Wednesday, August 9, 2023

This post took me a long time because I decided to look at all my seasons and because I kept finding more things I love. I guess that is a good problem to have. It could have definitely been longer, but I had to stop it somewhere.

Also, it makes me think that all of my clothes should be favorites if I am giving them closet real estate. Hmmmm….

I also thought it would be interesting at the end to tally up color, retailer, and length of time owned. I decided not to do anything too new because I want to show items that have stood the test of time – at least one season.

How I started this post – the clothes that came out of the dryer! Isn’t that the truth? The clothes we love the most get worn and washed the most usually?

But, first some clothing memes:

Why are we so weird about packing? I want to get where I can create the perfect capsule!

I know some people have luck at Costco, but when I buy things for myself there I end up donating them. I think I have one exception – my Sport short black rain boots. I have worn the heck out of them.

I wear these black tanks year round and I wear them to bed and under things. My first ones were Target and now my favorites are Amazon Essentials.

The Aerie Sunday short:

My J.Crew Factory biker shorts I got for $10:

My Aerie bathing suit from three seasons ago:

My Aerie black suit from last year:

This dress from Target maybe 10 years ago: It’s the perfect dress to throw over a suit for the boat and looks nice enough to go into a restaurant. It’s the brand Mossimo so that tells you how old it is.

This Old Navy consignment store blouse (new with tags) that is gauzy. I have worn this a lot!

My Target Universal Thread cut offs: I think I have had these for 3 years and have heard many bloggers sing their praises since then.

My Spanx faux leather leggings. They really are amazing. I have had mine for 5-6 years and I got them in short length and paid full price. No regrets.

My Chico’s faux leather black and brown pants from last year. I was shocked by how much I wore them and really shocked that I seemed to reach for the brown more than the black. They feel like butter. I paid full price and bought both at the same time and thought to myself, “what am I doing?” but I needed them in short and knew that the in store selection wouldn’t be good if I waited. It turned out to be a great move.

Here I am in two favorites – the Spanx leggings and a top coming up:

This hot pink sweater that I got from an online boutique – I am not even sure the boutique exists anymore. I have had it for 3 years and it is super soft. I always get compliments when I wear this.

This top I picked up on a whim in TJ Maxx. It is in the photo above with the Spanx leggings. The sleeves are sheer and the middle is like a thin sweater. I love the scalloped detail at the neck and I think a higher neck can be more flattering on a large chest. I can’t believe how much I reached for this top last winter.

This top I have had for maybe 7 years? It is also from TJ Maxx and has cute button detail on the sleeves. It is a great length on me and a great material. It’s starting to look a little worn.

I just fell in love with this Loft sweater. I love this color in the winter and it is super soft.

This purchase from last year shocked me. I bought this black silk button up from Chico’s and wore it so much. I felt great in it and I wore it so much. I was patient and tried at least two different sizes to get the right fit. Sometimes I am impatient and say it’s “good enough”.

This bright blue (the color is bad in the photo) sweater from Loft last year. The shoulders have a slight puffy effect and I thought this looked great with black pants and black jeans. It’s also UK blue so it was perfect for watching games in the winter.

This Loft horse sweater from two years ago, I think. It feels great and I was happy every time I got to wear it:

This Amazon star sweater: It is lightweight and great for school or going out.

Surprises:

I consider myself to be more of a summer person so it surprises me that I have more winter clothing favorites!

I also consider myself more of a colorful person, so the number of black items also surprised me.

Another surprise is that I mostly named solids rather than patterns. I have a lot of patterns in my closet, but maybe it’s too many. Am I reaching for the solids more at this stage in my life?

I featured 19 pieces. I know I forgot some items that I would consider favorites!

Color:

Black – 9 out of 19

Retailer:

Chico’s – 3

Aerie – 3

Loft – 3

Target – 2

TJ Maxx – 2

J.Crew Factory – 1

Amazon – 1 – this needs to be a lesson! I really shouldn’t rely much on Amazon!

Consignment – 1 – this surprised me with the amount of stuff I have from consignment stores. Is there a lesson here?

More than 2 years old: 6

Less than 2 years old: 13

I plan to consider what I learned when shopping this fall. I really like the direction Chico’s has gone in recently. I find their stuff to be high quality. Chico’s is still a bit bipolar – you have the “quirky art teacher who is of a certain age” and you have the “modern hip woman” sides of it.

What does it say about me that Aerie and Chico’s tied? I am a 50 something trying to be a teen? Ha!

Let me know what you think of my “research”!

Amy