Wardrobe Round-up: June 2021
Outfits
I've pretty much been living in the same couple of Free People dresses on rotate. (Dress links can be found here.) I am completely not mad about this at all, because they're really comfortable and it'd be a shame if I didn't, cause I own so many! I've just found them the most easy item to pair with pretty much my entire spread of shoes. So as long as my legs won't freeze, it's probably the default outfit. The sleeveless is nice and breezy for walks. They work with all my hip-length and shorter cardigans. The sleeved ones are elegant enough to dress up but comfortable enough to lounge in. If I end up changing into more comfy clothes later in the day, or get dressed late, I'm probably wearing one of these unaccessorized. If all my clothes disappeared overnight I would definitely try to replace these first (underwear 'n socks aside).
Got a few good 'storybook style'/cottagecore inspired looks in.
Styled the ren faire / kelp fairy hoodie in the expected way
and in a new-to-me layered way. Very granola grandma, but I'm into it. This is basically how all the older crowd in my neighborhood dresses.
And two outfits inspired by the y2k trend. I think the pleated shorts were out by the time I was in elementary school, but I definitely remember wearing my hair like this!
For some reason the Instagram algorithm decided to bless this post, and I think it's now my most-liked post of all time (or if not, it's up there).
Overall I was really happy with my outfits this month. There were a lot of blues/teals and oranges, and I think on average I did something with my hair at least 1 out of 3 days. Happy, comfy, springy clothes, although admittedly it's been too cold in our apartment for summery things, and half the time I end up throwing the oversized quilted jacket on.
Purchases
I have still been rabidly anxiety-shopping, but this month I decided that if I'm going to be spending what could be someone's monthly rent's worth on clothes, it should at least mostly be on things to fill closet holes instead of just more dresses.
I like shopping for dresses, shoes, and sweaters more than anything else, but I still need bottoms and jackets. A couple of weeks ago, I put together a spreadsheet showing {cold, rain, mild, hot} x {work, low-key informal, extra informal, extra formal} and tried filling out outfits for each square.
The idea here wasn't to get a thorough list of everything I could possibly wear, or even to put my favorite outfit for each type. It was to see whether I come up with outfits at all, and for casual categories, whether those included a formula with a top/bottom rather than just dresses. Cause what's the point of having several beautiful tops if you have no pants to wear them with?
I realized that I was down to one pair of shorts – the vintage pleated pair that I got last year. It was previously relaxed-fit, but now was an exact fit. Still very wearable, but also not mega comfortable anymore. So I figured I should just refresh my shorts wardrobe with a pair for athletic activity, lounging, a linen pair, and a slightly more structured pair.
When it's hot hot I usually go for a dress or shorts, but since I ended up throwing out my two pairs of jersey culottes during the move (they were too small and extremely thin and pilled polyester blend and given the condition I didn't think anyone would purchase them on Poshmark. We also don't have fabric recycling (not clothing donation) anywhere within easy transit and I have more cleaning rags than I'll use up in years already.) so I no longer had any warm weather pants. I don't go for that as often but I did enjoy having that option so I decided to get one if I saw something I liked, but to prioritize shorts.
I've also been walking a LOT more ever since we moved to the new apartment, so I figured it would be reasonable to add some related items (socks, sport shoes) that had one or none of. There's been a few times when I wore something that I felt was less practical than I wanted because the socks or sports bra I wanted was in the laundry bin.
It turns out I literally don't own anything that works for a low-key formal outfit (think austere business casual/formal), but at the moment I don't think that's a sort of activity I actually expect to encounter. Sure, you could argue that in the case you need a funeral outfit is exactly the time in your life when you aren't gonna feel like shopping, but I figure that anyone I know well enough wouldn't be offended that I didn't turn up in a black pantsuit. And I can't think of any other occasion in which it might be required to be both smartly-dressed and nondescript. I work in a casual industry in Berkeley/San Francisco and I don't teach mock trial. So I'm just leaving that category for now.
