Outfit Diary #24
Embracing the warm weather!
This is what I decided to wear to run errands with my husband. We didn’t do our usual Sunday family outing as the kids were busy with friends and schoolwork, and since we had gone downtown for some dinner the night before, we figured we’d spend some time together getting a few things off the to-do list (Costco & Petco runs).
I made these pants back in 2021. It’s the Pomona Pants pattern which is one of my favorites, but I think I’m over these. The thing that I really like about them are the colors, but something that I’ve realized lately is that I don’t like large-scale prints on me. And while the pants are comfortable, I didn’t feel comfortable in them, if that makes sense…
I want my clothes to make me feel confident when I put them on and then I want to forget about them.
Neither of these things happen when I wear these pants. So, I’ve decided to declutter them. I did think about keeping them for lounging, but I prefer sweatpants for this so these will just end up not getting used.
I did like the outfit in theory and I like how it looks in these photos - I think the color of this vintage sweater compliments the colors in the pants, as does my suede sneakers and tote bag. And if I just went on how I like how it looks, I’d keep these pants, but when I focus on how I felt in the outfit, not entirely “me”, I know decluttering them is the right decision!
Comfort - 5/10 (giving a 5 for bodily comfort); Style - 8/10; Fun - 8/10
Outfit Rating System:
Comfort - Was I too hot or cold? Did it fit me properly? Did I have to adjust any of the items constantly? Style - Did I feel stylish in the outfit? Did it feel like a “me” outfit, or was there something about it that was off? Fun - Did I try something new? Was I really excited about the outfit, or was I bored by the outfit?
* denotes a secondhand item.
I first attempted to wear this outfit last Wednesday, on the tail end of a cold, before becoming overheated and abandoning the idea entirely. But I did bookmark it to wear some other day when I was feeling better and up to wearing a more “difficult” outfit. And this was the day!
It was so worth the wait! I started off with a tank top and my white poplin skirt that was once a dress that I turned into separates (the top part is long donated). I haven’t worn this skirt much lately - a large part of me wishes that I had scrapped the idea of separates when I did this alterations project so that the skirt could have been maxi length. Now I’m thinking about letting the hem down to get a few extra inches of length, as it’s pretty thick.
Then I layered my Baserange kaftan dress over top and left it unwrapped so that the skirt peeked out through the sides, adding a nice contrast with the black and white.
Finally, I added my moto boots. In a recent shoe declutter, I put these boots in my “on trial” category. I’ve had them since around 2016 but I barely wear them, opting instead for my other black moto boots which are a little higher and a little more comfortable. But I really love the details of these boots and I want to see if I actually wear them. And I’ve worn them 3 times in the past 2 weeks, so I think that’s progress!
I want every item in my wardrobe to be something that I wear fairly regularly. And if I don’t, it goes on trial. If I still don’t wear it, it’s time for it to go. I feel so much better when I have less stuff and I’ve been working hard to let go of the emotional attachments that I have to clothes (which is my problem area).
I loved this so much and I felt amazing in this combo! It felt so chill and relaxed and I love how these moto boots were the perfect item to pair with this kaftan dress/cotton skirt combo!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
I loved this outfit! It’s so simple but it also felt so chic. I want all of my outfits to make me feel like this when I put them on.
During my no buy, and now my low buy, years, I’ve been doing a lot of decluttering. With very few items coming in, I’ve been able to figure out which items are my favorite ones to wear and which ones just add clutter and muddy the style waters!
And I actually got a lot of those clothing items out of the house on this day - 113 items to be exact!
I brought 3 garbage bags full of clothes to a consignment shop and then 3 bags to a local not-for-profit charity shop. The majority of the clothes were ones taken from my closet over the past year and a half that have been either stored in the basement or in a bag in my closet. The rest were ones that came from my kid’s wardrobes when they did their switchovers this past weekend.
This was the perfect outfit for hoisting bags in and out of the car on a warm day - a silk sleeveless top that I actually wear backwards because I like the buttons to be on the front so I can leave a few open on the bottom, paired with my “new” favorite jeans, which were purchase #5 of my low buy year. I got them secondhand but they make them in a “natural” color and I’m definitely considering them as one of my upcoming purchases!
I added my loafers to the outfit and I really like how they elevated the jeans. I will be replacing these at some point with an all-black pair with no hardware that actually fits (these are a little big on me and require a sock so they don’t constantly slip off). I added a pair of gold hoop earrings to compliment the gold hardware of the shoes and my white bucket bag for a light element.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
The only time I left the house on this day was to do school drop-off and pick-up. As I spent most of the day sitting around and working on my computer, I went for items that I know are 100% comfortable that I also feel well-dressed in - a simple black tank top with a pair of loose pleated pants and my Birkenstock clogs.
