a book or two tucked into my purse or glove compartment.  Today's pick is that Gothic classic Rebecca by Daphne Du Marier.  It never fails to grab my interest and I'm looking forward to the day when I can discuss it with....well, anyone else who's read it.  More often than not, I lean toward the classics while everyone else in my circle goes for the newest and trendiest books.

    I'm sorry to say that I have little tolerance for most of the teen-fiction out there...except The Hunger Games, and even the majority of new best sellers fail to grab my attention.  At some point, writers decided to follow this plot line of--things are bleak, they get worse, there's some unnecessarily graphic violence, sex, or both, and then everyone loses hope and resigns themselves to their fate.  No resolutions, no happiness.  Just depression.  Who has time to feel like that?!  I don't.  I'll stick to stories that leave me smiling.

Shopping Info:
Modcloth Skirt and heels are old
Old Navy Fox Sweater is from ThredUp  Use my link to sign up and save $10 off your first order.
Forever 21 Peter Pan Collar top is old

Fox Hunting: Mak Sweater Review

Foxy Etsy Finds:  Fantastic Mr. Fox Print, Crochet Fox Gloves, Fox Pendant Necklace

    Sorry to be sooo last year about this post...unless you're one of those who likes to take their time with fashion finds.  If so, this post is for you and I'm not sorry at all.  I loved this fox sweater last fall, but I kept waiting for the price to drop when I found it at ModCloth and Unique Vintage.  It did, but by then my size was sold out.  And, I saw it all over the place from factory direct sources on Ebay, but was still figuring out my size with the Asian sizing guides.  Eventually it disappeared from those shops too. 

    With the leaves changing color and sweater weather just around the corner, my interest was renewed.  This adorable foxy face was no longer peaking out from every shop window and blog spot I visit.  Finding it this late in the game would be a challenge.  So, the fox hunt began!  It took me a few days (spread out over several weeks) to find this sweater at a shop called TopazSun which also has a storefront on Amazon.com  Since I had an Amazon order ready to go, I decided to buy it there.  I did pay extra for shipping and I'm not sure if that's because I bought it from Amazon or because of my address. 

    I normally wear an XS, but I like sweaters and tees to have some breathing room so I always order them in small or medium.  I ordered this sweater in a small and it's a pretty good fit.  True to the sizing guide info, it is snug, but not form fitting.  The length is just about right, but I added a lace cami underneath for a couple more inches of coverage.  I think it's the perfect length for wearing with skirts and I can't wait to start pulling out the fall skirts to see what other outfits I can put together.

Shop the Look:

Fox Sweater by Mak