I'm still not sure of any way to completely stop buying outside of completely quitting all fashion related hobby things, but hopefully with this approach I don't end up with a closet full of so many cute, chill, and slightly office inappropriate dresses that I can't even wear them all. I'm getting help for anxiety, but in the meantime rest assured that since I basically have no other hobbies that cost me money right now since my crochet pays for itself, this isn't actually causing me a financial strain. Anyway, here it is:
Bottoms
Athleta Hustle 4.5" Short in Victorian Periwinkle, L – athletic shorts cause I didn't have any that fit for over a year now, and as our neighborhood is now extremely conducive to exercise walks I think I will get some use of these.
Target Women's High-rise Jean Shorts, Universal Thread, L (in photo below, right) – I wouldn't describe these as denim, so I'm not sure why they're listed as jean shorts, but either way they're a chino looking material with a bit of stretch. I think these would be fine for a casual office (we'll be starting an in-office rotation in August) but the waistband makes these comfortable and accommodates for bloating or weight change. FYI it is not the most flattering cut, as while they're loose, they're more straight up-and-down than flared. So it reads more like it's big cause it's hanging off your stomach rather than just because they're skirt-ish loose shorts. I'll need to add stitches to the hem because the two they put in are not sufficient to prevent them from unrolling in the back. But overall for the price, not mad. I don't think I would buy these again but in previous experience, by the time hard pants actually wear out there's a new macrotrend for silhouette anyway, so I'm fine with that. (Shorts type is not something I consider part of my style identity that would transcend trends, e.g. full skirts or corduroy). Also available in more colors on a separate listing.
Free People Pleated Shorty Pull-on Shorts, L (below, left) – These are more of a flared shape, and the pleats in the front and the dolphin hem on the side give it more visual interest as well. Pleated shorts are my preferred shorts style. because the larger flare feels more feminine. These feel a bit more casual than the Target ones due to the dolphin hem and slightly shorter length, and also better made. Although I'm not sure they are 3x better made, there's a noticeable difference.
Target A New Day Women's High-Rise Tie Waist Knit Midi Shorts, L – These are thicker than I expected from the price and didn't immediately pill after one wash + line dry. The large fits my hips well but is loose at the waist to the point where these fall down a bit if I don't aggressively cinch the waist tie, but I think I'll mostly be wearing these around the house or for quick jaunts outside so that's fine with me. Again, a nice medium length and generous pockets.
Abercrombie Linen-blend Cropped Wide-leg Pants, M – These are in the same print as that matching shorts and cami set I bought last month. I was really torn between getting the fruit print or a black pair in cropped length. I still think the black cropped pair would have been more versatile as they look less like pajama pants, but the print is so absolutely darling that I figured I'd at least use these as pajamas while they were on deck for Outfits and thery would for sure at least go with the matching top. I dressed em up in a sort of vintage romantic inspired style for their debut look and I thought it turned out really cute.
Maeve Ribbed Velvet Mini Skirt, 12 (Poshmark) – I have this in an 8 petite, but it's too snug now. I like wearing this one when I want a more sleek look cause it's still green and textured (and hence still feels like my style). This one is longer than I'd like, but I can deal. Idk if I want to get it hemmed, cause I'd actually previously had an 8 regular (the petite was bought later off poshmark) which I had hemmed, and it turned out I requested it too short and was thereafter uncomfortable wearing it.
Maeve Abracadabra Knit Mini Skirt, L (Poshmark) – I found this while looking for the other skirt. Normally fitted A-line knit skirts wouldn't be my thing (I usually like to have at least one element of vintage-inspired or textured) but THAT PRINT. This ended up fitting well and since it's a thick knit, it's super comfortable. Styled for summer here, but I'll probably mostly wear this with black bodysuits and boots.
Tops
Target Women's Cactus Short Sleeve Graphic T-Shirt (Juniors') - Gold, XL – This appeared on a side search while I was looking at shorts, and it looks almost exactly like a painting I did a few years ago, so I added it to the cart. Honestly wouldn't have got this otherwise cause I don't trust Target soft tees' longevity, but I love love love that painting (I made it in a park in Missouri when we were waiting for that 2017 total solar eclipse) and this is a bit more portable than the whole framed deal and I thought it would be fun to have, even if it was reduced to loungewear after a while. I sized up according to the reviews for a looser fit. I expect to wear this a lot with the Target lounge shorts.
