Outfit Diary #27
7 days, 9 outfits + cleaning a front load washing machine
I just had the busiest weekend that I’ve had in a really long time, if ever! I had something for every portion of the day starting on Friday evening and going straight through Sunday afternoon. My cup feels quite full after a weekend spent with a lot of friends! Which is why this newsletter is coming to you a little later than usual - I hope you’ll forgive that 💕
Actually, this gives me an opportunity to ask this:
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In a previous Outfit Diary, I had noted that I was struggling to think of bottoms to wear with my red sweater since a lot of my bottoms are black and that color combination felt too strong, especially in summer. In a comment left by Rach, she kindly suggested that I try them with these grey pants, and I think the colors worked really well together. Thanks Rach!
I love getting suggestions on how to make better use of my wardrobe, especially when I’m struggling with an item!
And I also love the slightly (intentionally) oversized fit of both of these pieces and I think it adds a casual-chic feel to the outfit. I mentioned in some newsletter a while back that while I love an oversized outfit, I want it to be intentionally oversized, meaning that the items are designed to be that way and I’m not having to size up from my usual size to get that look, which sometimes means that the item is oversized where I don’t want it, such as in the sleeves or the shoulders.
My shoe choice for the day was my brown ballet flats, which are quickly becoming my favorite shoe to wear. The leather is so soft which I love and hate. I love it because I haven’t had any rubbing issues and they’re really comfortable, but I hate it because there is less structure and I can see where my toes are 😅
We went downtown earlier in the day but I spent the evening reading on the patio. It was just chilly enough to warrant a blanket so I decided to go matchy-matchy with my sweater and a wool blanket that I thrifted years ago, just to get a little dopamine hit whenever I took a reading pause!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
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.
Another day means another opportunity to wear these pants! I found them at a consignment shop back in December and they’re extremely lightweight so this is the perfect time of year to get as many wears from them as possible.
It was a holiday on Monday so we joined friends out on the lake in the afternoon for a boat ride - they provided the boat, so we brought some food.
This sweater/pant/shoe combo (with a t-shirt underneath) is fast becoming my summer boat outfit! Actually, I’m reaching for it for a lot of other activities (or simply for lounging) as it’s so lightweight and comfortable.
What’s your favorite outfit to wear right now, that you can rely on no matter what you’re doing?
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 9/10; Fun - 8/10
I’m trying to disconnect a little more and truly enjoy the small moments throughout the day. So this week, I started having a “quiet” breakfast where I eat in silence without a video or audiobook playing. Once I’ve enjoyed my meal (currently eggs, toast, cottage cheese and an orange, or orange juice if we’re out), I make coffee and read whatever book I’m currently on - I finally finished 1984 and I feel like it took me forever!
This is what I wore to run some errands/work in a cafe for a few hours - a recently acquired t-shirt (April), Levi’s, ballet flats and an old tote bag.
I definitely feel like my style has become more basic over the past few years. I feel most comfortable in pants (as opposed to a dress) and I prefer solid fabrics in neutral colors (as opposed to patterned fabrics). My wardrobe is definitely not as visually interesting as it used to be but I think this is the happiest that I’ve been with it in a long time - I think a lot of that comes down to dressing to please me, as opposed to dressing to get a reaction from other people.
I used to crave the external validation of other’s telling me that they loved my outfit, or asking me where I got something, which doesn’t happen as often nowadays. And I’ve realized that I’m okay with that!
I added an old necklace and charm to add a little visual interest on top and my usual jewelry.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
A slightly different outfit from yesterday with the color scheme but I relied on the same formula - t-shirt/jeans/comfy shoes.
I love layered outfits, which is why I love my wardrobe most during the colder months. I struggle to feel stylish when it get’s warm outside and tend to resort to the same items over and over. And that, combined with the fact that I’m buying very few items means that there will be a lot of repetition over the next few months - you have been warned 😅
But I think there’s use in that, especially when we are constantly bombarded with ads and told that we need this new (insert random item here) to finally have the perfect wardrobe, which we know deep down doesn’t exist.
Instead of perpetually chasing that perfect wardrobe, let’s chase wardrobe contentment and being happy with the items that we currently own instead.
Let’s find new ways to wear old things.
Let’s block out the noise and truly consider what we want/need.
For me, that’s clothes that are comfortable, that I can put on and forget about. It’s clothes that I can sit in, walk in, clean in, garden in, hug my big, smelly, drooly, furry dog in!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 8/10; Fun - 8/10
After I finished 1984 on Tuesday, I quickly moved onto the second book on my list - The Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen - and I loved it. It’s a play and was a pretty quick read. It amazes me that it was written in the 1800s but the underlying theme of the book is still so prevalent today!
I wasn’t able to find the 3rd book on the list (A Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert), locally or electronically on Libby. I did find copies to purchase on Thrift Books - I’ll order it along with any other books that I can’t find locally or on Libby at some later date.
I was able to find the 4th book, Absalom! Absalom! by William Faulkner at the local library, so I decided to do a little work from there this day.
I was craving a little color after the neutral color palette of the past few days and it was cool enough to wear this light patchwork jacket. I layered it over a green tank top which I paired with my new white jeans. My brown ballet flats seem to go with everything in my wardrobe and this outfit was no exception!
I took my usual tote bag to contain my laptop (not in there yet) and the book that I had to pick up.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
I spent the early part of the day (up until 5 pm) in leggings and my cream sweatshirt - I was ironing my new white jeans after they’d air-dried when I noticed some light brown marks on the legs. I immediately knew the cause - the rubber gasket around our front load washing machine which had a mold/mildew problem. Despite regularly wiping it off, I could never get rid of it fully so I decided to finally tackle the problem properly.
