Outfit Diary #3
Chronicles from a well-worn, mostly secondhand, minimalist wardrobe
Today’s installment of “A Week of Sustainable Outfits” will be similar to previous ones, except I am adding a rating to each outfit in terms of comfort, style and fun.
Comfort will refer to how comfortable the outfit was on that day. The questions I will be asking myself: was I too hot or cold, did it fit me properly, did I have to adjust any of the items constantly?
Style will be based on how I felt while I was wearing the outfit. Did I feel stylish in the outfit, did it feel like a “me” outfit, or was there something about it that was off?
Fun will refer to how playful the outfit felt. Did I try something new, was I really excited about the outfit, or was I bored by the outfit?
Each category will be rated out of 10.
I think that analyzing the outfits in this way will be a great way to nail down my go-to formulas and also a great way to see which items are no longer working in my wardrobe.
Sunday
We had plans with friends to meet downtown for lunch, followed by a Christmas concert which has been a Christmas tradition for our families for quite a few years now.
I had just pulled a vintage LL Bean dress out of storage and I thought that it would be perfect for the occasion. It was really warm out at 55F, and I had plans to wear my long tan coat, so I just wore bike shorts underneath.
Like I mentioned in last week’s outfit post, this is another outfit that takes me back to 2019. And just like 2019, I wore my Leona boots with this dress. The lace loops on these boots are brass so I chose a belt with brass hardware to compliment.
I really like wearing this long tan coat with this dress because I think the lengths work really well together.
It also feels really chic and polished.
I feel like I’ve been on a tan/black streak lately with my outfits. I think it’s such a classic color combo that always makes outfits feel a little more elevated.
But after doing it for 3 days, I think I was ready for a change!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 8/10; Fun - 3/10.
I used to feel so great when I wore this dress but something felt a little off about it this time around. I think it might be that I have another long black dress that I was gifted for my birthday that feels more “me” right now. It may have also been that I didn’t have enough time to iron out the wrinkles before we left for our outing. But I wasn’t excited about it in the least! If I continue to feel this way, it might be time for it to move along to someone else.
Monday
I relied on one of my go-to outfit combos on this day: shirt + sweater vest + wide leg pants + sneakers + favorite jacket.
The warm weather from the day before continued into Monday and I took full advantage of it by wearing my sneakers. They’re light and suede so I think they’re more of a fair-weather shoe.
I’ve worn this exact combo before but with a different shirt underneath. I just really love the proportions of these items together, and I like how the shirt breaks up the line between the vest and the pants and adds some visual interest.
Since getting these sneakers, these pants are my favorite thing that I have worn with them.
I tied my hair back today and added a pair of blue statement earrings. I have a hair appointment in a few weeks and I think I’m going to cut some length off, maybe somewhere between the length it is now and shoulder-length.
When I was growing it out, I dreamed of getting it to this length but now that it’s here, I’m a little sick of it.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 8/10.
I loved this outfit and I knew I would. It contains a lot of my current favorite items - the suede jacket, sweater vest, pants and the sneakers. And I love the color scheme of the outfit. It feels very “me”! Since I’ve done this outfit similarly a number of times in the past, it didn’t feel novel or like I pushed myself but I was really excited to wear it and it felt really great!
Tuesday
I usually know one item that I want to wear when I go to get dressed, and then I plan the rest of the outfit around that item.
This day, I knew I wanted to wear this black cotton tiered dress. I haven’t wore it in a while and it matched my desire to wear something a little “extra” today.
In the winter, I will often reach for my grey vest to wear over it, but I wanted to try something different and I landed on wearing it over a shirt. The neckline is generous enough that I knew it would compliment a shirt collar nicely.
Most of the shirts that I own are of the blue/white stripe variety and I didn’t want that so I went for the black/white checkered shirt that I wore yesterday. The sleeves of the dress are more of a 3/4 length and I like how the shirt cuffs are visible.
The safe bet would have been to go for black jeans or pants, but I like wearing this dress over my wide-legged 2-tone jeans that I made. Both items are oversized but I think it works, especially when paired with a chunkier boot!
This outfit was screaming for an updo so that the neckline could be visible. And since it’s hair wash day, I did a topknot and left a few face framing pieces free. And with my ears visible, I KNEW I had to wear a statement earring - these are a little heavy and make my ears sore by the end of the day so I’ve been taking breaks with them.
To top it off, I added a charcoal grey alpaca wool coat. I wanted a change from my long tan coat and puffer coat, and the length of this one works well with the dress.
I really enjoyed wearing this outfit. I was happy that my vision worked out, even if it did give me “mild clown vibes” - the collar, the 2-tone, the oversized silhouette - but in the best possible way!
If you like the idea of this outfit but not necessarily the oversized fit, I also styled it with a belt and a pair of dressier boots and I really liked it! If I owned a pair of black dressy boots, I probably would have went with those but all I have are these silver ones so I chose a belt with a silver buckle.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10.
I might prefer it more with the belt and the dressier boots!