Wardrobe Round-up: July 2019

Two weeks late, but here it is! It's going to be a bit quiet around here on the outfits front for a few more weeks. I mentioned this on Instagram but didn't do a separate blog post on it, but I've been taking a break from outfit photos through August because I'm spending the time to prepare for an upcoming ballet workshop. I'm going to post the rest of my July outfits in a separate blog post later, although I probably will not bother making the usual full collage of photos.

Wear Counts

51 items of clothing and shoes this month, which I think might be a record for me. I wasn't trying to maximize items worn, but the weather and activities have been pretty variable.Nothing much of note here, other than I've now passed 100 wears for the ol' Birkenstocks 🎉. I've noticed that the cork is starting to disintegrate near the straps which is a bit disappointing as Birks are often touted as one of those "LASTS FOREVER! MY DAD'S HAD HIS SINCE '83" types of shoes, but as long as the cork chunks don't fall off, I'll keep wearing them. These and the clogs have been great complements for spring/summer footwear (super comfy casual option + more substantial and slightly dressy option).Other things I've been pleasantly getting a lot of wear from have been the Anthropologie eyelet blouse and Madewell light wash jeans. There's a little hook closure on top of the blouse that came off in the last wash though so it doesn't close all the way flush to the top anymore :( It's a small enough detail that I don't think I will bother reattaching it, but it's still annoying that it came off after like three washes. I will put it in a garment bag from now on.Feeling really vindicated getting that second wear on the yellow velvet mini dress. More on that in the forthcoming July Outfits post.As is completely expected for me, I still haven't gotten around to reattaching the buttons on that white vintage style "tea blouse", hence its disappearance from the wear counts the last two months. I more closely inspected the buttons and I think I'm going to need to re-sew all of them because they are so flimsily attached.I still don't have many occasions when I could logistically wear a hat, but I'm glad that I got a few hat wears in.I feel like I use the straw tote bag all the time, so it's a little surprising to see that it's only at 12 uses. I guess that makes sense since I can only use it on the weekend though.

Purchases

Only 2 clothing items this month, and both of them were socks. I haven't worn any of these styled in outfits but it's still been sandals/clogs weather.At this point I have enough fashion socks that I hardly wear or haven't worked out due to quality issues that I'm putting a moratorium on sock purchases unless they are from a brand I know will fit comfortably. I've had good luck with the Vero Monte socks/hosiery brand on Amazon, so I will probably stick to them."Dosoni Girl Cartoon Animal Cute Casual Cotton Novelty Crew socks 6 packs-Gift Idea" via Amazon, $14.99. I wanted some crew socks to wear with boots that wouldn't poke over the tops too far and figured I might as well get something fun.These were marketed as a one size fits most sock. I'm a US 7.5 medium width and the main sock fits pretty well, but the elastic at the top is tight. Not enough to make them unwearable, but they leave marks and are not the most comfy socks ever. Fabric is thin and not particularly soft but also not scratchy.I'm mostly here for that cute lil penguin and polar bear ❄"Fitu Women's Vintage Ruffle Frilly Cute Rayon Bamboo Boot Socks 5 Pairs Pack" via Amazon $14.99. Thinking these would look cute with oxfords. They are thin trouser socks and I like how the knit pattern and the lace are cutesy but not too over the top.Clothing-adjacent (if you consider laptop cases and accessory): Twelve South BookBook for MacBook | Vintage Leather Book case/Sleeve for 13-inch MacBook Air/Pro $79.99 via Amazon.My personal laptop has mostly been living in my apartment uncased, but on a recent weekend day when I wanted to carry it in a less structured bag, I found that the free laptop sleeve I'd previously been using as a case had been chewed up on the corners by silverfish (we have been dealing with them with silverfish repellant packets and diatomaceous earth and I haven't seen as many recently, but I don't think I've used that laptop case since we moved in) so I decided it was time to replace it.I first saw someone carrying one of these faux old book cases back in college and decided that I ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE ONE until I saw the price tag was $80. It took several years, but I finally upgraded to it! Clearly based on this months haul, I am really just trying to live out my best twee life about 10 years after the style hit its peak.Some things I considered before shelling out for this:Is there a cheaper version? I found one cheaper version of this case at $21.99 (made of faux leather), but the size chart indicated my laptop wouldn't fit. I also didn't like how the paneling on the spine didn't fully wrap around like on the Twelve South case. I did like that there were more color options for it. I expect it would have been workable but a bit loose with my 2013 Macbook Air, but I was also skeptical of the clear plastic bands to hold the corners of the laptop vs the standard elastic ones.Can I get one secondhand? There were a few secondhand options on ebay, but all were pretty close to full price and returns were either not accepted or would have been more of a hassle than with Amazon. I wasn't 100% convinced that it would be exactly what I wanted from reviews, so I wanted a return option.Is there a "spared no expense, but this is the best version of this idea that could be materialized" version? Not that I could find. I was prepared to spend up to $100 on an absolutely perfect case made of nice materials (betting that my laptop will last at least another few years as a lightweight internet-browsing machine).Slight tangent: I was hoping to find something analogous to the Steamline luggage bags, which are the top shelf version of "old timey look suitcase, but actually a rolling bag".  If I ever become fabulously wealthy, I am upgrading my luggage to one of those. But in the meantime I will stick to my dependable Swiss Gear hardshell from Target. $850 + tax for a carry-on that from reviews seems like will need to be babied (understandably, as it's covered with light colored leather) just doesn't make sense otherwise.Having received the BookBook case, at a first use I'm very happy with it. My laptop fits well and it looks just like the photos, though I wouldn't say that it looks exactly like a real book made into a laptop cover. The spine is pretty convincing, but the cover doesn't really look like leather, even though it apparently is. However, given the price difference, if you have the recommended size of laptop and aren't bothered by straps and the different styling of the spine on the version that's 25% of the cost, it's probably worth trying that first.Here is mine! I like how the zippers look kind of like a bookmark.Many of the reviews mentioned that the leather scratches easily, and that does seem to be the case. While not ideal, I can live with that since it's got the old book vibe anyway. I don't expect to take this laptop out of my apartment more than once or twice a month so it won't get a lot of contact coming in and out of bags. I look forward to sitting around wearing some cute storybook style outfits while using it.