These pants are quickly becoming a very loved and well worn item in my Q2 wardrobe!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 9/10
Every time I wear these pants, it’s out of guilt - guilt that they’re a really nice pair of pants so I should wear them more. And every time that I do, something just feels off, which is why they were put on trial.
Well, after wearing them this day, I’ve taken them off trial and they are firmly in the declutter pile. Which is really a shame - they are 100% wool, have a nice checker pattern and I paid $30 to have a blind hem added to them back in January. However, they just don’t work in my wardrobe.
As a test, I tried these black wool pants that I love and I think I was able to figure out what the problem was with the checkered ones - they’re too fitted in the thigh. While they aren’t tight, they also don’t feel relaxed which is how I want my pants and jeans to feel.
Also, this tank top, which I purchased last month, is not my dream tank top after all. While I love that the fabric is 100% cotton, I find it to be a little too stiff and it bunches up in weird ways. So, I’ll be on the lookout for a replacement but will continue to wear this one in the interim.
Comfort - 7/10; Style - 8/10; Fun - 8/10
Firmly in my sweater over the shoulder era!
When I had my kids go through their clothes this past weekend to figure out what they no longer wear, one of them got rid if this sweatshirt, so I claimed it!
I’d actually picked it up at a Muji store in NY city a few years ago to bring home to my son and he wore it a few times but he prefers hoodies to crew necks so this was rarely worn. I’ve worn it at least once a day since getting it - usually for school drop-off but it was perfect for an over the shoulder moment during the day on Friday but I fully put it on in the evening to sit on the front porch!
I really like how this outfit felt. I actually see me wearing combos like this during the summer, even in the heat now that I have more comfortable jeans!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
I want to preface this outfit by saying that I hate wearing shorts, but sometimes they’re necessary. It was 81F (27C) on this day and since I didn’t want to wear a dress, I opted for shorts.
I currently have 3 pairs of shorts and 2 of them (including the ones that I’m wearing here) are vintage. It’s taken me a long time to find shorts that fit me the way that I want them too - modern ones always seemed to be too tight in the thigh, but I find vintage styles to have a more generous leg opening!
This white short / striped shirt combo is one that I repeat a lot in the summer. Both pieces and light and airy but provide a lot of protection from the sun (even though I’m likely to be in the shade if I’m outside during peak sun hours). I wanted to wear my suede sneakers with them so I added a grey marled sock that I folded down. I used to have a pair of high-top white converse that I wore with this combo a few summers ago and I miss them sometimes.
I have 2 ways that I typically wear this combo - with the shirt fully out and unbuttoned at the top and bottom, or with one side tucked into the shorts. This day, I left it untucked and open.
I also added my tote bag (the same one as Sunday) when I went out.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 9/10; Fun - 8/10
Perfect Scores: 3/6 outfits this week got perfect scores from me - Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.
Absolute Favorite: my ABSOLUTE favorite outfit was Mondays! It was the most creative combo this week and I felt really amazing while I was wearing it!
Most Comfortable: This one definitely goes to Wednesday! I mean, how can you beat a soft tank top and loose, flowy, lightweight pants?!?
Most Likely to Repeat: I’ve gotta go with a tie here: Tuesday and Friday. It’a basically the same outfit 😅 Also, Saturday is an outfit that I wear a lot during the summer!
Least Likely to Repeat: Sunday and Thursday, obviously, since I’m decluttering both pairs of pants. But it’s made me realize something about fit and what to avoid in future purchases - 1 item was too fitted and 1 items was too loose - I just need to find that happy medium!
Item Source: Of the 21 items that I wore this week (excluding jewelry), 14 of them were secondhand (67%), 6 were purchased new (29%) and 1 was memade (4%) .
As always, thanks so much for being here and for your support - it means so much! I hope you have a great week 🫶🏻
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Those land's end jeans really have become a workhorse for you, they are perfect. It is interesting that you are considering buying them in natural. I am considering buying a pair of pants I own in another colourway at the moment but is it a mistake to buy the exact same thing with distinctive detailing in another colourway? Will one of them be the favourite and the other forlornly sit unworn? Is it affecting my style negatively having multiples of distinctive items in other colours? I am wrestling with these thoughts and trying to work out if it would be a mistake to buy the exact same style or whether I have just been taking the wardrobe style advice too seriously. Would love to know your thoughts.
I love those checked pants that you made, Gillian, but I get the declutter of them - large prints can be overwhelming, and those have a "pajama" vibe about them. Bummer about the wool pants, but discovering that thigh circumference matters to you is a win!
I really loved the dress worn over the skirt - so COOL. I'm a fan of big skirts sticking out from under dresses/tunics.
Send some of that warm weather my way, please!