Anthropologie Maeve Laila Ruffled Blouse, 12 petite (Poshmark) – I've been drooling over pretty much everything in Adored Vintage, which has loads of absolutely amazing romantic blouses. Most of their true vintage is like $100+ for a top though, and that's a bit risky for me given how hard woven blouses are to fit. This one had elasticated cuffs and was petite sizing, and I've tried a few other pieces from Maeve and seem to be consistently a 10-12, so I went for it and thankfully it fit really well! It is polyester (and not the wicking kind) so I don't think this will be great when it's hot hot. Normally I don't gravitate to wrap tops because they always seem either too plunge-y or too matronly for my taste, but the ruffles and eyelet material here was fun enough that the cut otherwise wasn't an issue for me.
Dresses
Universal Thread eyelet puff sleeve dress, M (Poshmark) – I did end up impulse buying one unnecessary dress this month. I think it was $15 NWT and it fit great!
It's a relaxed-fit babydoll cut similar to my other core dresses, but the puff sleeves are cut more traditionally rather than slouchy. This gives more of a shoulder-heavy look from the front, which is nice to change it up a bit, but I think I like the relatively chill look of the droopy puff sleeves better so I'm not gonna be collecting this in all the other colors.
I'd also like to give a shout-out to the Colombia nylon belt bag, which I wear multiple times a week as it's my go-to for walks. It's less swingy than a crossbody, but I don't have to actually take it off to get to the contents like I would with a backpack. 10/10, recommend, with the caveat that I, with a 32" waist, have to wear it at the tightest setting if I want it to sit like 2" below my bellybutton over leggings and that it is at the widest setting when worn as a sling bag like pictured.
Shoes
Teva Terra Fi 5, Sun and Moon Insignia, 8 – it's been a few years since I completely wore the treads off my old pair of Tevas. I had kept those around in case I absolutely needed a pair of waterproof sandals (happened exactly once, when some coworkers planned a beach trip), but I threw them out during our move because they had gotten really slippery. So I don't have any quick-dry/sport sandals currently as my other sandals are cork Birkenstocks. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a pair again, especially as summer approaches. Of the hiking grade tread options, I liked this pattern the most! I originally tried this in a 7 as I often size down in sandals, but I found the extra cushioning on the straps made this a bit of a narrow fit, so I had to exchange for an 8. Overall happy with these as they perform as expected, although I'd forgotten that Tevas squeak when your feet get sweaty. Not as much support as Birkenstocks, but even just walking around the neighborhood (we're one of those neighborhoods where you don't look twice if the sidewalk suddenly becomes stairs), they're much better on hills than slide style sandals like the Arizonas.
Dr Marten Leona Boot, Bone, 7 (Poshmark) – I LOVE the black Leona boots, but sometimes I've found myself wishing I had them in white, because the all black combat boot can be heavy or harsh for some softer colorful looks. That can be a good thing if I'm trying to make a look more edgy, but I don't always want to. These are a discontinued color so I've been checking up on Poshmark and eBay for a while to find a pair under $300. These fit exactly the same as the black ones. Now my {black, white} x {pointy, round} boot collection is complete and I'm looking forward to a winter season where I'm not stuck wearing black shoes 90% of the time.
Accessories
REI Co-op Sahara Guide Hat, L/XL – hats have been blowing off during afternoon or evening walks. Usually baseball caps have taken that well enough, but recently there were a few times when even those would blow off. I saw this hat while I was accompanying my partner at REI as he was buying backpacking stuff and it fit, so I've been using this instead of the baseball or straw hats if it's windy.
