Lessons from Clothes I’ve Outgrown

These days the word “outgrown” makes me think of how fast my preschooler is blowing through toddler sizes. But as an adult I’m still outgrowing clothes, too – just in a different sense.

You know when you buy something that is good enough to convince you in the dressing room, but after a few wears, an annoying flaw becomes apparent? For a long time I would suffer through pants that had to be hitched up or blazers that cut off my range of motion because I liked how they looked or I worried about how I could possibly make outfits without white pants/neutral blazer/etc. etc.

But as I pare down my wardrobe to fewer and higher quality pieces and still find I have plenty to wear, I’ve become less and less willing to tolerate bothersome clothes.

In the last few years, I’ve outgrown clothes that are poor quality; tight; sheer; too short or too low cut; scratchy or itchy; pill easily; or fit everywhere but one crucial spot. And as I’ve become more honest with myself about what irritates me – no you will not enjoy wearing a see-through blouse no matter how cute it is! – I’ve been better able to head off bad purchases in the thrift store instead of bringing them home with me. Win.

Here’s a recent “outgrown” that illustrates the power of quality and fit. Banana Republic makes a great blazer, and I recently had the good fortune to thrift two of them, both of which fit perfectly. They’re beautifully tailored, with just enough give to allow for reaching, stretching, etc.:

Then I tried on this Kenar linen blazer, which is a great Light Summer neutral and which I wanted to use in an upcoming outfit post:

I hadn’t worn it in awhile, but going straight from the BR blazers to this one, I realized how tight the shoulders were and how much the sleeves compressed my arms when I bent at the elbow. Super uncomfortable – I couldn’t believe it was still hanging in my closet!

Sometimes you need the contrast of something perfect to help you realize just how far off the mark “good enough” really is.

So it was goodbye to the Kenar blazer (*tear,* thank you for all the neutral blazer looks you helped me dream about), and then I relaxed right back into the stellar tailoring of the BR blazers.

What have you outgrown lately? And what helped you go from making something less-than-ideal work to not settling for anything less than perfect?

PS For loads of looks featuring these two new-to-me blazers, visit my Instagram page.

My Winter Wardrobe

First, a note about my posting schedule. Work is ramping up (hello Advent, you’re right around the corner!) which means lately I haven’t had as much time as I would like to write and publish posts. For the foreseeable future, you can keep expecting at least one post a week, but my usual Tuesday/Thursday schedule will now become the ideal rather than the norm. Thanks for your flexibility and for continuing to keep this blog a fun and creative place for community and conversation!

And now, this year’s late fall/winter wardrobe, for your viewing pleasure. Since I broke up with capsule wardrobes, this is not a comprehensive list of every single piece I will wear this winter, but rather the pieces I imagine will get the most wear; they form the core of my wardrobe.

Tops

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Coin 1804; Gap Body; Eileen Fisher; Ivanka Trump; Workshop by Andrea Jovine; J. Crew; Cyn; Liz Claiborne; Gap; Loft; L.L. Bean; J. Crew; Joan Vass; Gap Designed & Crafted

I’ve really upped the number of tops this year for two reasons: I have about twice as much winter to contend with, plus my M.O. for expanding a section of my wardrobe tends to be “buy several different varieties I think I’ll like and then see what actually gets worn.” Instead of “less is more” (which is where I hope to end up), this is basically the “more becomes less” approach.

Re: colors – is anyone surprised that my sweater palette is basically blue and cream, with pops of caramel, grey, and red? That’s my whole summer wardrobe right there.

And the dresses keep the theme going….

Dresses

Gap; J. Crew; Merona; Caslon; Merona

I’ll wear these with cream, blue, and grey tights of varying weights.

