Wardrobe Round-up: September 2018

Another month, another four weeks of over-analyzing my closet! Similar to last time, I’m going to go over:

• an overview of my item counts
• my favorite outfits
• what I bought, returned, and donated
• and what’s on my wish list and purge list.

Links are provided for items that are still purchasable. None of them are referral links.A week late this time, but better late than never? It took a fair amount of time to type everything up (I'm nearing 3000 words on this 😬), but I think it's helpful to reflect on purchases. Next month I think I might do a review of stuff I purchased in August and whether they seem to be getting much use.

Closet Metrics

Clothes:Accessories:

This month 🍂

Not counting things classified as loungewear or activewear, in September 2018:

• I wore 88 items – 49 items of clothing and 39 accessories (jewelry, shoes, belts, scarves)
• across 44 outfits (this count includes to/from dance studio outfits, loungewear (sparsely tracked), and volunteering. Some days I also changed for going out in the evening.)
• and 24 of the clothing items (49%) were only worn once. I definitely don't have a minimal wardrobe, so at this point I'm glad if I wear as much of it as possible.

State of the wardrobe 👕

I'm calling a break on this section this month due to time constraints, but you can calculate it if you really want to based on the item deltas in this post :P

Favorites

I loved a lot of outfits this month! But I'll stick to these three:Top: Lace blouse over ribbed cami, both from H&MSkirt: IDLF x Uniqlo corduroy skirt similarBoots: Steve MaddenEarrings: "triple trident" claw ear jacket earrings from AmazonHinge bracelet: Forever 21Top: Uniqlo waffle-knit shirtSkirt: Uniqlo circle skirt (available in other colorways)Oxfords: Born "Waverly" oxford (these are from Ebay, original product retailed in 2011)Purse: Coach "Willis" bag, vintage from the 1990s (see entry below!)Moto jacket: New Look petites from ASOST-shirt: vintage, from ebay. It's an XXL so I had to do some serious folding to get it to fit because the hem hits slightly above my knees 😂 I basically cuffed the hem almost a foot before tucking it in, then did a sort of military tuck on the sides. Cuffed the sleeves too, which stayed up well throughout the day.Jeans: ASOS petite farleigh slim mom jeans, from ASOSBoots: Steve Madden

