my Wardrobe in a Nutshell

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With the new job just around the corner, I have been trying to get my entire wardrobe clean, my closet organized, my drawers tidy so I can worry about the job and not my outfit each day. I have made a list of the contents of my Fall/Winter Wardrobe. Yep, it's a bit over 60 pieces and doesn't include my yoga/lounge stuff, but I think otherwise it's pretty accurate:

Jackets and Blazers

1. Orange sweater jacket – cute but not very wintry
2. Tan twill jacket – fits strange, is cheap, considering donating
3. Black ponte jacket – in love with it, it is fab
4. teal bateau neck merino
5. White denim safari jacket – HATE it. Got it for $6.99 so I keep it, but should get rid of it.

Sweaters
1. Purple dream v-neck – cozy, and fun color
2. Pink merino v-neck – fits a bit tight, for some reason the color irks me right now
3. black merino crewneck – not very warm, hem rolls up
4. black stretchy v-neck – casual and fine, not terribly warm
5. same in navy
6. same in white – it’s see-through and requires a layer which makes it less flattering and professional
7. Dark orange merino scoopneck
8. Black ribbed crewneck
9. Black and gray fuzzy v-neck – requires a shell, is very long and casual and only works with jeans
10. Jade short sleeved scoop tunic sweater – needs a layer for the winter.
11. Lime merino boatneck – I just can’t wear this shade in the winter, I look sickly
12. Heathered brown merino v-neck – cannot wear with the darker hair, looks awful. In attic.

Work-appropriate Shirts and Tops
1. Leopard print sheer sleeveless top – CLEAVAGE
2. Ivory lace cap-sleeved top – can’t wear with extra poundage, major cleavage
3. White cap sleeve shirt – cute, not warm, needs to be ironed
4. White button-down shirt – a bit too big, needs to be ironed
5. Black wrap shirt – not warm but fabu
6. Bright purple jersey puffed-sleeve bow neck top – I dunno, I don’t LOVE this. Need to play with it more.
7. Black and white print cotton kimono-inspired top – sort of faded, more play than work.
8. Teal cotton babydoll – again should be retired for the season

Evening/Night Out Tops
1. Red silk empire waist top
2. Gray-blue silk jersey drapey top
3. green lowcut rouched top
4. Red puff sleeved silk jersey top (en route from Banana Republic)
5. Hot pink blouson jersey tube top
6. Gold print satin top

Jeans
1. Denim trousers – a bit short with heels
2. Flirt jeans – too long for flats
3. Joe’s Jeans – they stretched out, got thin, are crap and should be returned for the poor quality.

Pants and Trousers

1. Black stretch poplin trousers
2. Another pair of the same trousers
3. Cream wool crepe trousers – a bit tight
4. Brown glen plaid trousers
5. Brown wool cuffed trousers – a bit large, haven't pulled out because I fear I will grow into fitting them 🙂
6. Black nubby crepe trousers – too short, lining torn out, they are just plain awful and need to be tossed
7. Gray stretch trousers – a bit short, a bit tight

Skirts
1. Black pencil skirt
2. Denim skirt – a bit short and a bit juvenile
3. Denim pencil skirt – should be burned
4. Black and cream jersey circle skirt – a bit too big
5. Black and White gypsy skirt – very limiting in regard to tops, very summery
6. Zebra skirt
7. Orange red shantung skirt – not work appropriate, better for warmer months

Work-appropriate dresses

1. Burgundy sweater dress (en route from Banana Republic)
2. Black sweater dress
3. Purple sweater dress – shows off my gut a bit
4. Black and ivory jersey wrap dress
5. Black, teal and lime print jersey dress – too summery
6. Teal knit dress
7. Red jersey crepe dress
8. Olive linen shift – should be retired for the season

Special Occasion Dresses

1. Black matte jersey sheath

Suiting
1. Black pinstriped pantsuit – a bit tight in the trousers, lining torn out but otherwise fine and flattering.

Shells and Tees
1. Teal scoop tee – a bit loose for work and nice look
2. Same in black
3. Black cashmere tank – major cleavage and more of an evening top
4. Black silk knit shell – kinda dorky, only good for a suit
5. Orange scoop tee
6. Royal scoop tee – a bit faded and more for yoga than work
7. Black tencel tee – not too flattering or cute… not sure why I still own it
8. Black tape yard sweater tee – faded and falling apart
9. Pink kimono-sleeved v-neck tee – a bit tight and more for play than work
10. White ribbed tank
11. Black ribbed tank
12. Olive ribbed tank – thin and cannot be a top on it's own; needs to be layered
13. Berry ribbed tank
14. Heather gray ribbed tank
15. Ivory synthetic camisole

As you know from this blog, I do own more pieces but they are for the warmer seasons. I limited this to what is currently in my rotation. I concentrate on what I wear to work because really, as a 32-year old my social activities are usually at a friend's house or a nearby casual bar. My evening tops work for a night out on the town, a fancy restaurant, a holiday party and many have been worn with nice trousers but also jeans to dress them down.