The pants, however, have a liiiittle more variation in hue happening…

Pants

Loft; Talbots; Paige; Lauren by Ralph Lauren; Banana Republic; Jessica Simpson

I’m enjoying pairing more neutral tops with more colorful bottoms – if you can call purple so dark it photographs as black (those first pants) “color”! And yes, apart from the jeans, I’m sticking with the all-corduroy streak again this year. They just feel…cozier. I’m probably deceiving myself that corduroy imparts extra warmth; after all, the fuzziness is on the outside, not on the inside where it would do some good. I don’t care; just let me hold onto my comforting delusion!

Back to the trusty ol’ red/cream/blue color palette for my layering pieces.

Layers:

Kate Hill; Merona; Tahari by Arthur S. Levine; The Savile Row Co.; Mercer & Madison; Loft

Last but not least…

Outerwear:

United Colours of Benetton; J. Crew; Larry Levine
That’s a lot for now; I’ll share scarves/hats and footwear in another post.

In the meantime, check out my winter wardrobe this time last year; a lot has changed!

Thrift Finds: October 2017

First up, I want to share with you all Nadia at Happy Malista’s recap from her 10×10 challenge; she shared her outfits as well as outfits from a few other bloggers whose challenges she enjoyed, including yours truly! It’s sometimes hard finding a style blogger whose style is close enough to your own to resonate but different enough to inspire you; Nadia’s 10×10 hits that sweet spot for me. She’s convinced me I need to replace the blazer I used to own that was kind of a spring take on moss green…

And now, on to my thrift finds from last month! Starting with the NOs:

A great soft dark grey turtleneck with split hem, made of supima cotton, that was too baggy – sigh:

A Talbots sweater that made me feel like I live in a ski chalet – look at that great fringe!

A wonky fit in the torso, though:

I’m on the hunt for a caramel-colored turtleneck but this one was giant in the armpits:

It hid its ginormous pits well, though:

This dark cognac trench was a dream – 100% wool, and just had so much character:

It was a little TOO oversized on me, and the color a bit intense – see how it’s the first thing your eye is drawn to in the picture, instead of my face? Sign of a tone mismatch. Anyway, this would have fit my fantasy life (city dweller with a 20 minute walk across the Loop to get to my office) but not my real life (quick jog down the block to my office, then where do I stash this monster?), so I left it there. Tear.

It’s hard to tell, but this riding jacket by Ralph Lauren was too big on me. The cut is very equestrian; can’t you see it paired with jodhpurs?

But here’s where it shines – velvet collar and some purple woven in with that moss green. It’s like heather in a blazer!

Various pants I tried out because I thought I needed grey jeans (probably not true):

Several sweaters that didn’t make the cut, such as:

Loft – loved the diamond pattern but it was scratchy-atchy-atchy, as one of my kid’s storybooks says:

Same with this Gap sweater – scratchy, and that neck plus those sleeves totally remind of the year 2000:

Too much blue in this green sweater by Land’s End – but it fit perfectly! (Their tops are usually too wide in the torso for me):

Italian wool from Banana Republic, too tight (that smudge is the mirror, not a sweater defect):

And a J. Crew dress that underwhelmed, I think mostly because it was short enough to need leggings, but lightweight enough to show any lumps and folds from underlayers:

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That bottom half is navy, despite its greenish tinge in this photo.

And now, for the winners!

You’re familiar by now with my new cable knit sweater by Workshop by Andrea Jovine:

Here’s my new goose down coat by Larry Levine; it retails for up to $200 but thrifted for $20. I may not be psychologically ready for the cold, but I will be sartorially ready for it!

It’s just this side of dark charcoal, so hopefully it will not wash me out quite as much as pure black. Honestly, though, if I’m warm and I paid 10% of MSRP, I don’t care. Functional wins out over everything else in this case.

Here’s my first Eileen Fisher find! A bright, orangey red that is sort of intensely bright – what a great fall color:

Check out that split hem!

To wit, here it is styled:

And this tan/cream patterned sweater by L.L. Bean:

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There’s a cat balancing on my phone!

…with a fun hi-lo split hem:

Here it is styled:

And last but not least, this merino wool plaid scarf in colors that complement my wardrobe in stellar fashion:

Overall, a pretty good month. Onward to November!