Added

I bought a lot of stuff this month. I expect to also buy a lot of stuff next month. I have very much enjoyed this new stuff. Overall it is within my budget (also I got a $10k bonus this month which I wasn't even budgeting for which covers it plenty).18 new items, 7 of which were secondhand, 2 of which were local, and 2 of which were hosiery.Ines De La Fressange x Uniqlo Corduroy skirt in orange, Size 8, $39.90. Out of stock now, but they carry a similar style that doesn't have the front pleating. I went to the Union Square store about three days after the collection dropped, and amazingly, there was exactly one of these orange skirts left and it happened to be in my size! I think so often when out shopping it feels like the stores have every size except yours in stock, so it was a truly glorious feeling for the opposite to happen for once. This item was on my wishlist from last month.I've worn this a few times, once even on a 279 ft elevation gain walk to lounge around at a neighborhood park, and it's been super comfortable and easy to wear. It does create a noticeably warmer pocket of warm air under the skirt than the cotton twill Uniqlo midi skirts, so I think this will be great to wear through the winter. I haven't seen how it holds up in the wash yet, but it also doesn't seem to pick up dust and dirt easily.Full-grain leather belts in cognac and black, $30.00 each. These were on the previous wishlist and I got them from a booth near the San Francisco Ferry Building that sells leather goods and silver jewelry on the weekends. I usually don't bother with the booths there because most of them sell tourist junk, but my boyfriend got a few belts there that he really liked and convinced me to check it out. The guy running the booth will cut the belt to your size and punch the holes to order, and you can choose from a few different simple buckles. The cognac belt turned out great, but the holes on the black one aren't lined up very straight. Not enough to impede functionality, but it's noticeable enough that I would recommend double-checking your belt before you leave if you buy one from there.Even so, overall I'm happy with the quality (as far as I can tell in the near term) for the price. I don't think I've ever had a full grain belt before, but I don't think I'll be buying any more "genuine leather" belts after this. The braided belt I have is genuine leather and started peeling unattractively after a few years of moderate use (once a week tops, to an office job), though not so completely that I'm going to get rid of it yet.100% cotton tan cropped cable-knit cardigan, Old Navy via Goodwill, $5.99. This was not on my wish list from August, but funnily enough I think it could fall squarely between the "tan cropped moto jacket" and "cream/tan/rust cable-knit sweater" items. It fulfills part of the job of each of those items: cropped outerwear and cozy layering.I did an Instagram stories poll when I was considering purchasing it, and at the time I checked out it was 40% yes to 60% no. No one from the "no" votes offered any comments as to why they didn't like it, although I did include a photo of it buttoned up as a fit reference and it wasn't how I was going to style it (bit too stuffy), so maybe people were voting "no" because of the styling. AllSaints "Mayur" jumper, Size 6, via Crossroads Trading Co (consignment), $24.00. This wasn't on my wish list last time, but I got tickets to attend a Mad Max themed contemporary ballet + concert and I wanted to seize the opportunity to wear something suitably themed, since Mad Max themed ballets held in an industrial district venue are far and few in between.Given that I was going for a statement look that wouldn't get a ton of wear, I wanted to get any new items secondhand. I found this piece at the nearest consignment store. It's a size 6 and honestly the sleeves are a little too tight, but it's a cotton knit and the distressing is textured enough that I think it detracts from the slight "sausage arms" effect going on, and as long as I'm not planning to exuberantly windmill my arms, it's plenty wearable. I've been pretty happy with how it's fitting into casual outfits too.Maintenance $: Rubber heels and half-soles put on two pairs of oxfords, $81. Seems steep (I didn't shop around – I made the trek to the highest-rated place I could find, Odsy Workshop, which is in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco. One of the pairs had a squeaky heel but I went ahead and had them done anyway. This was a mistake and after a bit more research I think it would cost about the original list price of the shoes to get the heel fixed, and in retrospect I don't think I like them enough to keep paying for upgrades/fixes on them 😑Mustard square-neck top, Anthropologie, $54.40, S. This is my first square-neck top, and I really like it! The shirt itself is pretty soft, but I like how the neckline adds some angles (compared to v-necks, which I always think look more like pointed U's than a true V). This is pretty expensive compared to what I'd usually pay for a stretch cotton top, but it has a sort of princess seamed peplum shape and the fabric is pretty thick and has a texture that reminds me of little leaves so it feels really luxe to wear.Tan faux-suede moto jacket, Anthropologie, $134.40, Petite S. A cropped moto jacket! That fits! Off the rack! In the exact color I was looking for! I was very excited to find this. I wore my black moto jacket a ton last year, but sometimes I wished I had one in a lighter color so I didn't end up with an all black look so often. I think this will complement the other jacket nicely in my wardrobe. I wish more brands carried petites sizing in their brick and mortar stores.Rust scarf look headband, Anthropologie, $14.40. I've always loved the look of wearing scarves as headbands, but my hair is really slippery so I could never figure out how to make it work. Now I can! Except I tried this on without glasses, and then afterwards realized that they tend to slip off with the tiny bit of displacement from my glasses. I kept it because it's not quite enough of a bother to move it back periodically, but unfortunately it's not quite the holy grail hair accessory I was hoping.Black patent leather witchy boots, Marc Fisher LTD at Nordstrom, $249.95, 7.5. The boots from my wish list last month! I've never had patent leather before so I hope these age decently. I was originally pretty set on having a more matte leather, but I kind of like how extra the patent leather is, and that it actually takes it a little more into rock or kink instead of just pure witchy. I used to hate any shoe that made my feet look bigger, but I can totally see the leg-lengthening effects of a longer pointed shoe.Black suede oxfords, Clarks via Ebay, $34.99, 7.5. Trying to round out my shoe collection with lace-up styles this fall/winter. I love ankle boots, but I rotated through three pairs of plain black styles last year and honestly it got pretty boring. It was surprisingly hard to find low-profile oxfords / derby shoes (I need to read up on the difference). I normally prefer to purchase from somewhere that has free returns, but I've had to go to ebay for these as well as the high-heeled brown oxfords I got last year. Hoping they'll make a return soon so there are more options.Cream cable-knit sweater, L.L. Bean via Crossroads Trading Co., $16.50, S. I have this sweater in black too (also from Crossroads), but in a L so it's a really oversized look. Classic and functional sweater, so I think this was a solid find. Mustard sweetheart velvet mini dress, Kimchi Blue (Urban Outfitters brand) via Crossroads Trading Co., $16.50, M. Machine washable so I may end up wearing this mostly as a house dress as it is not work appropriate (it has a tendency to slouch forward a bit too much). I love how romantic the pinch-front sweetheart neckline feels. I used to have a velvet tank that I donated because it didn't fit, but this reminds me how much I love the fabric! It's really great for adding dimension to outfits.Olive green textured boxy crop tee, Banana Republic via Crossroads Trading Co., $16.50, M. I'd say this fits more like a large. Some days I really just don't want to think and go for a tee and jeans, but I noticed I never love those outfits because plain tees just feel so flat for me. I like the boxy style and textured stripes here which give it more weight, and I think it looks a lot more substantial and intentional because of that. Also props for the designers and manufacturers of the shirt for extending the texture all the way around and up to the sleeves. It's so frustrating to find an item with a cool print or texture that is only on the front!Cream cable-knit faux fur pom-pom hat, Amazon, $12.99. I'm on a hat kick. This is pretty matchy with the L.L. Bean sweater which really pleases me.12-pack sheer black ankle socks, Amazon, $11.99. I don't own any thin black socks that go above the ankle and thought these would look cute with oxfords.4-pack patterned fishnet tights, Amazon, $14.99. I saw this wonderful outfit by @barely_a_rebel and decided to get some patterned fishnets. I love the texture from standard fishnets but sometimes you just don't want an overtly sexy or punk outfit, ya know? https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn82zPVglQI/Rust wool beret, Brixton via Nordstrom, $48.00, M. I decided to get a beret instead of a fedora or bowler style hat because frankly, it's too windy during my commute to wear brimmed hats. I find that I often fit "one size" hats and the M fits perfectly. I measured my head and got 59cm which seemed on the large size so I think I did it wrong. The M is supposed to be ~56.5cm which is consistent with the OS measurements in the provided chart. It's too warm right now for 100% wool hats, but I'm hoping this will make a weekly appearance or so once it cools down.Mahogany Coach "Willis" bag, Ebay, $85.00. I wanted to live out my sepia-toned vintage hipster influencer dreams. This is one of those 1990s era Coach bags that just consistently pops up on Ebay in various states of wear.

