Wow, has it been a busy week! I am so glad that I won’t be traveling tomorrow, and I think I’m going to declare it jeans Friday. Here is my last outfit: black pencil skirt, turquoise shirt with turquoise necklace, black blazer and black flats. Thinking back, I should have worn this outfit on Tuesday, but it was so similar to what I had worn on Monday. I didn’t want anyone to notice how similar by wearing them back to back! I liked all of these outfits; I would just wear them in a different order next time. You live and learn, I guess. I just started apartment hunting you guys! I am having some serious nesting feelings. I will be posting pictures as soon as I get a place and get settled. I want to take this minimism to a new level with a charming little apartment. I will keep you posted!

Whew! It has been a long week already, and there are still two more days to go! Here is what I wore today: grey trousers, colorful shirt, black short sleeve cardigan, and black flats. I had switched into this cardigan on Monday, so I have worn it twice so far on this trip. I have worn these black flats twice as well. It’s hard to tell, but I am also wearing the same jewelry as what I wore on Monday – orange dangle earrings and my blue ring. I have one more day of this trip, so check back tomorrow to see what I wear on my last day!

You should probably not be surprised to see this blue geometric print dress. I love the way it fits, and the color, and the design. I have gotten so many compliments! Matched with these flats, it was the perfect outfit for a long day at a conference. Two more days! You should start to see some good repeat pieces tomorrow.

Hey! I have job! AND I am traveling for four days to a conference. Fun! Here is my outfit for the first day: black pencil skirt, black blazer, funky shirt, and navy sparkle flats. I think this is a flattering outfit. I look purty.

This works well also for managing your own temperature. Cold? Put on a cardigan. Hot? Take off a cardigan.

Having basic pieces that layer well together is important for a minimalist wardrobe. New outfits will be easy to create if you can layer your basic pieces in interesting ways.

I traveled recently to Connecticut, just in time for a blizzard. It was a mess – probably the worst “vacation” I’ve ever taken. But I did get to see a lot of good friends, so that was awesome.

Anyway, my two biggest concerns were 1) warm feet and 2) warm body. So here’s what I wore one crazy Tuesday.

Base layer

Don’t you just love polka dots?

This level of being dressed addressed my concerns about cold feet. I’m actually wearing tights AND socks inside my leather boots. So plenty of warmth there.

Layer Two: Cardigan

I added this layer for warmth when I’m inside without my jacket, but I also love this color combination. So it’s a win-win.

Layer Three: Overcoat

And then of course my black wool winter overcoat. I love this thing; my friend Shelley picked it out for me at Goodwill. It’s 100% wool, made in the USA by union labor. Of course it’s vintage, which makes it awesome. It’s warm, beautiful, and a great thrift store find. I swoon every time I put it on. I love it that much.

So there’s one example of how to fashionably dress in layers to be weather appropriate.

Do you have any tips or tricks for staying stylish in cold weather? I’d love to hear them!

Winter Wedding Outfit

I just love this dress to pieces. It was really cold the day of the wedding, but I’m wearing pantyhose(!), a shrug that I borrowed from my sister-in-law, and suede gloves that I have had forever. I was pretty comfortable the whole day; I consider this a win.

Just to compare side by side, here’s how you can wear the same dress in June and in February.

I miss my long hair

AND the other thing I want you all to take away from this is that I updated this look for $9. If you have lots of weddings to go to, you don’t have to spend a fortune on new outfits for each one! Seriously.

Have you ever worn the same dress lots of different ways? I would love to hear how you styled it differently for different occasions.

Eight Pieces – Seven Outfits!

So here are my thoughts:

1. This kind of challenge isn’t hard. In fact, it can be liberating to know in advance what I’m going to wear. When I get a job and my life becomes more routine, I could see trying to do this more regularly.

2. Planning is required. Other people who participated made some comments that it would have been nice to have a different shirt, more color, etc. I think some of these “regrets” can be mitigated with a little more preparation. When I do a challenge like this or pack for a trip, I actually write down what pieces I’m going to choose, what outfits they make, and then decide what days I’m going to wear them. Once you start writing things down, it’s easy to spot the pieces that maybe you will only wear once, that are taking up space in your suitcase or on your list but really aren’t pulling their weight. I almost didn’t add the black tights into this challenge, which would have meant eliminating the dress that I love. Instead I added the outfit with the purple tank top and black tights; being able to wear the tights twice made them totally worth it. But I wouldn’t have even thought of that outfit if I hadn’t been writing everything down. (BTW – if you want a packing list to mark up, download this one here for free.)

3. They can’t all be winners. Hopefully if you plan ahead, the outfits will be diverse and interesting enough so you don’t feel like you are wearing the same thing every day. However not all of the outfits will be awesome. Maybe I’m a bad planner, but I still get the occasional dud. Outfit #7 in this group didn’t feel great to me. But hey, six out of seven isn’t bad, right?

4. Focus on basics. I should write a whole post on this topic, because I feel like this is my entire mentality right now for my wardrobe and my outfits. Quality basics are the backdrop to your showstopping pieces. But I know when I look in my closet and think “I have nothing to wear!”, it’s because I have too many showstoppers and not enough basics. Currently I am intentionally acquiring high quality basic pieces (remember these pants??), and my wardrobe options have just exploded. I would say in this challenge, I had five basic pieces and three showstoppers. That’s a pretty good ratio.

5. I have more than enough clothes. This is always a surprise to me, but with a little planning and smart use of my basics, I certainly have plenty of outfit options for a variety of situations. (Are you listening, self??)

OK, that’s enough navel gazing. This has been a great challenge, and I hope that I can keep this five concepts in mind for the coming months as the weather changes and my wardrobe will need re-evaluating.

Outfit #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7

Did you participate in the challenge? Any thoughts or reactions?? 

Here’s my favorite outfit from the challenge:

Pretty blue dress – outfit #6

I just love this dress. It’s so flattering, and I love the pattern and the color. I was volunteering the day I wore it, and it felt good to feel productive and pulled together. Plus those are my Under Armour running tights I’m wearing, so it was very warm too.

Funny story. I house sitting for my aunt and uncle. We had gotten about 2″ – 3″ of snow overnight. When I left the house to go volunteer, I got confused in the snow and ended up driving onto their lawn. My car got snuck in a snow bank! It took 45 minutes, but I dug my car out of a snow bank. In this outfit. Leather boots can do anything!

And last but not least: outfit #7:

outfit #7

This was my last outfit and my least favorite of them all. It’s not bad, but it felt very boring in all of the brown. Well, they can’t all be winners.

There you go! Eight pieces/seven outfits. Boom.

Back to the beginning

I’m in Connecticut right now, buried under close to three feet of snow. But the power is on. Hooray for teh interwebz!

So look what I found. I love yarn bombing!

See more here!

Outfit #5

Here is that lovely sweater that I can’t photograph at all. It’s so warm! And beautiful! And fabulous! I promise. You just can’t see it in all of its splendor.

It is actually a little bit warmer today than it has been (16 degrees F!), but I still enjoyed wearing this comfortable, warm outfit. I was actually wearing socks most of the day though. Don’t be fooled by the picture.

Just a reminder in case you forgot what my eight items are:

Eight pieces

Previous outfits:

1 2 3 4

How are you coming with your capsule collection? Anyone else playing along??