Did anything in my finds catch your eye? What did you thrift this past month?

What I Wore: Boxy Silhouette

In which I try out a new-to-me silhouette.

I feel like Lee Vosburgh from Style Bee in this top:

Still working on focus, folks…

It’s a much boxier/wider silhouette than I’m used to:

Turtleneck: Coldwater Creek, thrifted
Sweater top: Banana Republic, thrifted
Necklace: DIY from thrifted parts
Jeans: Paige, thifted
Socks: Target, retail
Flats: Trotters, repainted from my mother-in-law

I’m pretty sure that’s mostly due to this being a size too big. Here’s how Banana Republic styled it, for reference:

Source – same top selling for $18 on Poshmark. It retailed for $60 and sold at Goodwill for $9. PS If you love this top, Poshmark is selling it in Medium (the size I’m sporting here) in the source link and in XL here.

And here’s how much – sloppier? – it looks me:

A size smaller would probably still have given the “boxy” effect without being quite so big. And I usually advise against spending money – even at secondhand prices – on something that doesn’t fit.

So why did I buy it? I was really drawn to the boxy cut – something I’ve played with in blouses but never in this sweater/sweatshirt-y fabric. It felt like the overblown boxyness was adding a structural element I tend to stay away from, and I thought it would be fun to play with.

I was also smitten with the the feel of that fabric – it’s basically a sweatshirt on the inside. Plus it’s the exact right color for my cold-weather wardrobe – an eye-matching blue, part of a two-tone knit with some texture/depth that doesn’t just read “solid”:

FWIW Banana Republic calls this “chambray”

And the split, hi-lo hem sealed the deal – I just love that detail so much:

It looks much more reasonable from this angle!

I’m not sure if I’ll keep it as is, living into (over-shooting?) a new-to-me silhouette, or whether I’ll get out the family sewing machine and try to slim it up a bit while keeping the boxy feel. (Keep in mind this would have to be project #3 or #4 after I re-familiarize myself with, say, how to thread the machine.)

Thoughts? Good tutorials for the sewing novice on how to size down sweaters?

PS Speaking of Lee of Style Bee, she’s got a 10×10 fall style challenge going on right now (along with Caroline of Un-Fancy). I have done two of these in the past and really enjoyed them, but I’m postponing this one because despite the cool snap that inspired this post’s outfit, Boston just had the hottest September and first week of October on record (climate change anyone?) and it won’t be letting up any time this week. But I don’t want to miss out on the fun – since I’ve been stocking my closet for my own Atlanta-to-Boston climate change (ahem), I have a lot of new-to-me fall pieces I’m excited to play with. So my current plan is to do my own 10×10 in a few weeks when fall is actually here. I’d love to know if you’re doing the 10×10 this time around!

What I Wore: Preacher Casual

I’ve mentioned before that my new office is on the more casual side – jeans, capris, unfussy tees and polos – especially compared to where I previously worked. As the pastor, I’m aiming to appear polished but not make anyone feel under dressed in comparison (not that there’s too much danger of that since I run by the church in my sweaty workout clothes all the time…), so over the last few weeks I’ve played with translating my rather dressy wardrobe staples into my new style environment.

I’ve kept in rotation my collection of blouses to bring more casual ensembles up a notch, and added my trusty blazers to dresses in need of a little warmth or formality. But I’ve stashed my pencil skirts and wedges in favor of pants and sneakers/sandals; kept my sheath dresses mostly under wraps in favor of my more casual dresses; and left my trousers in the drawer in favor of chinos and jeans. I even wore shorts to the office once, gasp!

I don’t plan on donating my dressier dresses and skirts, since I love them and since they’ll come in handy for Sunday mornings and formal occasions. I’ll share some of those Sunday AM outfits in another post, but here’s a few examples of where I’ve landed for weekdays filled with office work, pastoral/hospital visits, and practicing communion choreography.

