I think about 7 years ago I decided I didn’t want to have “such a big wardrobe” anymore. I’m not sure that my wardrobe was ever huge, but for me it was. Probably 2-3x the size it currently is.
Despite the fact that I have been doing this so long, I still am always a little restless and unsettled with my wardrobe. I figure if I write about it I might give myself more insight into what I like and dislike about each piece and hone my skills at buying.
I am happy to say that it’s been a while since I have purchased anything. I think the last time I bought something was 3-2015 when it was getting really hot in Florida and I knew I needed a couple more dresses to keep me going. I was in Florida for the entirety of the 2015 summer.
I currently live in San Diego and this wardrobe can easily get me through all seasons.
DRESSES
White/Pink Floral Dress – This one is probably one of my more favored pieces. The only bad thing is it is a bit tight on top. It feels totally fine, but I think it creates the appearance of smooshing me a bit. I love that it seems a bit longer in back without having an uneven hemline. Butt coverage with a short dress – heck yeah! The other thing that I could take or leave is that it is spaghetti strap. I have recently decided I look much better in non-spaghetti strap stuff since I have broader shoulders. I also prefer natural materials, and this is not, so :(.
Size – S
Brand – Abercrombie and Fitch
Material – Rayon
Purchased – Thrift store 3/2015
Gray floral dress – Again, this dress is a bit small on top. In this case it’s right at the arm-pits, which is kind of strange since where my boobs are is bigger around than where my arm-pits are, but ok. First of all, I almost didn’t buy this because even in the store it was a little tight at the arm pit, but I needed a couple sun dresses and this one was cotton, so I got it. Secondly, I almost got rid of it. I have the magical power of doing the worst job at laundry of all time and make everything look worse after I wash it. This was no exception. It had some frills on the front that I cut off because they were the main culprit in the washed looked being off. I like it better now. Don’t hesitate to alter your clothes. Actually, the day after I cut the frills off I wore this dress and got two compliments from strangers. I love the length of this dress. I also love the pattern/color.
Size – S
Brand – Xhiliration (I think that’s Target?)
Material – 100% cotton
Purchased – Thrift store 3/2015
Brown sack dress – This dress gets it’s name because it looks like a damn sack. I told my husband the other night that I think I might sew it into produce/bulk bags when I get a sewing machine so it can fulfill it’s true purpose. That being said, I wear this dress regularly, it’s just not flattering. My main beef is the sleeves. The are uncomfortable at the ends when I reach my arms forward. I also don’t think I like wearing a dark brown like this. I used to love it but with my brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin I look a bit mono-chromatic. I think the reason I DO reach for this dress is because 1.) It’s a little longer than my shortest dresses but not down to my knees, 2.) it’s very unrestrictive (except the stupid arms), and 3.) Let’s be honest, I have the tendency to wear some of my least favorite stuff around so that I have the stuff I love more “for later.”
Size – S
Brand – Gap
Material – Linen/Cotton blend
Purchased – Thrift store 3/2015
Maroon “fancy” dress – I say this is fancy, but it’s a jersey material so I’m pretty sure it’s not. I have a love/hate relationship with this dress. I also got it during my “need dresses ASAP” search in Florida this year and when I put it on I loved the way it felt and loved the lines, but was a bit dismayed at the fit being rather big, especially for something that seems like it should be so fitted. The main “big” part was around the waist. I do have, perhaps, an abnormally small wait for my size, but I wanted it to be just a bit smaller around the waist. I also didn’t love that it wasn’t made of natural materials. Despite that, after I got it I LOVED it. Loved the color, loved the lines, loved the jersey comfort. After I washed it? PILLS. Pills that I can not get to come off. I still wear it, but it doesn’t make me feel amazing anymore, so that just sucks. I sort of want to make a pattern out of this dress (with a slightly smaller waist and a bit higher hemline, since this one goes down to my knees) and sew my own in an organic cotton jersey fabric that won’t pill to hell and back. Things that I think I love about the fit: The neckline is really flattering, the lines down the boobs – whatever they are called, the width of the sleeves.
