This series about curating a small, thoughtful wardrobe continues.
Today I’m writing about what it was like to find my style inspiration and how I slowly upgraded a few pieces in my closet.
My style was fairly confused before because I had lots of clothes that I liked but didn’t love. I pulled out the ones I loved, examined the cut and the fabric. Moving forward, my goal was to shop less. The only way that can be done is if I buy clothes that will last longer and still keep their shape, color, texture along the way.
One piece that I already had and love is this 100% cotton tank top. It has a wrinkly texture and the army green color goes with a lot of my basic items. It’s easy to wear with belts or to knot up one side. It’s also natural and comfortable looking.
This natural feel reminded me that I prefer soft fabrics that feel lovely and don’t get too hot or too cool. After doing some research, I realized that as high a cotton count as I can find is preferable for me. I got a couple of 100% Pima cotton tanks to add in black, grey and lilac. The lilac seems to have been a mistake because I never feel like wearing it. It also doesn’t go with much else. Mistakes are unfortunately part of the process.
Speaking of mistakes, I’ve also given up on buying unnecessary wardrobe pieces that are only actively worn in my imagination and not in real life. Shoes are one area where I’ve made a lot of errors and now I just accept that I’m a sensible shoe girl who likes to be very comfortable. Here I’ve been able to learn from my successes and upgrading became easier.
An example, you say? Below are two ankle booties. The one on the left is my original pair that I’ve loved and worn regularly throughout all seasons for the past three years. They are my Peter Pan booties! But you can probably see they are starting to get discolored and faded. Even though I’ve had the inside soles replaced, they feel thin and not that comfortable anymore for long walking. My mission was to find a new pair that has the beloved elements from the last ones. I found them in these great leather booties, which are black with a gray stripe around the ankle. The saleswoman fit me one size too large and put in pads to make them soft (these will eventually get worn out and need to be replaced).
For the time being I wear both of these, but it’s easier to say goodbye to my green booties now.
More to come!
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