Color Project: Red

The Color Project: Red has officially begun!

I started two weeks ago with this Lane Bryant top under a Gwynnie Bee sweater. The red top is tons of fun, and an easy staple in the closet. No question it is staying.



Last week I wore a number of tops from the project.

First was a purple Old Navy collarless blouse. I've struggled to find outfits for this before; it's one that I have to work into the rotation consciously, not one I grab because I want to wear it, like the red LB above. Not sure this one is going to last the month.
(Worn with a B&W striped cotton cardigan from Lane Bryant, faded Old Navy Dreamers, pewter Privos, white camisole, and my Brighton silver pendant. Variations of this are definitely my weekend wear.)





This mauve LOFT tee is the twin of the white one I dithered over during the White Project. Funny how a different color makes all the difference; I love the softness and tone of this one. It will be staying in the closet, for sure.
(Worn with a black Target cocoon cardigan, same faded Dreamers, and multi-stone long necklace from LOFT Outlet. Barefoot because it was my work from home day. :))







I forgot to add this purple-and-grey abstract banded top from Old Navy to the original Red pile, but it is mostly purple so I am adding it in. Trying with a tone-on-tone look with a purple Babeau draped cardigan from Norstrom from a few seasons ago, black NYDJ stretch straight legs, and Clarks Artisan fauz-moto booties.





Close-up of the Brighton silver pendant, a Christmas gift from my mom. It's supposed to be a badge holder but it's much too pretty for that.



This last outfit was my favorite of the week. I got this red polka-dot drape neck blouse from Nordstrom this fall, and I've struggled with the right outfit for it. I think my search is over.





What makes it work is that both pieces have a black heathered quality to them, so there is an underlying commonality to the patterns that makes them work together. It made me happy to wear all day long.



5 down, 5 to go. I might get through this chapter of the project faster than the White round.

The Color Project: White

One of the OCD things about my closet is that I have each item category (sweaters, tops, jackets, pants) sorted by color. When I am looking for a black top, for instance, they are all together so I can see my options. Now that my closet is so lean, I even hung all the t-shirts so they can be included in that grouping.

One day as I was grabbing a favorite white top, I started to wonder if I really wore ALL of the tops that were in each of the color categories. Or was it just a favorite 1-2 that got cycled through and the rest were there as filler?

So I embarked on what I am calling the Color Project. I pulled all the white tops to the front of my closet and purposefully worked as many as I could into my outfit rotation. I did not put a time limit on it -- i.e., wear them all in a week -- because this wasn't some fashion challenge I was forcing on myself; the idea was to see if I really did NEED to have all the ones I had, or if a few could be edited.

Turns out, I wore them all. I didn't love them all, but I did wear them. Since none were obvious edits, I've had to look a little deeper to see which are worth keeping.

1. V-neck ruched Sejour long-sleeve, Nordstrom. Worn with a navy polka-dot scarf from Old Navy, navy Gap modern bootcuts, grey long-sleeved Target Merona cardigan, and grey Franco Sarto Deers. My co-worker told me I looked like the definition of Connecticut preppy, which I consider a compliment. :)
I took these particular Deers to the cobbler and had him replace the heel tips, which just extended the life of these shoes by another 2-3 years for sure.  You know how I love all my versions of these shoes, so I am thrilled.



Verdict: The shirt itself is okay; the v-neck sits a little crooked on me, and I keep thinking that is more versatile than it is. There's a bit of a flare to it at the waist that I don't love. I'm not ready to let it go quite yet, but it was tougher to rotate in than some of my others. 

2. Old Navy collared knit button-down shirt, first under a new cream Old Navy waffle-knit pullover. It was a snowy day, so bundling up was key. The Gap straight-legs were the only option as pants because I had to tuck them into my Dansko snow boots. I thought the blue bubble necklace added the right amount of dressiness to tip the outfit into the business casual/office appropriate look. Not what I would wear if I had been at one of the hospitals, but for just my office it worked.



I wore it again this weekend under my new striped cotton pullover from Gap, Dreamer Old Navy jeans, pewter Privos and the clear acrylic ice cube pendant from Banana Republic. Even Hubby thought this was a cute look.



Verdict: This one is a total keeper. I was avoiding wearing it because it was too wrinkled and I was too lazy to iron it, but I found that it can either go under my new pullover sweaters or a few hard shakes will eliminate the worst of the wrinkles.

3. Lauren Conrad embellished tee, Kohls. I have had this for at least 3 years, but it still works with so many looks. I posted the first outfit below back in January; my plan was to wear all the white shirts over the month and see if anyone noticed, then do a round-up post. Those plans got waylaid when I stopped posting. ;-D



I wore it again this weekend with the mushroom knit cardigan, faded Dreamer jeans, and a color-blocked infinity scarf I got last spring from Old Navy; it is navy, olive green and mint/paleblue, which I am seeing around as a pretty trendy color these days. So I dug my only version of it out. :)






Verdict: this veteran still has plenty of life in her. She's going nowhere.