Purged

This stuff going to Crossroads Trading/Goodwill.Born tan block heel sandals – I can just never see myself wearing these over the clogs, Birkenstocks, or red strappy block heel sandals. They're too plain for my tastes now, though I remember being so happy having a more elevated sandal than my Tevas when I got them last summer.Several iterations later, I'm much happier with this version of the base outfit. It feels more physically solid.Gap grey bodysuit – this is one of those items that's managed to escape donation for a long time because it is so soft. Whenever I pick it up to put it in the donations bag it feels like I'm going to throw away a puppy. While I do occasionally but consistently wear the black version of this bodysuit, I've found that the spacedye grey just feels a bit too casual for my tastes, and as a wrap bodysuit it isn't something that I would wear as pajamas.Old Navy black felt wide-brimmed floppy felt hat – I haven't even thought about wearing this for ages. It often gets too windy for the hat when it's cold enough to actually wear it, and it's too large to comfortably stash in a bag when going indoors. On top of that, the wide floppy brim hat with more low-key clothes (as opposed to a full-blown boho look) just feels too dated to me for how much I personally like the item.The Hat makes an appearance in the somewhat misguided first iteration of my overhauled wardrobe. It was very "add a hat, instant visual interest!" except not really because the rest of the outfits were mostly solid black jersey.Born taupe suede ankle boots – I thought I would give this style of shoe another try (I'd previously worn through two similar but lower-heeled pairs back in college) but except for one particular look, every time I try to include them in an outfit, I end up going with a different boot. I feel like they're rather shapeless, especially from the front, and not comfortable enough to warrant keeping as a purely practical shoe.The only outfit I ever liked these boots inSilver doorknocker necklace – I haven't reached for this one for about a year. I mostly wore it with all black drapey outfits, which I rarely go for now. My tastes have shifted away from minimal jewelry and I don't have any interest in building up a collection of long necklaces for layering. As I've previously mentioned in my jewelry collection overview, it turns out the indie brand I purchased this from is just re-setting cheap charms that can be ordered in bulk (I had assumed that they came up with the molds and all that themselves because the About page says it's a "one-woman operation of a self-taught silversmith... I had originally dabbled in wire-wrapping, I decided to pursue metalworking as a way to create more intricate designs and longer lasting pieces.") so every time I see it I just get really annoyed with myself for not double checking before shelling out $100+ for it.Meanwhile...

Purge Limbo

Forever 21 chenille handkerchief hem dresses – These are more of a fall/winter item so I'm going to hold off on a decision on these until the end of the year, but I feel like the amount of space they take up vs how much I wear them isn't worth it. I don't have the right kinds of layering pieces to mix and match these into the rest of my wardrobe, so I pretty much only wear them with tights and black boots. I can also see them being used in a costume at some point down the line. I may just keep the dark grey one in case I want to use it for a costume.A mori girl lite sort of look. I'd have preferred a more cropped or long and drapey cardigan.

Wish List

My green rib-knit long sleeve shirt is wearing pretty thin these days. I've apparently worn it about 20 times since January 2018 (earliest records for my current Airtable base), but it was in very heavy rotation for about two years before that and I would guess probably is at around 100 wears. I would like to find a replacement before it gets any holes.Also on the top of my shopping list now is a structured mini skirt that is long enough to wear at work (a tech startup with no dress code, but I still would like to be able to sit comfortably in it without tights).Also bumping up the search for black high-waisted skinny jeans and a brown, warm grey, rust, or dark green long double-breasted coat.Other things which are still floating around on the would-be-nice-to-have list:

• nice (smart casual but not stodgy) blouses with visual interest
• romantic/storybook style mini length dress (to add more variety to boots outfits)
• long cheerfully colored raincoat
• low heeled easy-on brown/taupe boots

Conclusion

Well, that's that. I still can't write a short round-up post to save my life.