First up, a variation on what I wore my entire first week: jeans + blouse. Please note the authentic office decor including a not-yet-mounted-but-already-drawn-on-by-office-children white board:

Blouse: no label, thrifted
Jeans: Paige, thrifted
Sandals: Saltwaters, retail

The best thing about this blouse – besides the delightful colors in the floral pattern and the collarless neckline – is the hem. It draws the eye pleasingly upward instead of chopping me in half horizontally:

And the toes! Can’t forget to showcase the nail polish matching the shirt:

This is a level of coordination I rarely achieve.

Basically all last week I wore these jeans plus a similar top. E.g. these:

Banana Republic Heritage, Loft, Chico’s, Old Navy.

Here is another work outfit, on the even more casual side, which I posted last week:

Shirt: Kenar, thrifted
Jeans: Paige, thrifted
Shoes: City Sneaks, thrifted

Each day I chose sneakers or sandals depending on the morning’s briskness. I added this blazer one especially cool morning:

Mercer & Madison, a new thrift find already coming in handy.

This week I was feeling the need for something fresh, so I broke the outfit mold – and found a place to take decent outfit pictures! (Now I just need to work on focus and exposure, ha.)

Behold, my shabby chic garage siding, and a dress/blazer combo:

Dress: J. Crew, thrifted
Blazer: Charlotte Russe, thrifted
Cuff bracelet: Monet, thrifted
Sandals: Saltwaters, retail

^^I wore this for staff meeting and some office work.

The day before I sported this outfit for office work & pastoral visits:

Top: Jacqueline Ferrar, thrifted
Pants: Banana Republic, thrifted
Belt: J. Crew, thrifted
Cuff bracelet: Monet, thrifted
Necklace: street vendor, Washington D.C.
Sandals: Saltwaters, retail

Love that pop of leopard and gold showcased by a little t-shirt tuck.

Where do you fall on the formal/casual divide? How do you dress something up or down as the occasion/setting requires?

Spring 10×10 Remix: Day 8

I’m doing the 10×10 spring remix hosted by Un-Fancy and StyleBee. All this work week and next, I’ll be using 10 pieces of clothing to create 10 different outfits, using self-imposed limitations to spark some creativity. All the details – and the clothes (all thrifted)– here.

Day 8 comin’ atcha. I swapped the white skirt from last week’s outfit for a navy one and ta-da! Pretty different feel, if you ask me. (Maybe some of you are bored stiff by blouse + pencil skirt combos? Obviously I’m not!)

The blouse is Banana Republic Heritage, the skirt is J. Crew, and the slides are Bandolino. Everything but the jewelry (heirlooms) is thrifted. Forgot to put on my cuff this morning but if I had remembered it would be in there too!

Side view with a senior picture-esque pose:

Close up on that all-important roll-tab sleeve:
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Styling notes: I rolled up those tabs to keep the sleeves outta my way (same as yesterday) and pinned the shirt closed in the front because the buttons are so small relative to the holes that they spontaneously undo themselves. Hopefully you can’t even tell.

Thoughts: I hesitated on this combo because the navy and dark grey/taupe combo seemed too dark. I think I prefer this skirt with lighter/brighter tops, but I was actually pleasantly surprised that this didn’t look overwhelming. I think my pasty legs balance it out, ha!

So far I’ve really enjoyed this remix and the challenge to take daily outfit pics (at least on work days). What have you thought of the mix (either yours or mine) – too much same-same, or more like hitting a groove?

Next week (Tuesday & Wednesday) I’ll be back with outfits 9 & 10. In the meantime have a great weekend!

Spring 10×10 Remix: Days 6 & 7

Leave it to me to forget that work would be closed this past Monday (observance of Easter); I spent the first half of the day in pjs and the second half in workout clothes. And yesterday was a whirlwind of meetings, prepping for church council, and voting in a special election, so today you get TWO 10×10 outfits. Aren’t you lucky? :X

Day 6

Post-vote pics at home from a very fore-shortened perspective (thanks to the Spouse for capturing photos):

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H&M dress; J. Crew belt; Monet cuff bracelet; sandals by Clarks (retail); “I’m a Georgia voter” sticker courtesy of the GA elections department (placement courtesy of my preschooler).