In true fashion, I didn’t take a before picture, but these are the steps that I took:
I drained the water that was sitting in the filter compartment and took the filter out to clean. This was the most disgusting part - it was messy and smelt really bad. This is actually the reason that front-load washing machines can have a bad odor. So, if you have a front-load machine and it smells bad, clean this part!
I took the detergent drawer out and washed it - I used an old toothbrush for the harder to reach spaces, and I also cleaned all around the area where the drawer inserts into the washing machine.
Finally, I mixed 1 part bleach with 4 parts water, soaked some cleaning cloths in the solution and stuffed the cloths all around the rubber gasket (I recommend wearing gloves for this).
I checked on the progress every so often, re-saturating the cloths and re-placing them until all of the mold and mildew was gone.
It was such a satisfying project! I just need to make sure that I regularly clean it instead of letting it get bad!
This evening, we went to a baseball game which was an activity organized by my husband’s coworker. The local team won and I got to eat some good, and not so good, stadium food on a really beautiful evening!
I wore my trusty go-to casual outfit of black tank top/loose pants/sweatshirt (over the shoulders first but I put it on halfway through the game) but I swapped out the sneakers for my old Birkenstock sandals because I always think stadium floors are gross!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 7/10; Fun - 8/10
I don’t normally do outfit changes throughout the day, but because of all the activities on Saturday, I did 3!!
Morning
My daughter and I have a standing Saturday morning breakfast date that we started during my no buy year as a replacement for going thrift shopping. And while my no buy year has ended, and we could technically go back to shopping dates, we both enjoy our morning breakfasts so much more!
I look forward to this outing all week and I like to get a little dressed up for it. This morning, I wanted to wear my black Kaftan dress. Since the dress is so covered and it was supposed to be warm out, I added a pair of bike shorts underneath and tied it loosely so there was a lot of ventilation around my legs.
I opted to wear my vintage fisherman sandals and I took my produce bag to use as a handbag (I used a smaller cream bag that some product had come in at some point as a liner bag to hold my actual items so that they weren’t visible).
Now that I’ve discovered the black/brown/cream combo, I feel like a whole new world for summer dressing with my black items has opened up to me!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
Afternoon
In the afternoon, my friend’s daughter was having a graduation party - it’s so strange (and exciting) to watch these kids grow into young adults and head off to college! The party was held outside and I wanted something that was summery, but still pretty covered for sun protection.
I opted to wear my navy/white striped shirt with my light wash jeans (I tucked the shirt into the jeans in the front only and left the hem long in the back). I decided to wear my white slingbacks because I wanted a little bit of a heel and because I really liked how they looked with the shirt and jeans.
The outfit was comfortable and I’m glad that I wore it, except the shoes. After only a few hours of wear, they had rubbed blisters into a few toes (and made one of my big toes go numb which was a fun discovery the next morning).
So, I’ll be looking for a replacement pair of dressier heeled summer shoes!
I’ve been enjoying this old charm and chain combo as a focal point for some of my outfits lately. I think I reach for my necklaces more in the warmer months!
Comfort - 5/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
Evening
The final event of the day was dinner and a show with friends. I knew that I wanted to wear this vintage sheer silk dress and I decided to wear it over a black tank top and jeans. My feet were killing me from earlier in the day and I wanted shoes that would be comfortable but were still dressy, so I opted for my new ballet flats.
This night was a true testament to the softness of these shoes - I was able to wear them (and walk quite a bit in them) and they didn’t hurt my feet further! I didn’t add any jewelry beyond earrings and my usual rings or watch but I did accessorize with a red lip!
I originally planned to take the produce bag again because I liked the juxtaposition of the silk dress with the utilitarian bag but switched it out last minute for my circle bag.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
Perfect Scores: 5/9 outfits that I wore this week received perfect scores from me - Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday morning and evening. These are all outfits that I loved wearing and felt really good in.
Absolute Favorite: my ABSOLUTE favorite outfit was Saturday morning’s outfit. I felt really chic and cool with my dress tied like that and I think it was the perfect balance of a heavier item with more summery ones. I feel like I’ve found a way to wear this dress even on warm days!
Most Comfortable: Honestly, most comfortable will go to any outfit that contains my grey pants, but in terms of stylishly comfortable, I’d choose Saturday morning again!
Most Likely to Repeat: I’d repeat all of these, except I’d choose different shoes for Saturday afternoon.
Least Likely to Repeat: Saturday afternoon, but only because of the shoes!
Item Source: Of the 26 items that I wore this week (excluding jewelry), 12 of them were secondhand (46%) and 14 were purchased new (54%). With the low buy year and making more intentional purchases, I’m finding that some week’s contain more new than secondhand items. I’m not sure how I feel about that - I’ve spent quite a few years thrifting which I’m very proud of, but it definitely led to overconsumption for me. Now, I’m buying more new items but fewer items overall. I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the year unfolds and also what my shopping habits will be like after the official low buy is over.
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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I am really enjoying the direction of your outfits. I can appreciate outfits with trendy and statement pieces but your outfits are the ones that I really want to wear. You are right, outside validation and social media is messing with our personal style. When we stop chasing all of that and dress for ourselves we are much more content. I am glad you are at a point where the validation is not important.
In saying that, now it is the validation part of my comment. Love the red sweater with the grey pants. Adding the brown ballet flats and matching blanket is ideal. I am loving your cream tee, you are inspiring me to pull mine out and start trying it out to see if I like it any better. Love that the black, brown and cream colour combo is still bringing you joy, I think it looks great without fail. Maybe that is where I should start with my cream tee - I can see it paired with black jeans and brown ballet flats in my head, may be a winner?
I like all your outfits this pass week. Monday and Wednesday outfits were my favorite.
Also it nice to unplug and read. Good for you!