Anyway, I wanted to share this because it may seem that I shop and shop, but I really am particular with what I get, when and what deserves to go in the closet. I am finding my collection to be a bit big now, this often happens when seasons change. I have my old pieces that are mostly good, but due to lifestyle or personal style updates over the year, some just seem plain wrong (like my brown merino v-neck that has had a good three winters of hearty wear before now). This causes me to seek out a few replacement pieces to update the look.

Point is, a lot of clothes do not make a person prepared for every occasion, stylish or well-dressed. Making this list really made me realize I have… ENOUGH. I need to work with what I have, not work against it by bringing more into the fold.

However with the holidays come holiday gift cards so there is a chance you may see a few more goodies… but with it I will be returning the crap which are Joe's Jeans (love Nordstrom), and donating the pieces on this list that do not make me happy or are flattering any longer!

A woman with curly hair wearing a plaid blazer holds a green fur coat over her shoulder on a city street.

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12 Comments

  1. Allie,

    So glad I read your comment about Joe’s Jeans — I was at Nordies yesterday and almost bought a pair. I opted for Seven’s instead (on sale for $80), but my overly helpful sales person was really pushing the Joe’s. So glad I didn’t get them. Thanks!

  2. I don’t know what happened because I ADORED them. I didn’t wash them after every wear and usually let them hang dry, but they started coming apart at the seams, first near the bottom at the hem, then just in other places – as though they were too tight and I was pulling them apart. But places like the ankle, I’m not pulling them and they were never too tight. The denim also got very very soft even though I didn’t use the dryer and they lost all shape – they now are like… like yoga pants or something.

    I don’t want to give up on Joe’s Jeans so I think I will return these because it seemed just strange for the pair, and maybe try again in the Spring when I want a new style. I think I can get through winter with the denim I have.

  3. Love your blog, but wanted to ask- your Joe’s Jeans really fell apart? I have several pairs that have held up really well over the past two years or so. They’re flattering and comfortable- what do you think happened with yours? Craftsmanship or material or what?

  4. Allie – you totally need to join Wardrobe Swap Shop on flickr. It’s a great place to finally get rid of the things you just don’t wear and try something new!

  5. new reader.

    i love the wardrobe assessment — i try to do that each season, too. i really need to weed through my sweaters. i’ve become really picky about what i’ll buy now — fit is everything. 🙂

  6. Hi Allie!

    I agree that having a lot of clothes doesn’t make you prepared for every situation and that there is a point where enough is enough. However, it seems you do have a number of pieces you dislike, are worn out, not season appropriate, or no longer fit. I have this problem too, and after reading your post, was inspired to go through my wardrobe and just pack up for donation a lot of pieces. So, what I thought was a huge wardrobe suddenly isn’t so big, but the gaps are very obvious.

    Starting a new job, I think, is always a good time to re-evaluate and retire or renew some clothes.

    Love your blogs!

    Christine

  7. and I must say when I stopped selling cosmetics I did have a bonfire… burned three pairs of oil and lipstick-stained trousers in the chiminea in the back yard – they were all a poly blend from the Express clearance rack and after 3 years they still looked new (and hid the stains well) but I HATED them!

    That was sooo liberating!

  8. I can’t decide what to describe these pants as – they are tan tweed, but they are stretchy fabric, then I went to return a top from the same packing slip and saw AT calls them glen plaid? They are my tannish pants I have worn more recently. My goal was to have links to all, but I ran out of time yesterday 🙂

    And the C. enne V. jeans are sitting in my car waiting for a tailor who can hem them. I cannot WAIT because they do fit so cute and they are an awesome color. Now that I am working in DC maybe I’ll find a tailor I trust – I don’t want to have them hemmed by the same crackpots who hemmed my green and white dress with royal blue thread, or the other cleaners who destroyed my ivory pantsuit. 🙁

    Any DC/MD people have any recommendations for a tailor who can handle denim? My mom knows one in Beltsville and I was thinking of stopping by there tonight after work…

  9. This is a great post – I need to do something similar! You’re absolutely right though, sometimes you need to write stuff down to really see what you have……..Fantastic idea for a post.

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