Blazer by Merona

Styling notes: I did the same trick with my belt as last week, turning the buckle part around to the back so it didn’t weigh down the belt below the waist seam. I’ve trimmed up a bit from running more lately; I think it may be time to put another notch in my belts so this isn’t a problem the rest of the summer.
I’ve stuck with a relatively simple necklace here, in a length that fits the v-neck; come full-on summer I’ll probably pair this with some of my bold, shorter necklaces. I could probably also pair this shorter necklace with a longer pendant, but as I’m a fan of cleaner looks that’s probably a stretch.

Thoughts on this outfit: So this dress is a keeper. I love the cut, the length, and the different (for me) neckline. I’m just going to ignore the odd lining around the neck, or perhaps chalk it up to “character.”
The blazer is super comfortable, like wearing a sweatshirt, and I love the silhouette as well – my ideal blazer silhouette, skimming without flaring. I’m going to wear it with my blue sheath dress as well, but if I can’t convince myself it goes with my grey dress pants, I’m not sure how much additional wear I’ll get out of it. Y’all know I love print mixing, but layering this pattern right on top of my patterned blouses doesn’t always look right. And I want blazers that work with most of my wardrobe, not just 1 or 2 pieces. I’ll probably keep it through this summer and then send it on if I don’t find enough slots for it.

Day 7
Today we’re back in blouse-and-pencil-skirt territory. Huzzah!

I paired the linen/cotton “soft wash shirt” from Banana Republic with my H&M pencil skirt and the same Clarks sandals (retail) above:

I had planned to keep the same jewelry as well, until I noticed that the (mostly) solid color blocking here felt kind of… boring. The outfit was asking for a little more interest, so I swapped out my gold studs for dangly earrings I made, and suddenly there’s a bit more oomph happening:
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Closeup on those earrings, made from thrifted parts:

Here’s the outfit in profile:

Styling notes: added some pizzazz to plain outfit with a little more “out there” jewelry; rolled those roll-tab sleeves ’cause it’s gonna get warm this afternoon.

Thoughts on this outfit: blouse + pencil skirt = win. Love the earrings.
Still not sold on the shirt; it is very soft but still has more structure/stiffness than my normally silky blouses and thus doesn’t lay as well when tucked in. Relatedly, the texture is a little too…hmm… rustic? for my taste. I don’t hate it, it just doesn’t look quite as polished paired next to something smoother. But my white skirt is also textured and this skirt is rumpled enough to pass as textured… ha.
I know I want to be able to wear it out over pants, and that would involve tailoring (either by myself – yipes – or an actual tailor), so I might just leave it as is and donate it for someone else to enjoy. When you’re using two paragraphs to convince yourself about a thrift find, it may be time to let it go.

How’s your 10×10 going? Whether you’re doing one or not, is your spring weather throwing you curveballs fashion-wise?
I’ll be away from the office this Friday and Monday as well, so look for Day 8 tomorrow and Days 9 & 10 next week.

Spring 10×10 Remix: Day 4

Day 4. The dress coat! It’s everywhere!

This time I wore it over my Banana Republic leopard print “Heritage” shirt and a textured white skirt (cotton/rayon/linen) by Ann Taylor. Shoes by Bandolino; all thrifted.

Pockets!