Size – XS
Brand – Mossimo (Target)
Material – Polyester/Rayon/Spandex (I went against my natural materials thing and bought this and I guess I shouldn’t have because of the pills)
Purchased – Thrift store 3/2015
Red floral dress – This dress is falling to damn pieces but I love it. What you don’t see is that it has one of those backs that has a bunch of strings of elastic scrunching up the fabric (rouched?) and all of that elastic is almost completely dead. Not only that, but these teeny-tiny staps are the kind that have that plastic piece, like a bra, that makes the straps adjustable. Before the elastic even started going out those things broke. SO, I have a dress that stabs me in the back with plastic and looks all huge and blown out. But, this has those magic boob lines that makes the fit nice, I love the color and pattern of the fabric, and it’s just a nice light dress. I fully intend on fixing the broken parts but haven’t yet. I was thinking about knitting a backing and straps (including making the straps a bit wider). I might also take some of the material and make little hoops on the side to string ribbon through and just have a criss-crossed backing. That might make this dress a little too sexy, though. This dress would be even better if the hemline was a bit shorter (currently it’s at the knee), the straps were wider, and there were no pockets so the skirt didn’t poof quite so much.
Size – S
Brand – Love 21
Material – Cotton
Purchased – Sometime in 2012 or 2013?
Wedding dress – There is an obvious reason this one is still in my wardrobe, but I don’t wear it much :(. I love the way this dress looks because I love the color, the lace, and the length. I hate that this dress is a little sheer (definitely mandatory to wear nude underwear) and I’m always afraid I am going to stain it and snag it. It also is so delicate I don’t like washing it a bunch. Every time I look at it, though, I think: “I love that dress, I should wear it more often.”
Size – S
Brand – Xhiliration
Material – Polyester/nylon (this was before I wanted to wear all natural materials, but I still did not usually buy new at this time, I guess I made an exception for my wedding)
Purchased – Fall 2010, actually purchased new.
Gray American Apparel dress – Cotton jersey, what could be better? I love this dresses comfort. Things I don’t like are that it’s pretty short (I actually even wear it as a long shirt often) and that it has NO shape. I prefer things with shape, but I have had this little dude for a while, so I guess I can handle not having shape sometimes. There is something about this material that is perfection, though. It has never pilled and seems to hold up to my terrible laundry skills quite well. I would probably like this better if I had a bra to go with it. Without a bra it’s a little racy or something. Yet I wear it all of the time. I know, I make no sense.
Size – S
Brand – American Apparel
Material – Cotton jersey
Purchased – Thrift store Sept. 2013
TOPS
Light gray/blue silk blouse – I love the way silk blouses look. I like the way I look in this one, but there are things I love and hate. Hate the two pockets in the front (weird). Hate that I seem to instantly sweat like an insane person and this shirt shows that. Like the loose fit and rolling the sleeves up. I wear this infrequently, I think mostly due to sweat. Stupid sweat.
Size – M
Brand – Banana Republic
Material – Silk
Purchased – Thrift store 2013 or 2014
Black simple long sleeve – Love this shirt. I bought it with a specific intention, knowing I wanted a plain black love sleeve that I could layer with or wear alone. I wish this could be both tight and loose so I could layer even more, but it’s good how it is. I can’t really think of anything bad! I started wearing less black so I suppose I wish it were charcoal/dark gray instead.
Size – M
Brand – 4Paix
Material – Cotton jersey
Purchased – Thrift store. 2011-2012?
Blue cashmere/silk sweater – I love this sweater. It’s big. I would say the one negative to this sweater would be that I have to hand wash it and lay it flat to dry. I have washed it on a gentle cycle before and it turned out ok, but I was using a different machine than normal that had a REALLY safe looking cycle. I do have some really gentle looking cycles on the machine where I just moved, so I might try washing it on that cycle. But the worse part is definitely laying it flat to dry. Any tips on how to make laying things flat to dry not so terrible?
Size – S
Brand – Banana Republic
Material – Silk/Cashmere
Purchased – Thrift store near the end of 2014
Black silk/cashmere/cotton sweater – This sweater is even more comfortable than the one above with one exception: The neckline. The neck feels ultra “tight.” It’s not really that tight but I just don’t really like close fitting crew necks. I tend the wear this around like a sweatshirt because it is very big and the crew neck isn’t flattering on me. But so comfy and cozy! I might take this into a tailor and ask if they have ideas for altering the neckline.