Outerwear
LL Bean East End Explorer Parka, M (Poshmark) – got a great deal on this ($59) and it looks pretty much new. I will admit that while I do technically have outerwear that pretty much covers all the winter weather I'd expect to encounter, I've not been totally happy with the below-freezing rated stuff, because it's all either on the specific side (remember the vintage ankle length tweed overcoat? the ankle-length dolman sleeve navy cloak?) or rather sporty. I've been wanting a mid length jacket that is a bit more everyday-city sort of a vibe. I was able to fit a sweater under this but the sleeves are a tad long (as expected). Also not my dream color but the berry red is definitely more my thing than black, gray, or navy. I do like olive but I feel like for parkas it can sometimes lean more military than I prefer. I think this is also light/breathable enough to wear during winters locally.
Base / Loungewear
Aerie Sunnie Lace Padded Triangle Bralette, M – I realized that for general outfits, I basically only reach for these as long as they're clean, so I bought two more. They didn't have the nice burnt orange color anymore, so I picked up one in black and one in mauve. I'm somewhere at the edge of a 32DD and find the medium comfortable after it's stretched out a tad.
Aerie OFFLINE OG Tank Top, M – very cute and works as a lounge top by itself! I tried wearing it outside once when it was warmer and alas it does show underboob sweat. So just gonna be using this as a bra or lounge top only unless it's a cool day.
Aerie OFFLINE Seamless Zip-front sports bra, M – Similar to the triangle bralette, I basically only reached for my two Aerie seamless longline sports bras as my older ones are uncomfortably snug. They were out of my size in the normal seamless, so I got one with a zip front. It's actually doesn't leave everything hanging out even when unzipped, so it'll be nice for cooling off and also getting the thing on and off more easily.
Aerie OFFLINE Ribbed Square Neck Sports Bra, M – Just to try out another style. It's square neck, ribbed, and green, so I had to. Alas it's not quite longline as on the model when I wear it, so it'll just be useful as a bra and not a top, but I still liked it enough to keep. Only two of my four underwire bras from The Before Times still fit, so I do want to buy at least one more underwire bra (balconette if I can swing it) the next time we go to Nordstrom in person, cause for some outfits I prefer the fit more exact to where the cups are completely separated so there's not a uniboob effect under tops. But for now given my success in fitting mediums at Aerie I'm totally okay to just collect bralettes because they also work as loungewear.
REI Co-op Out The Door Merino Wool Crew Socks, M – I've been walking a ton in our hilly neighborhood and decided that the one pair of hiking socks (Smartwool) I had definitely made that a better experience, so I bought a few more pairs. This one wasn't marketed as hiking, but it's merino and has extra padding on the sole. I would not repurchase this because it was too tight at the top to wear for a whole day, as the tightness is itchy. It's fine for a few hours for a specific walk. Def more comfortable than a standard cotton blend non padded crew sock.
Smartwool Hiking Socks - Women's, M – I liked these the best of the three I got, so of course I've since found out that they are discontinued.
REI Co-op Merino Wool Lightweight Hiking Crew Socks, M – these were very comfortable and I love the sage green color. It turned out they have a ventilation mesh-like strip near the toe though, and I feel like it tends to ride to the end of the sock where it's then poked by my toenails, so I'm concerned this would wear through faster than the other socks. Next purchase I will try a pair from Darn Tough as I've heard good things about that too. I was interested in trying that and the REI brand, but of the ones the store had in stock, I only liked the colors of the Co-op socks.
Swimwear
Aerie Gingham Puff Sleeve One Piece Swimsuit, M – I have one plain black one-piece swimsuit and wanted something more exuberant now that we will be able to go out to the beach or pool in the summer (though summer here is more of an August-September thing). This was comfortable on, and I like that it can be worn on or off the shoulder, or as a bodysuit as the fabric does a solid job impersonating seersucker even though it's a performance fabric. It's not the most flattering thing I have ever tried on as the larger scale gingham pattern does accentuate any curve you have, not discriminating whether it's boob or stomach, but if I feel like I want something more sleek then I can always wear the other suit. I mean, look how friggin cottagecore this thing is.
Wish List
That is a lot of stuff. No getting around that. While maybe I wouldn't have been the most stylish or the most comfortable, aside from maybe the hiking socks, sport sandals, and bras I don't think I strictly needed any of that. But overall I think this was better than last month in terms of the expected use I'll get out of things. The base items especially.