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The jewelry: cuff bracelet by Monet

Necklace = heirlooms from my Grandmother. The dove (Holy Spirit) is by James Avery. Not sure where she got the round rust-colored pendant:

Thoughts on this outfit: pencil skirt + tucked in blouse with a little drape and give, in classic white and funky leopard = my sweet spot. The leopard print pops against the white and the coat finishes it all off.
I included this skirt in my 10×10 because I was on the fence about it – it’s a little more booty-hugging than I prefer. Maybe I’m just used to looking at it in the mirror and pictures now, but it doesn’t seem as egregious as it once was; just a bit sculpted. Pockets on skirts are always tricky because they are so prone to pulling; this skirt has a bit of that but not too much. The length is great and the fabric stretchy and soft, plus the liner makes it feel great. You may have noticed, though, that the lining is peeking out, likely from dryer shrinkage. So after these pics I did my old can’t-get-to-the-tailor trick and pinned it:

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I simply fold the lining over itself about an inch (or however much you need) and then pin it to itself. If it doesn’t lay flat, run a hot iron over it. This will hold you until you can get to the tailor or hem it yourself. (Or you can just leave them in like I do – shhhh!)

Ta-da! No more lining peeking out:

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I’ll get to try out this skirt one more time next week. Right now I’m thinking I will keep it, but I also did a thought experiment about donating it and realized I wouldn’t miss it that much – my navy and taupe pencil skirts go with everything, plus I have white trousers for a pop of white against my fun spring/summer blouses. Those puppies are lined, though, and get pretty hot on 90 degree days, so having a white skirt on hand is tempting.

What do you all think of this skirt? The outfit? How’s your remix? PS There’s lots of inspiration and ideas on Instagram #Spring10x10 – great for inspiration even if you’re not participating this go-around!

10×10 Spring Remix: Day 3

Day 3: You may be getting tired of this Tahari by Arthur S. Levine dress coat (coat dress?) but I’m not! It goes with everything:
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Sandals by Clarks (retail); shirt by Banana Republic; pants by Vince Camuto; bracelet by Monet; necklace = heirloom

I actually thought about wearing my grey marled Merona blazer pictured in the post mentioned above, just for some variety; but the grey in it is juuuust different enough from the grey in these Vince Camuto pants that I wasn’t feeling it. There goes my idea to pair its pattern with these solid pants for a “casual suiting” look! (Don’t worry, the blazer will still get plenty of wear in this 10×10, paired with skirts and my dress.)

The action shot – long-haired people, you know that move where you untuck your hair from the coat/jacket/cardigan you just put on?
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Without the coat:
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This is the “Soft Wash Shirt” by Banana Republic – a mix of linen & cotton. I love how soft it is and how it combines that softness with some clean lines – see those seams on either side of the placket? They give it a little polish that brings its relaxed linen texture from “weekend” to “work wear”:
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And check out the roll-tab sleeves (y’all know I love a good roll tab):

But. (Why does there have to be a “but”?!) The “fitted” look those seams give it is just not fitted enough for my torso:
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Meh. Now we’re back in weekend territory.

See the difference when I pin it behind my back? Don’t know why I didn’t see this in the dressing room.

It’s not terribly noticeable (especially when I’m wearing a coat/blazer), but not ideal. I’m not sure if I should re-donate it as-is so someone else can enjoy it, or take it to my tailor and see how expensive it would be to bring it in a little. With a spot of tailoring it could be a wardrobe star this summer when Atlanta hits 90+ degrees and 90 percent humidity every day.

My overall feeling about this outfit? The color palette is right in my wheelhouse, and I love the way the coat looks over the blouse. I am not happy with the fit of the blouse, but since I included it to get a better feel for how it plays with the rest of my wardrobe, I see that information as a win. I’m looking forward to pairing it with a skirt next week to see how it does tucked in, since the fabric is stiffer than the blouses I usually tuck.

What do y’all think of the outfit? Would you donate the shirt or take it to the tailor? How’s your remix going?

Travel Wardrobe: Cold Weather in a Carry On

No Friday ReBlog today because I haven’t been reading enough (any?) blogs over the holidays to find good stuff for ya. It’ll be back next week; in the meantime, send me your favorite thrift- or style-related blog posts at leah AT thriftshopchic DOT com or leave ’em in the comments.

