Outfit Diary #4
Chronicles from a well-worn, mostly secondhand, minimalist wardrobe
I can’t believe that it’s been a month of documenting my outfits on here! I hope that you’ve been enjoying this new series as much as I have been in writing it.
I was just looking looking back over the outfit headers from these 4 newsletters and making some observations - my love of dark colors is quite evident! The colors that I have worn the most are black, grey, green and blue, with some white and tan thrown in for contrast.
I’ve been able to identify 1 item that I want to let go of (a black maxi dress) as well as my most favorite recent addition (my “Kaya” sweater).
What I’m most proud of is that fact that I felt really good in all of these outfits and that they all worked really well for my lifestyle. I felt “put together” and comfortable in all of them. I have struggled in the past with buying clothes for my “fantasy self”, which at the time led a much busier life than I do, and goes out much more! More and more, my fantasy self and actual self are becoming the same and it’s nice to see my wardrobe evolve into the perfect wardrobe for me!
I love writing long captions about a particular outfit or item. I find that it helps me to better identify what I like, or don’t like, about it. The practice of doing it consistently makes me more aware of all the great things that I already own, and hopefully, it will help me as I go through my low buy year in 2025!
All 7 days worth of outfits are reserved for paying members of the community. However, the first 3 outfits in this newsletter are available for all subscribers.
If you are finding value in my newsletters and would like to support my work, you can become a paid member of the community for $5 per month (an annual subscription for $50 gets you 2 months free). This gives you access to the full weekly outfits post, all of the archive and anything else that I post.
Outfit Rating System:
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.
* denotes a secondhand item.
** There are no affiliate links. I’ve added them fyi only.
Sunday
Our weekend rituals were thrown off this weekend by an ice storm that we had early Saturday morning. I didn’t leave the house on Saturday and so my daughter’s and my Saturday morning breakfast ritual got switched to Sunday morning.
While the main roads were pretty clear, it was still icy and slushy on the sidewalks. Luckily, the temperature was just north of freezing so some strategic layering was perfect and I could avoid wearing a heavy coat.
I started with an outfit base of a lightweight black merino wool mockneck sweater and black jeans. I added my charcoal grey wool cardigan, which I only buttoned at the neck. This is my favorite way to wear a cardigan!
I wanted sturdy walking boots so I went for my old Frye moto boots. Whenever I feel like the outfit could use a belt and I’m wearing these boots, I choose this vintage western black belt. I feel like the vibes are similar.
My entire goal for this outfit was to be able to wear this green suede jacket. Perhaps you already knew, but this is my favorite jacket, and the jacket that I am now weighing all other jackets against!
I’m so thankful for the person who decluttered it from their wardrobe so it could be the star of mine!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 8/10.
Monday
Monday is usually spent at home, getting all of the laundry done for the week and writing. But this day, I had an orthodontist appointment. And since I had to leave the house, I added on a couple of errands - a visit to the dry cleaner and a Target order pickup.
I am 42 weeks into my invisalign journey, a little over halfway. I started it last March as a way to fix the debilitating pain I was having from TMJD on the right side of my jaw. I had my first molar removed when I was a child and nothing was ever put back into the hole. Over time, my second and third molars slowly collapsed into the hole that was left behind and it led to a crossbite. I still have some pain when I yawn, but the clicking and popping has ceased and I don’t wake up in tears anymore, so I’m pretty pleased with the progress!
I wanted an outfit that looked stylish for being out in the world but that would also be really comfortable for sitting at the table or folding laundry. I went with this long black kaftan dress. I layered it over a pair of old thrifted Lululemon pants that are slippery so that the dress wouldn’t get stuck to it like it does to my leggings - you can’t see them but I share it in case you have a dress that you’d like to wear in the winter but you avoid it because it sticks to everything that you wear underneath it :)
I am really enjoying wearing my old Leona boots after feeling ambivalent towards them for a few years. I never did declutter them because I REALLY loved them at one point and I had a feeling that love would return someday.
I topped my outfit off with my long tan coat, a lightweight wool scarf that I found at a consignment shop a few winters ago (and discovered in a drawer this morning), my favorite wool beanie, and a pair of recently thrifted statement earrings.
Comfort - 9/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 8/10.
Tuesday
I can’t describe how much joy I derive from documenting my daily outfits here. The ritual of getting dressed and taking a photo has been a real mood-booster.
I have struggled in the past with needing an outfit to feel “special” in order to document it but I’m unlearning that with this series and it feels “special” to simply share the outfits that I live my life in.
I no longer feel like I have to style every single outfit that I post - a favorite sweater paired with a pair of comfortable pants, slippers and my favorite earrings is just as worthy of a post as a ballgown (a bit of a stretch since I don’t own a ballgown, but I think you get it 😉).
I only had to leave the house to do school drop off and pick up this day. I did take Odin for an extended ride to Target after drop off because I forgot to get laundry detergent in yesterday’s drive up order and I still had some laundry to get through. I think that Target drive up is one of the greatest things to come out of the pandemic!
For a day sat mostly at the table writing, I chose my “Kaya” sweater which has very quickly become my favorite sweater (it’s only been 3 days since I wore it).
Obviously, the resemblance to Kaya is the main reason, but I also love the oversized fit and the height of the neck (as much as I love how turtleneck sweaters look on others, I feel like I genuinely look like a turtle when I wear one, so I’m very happy with this mockneck).
I paired it with these casual pants that I bought a few weeks ago. Looking back at my outfit diaries, this is the second wear for them. They are quite lightweight so I don’t reach for them as much but I imagine that will change when it warms up again.
I wore my old Birkenstock slippers most of the day and I actually really like how they look with the outfit. The shape is extremely similar to the Birkenstock Boston clogs, which I have on my Christmas wish list. If I get them, I can definitely see them being a constant pairing with these pants.
I did add my favorite silver hoops to “finish” the outfit. I don’t wear a lot of accessories but I do like to choose something that makes the outfit feel complete.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 5/10.
This outfit was extremely comfortable, it felt very much like “me” and while the dog print is fun, I only gave it a 5/10 because it’s pretty basic but I love it!