Size – M
Brand – Banana Republic
Material – Cotton/silk/cashmere blend
Purchased – Thrift store near the end of 2014
Blue organic cotton shirt – Aha, another thing I bought new! I don’t like to buy new, but for some reason for a few minutes in my life I was really wanting to support some companies that were “sustainable” and I bought a few things from PACT. Why just the underwear wasn’t good enough I don’t know. Anyway, I like this shirt. It’s just a basic shirt, but I don’t know if I’m obsessed with the material quality. I would love it to be a bit more high quality. Sometimes I sweat this shirt up, which is another reason I don’t always reach for it. I wish I could figure out what shirts were going to turn me into a sweaty mess before I buy them.
Size – S
Brand – PACT
Material – Organic cotton
Purchased – 2014
Drop Bush not bombs shirt – I think this is currently the oldest shirt I own and somehow made it through a stage of never wearing t-shirts. I just wore it to work out and around the house then but now I actually wear it out. It’s sort of annoying because it sparks political debates very often. I like the way I cut the sleeves and neckline and just find it a comfy shirt. It is very old and worn and has a hole in the armpit, so I’m obviously not going to wear it anywhere important.
Size – ?? (cut out the tag a long time ago)
Brand – ??
Material – ??
Purchased – Thrift store maybe 2004-2005?
Black linen tank – I was looking for a basic black tank when I bought this. It must have been before I stopped wearing so much black. I like the shirt but feel like I have to wear a bra with it because it’s a bit sheer. I have recently started wearing it with one of my sport bras. The other thing I don’t love is that it stretches like linen is wont to do. I think if I had a good alternate tank I would get rid of this one. I like the idea of it but never love it when I am wearing it.
Size – ?? (It’s rubbed off the tag, probs small)
Brand – Zara
Material – Linen
Purchased – Thrift store 2013 or so
White spaghetti strap – I don’t remember why I needed this but there was a specific purpose. I use it primarily for layering but every once in a while I also wear it on it’s own. Even thought it has a built in shelf bra it’s still a bit sheer. I would prefer if it weren’t sheer and was not spaghetti strap, but then I guess it wouldn’t be as good for layering. This is another piece I bought new during the time I was wanting to support sustainable companies.
Size – S
Brand – PACT
Material – Organic cotton
Purchased – 2014
(Honorable mention) Husband’s hoodie – This thing is humongous and has some weird orange blue scheme that seems to fade into some tan hue from far away. It’s a hoodie but has a shirt-like weight. It’s not mine. I just started wearing it and probably wear it once every couple of weeks because I like it. Something about it just seems to give that badass vibe I love giving off. I don’t have much to say about it since it’s not mine. I would not have purchased it myself because the sleeves are really long and that’s a pet peeve of mine.
Size – (mens) S
Brand – Gramicci
Material – Hemp and organic cotton
Purchased – Online in 2014, I think
BOTTOMS
Levi “bold curve” jeans – These jeans are amazing. I remember the first time I saw them on a hanger and I was like “whoa, these jeans are actually curved.” Then I looked at the tag and it said bold curve. Anyway, I have an ass. And hips. And thighs. And remember, a tiny waist. That being said, PANTS ARE HARD TO FIT. Usually they squish in my butt and have a huge gap at the waist and then ride down because the waist is too big. Yada yada. I think everyone has their own special reason pants won’t fit them. These pants fit me nearly perfectly, though. They are a bit long (I should really tailor them). I can’t think of anything else to complain about. I think I would make them a bit more high cut in front if I had my say. Things I don’t love: the material. It feels really non-durable and softer than I want my jeans to feel. I like them to have a bit of that rough jean feel.
Size – 7
Brand – Levi
Material – Cotton/Poly/Viscose/Elastane blend
Purchased – Thrift store 2013?
Black jeans – I like these jeans but the waist is too big and they are also slightly too long. Did I mention I’m 5’2″? Everything is too long on me. If I could tailor in the waist on these so they would stay up and not ride down by an inch or so I would love them a whooole lot. Overall they feel durable and good. Since I haven’t worn them in a bit I am tempted to get rid of them, but I am going to try to hold out until the winter because I will probably want to wear them once the cold comes again.