We went to the Great White(ish) North for a week over the Christmas holiday and I had to figure out how to pack for cold weather in a carry on. The limited parameters on my wardrobe were not as dramatic as this trip when I packed my stuff and my kid’s into a tote bag (which I promptly forgot), but I did need to think practically about how everything would go together since warm clothes take up more space and thus afford fewer slots to play with. Everything is thrifted unless otherwise noted.

Using the template from the How to Pack a Travel Wardrobe post, I’m factoring in:
-length of trip (6 days);
-weather/activities at destination (cold; family time + church + exercise); and
-laundry facilities (check!)

Knowing it would be cold, I started off with this wool/cashmere/angora sweater from the Loft, which is as cozy a garment as you’d hope to find:

Then I picked out tops to go underneath:

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4 tops, with plans to either rewear or wash depending on how many living room dance parties were to be held. L to R: Coldwater Creek, Piazza Sempione, Loft, J. Crew

I also tucked in a sleeveless undershirt in case it got REALLY cold – didn’t need it but was glad it was there. And I wore leggings (see below) under my pants when were going to be outside for a significant amount of time.

Then pants that picked up the colors in the sweater and would serve as great neutral bases:

L to R: Banana Republic, IT! Jeans

I wasn’t keen on the grey at first, since I had a grey turtleneck; doing too much grey because it’s just depressing when it’s dark and cold. But the corduroy on the dark grey ones is almost like velvet, making them so chic I knew they would dress up my otherwise comfy outfits. I thought about bringing my navy cords, too, but since I couldn’t justify 3 pairs of pants (no room!), I decided to keep the grey and just not wear it with the grey top. (Look for a post next week introducing the caramel velveteen pants.)

Jewelry:
Same ol’ earrings every day, plus one pendant necklace, the cream and dark taupe of which would jive nicely with my sweater:

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Necklace DIYed from Goodwill parts.

Shoes:
I went for one these two, to cover church (bronze flats by Clarks – retail) and everything else (navy Pumas):

Plus sneakers for running (retail).

Workout clothes:
Luckily my sister-in-law is pretty devoted to her running schedule so I knew I’d get a chance to run with her – motivation!

I packed a silk undershirt to layer and keep me warm:

And a bamboo tech shirt to layer on top:

It wasn’t cold enough to need more than that – I just had to run about 5 minutes to warm myself up and the silk kept me nice and snuggly.

I also brought bulky but oh-so-worth-it track pants from highschool to keep my legs warm while running.

I brought two pairs of leggings, one for sleeping and one for layering under the track pants, both American Apparel (retail). Here was my shirt to sleep in (and to wear one day before I slept in it):

Faded Glory.

Sadly, I discovered ANOTHER hole in it, so it’s hereby consigned to winter sleepwear with no daytime cameos:

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Outerwear
I wore my trusty red wool peacoat on the plane (well, used it as a blanket) and packed my freshly thrifted winter accessories in the outer pocket of my carry on so I could get them out first thing after landing:

J. Crew

No tags.

Here are my outfits. There’s not a lot of variety, but I liked the formula. Furthermore, I had no one to impress and just wanted to look put together and feel WARM. Mission accomplished:

(worn twice)

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(worn twice – except for the bowling shoes, those were just worn once)

What are your strategies for packing sufficient cold weather clothes into a small space? Do you ever just pick one simple outfit formula and wear variations of it to keep packing super simple? Scroll down to comment, and Happy New Year!

Building a stylishly edited wardrobe from thrift store finds

Tag: Banana Republic

Lessons from Clothes I’ve Outgrown

My Winter Wardrobe

Thrift Finds: October 2017

What I Wore: Boxy Silhouette

What I Wore: Preacher Casual

Spring 10×10 Remix: Day 8

Spring 10×10 Remix: Days 6 & 7

Spring 10×10 Remix: Day 4

10×10 Spring Remix: Day 3

Travel Wardrobe: Cold Weather in a Carry On

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