I realized that last month I didn't include a shopping list. I think at this point I'm actually pretty good on things that I felt a bit more urgent about replacing, so I'm going to try and take my time on the rest of this and try to at least stick to shopping for these items.
- Sweater/soft look thermal tights (look at Hue brand tights for cable knit in fall/winter) – I have a few thermal tights from Uniqlo heattech, but they're slightly uncomfortably small and also low-rise on me so I want to get a few pairs that are actually comfortable. I don't think I'm going to look into this for a few months as initial searches revealed there isn't much in stock in July when it comes to cozy tights.
- Elevated tote fall/winter – My default tote is probably gonna stay the Trader Joe's canvas tote. But I do enjoy having a more themed/seasonal/cute option with the straw circle bag. I don't have anything equivalent in a fall/winter fabric, so I want to look for a leather carryall sort of bag. It should be minimal enough that it goes with my usual casual vibe, so I think that I'll look for something with minimal hardware and that's not too structured, but in black leather or a nice waxed canvas.
- Black linen tapered relaxed fit overalls – Since I have discovered layering dresses, I'm now very interested in trying out overalls. I think personally I'd prefer more of a linen or plain woven cotton fabric rather than denim, because that sounds more comfortable and fits my wardrobe's fabric story better. But when it comes to non denim overalls/jumpsuits, I think a washed black color would elevate the style and avoid the toddler bodysuit look, and also be more amenable to fall/winter styling
- Lightweight field jacket – I definitely have enough outerwear and sweaters to cover 'need a light jacket' weather, but I miss my green utility jacket (worn out – may it rest in peace) that I wore a ton in 201?-2018. Seriously, there was a while when I wore that thing almost daily. I loved the soft structure and active but not sporty vibe. Now that I've come full circle back to more casual style wear, I think it would be a nice option to have to throw on over dresses, shorts, or jeans.
- Fancy sandals – I have one pair of fancy red block heel sandals. They look great, but they're not comfortable. I do have serviceable pumps, but they are black and I think it would be nice to have an option for really dressing up a spring/summer look. I'm thinking that if I get a pair of shoes that works for formal outfits but that's comfortable enough to wear casually, then I can actually wear them more than 2-3 times a year.
- Black bike shorts – So I can actually wear some of my giant vintage tees outside. I still wear those pretty regularly, but mostly as t-shirt dresses around the house. They are simply too large and thick to style with jeans in a way that I like, and I'm not sure I want to recut them into a smaller size. I've tried styling them over slip shorts and I liked that silhouette, and I figure the bike shorts could also be used for exercise. I have one pair of bike shorts but it's a loud blue and pink watercolor sort of print, which doesn't jive with the more band tee style aesthetic I want.
- Graphic neutral tote – Since I've been accessorizing a lot more as I've been living in dresses, I've noticed that prints on bags is an easy way to get more visual interest into a simple outfit. I love when I can get this to happen with the red corduroy mushroom tote or the strawberry bag, but I find that unlike the natural canvas Trader Joe's tote, I often will reject these bags for an outfit because I don't like the color combo. So I'd like a bag that's just natural canvas with some more neutral colored graphic or print that's more stylized than the simple grocery bag.
- Real earrings (minimal, at most one hoop one stud) – I haven't worn earrings for a whole year because they're really annoying to have when wearing a mask. But now that stuff's opening up again, I tried on some of my old pieces and I think either I have become more sensitive to cheaper metals, or I was actually being irritated by them before, but since I wore costume jewelry earrings every day for years and years, I didn't actually notice that my skin wasn't happy. This makes me very sad because I still love a lot of the earrings in my current collection, but I think I might have to do the fancy expensive adult thing and transition to fine jewelry for metallics. I've actually gotten used to my look without earrings, and a lot of my bigger pieces feel uncomfortably fancy now, skin irritation aside. I loved my daisy chain hoops from Madewell until the seed beads fell out somewhere in the first half of 2020, so I think getting a dainty chain hoop in solid gold would be a good candidate for this (and dainty chains are also cheaper than chunky hoops). There are some options over at Catbird, but I'm going to think need to mull it over. I may also get a pair of studs just to have something in there when I'm not feeling like hoops.
