August 2019 State of the Wardrobe & Wardrobe Guilt

Has it really been two months since I published my last “State of the Wardrobe”?

As you can see, I’ve been writing a lot lately. Partially because I’d like to have fresh content up for you before I spend most of August traveling (just in case things get too busy), but also because I’ve been feeling bad that I have this beautiful space to write in and so often neglect it for the ease of Instagram. So – hi! I hope you’ll have some coffee and stay awhile, and I hope you’re as excited as I am about some new long-form content.

On Wardrobe Guilt

My wardrobe has been in flux, again. I’ve been slowly parting with some of the items I own that fit the traditional ethical fashion aesthetic (like my pink Jamie + the Jones T top), and trying to focus on more timeless silhouettes and classic color palettes. I’m also struggling with feelings of guilt about what to part with, as there are some items I was gifted that I find I’m simply not reaching for any longer. I have always accepted sponsored items with good intentions, but if I’ve learned nothing else in my two years of blogging, it’s that you can appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of an article of clothing while finding it ultimately doesn’t work for you once it makes its way into your wardrobe. Sometimes, it can be so exciting when a brand contacts me that I don’t fully think it through. I’m trying to get better at this.

For example, I have a wool& dress in a gorgeous marine blue. I requested it because I was tired of everyone telling me I wear too much black (ha!) but you know what? I wished I had opted for black, even though everyone loved the blue when I showed it on my Instagram. I feel like “me” in black dresses, and the few I have get the most wear of the dresses in my wardrobe. This dress is beautiful. But it isn’t me. Instead, I’m going to be giving their Brooklyn Wrap Dress a try.

At the same time, and perhaps a bit contradictory, I have countless black shirts, some gifted, some purchased, and there is no way that I can reasonably wear all of them.

My closet is a little dark, and it is hard to photograph the whole space because the door opens to the interior, but I hope this helps to give you an idea of where I’m at. I have been thinking about moving my clothes into the guest bedroom closet as it is easier to photograph, but it wouldn’t be as convenient for life and getting dressed. Let me know in the comments if you like the authentic photos, or if you’d prefer more styled closet shots!

I’ve decided to give these gifted items away, because I don’t want to donate them and have them potentially end up in a landfill. But I also don’t like the idea of selling items that were given to me at no cost. The other items I’m working to list on my Poshmark.

I feel like now that I’ve admitted out loud how I’m feeling about these pieces, I can let go of the wardrobe guilt I’ve been holding on to.

I simply don’t enjoy looking at a closet with a lot of color. Like, it is actively annoying me to open my closet and see items sticking out that don’t fit my organization method of grouping like colors and fabrics, or that don’t feel like a purposeful use of color. This side of my closet particularly annoys me these days. It is also way too cluttered, but I am working on that!

If I honestly ask myself what my dream closet would look like, it would be filled with the core colors of cream, white, oatmeal, camel, gray and black. My accent pieces would be navy, pink or rust (funny, this matches the color palette I previously established for myself. And then clearly deviated from by thinking I could be happy mixing things up more than I was really comfortable with). It’s not that I don’t want any color in my wardrobe. It’s that I want intentional color in my wardrobe. I’m almost there, but something about it still doesn’t feel quite right.

And really, what is stopping me from having that dream closet, besides my own guilt and notions about what I should or shouldn’t part with?

On Getting Organized

As you can probably tell, lately I am obsessed with closet aesthetics and organization, even more so than usual. I think it is driving my husband up a wall. Turns out he does not agree that we should replace every single hanger in our home with wooden ones (okay, okay, that is pretty wasteful, but it was a fleeting thought I had because PINTEREST).

I guess it isn’t that bad.

I have been adding a lot of baskets to my closet, dresser and office lately. I need to stop buying baskets. If it is in my house and it isn’t nailed down, I am trying to store it in a basket these days. The basket below, for my home clothes, was pretty essential though as I previously just had them folded on the floor.

I have a few more hair accessories to add here. But my Tribe Alive hair pin and Madewell barrette are my favorites! 

I haven’t shown my clothing rack that is in our office in awhile either, so here it is. I store things here that I either intend to blog, or that I am using as sort of a capsule challenge. This originally held what would have been my Project 333, had it not totally gone off the rails with my summer schedule.

Coats and shoes are in a hallway closet that I share with my husband for those sorts of things.

I am really looking forward to painting our office/ guest room soon! We picked this color originally thinking it would be more of an edgy navy, but it didn’t work out that way on the walls and I’m not a big fan of it. We’ll go with more of a neutral the next time around.

Hope you enjoyed this latest peek into my home and wardrobe! As always, let me know if you have any questions for me about my clothing, my organization process, or anything else!

 

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