4. Basic long-sleeved LOFT tee, worn under a Forth & Towne faux-wrap cardigan. I posted about this outfit before too.



Verdict: I completely forgot I wore or even owned this until I found the picture on Flickr. That does not speak well for its longevity or necessity in my closet. I think I only need one long-sleeved white top, so I will probably keep either this or the v-neck.

5. This slub tee from Lane Bryant I actually pulled out of my loungewear drawer and rotated back into regular wear. It has two tiny stain dots on the front that had relegated it to loungewear, but I managed to cover those up and finally understood the power of a great plain white t-shirt.
I wish I had gotten a good front-on shot of this outfit, which was all my co-worker's idea. This was a gorgeous tux-like jacket from Gwynnie Bee with sequined sleeves, and I went for a rocker look with an assortment of long silver necklaces. Really fun look that I will probably repeat with some other dressy jackets I have.



A-ha! I did wear the slub tee again, this time with a fabulous snakeskin print cardigan from Gwynnie Bee. I loved that sweater so much I wore it four times before I sadly returned it. This time I added my Bestey Johnson camera pendant necklace, faded Gap Dreamer jeans, and patent tan-black colorblocked flats from Me Too.





Verdict: the perfect white t-shirt. Will try to find a replacement at Lane Bryant, or will figure out how to get those two stain dots out. (Thanks for the tips in the last post, gals; I will try those with this!)

6. LOFT ruched neck sleeveless tee. Probably my least-favorite of all my white tops, especially now that I have found the perfect one above. This is with my new-ish mushroom Ann Taylor Outlet knit cardigan, new black Gap long-and-lean jeans, and my trusty pewter lasso necklace from Banana Republic (which I bought with Shopping Friend a million years ago). 

I forgot how awful mirror shots were; so glad I got my office corner back for my tripod!



Verdict: it's okay, but the Lane Bryant one is better. Might be hitting the road soon.

7. This LOFT tee has angled distressed stripes, which offer interesting texture to a basic ivory tee. Paired with the Betsey Johnson camera pendant again, my fuschia Gap piped shrunken blazer, grey pinstriped Gap modern bootcuts, and black Clark Artisan boots.



I wore this top again the following weekend, this time pairing with a couple of familiar items, the mushroom knit cardigan from above, and the same faded Dreamer jeans. The jewelry this time was an assortment of long gold necklaces (boy I liked that look with the sparkly jacket), and a pair of faux-suede tan boots from Target.





Verdict: like the cream embellished one in #3, this is going nowhere for a long time.

8. The last top of the White Color Project was a regular button-down, a no-iron three-quarter sleeve Foxcroft version from Nordstrom. I've had this in my closet for at least a year, and I think I wore it one time. It is the reason I actually embarked on this experiment at all -- I didn't think I would like it when I tried to incorporate it into outfits, and then I could finally edit it out without guilt. 



But here's the funny thing: turns out I LOVED IT. The fit is perfect, there is no gapping at the chest, it tucks in without too much extra fabric bulking up under my pants, and the no-iron claim really means no ironing needed. Best of all, I had forgotten how much I like a good collared neckline; one of the most annoying parts about being fat is the enormous scoop neckline that are on nearly every top. Easily 75% of all plus-sized tops are like this, especially the nicer ones from Nordstrom. (Skim this page to see what I mean.) I learned from this round of the Color Project that I really miss a variety of necklines, and having that variety among my current white tops made this rather enjoyable.

Verdict: not only keeping it, but probably buying another in a different color.

++++++

Final thoughts of this Color Project round:
1. A variety of necklines is important to me, which I will keep in mind as I shop in the future. (Note to self: add turtleneck to your list for next winter.)
2. I love the look of a plain tee, funky jacket and a bunch of necklaces for dressy going-out occasions.
3. I had forgotten how much I love a good button-down.
4. Keeping: cream embellished #3, ivory distressed stripes #7, knit collared button-down #2 and no-iron button-down #8, and the perfect plain white t-shirt #5.
5. On the fence: one of the two long-sleeved tees (#1 and #4), the ruched sleeveless tee #6. 
6. While I don't mind repeating outfits, it did get boring for a stretch, I think because I was just tired of white.  But since I usually rotate colors more often than I did here, this was likely a product of the Project itself than an issue with any of the tops.

Next round is red (pinks and purples are included in that section of my closet too). I've already started!




What do you guys think? Any tops I should reconsider keeping?