Size – 26 (which equals 1/2, I guess, though these don’t seem that small)
Brand – Paige
Material – Cotton/Poly/Spandex blend
Purchased – Thrift store 2013?
Cut – offs – I got these as jeans and then decided I’d rather have some shorts. I really love the way these fit (Banana Republic jeans often fit me really well) but they stretch like a mother fucker after I wear them for, say, 1 hour. This has been the case for me with all Gap and Banana Republic jeans. So after that hour I just look sloppy. Overall I’m happy with these, though, and don’t have any plans to trade them out.
Size – 4
Brand – Banana Republic
Material – Cotton/Spandex blend
Purchased – Thrift store 2013?
VERY WARM THINGS
Hannah-made sweater – I knitted this bad boy last year. When you are a knitter it’s important to figure out the kinds of things you are drawn to versus the kinds of things you wear, so I am happy to analyze this. I love this sweater but there are things I don’t like. 1.) It pills, the pills don’t look awful, but I don’t like it, 2.) I accidentally felted it a little bit when I was trying to shrink it a bit. I don’t mind the look of the felted-ness, and I like that it did shrink a bit, but wearing a partially felted sweater is less comfortable because it doesn’t stretch as easily as a non-felted one, 3.) This is massively thick wool and it is a BITCH to wash and dry. It seriously takes like 3 days to dry. Because of that, I think I have only washed this 2x. Once was when I was felting it. In the future, I will not make such a bulky wool sweater unless I absolutely need to for warmth.
Size – XS (smallest size on the pattern and then shrunk a bit, but who knows if my gauge was very on)
Brand – Hannah-made
Material – Organic merino wool
Purchased – *ahem* MADE *ahem* 2014
Leather jacket – I actually bought this while I was driving my scooter handing out flyers for a fertility awareness class that I was giving. It turned out that it was a LOT colder driving the scooter than I was prepared for (this must have been soon after I bought the scooter). So I got my butt into a vintage shop and found this jacket, which definitely helped on scooter and motorcycle rides. Things I would change would be to make the sleeves a bit shorter and change the color since I don’t like wearing lack as much anymore. If I found the right replacement I’d get rid of this jacket in a heartbeat, but it’s really helpful for layering over a sweater on a cold day. I might replace this with a trench coat at some point instead of a short jacket.
Size – ?? (no tag)
Brand – ??
Material – Leather? Seems like it, but not 100% sure.
Purchased – Vintage shop early 2013
Not included:
- Work out clothes (1x stretchy shorts, 2x sport bras, 1x short sleeve cotton shirt, 1x long sleeve wicking-type shirt)
- Shoes (1 pair worn out brown flats that I need to get rid of -they have holes, 1 pair tan vans loafer things – I got them as a place holder from the thrift store when I realized I couldn’t wear my brown flats anymore, 1 pair black MVMT shoes -liked them but I also need to get rid of these.. When I wear them for a couple days in a row they make my arches hurt, 1 pair new balance running shoes -The one shoe that I have that I really like, but I wouldn’t wear running shoes for everyday use)
- Underwear (about 9 pairs all organic cotton, no bra unfortunately, I’d love to find a basic organic silk one)
- Neck warming things (1x scarf, 1x knitted cowl)
Things I could use/have been thinking about:
- I want a semi-nice dress. Dark red, black, or dark gray. Ideally this would be cotton and/or silk jersey. And I would look super hot in it.
- I am seriously lacking skirts. I love having a pencil skirt and a more full skirt. I always like ones that sit at the waist, not the hips.
- I would LOVE to find a fitted jersey tank dress. Probably cotton. I guess either black or dark gray. I would wear it under shirts like a skirt, on it’s own, with skirts that sit at the waist as a shirt (I know I don’t have any of these right now, but I generally do), and with pants as a shirt.
Resources for building a minimal wardrobe:
- Project 333
- Into-mind
- Zero-waste home
- Paris-to-go
- The French Wardrobe (no link, just google it)
QUESTIONS? I’ve been doing this for a long time, so even though I’m not perfect (clearly), I can probably give you some tips.