Outfit Diary #28
Finding new ways to wear old things + a low buy purchase
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I bought this maxi slip dress on consignment about 4 years ago and it’s one of my favorite items to wear in the summer, but since it has spaghetti straps, I like to wear something over it during the parts of the day when the sun is the strongest. Today, I chose my oversized denim shirt.
I really love (almost) everything about this shirt, except I’m starting to feel like it’s a tad too oversized for me and I’d like to eventually replace it. I’m not actively looking for that replacement and I’ll keep this one until I find something that I love!
I added a pair of sheer striped socks and my cream sneakers. To match the casual vibe of the outfit, I used a cream mesh produce bag as my handbag (I have a smaller cream-colored cotton bag inside to contain my items).
* I used elastic hairbands to hold my sleeves in place.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 9/10 - Deducted points because I don’t love the shirt anymore :(
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.
This vintage silk shirt is an item that I thrifted years ago but that I don’t often wear and will never get rid of! I remember the exact moment that I found it, my kid’s reaction to it when I asked if they liked it (ewww - they were little at the time but as teenagers, they’d probably still have the same reaction 😆) and how I immediately decided to buy it upon said reaction!
I’m obsessed with the equestrian print and the gold button details and how the sleeves are gathered.
I’ve rarely worn it because there was a time when I was transitioning my hair from brown to silver where I didn’t think that the creamy tone worked with my coloring. But now that I don’t use purple shampoo and therefore, have some warmth in my silver, I actually like to wear cream more than white!
I decided to wear my new light jeans with the shirt and then I used the brown in the shirt to figure out my shoe and handbag choice. I left the shirt untucked so that it would feel more casual. I did look for my old brown belt that would have also matched but I think I must have decluttered it once when I was off wearing brown.
I think that adding these light jeans and brown ballet flats has added so much versatility to my spring/summer wardrobe. I’m feel like I’m finding ways to wear items that I’ve struggled with in past summers.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10 - I LOVED this outfit!
It was raining off and on this day, so I opted for some basic items that I didn’t care if they got wet - an old grey sweater, my black utility pants that I haven’t been wearing as often now that it’s warmer and my silver sneakers to elevate this basic outfit.
I decided to use my nylon belt bag because I can wear it across my body and under my rain jacket which I threw in the back of my car.
My husband took the afternoon off so that we could get some errands done that needed the both of us after we grabbed some lunch at our local co-op’s salad bar.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 9/10
I was going to declutter this sweater a while back, but then I noticed that there was a big pull in the front, so instead of decluttering it, I put it back in the repair pile. When I eventually tackled that pile, and fixed the pull (not perfectly, but good enough), I decided to keep it and I’m really glad that I did.
It’s cotton, medium-weight but loose so there’s lots of air circulation even if it’s warm outside and I love leaving the neckline open. It’s a really great sweater for spring/summer. I think my dissatisfaction with in in the past was wearing it during the colder months and I never felt like I could get the collar to work properly under jackets and it doesn’t feel (or look right) when I zip it all the way up.
This day, I paired it with my utility jeans and suede sneakers. And once all of my work was done in the morning, I went out to a consignment shop, where I bought my 12th low buy purchase!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 8/10
Ta-da! My 12th low buy purchase - a cream colored cotton t-shirt! I wrote a little about how I came to purchase this t-shirt and the subsequent Diderot Effect that it had on me in this newsletter.
I have another t-shirt in a very similar color that was purchase #8 this year, but this one is longer and a little more oversized so I can leave it out over jeans, which is what I did with this day’s outfit.
Borrowing Monday’s color scheme, I paired the cream t-shirt with my light jeans, added my brown fishermen sandals and my brown “lunchbox” bag. My pop of color this day was the green recycling symbol which is what made the t-shirt stand out to me in the first place - I don’t think I would have noticed it otherwise.
I really love that I found this secondhand and that it has a recycling symbol on it!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
We had a school event to go to for one of the kids this day so I wanted an outfit that was a little dressy but still casual and comfortable. I’m finding that these jeans have become my go-to for such an outfit! I paired them with a sleeveless silk top that buttons up the front (which is actually the back because I prefer wearing it this way) and my brown ballet flats.
I decided to use my small vintage Coach crossbody bag to hold my phone, keys and lip gloss and I completed the outfit with some silver accessories.
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
I’ve been trying to wear this black silk top with the asymmetrical hem for a while but not having any luck. Even this morning, I initially tried it with my cream t-shirt underneath (my more fitted one) but something felt off. So I decided to go for a more voluminous outfit with my wide legged pants and I liked how they complemented the top. I needed a top layer so I chose my vintage white “bridal” top (seems like it was part of a bridal set at some point, doesn’t it?).
And here’s my submission to the “wrong shoe theory” - I think my ballet flats would seem like a more obvious choice here but I opted for my Birkenstock clogs and I think it adds a nice balance to the dressier items!
I added my cream bucket bag to complement the clogs and I really like how this all came together. The outfit felt very boho and reminded me a little of my style in college!
My daughter told me that it looked like I was wearing pjs and I can see it but I honestly didn’t mind it. We had a family birthday this day and it was a jam packed (and fun) day doing everything that they wanted!
Comfort - 10/10; Style - 10/10; Fun - 10/10
Perfect Scores: 4/7 outfits that I wore this week received perfect scores from me - Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. These are all outfits that I loved wearing and felt really good in. I also notice that they have very similar color themes!
Absolute Favorite: my ABSOLUTE favorite outfit was Monday’s outfit. I felt really chic and cool in this outfit and I’m always happy anytime I can find a way to wear this blouse!
Most Comfortable: This one is always a little harder to decide as I try to make sure that all of my outfits are comfortable but I guess I’ll go with Tuesday as there’s nothing that I would consider to be “fussy” with any of the elements of the outfit.
Most Likely to Repeat: I’d definitely repeat all of these and I’m pretty sure that Tuesday and Wednesday are repeats from other weeks!
Least Likely to Repeat: I’ll go with Sunday for this one - but I’d do a similar combination with a different shirt!
Item Source: Of the 24 items that I wore this week (excluding jewelry), 16 of them were secondhand (67%) and 8 were purchased new (33%). After adding 3 new items last month, it feels nice to have my first purchase of the month be preloved, and to have swung back to wearing more secondhand items than new.
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 love all these different outfits with their different vibes that are still true to you!
Yeah, that equestrian blouse is fabulous and I would have wrestled you for it, Gillian! 💕 I hate the warm tones in my white hair (it looks yellow) , hence the extreme over correction of lavender hair!
Awesome week, well done!