Returned

I returned two white sweaters from Gap. One was really thin, though soft (and also was a little too clingy of a look with the ribbing) and the other was just okay in terms of design and feel. I ordered these and then ended up finding the L.L. Bean sweater before they arrived, so I especially felt like I didn't need them (I'm down with having slightly different variations of an item as long as I really like and wear all of them, but these were both pretty meh). They were also both more of a bright white which I realized I don't like as much as beige/cream.Both can currently be viewed in my "Mini Reviews" Instagram stories highlight. Unfortunately I deleted the photos from my phone before uploading them here. I may update later with the annotated instastories screenshots.Rib-knit sweaterShaker stitch sweater

Donated

Steve Madden suede block heel sandals from last month's Purge Purgatory. I'm never going to wear these again, but maybe someone else will be okay with the squeaky heel if they need these for an outfit in a pinch.Target salmon lace kimono also from purge purgatory. I love the bottom half pattern but the top is eh, and after a long hard look I decided that this peachy color doesn't suit me at all. It's actually fairly solidly made. I hope someone else can enjoy it and wear it to a festival or something.Caslon drapey cowl-neck cardigans, black and tan. I got these from Nordstrom a few years ago and they are very soft and comfy. But the sleeves are too long, they get wrinkly and bag out after one wear, and the zipper makes them too uncomfortable to use as pajamas. They had pockets, but they were quite large and combined with the asymmetric layers it made the whole effect rather lumpy when they were zipped up. It's taken me so long to part with them because every time I pick them up to put in the donation bag, I'd feel how soft they were and relent.Forever 21 wrap dress (worn as duster length cardigan). This is nice and soft, but the sleeves were frankly a little too tight to be Extra Comfy and on top of that it didn't have pockets.Old Navy racerback exercise tank. This one was an unfortunate attempt to buy duplicate of a tank I had bought the previous season, but they had changed the cut a little bit and this one was a little too long (low-cut, large arm holes) for me and I never reached for it over the other one.

Wish List

Leather tote bag that fits my laptop, with zip top. Basically something like the Madewell tote. I have a blue beachy tote that works great, but it doesn't go with a lot of my outfits (it's also very casual looking).Socks, various colors and lengths – I usually prefer to wear no-show socks when socks are required, but I want to experiment with adding visible socks to change proportions more.Brown or rust scarf – I usually would want cold-weather items to be all fancy and made of wool, but I find that I tend to snag scarves on things and they usually don't touch my skin directly anyway, so a cheaper one is fine. I have a black and a gray scarf, but I think a warmer earth tone would complement my clothes better.Earth toned trousers – I really like the green ones I have, and I think having another tapered option would be good. :( I really need to take the green wide-leg pants to the tailor to get the stitching fixed so I can bring those back into rotation.Earth toned sweater – further efforts to de-monochrome my wardrobe. Also I just really like sweaters.

Purge Purgatory

I've decided to move the tan and black thin drapey vests into my paper-grocery-bag-of-costume-junk instead of considering them as part of my wardrobe. I really don't think I'm going to wear them as part of any more everyday outfits, but they don't take up much space and I think have some potential for future costume usage.Carried over 1 month: The blue scarf, not-quite-the-right-shade-of-burgundy herringbone scarf, and colorblock sweater from the August post are still being stewed on for this Fall/Winter.

The End

Thanks for reading!