- Crunchy casual jewelry – on the other hand, I'm not allergic to cotton floss and seed beads, so I think there's an opening in my wardrobe for more granola summer camp style jewelry for bracelets and necklaces. I could definitely DIY this, but in my recent experience it's not worth the hassle of having to manage the crafting supplies if it's not for a long-term hobby, so I think I'll look around Etsy for these.
- Bandanas – I really love the cute y2k/cottagecore (probably the only item that truly crosses over lol) look that bandanas add to an outfit. Plus, like scrunchies, they're a functional trend item. I have exactly one bandana, which also happens to be red, so similar to the graphic tote thing, I want to get another one or two of these in more versatile colors than red. These could also be cute to tie onto bags for an extra pop of pattern.
- Dressy fitted fall/winter top – I used to have a black square neck velvet long sleeve tee that filled this niche, but it didn't fit well so I've since sold it. I have some plain black cotton bodysuits that are serviceable to pair with my tulle midi skirts, but I think having a slightly more glam option that I could use with those as well as jeans or my corduroy skirts would be good.
- Underwire balconette bra – for wearing with tops where a little more structure is nice. Balconette because it works with sweetheart and square necklines. Loved the Chantelle one I had before, but it no longer fits.
- Fall/earthy colors of the Oasis Midi Dress if Free People has any good ones in their fall drops 😭 I collect these. This is the best dress. I could wear it to sleep, to a zoom meeting, or to watch an opera. I imagine this is how people feel about those Hill House Home "nap dresses".
That is.... still a lot, given how much I've bought this year already. 12+ items. But since they're all definitely more on the decorative rather than survival side, I'm not going to race to get them all ASAP. But since it's a long list, I shouldn't have any excuse to stray out of it, either. I've (potentially regrettably) already ordered a couple of things in the short 5 days we've gone into July that aren't on that list, but even if the list evolves through the year, I hope at least having mission-based online shopping sessions rather than aimless ones will prevent at least some impulse buys.
Also, for the record, my goal with my wardrobe is not to minimize it or get to a working capsule wardrobe. I consider fashion a hobby, so having the pieces to come up with the most variety of outfits within styles I like, without completely exploding out of my apartment's storage space is where I'd like to be.
Other thoughts
I still haven't gotten around to doing another closet edit, mostly because I know it'll be really hard as I like pretty much everything I still have! I've decided that when it comes to stuff that doesn't fit, I'll give myself until the end of 2021 to see if my weight shifts back to where it was in 2019, but if it doesn't, then I can't justify keeping so many boxes of 'just in case' clothes. But I'm pretty sure there are a few more things which I'd be okay letting go of, so hopefully I can at least separate them out into the to-sell pile this month even if I don't get to actually making all the listings.
I don't have any outfit themes or goals for July other than to just wear all the dang stuff I've been buying. It looks like it should warm up next week, so hopefully I can actually wear at least some of the shorts.
My aesthetic preferences and outfit formulas have shifted a lot over the last few years, and a lot over the last several months. When I first started out on the whole ~wardrobe journey~ after college, I was all about looking sharper, less childish, and sleek. I was into stuff like asymmetrical gray and black dresses, sleek ankle boots, slouchy blazers, and minimal black and silver accessories. I still think that style looks really cool, but I'm not sure that was ever going to work, because I've always been more of a whimsical and playful style person at heart. Give me all the Ms Frizzle dresses, ballet peasant outfits, and summer camp vibes.
When I did a style retro for my Instagram account anniversary last week, I could see in retrospect that I was struggling to make the more structured vintage pieces work, even when I at least moved into the earth toned fashion realm. I love skirts and dresses, but I'd been put off from knit/stretchy dresses for so long because I could never style them in a way that didn't feel anemic or like loungewear. Since I found some easy dresses that feel more full and lively, I've been able to enjoy layering and accessorizing them, which has been a lot more enjoyable than endlessly fussing with pant cuffs and sweater tucks when trying to combine separates.
June photodump