Hot Flash

Been wearing my hair up lately. Most days I try to wear it down, but at a certain point in the day the clip comes out and up it goes. Yesterday that point was before I even left the house.



The reason I have been wearing it up is that at the ripe old age of 44, I have started to have hot flashes. I'll be talking to my doctor about them at my annual physical this month, but in the meantime they are just a nuisance. My skull and nape are always the parts that get hot and sweaty when I overheat, so that's where the hot flash impacts too. Having thick hair doesn't help as it gets immediately soaked. Ugh.

Anyway. I have been purchasing a lot of clips and nice elastics. :)

Onto the outfit!



The post about Forth & Towne made me nostalgic so I opted for one of my few remaining sweaters from there, a sweet coral short-sleeved wrap. It's getting a little faded but I am not quite ready to edit it out. The coral still stands out, and I love the way it looks against my grey pintstriped Gap bootcuts. It's one of the few colors I have that blends nicely with them.





The necklace is another little-worn goodie, from a local jewelry store as they were going out of business. Three strands of grey pearls on brown knotted string -- it's an interesting mix of dressy and casual, you know?



Funny, Angie just had a post this morning about the benefits of outfit repetition, and this is definitely one I have repeated in the past. The colors work together nicely, and as I just noticed, on their own, I don't any of these individual pieces enough. It's only as this outfit that I am most satisfied with all of them. Hmm, that's something to ponder.

I also did a little more closet rearranging, moving some of my summer shirts that I had left in the closet down to a drawer, and bringing the winter layering tops from the drawer up to the hangers. In doing so, I realized I have a lot of layering tops of certain colors, like white, and they aren't getting enough wear.



I think the problem is I tend to select my outfit from the statement piece first, then build from there. So I pick my blue blazer then find the top and pants. Or I choose my red polka-dot blouse and select the right pants and blazer. That often means that some layering tops rarely get chosen at all.

So for the next week or so I am going to go by color; all of the white tops will get worn, and we shall see what combinations come from that. I suspect I may end up pulling out jackets and bottoms that also don't get as much rotation, like I did here with the coral sweater and grey pants.

Oooh, it's casual Friday. This should be fun!

Closet Purge: a new monthly feature

Egads! According to my blog archive, I only posted 3 times in September. I am so sorry to have abandoned you, internet! I have been very, very busy during our time apart, with work insanity, social engagements, and just general lethargy. But I am back, and I promise to get back into posting more. In fact, I will promise to post every day for the rest of the month, just like Jenful did. Some posts might be pretty brief, but I need to work my blog muscle again. :)

One of the things that has kept me busy was a huge, massive closet purge. MASSIVE.

Long-time followers will remember there was a time, nearly 3 years ago now, when I was very fit and thin. And I slowly gained it all back, right in front of everyone. As I crept back up, I didn't want to get rid of sizes that I swore I would get back into, so I squirreled them away all over the house, one size up at a time. I ended up filling:

• 2 portable closet spaces in my husband's office
• 2 more portable closets in the basement
• 5 jumbo plastic bins
• 3 random boxes
• 2 garbage bags
• 1 extra drawer in the hall bureau
• 1 flat plastic bin under the bed

I am not exaggerating. Here is our basement before the purge.




All five bins are overstuffed.


(Yes, those are mannequins. I bought them when Forth & Towne closed. Don't ask.)

Two weekends ago, I tackled the basement and office closets.  I went through every single piece of clothing I had, and sorted them into 3 piles: one for donation, one to keep, and one to give away to a couple of my friends. My method was pretty cut-throat, out of sheer necessity; I really streamlined what I kept down to favorite pieces or ones that were of excellent quality and were classics. The ones for my friends were styles and brands I knew they liked, or ones I hoped would fit them well. Everything else went to donation.

When I was done, this is what it looked like:








The clear plastic bins are all I have left for myself. The two blue bins went to my friends.

The rest that went to donation filled my entire back section of my CR-V with overstuffed garbage bags. Twice.

• 19 blouses
• 23 button-downs
• 33 camisoles
• 27 long-sleeve knit tee's
• 52 short-sleeve knit tee's
• 53 long-sleeve sweaters
• 21 short-sleeve sweaters
• 15 pairs of jeans
• 5 pairs of pants
• 9 skirts
• 29 dresses
• 6 blazers
• 10 pairs shoes
• 9 purses/wallets
• 18 belts
• 6 outerwear coats
• everything else that I gave to my friends (uncounted)

Yeah. It was a lot. In my defense, I inherited some of it from Shopping Friend and my sister, and it does cover sizes 8-20, and it took me several years to purchase all of it, but still...I am glad I don't shop like that anymore. Being a size that is harder to find has its perks, I guess.

