a weekend outfit

Confession: I love seeing other people's style.  I think it is an established fact that girls mainly dress for themselves or other girls. 

As a little girl without sisters, I used to be fascinated with my older cousins' closets and their sweet 80's clothes.  Since I've finally organized my own closet and made some updates, I'm going to try to post an outfit every once in awhile - to keep my inspiration going...

Saturday breakfast with sweet friends and driving home

...a few caveats: 

1. Since it is absolutely dark when I get dressed, outfit posts are coming from the weekend.
2. I am no fashionista and I like my little "capsule wardrobe" - so I'm not claiming that my personal style is interesting to anyone else.  To be honest, these posts are more for me. 
3. This may be the only outfit post if I start getting freaked out by putting myself "out there" for everyone to see :)

creating my closet - part 3

Once I cultivated a closet of items that work for me - sometimes a little inspiration is needed to avoid falling into a rut of boredom.  I have not been good about having a vision of my style, so this is my first attempt at building a digital style-board of outfits I'd love to recreate with pieces I already own. 

Instead of constantly feeding the desire to shop, I want to focus on contentment and simplicity - while still having a daily style that makes me feel good.  New items aren't necessary for that, but perhaps new combinations are the ticket to a creative closet.

1.  I absolutely adore reading Joslyn's outfit deconstructed posts.  Her bold jewelry, dresses, and wedges are my favorite. 

 

2. Reese Witherspoon's style is right up my alley - casual, classic, girly and approachable.  Her casual sweaters, flats, sunglasses, and cross-body bags are standards in my wardrobe (ok - not the sunglasses, but everything else).

plus, I think her hot pink necklace could be fun to recreate on the cheap...

 

3. Emersonmade's clothes are fabulous, but I love the simple styling with perfectly tailored pieces in neutral colors.

4. A few images from Liz's style inspiration posts. 

Now that I've compiled looks that I truly love, I'm seeing the trends in my style:

loads of neutrals // long, layered hair // cardigans // flat boots or ballet flats // all shades of blue //  little pops of pink or yellow or green //  dresses that hit slightly above the knee // menswear-inspired


part 1 - building my closet
part 2 - shopping for my closet

creating my closet - part 2

After organizing my clothes, I shopped.  The trick was to buy for my own closet.  I've gained a better idea of the clothes I wear often and love on my body for school, church, & cozy weekend dates.  This quote helped me focus:

"Buy clothes that you’ll wear on a Tuesday afternoon, not a Saturday night— few people lead Saturday-night lives." 

                    --Lucky Magazine, December 2010

So using some Christmas gift money I stocked up on winter essentials from J.Crew.  With their sale items an additional 40% off, it could have been easy to get distracted by cheap thrills (dainty blouses, outerwear, or dresses).  But I'd done my assessment once my clothes were all in one place.  I needed a few more long sleeve tees and cardigans for the three winter months that loom ahead. 


To mix things up and add some youthful edge, I also experimented with some new pieces from Madewell, J.Crew's younger sister store.  Here are the items I picked:

 

perfect fit tee

this rich blue color is my favorite



matchstick cords

warm, durable, and fabulous colors



  

sequin + stripes boatneck tee



 

shimmer sweatshirt tee

drapey fabric and a cute, modern cut

 

 

twilight cardigan

cozy wool cardigan with a retro, grandpa style





If you need to add some essentials for your closet - 

 the 40% off sale is on again this weekend at J.Crew and

30% off sale at Madewell!

creating my closet - part 1

Old houses have very limited closet space.  Homeowners get creative with maximizing space, like the gentleman who previously owned our home.  He had partially finished the attic space by the master bedroom (read: still open to the outdoors with swinging temperatures and bugs space) to hold his surprising amount of clothes.  Check out the sleeveless turtleneck sweater - totally awesome...

Before shot #1 - the attic space

Once we moved into our house and realized I wouldn't have a closet, we contemplated finishing this attic space and turning it into a true closet.  During these seven or eight months, my clothes lived here:

Before shot #2 - hanging rack in our bedroom

Before shot #3 - guest bedroom closet

Last weekend though, we made the plunge and headed to ikea's winter sale to pick up a hemnes wardrobe that was drastically discounted.  This post and this video by Michael Penney gave me the confidence that an ikea piece could stand the test of time, be multipurpose, and be painted to look a lot better.  We bought the piece in those huge ikea boxes, trekked home, and built it - all in one day.  No small task.

Then I spent the next few days reading through Kendi's working closet posts, and organizing my clothes to make my new closet work for me. 

1. First I purged a few items to be donated to Goodwill.  Mainly I rid my closet of stuffy button downs, painful high heels, and any other items that I don't wear anymore.
2. I separated my clothes by leaving anything I would wear in the dead of winter in my bedroom and putting everything else back into the guest bedroom closet.  Pretty easy!
3. Finally I started filling the empty wardrobe with clothes...

 So, what do you think of her?  I am a bit smitten.
 Stay tuned for closet assessment and shopping in part 2 tomorrow, friends...

finding your signature pieces

I've done a lot of closet-cleaning since we've moved twice in one year.  Each time I try to whittle down our possessions to the things that are loved, functional, or both.  It can be hard to do, but it is worth it -- especially when you have to move.  The best part for me is not having to weed through my wardrobe to find something I want to wear.  The pieces inside are items that are comfortable, but still have some cute details.  Here are some of my signature pieces that made the cut as both loved and functional...

casual, striped tops

v-neck cardis with a little something extra

sweater dresses to pair with boots

Once this is accomplished, add in some new pieces to help fill in the gaps and express your style as you grow and evolve over time.  It is a lot easier to buy things you will use, when you have visualized a closet of clothes you really wear and love.  Right now, I'm digging this statement-making necklace....

found here

...for $38, I could wear this beauty with all kinds of outfits, casual and professional.  Plus the necklace matches my style - simple but with girly details.