Travel Wardrobe: Chicago Sightseeing & Lake Michigan Dunes

Ahhh, two of my favorite places: downtown Chicago and the Michigan dunes.

Last week we took time out to visit family and celebrate our anniversary, and although we had access to laundry (thanks Mom & Dad!), I wanted to pack light and bring versatile pieces that could do double duty for sightseeing in the city and the beach.  I also wanted things that could layer since the weather was about to take a dip into cooler temps – real fall!  (Although sadly the trees were all still green because that part of the Midwest has had such a warm late summer/early autumn.) Continue reading “Travel Wardrobe: Chicago Sightseeing & Lake Michigan Dunes”

Shaving My Blazers and Other Fall Wardrobe Maintenance

Apologies for the incomplete post last night. I discovered that blogging while supervising a painting toddler results in posts with pictures missing and black paint (thankfully washable) splattered all over the dining room wall.

It’s actually a bit cool in the mornings now in Atlanta!  I still couldn’t talk myself into truly needing a blazer, but that weather will be here soon.  In preparation, I took care of some pilling on a couple of cool weather blazers.  And my winter weather pants came back from the tailor!  (I realize in looking back on my preview post that it may not have been clear that I was having the legs tapered on the pants on hangers – I was on my way out the door for some much needed vacation. Also, take a look at the updated version to see the items that did not make it into last week’s wardrobe preview due to technical difficulties.)

And now, shaving my blazers. Continue reading “Shaving My Blazers and Other Fall Wardrobe Maintenance”

Fall /Winter Wardrobe Preview

We’re still in hot temps here but I know many of you have already started the slide into fall weather so I’m going to post some of what I *think* will work as my core/fringe items to get those autumnal juices flowing.  This is not an exhaustive or restrictive list but covers most of what I plan on wearing.

As you may remember, I’ve been restyling my cold weather wardrobe as I try to figure out some styles I love that keep me warm. I’ve been doing it during the summer to give me time to think about additions and go slowly without the pressure of chilly temps right around the corner – but this also means I haven’t been able to wear any of the clothes together yet! So consider this most definitely a first draft.

(Also, the cords below are currently at the tailor to be transformed into actual slim pants instead of boot cuts, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.)

Enjoy!

 

Mixing my core/fringe model with a dual-silhouette idea borrowed from Un-Fancy, I’ll do two core silhouettes – my go-to silhouettes that most of the clothes in my cold weather closet can participate in – and a fringe silhouette – the one I use occasionally to mix things up a little and that’s made up of some pieces that don’t mix and match as well with the core silhouettes.

Here’s my first core silhouette, continued from summer into fall:

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Torso-skimming top over slim pants.  This silhouette will cover a variety of temperatures with some lightweight tops, some toppers (cardignas, blazers, ruanas, etc.) over lightweight tops, and finally proper sweaters (with shell underneath for really chilly days).  Please ignore the tag on the top – recently thrifted and not yet worn! – and imagine the pants a little slimmer in general.  All my slim trousers were at the tailor.

 

Second core silhouette: sheath/sweater dress over leggings and long sleeves (as needed)

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Two more dresses I’ll be wearing in this manner: here and here

Merona – Land’s End – Merona – Jacqueline Ferrar – George – all thrifted

 

Here’s my fringe silhouette, moving from the starting list last winter to more of a relief pitcher this year:

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Fitted top over flares
I like the chic, long lines of this silhouette, but I got a little tired of it last year, so it’ll make some appearances this year but not take top billing.  Now I’m mixing metaphors…

 

And here are the items that will fit into each silhouette:

Skim over slim – lightweight tops

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Japna – Madewell – Meadow Rue – Merona – Ambiance Apparel – Piazza Sempione – White Stag – Coldwater Creek –  Pull and Bear (detail of sweater worn in silhouette photo above) –  all thrifted

 

Skim over slim – sweaters

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Liz Clairborne – Gap new with tags – Forever 21 – Mossimo – French Connection – Liz Claiborne – Loft (the back is more interesting) – all thrifted

 

Skim over slim – toppers

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Old Navy – Loft – Haberdashery by Personal – Merona – Cartonnier – all thrifted

 

Skim over slim – bottoms

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Uniqlo – Ralph Lauren new with tags (to be tailored to slim fit) – Banana Republic (to be tailored to slim fit) – Chico’s – F21 – all thrifted

 

Fit over flare – tops

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Banana Republic (featured in silhouette photo above – Express – both thrifted

 

Fit over flare – bottoms

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Old Navy – thrifted

 

 

Outerwear
Just one coat, because it makes me just that happy:

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J. Crew – thrifted

This feels like a lot, but not counting leggings, shells, or outwear, it’s 35 pieces – right about at the sweet spot for typical mix-and-match capsule wardrobes (although I do have a few more things on my thrift list that might either grow this list or elbow some of these items out of the way!).  I’ll keep you updated on what works, what doesn’t, what gets worn and what sits at the back of the closet or drawer.

What’s in your capsule or edited wardrobe this fall/winter?  Scroll down to comment!

 

Happy fall!

 

Friday ReBlog: Wardrobe Math with Adina J

In school I was good at math but never really loved it.  I’m more drawn to images and words (hence…a blog) than to numbers.  But luckily for those of you who’d rather deal in statistics and spreadsheets to assess your wardrobe (or those of you who really love to plan!), we have Adina over at Blue Collar Red Lipstick.

I’ve featured her in a previous Friday ReBlog but wanted to bring to y’all’s attention a couple of posts she’s written since then that can help you analyze your outfits in a myriad of interesting and informative ways.

First up, this post dives into what makes a piece of clothing a good buy from a $$ perspective.  She covers things like cost per wear, MSRP (MRRP to Canadians) aka retail price, and your own personal price set point – what you are willing to pay for a particular item of clothing based on its worth to you.  This is a great overview of helpful concepts, particularly if you are new to thrifting and it seems like EVERYTHING IS A DEAL or if you’ve committed to an edited wardrobe and need some economically sound, strategical reinforcement regarding what comes home with you vs. what stays on the rack.

The following week she wrote this post on how she plans her work wardrobe out a month in advance using a spreadsheet-style concept.  She has a formula for how to fill in the workdays of the week and tracks what she wears in a way that eliminates almost all the guesswork.  The comments are also a great place to learn about other people’s systems for outfit planning (including mine; spoiler, it’s “what do I feel like wearing today?”) and some good apps/tools that can do the work for you.

 

So tell me, Thrifters – which are you?  More plan-it-out or spur-of-the-moment?  More analyze-the-value or follow-your-gut?  More track-and-evaluate how pieces perform or guesstimate-at-end-of-season?  Scroll down to comment!

 

Thriftvangelism

That’s the tongue-in-cheek term I use to describe my passion for sharing my love of thrifting with anyone who is foolish enough to ask where I got my clothes or who (happily) stumbles upon my blog.

It’s a particularly apt term because I am a preacher, but it’s also tongue-in-cheek because I’m the kind of preacher who grew up in a liberal church environment where everyone was allergic to the E-word (ahem, evangelism).  In my progressive tradition we’re more likely to spread the good news by actions of love and justice than by pamphlet/tract/awkward conversation about whether you’re “saved.”

That’s kind of how I am in real life about thrifting, honestly – I said “passion” above but the truth is that I rarely talk about thrifting unless prompted. (Writing about it on the internet, on the other hand…)  My thriftvangelizing MO is more “look fabulous enough that people want to know where you find your clothes” than “corner them and wax rhapsodic about the joys of thrifting whether they’re interested or not.”  You feel me?

But last week in response to the second half of a thrifting & gentrification conversation, reader Ginna commented about the wide-ranging benefits she’s experienced with thrifting, and I was reminded of an old-fashioned testimonial – the moment when someone gets up and shares all the good in their life resulting from the subject of said testimony.  I found myself nodding along with every skill she’s learned and change in perspective she’s had thanks to thrifting, and, like a good thriftvangelist, I wanted to share.

With her permission: Continue reading “Thriftvangelism”

Summer Wrap Up

Time for a quick retrospective on the summer wardrobe before we turn the corner into fall – or, more accurately, before y’all turn the corner into fall. It’s gonna be hot here in Atlanta for awhile yet but I’ve worn these clothes four and a half-ish months already and I’m probably just as ready to put them away as you all are ready to get your autumn on.

So. Summer review today, and more on what I’m thrifting and wearing for fall tomorrow and next week (including how I’m incorporating little tastes of autumn while still dressing for highs in the 90s). Continue reading “Summer Wrap Up”

Does Thrifting Contribute to Gentrification? Part 2

Last week I shared the conversation my friend Hannah and I had about whether thrifting contributes to gentrification. I mentioned in the intro to that post that it seemed disingenuous to write about whether my thrift habit negatively affects those with limited resources without including the voices of the people in question.  Hannah grew up using thrift stores as an affordable means of clothing a large family looking to conserve resources, but I also wanted to include other voices.  Plus, I needed to educate myself more on the subject. Hence, Part Deux. Continue reading “Does Thrifting Contribute to Gentrification? Part 2”