Once the big purge was over, I was ready to tackle the everyday closet. I had been keeping too many items in there that didn't quite fit anymore, or that I didn't want to admit was a shopping mistake. They were hogging up my ability to see what I really did have, so it was time for them to go.

When I was done, it was amazing. I sorted everything by type and then by color.



Hubby gave me the whole tall section of our closet (we had been sharing this part) so it went pants, skirts, dresses, and sweaters. (Boots and casual shoes are on the floor. The bins are clutches/small purses in one, and athletic shoes in the other.)


Sweaters by color. I did not realize how many purples and corals I had!



The second half of the closet. Hubby has the top part, I have the bottom. It goes on longer past the left edge of the photo.


Tops by color. I included even knit tees that I wear as under layers; stuffed in a drawer, I tend to forget they exist, and I end up buying more tops than I need (as evidenced by the 121 that I gave away!)


Jackets and blazers. I've been wearing more of them lately as I am attending more meetings at work.

I love it. LOVE IT.

Everything is on good wooden hangers (Forth & Towne again!), it all has room to breathe, and now I can see everything at once. This makes it 100% easier to figure out what to wear every day, and what hasn't been worn in a while. I can also see where my "wardrobe holes" are, and even more importantly, what I have too much of.

Angie at YouLookFab has written many times about maintaining control of your closet (the physical storage space) and your wardrobe (the clothes within it), the latest being a great blog post about asking what your wardrobe goals are. While I have no desire to establish a one-in, one-out system like she does, I can see now that for some item sets -- sweaters, for example -- if I buy any new ones I will have to get rid of some so they fit in the space. Truthfully, there are a good three or four sweaters already in there that I probably should have purged but that I decided to hang onto for one last chance for this fall/winter.

Therefore, I am going to steal a page from my blogger friend Lorena, and not only purge every month, but document what I got rid of, what I added, and why. I am always fascinated by her monthly edit posts and her monthly purchase posts. Now that I can see my own wardrobe, with everything lined up so nicely, it's obvious which items are on their last legs. It will be good discipline to go through them more often.

The Goodwill by my office is going to love me. :)

Dressing like a Normal Person: weekend edition

Wow, you guys. Wow.

I did not expect such an outpouring of comments from my last post about the anonymous comment. To be very clear to my anonymous reader, I was not even slightly offended by your comment. I really appreciate you expressing your opinion because you inspired me to think about the content of what I have been posting, and you got me interested in what I am wearing again. I owe you a debt of gratitude. I also owe the same to everyone who chimed in; thank you for your encouragement, support, and some ideas of your own.

Anyway, I made a promise, and I am keeping it. Welcome to the Dress Like a Normal Person challenge. Not sure how long it will run, but since I haven't repeated an item yet, I suspect it will be a while longer. :)

Friday was Wear Red Day, as part of the Go Red for Women campaign, to promote awareness for women's cardiac health issues. Since I work in healthcare, of course my entire office was in red. Solidarity, sister!



This was my an INC ponte skirt from Macys, new this winter, with a much-loved LOFT short-sleeved black cardigan; it is brutally hot in my new office so I've been wearing lots of short-sleeved or light sweaters. The red came from my Gap layering long-sleeved tee, so I had to wear my leopard print infinity scarf since it goes so well with red. (I did wear my red trench too; it has been warm enough this winter to get away with it.) This is the last time you will see these grey patterned tights; I put a giant hole through the thigh about halfway through the day, so in the trash they went. But the Vince Camuto boots are an old favorite. How many other boots can you say have brogue detailing but are shaped like cowboy boots? Not many.

I fretted for quite some time trying to figure out the best way to button the sweater: just one, none at all, with a belt, no belt, etc. I rarely go all-buttons (and it bugged me that you could see all my lumps this way), but ultimately I liked the sleek look of it enough to get over the bumps. I just kept tugging it down most of the day so others couldn't see them. :)



Saturday I busted out a brand-new sweater I got on sale at Nordstrom this week. Love the sparkly thread in the purple, and I love the drape and feel of it. I wore my Gap Long and Lean jeans and my green suede Clark heeled booties. Another bonus of this mild winter: my suede shoes have gotten tons of wear!





Please excuse the wet hair; I have to confess I didn't get a picture done on Saturday so I got redressed in the same outfit on Sunday morning and recreated it. The things I do to keep my promises to you guys! LOL.

My real Sunday outfit was below. A re-wear of the Gap Long and Leans, this time with a Loft black layering tee and my gold Bobeau cascading cardigan and my black Pikilino heeled shoes. The necklace was a Christmas gift from my SIL and niece; it's a Betsey Johnson so it's a little gaudy, but it's grown on me. Now that I have figured out it looks best with gold and black outfits, even Hubby is starting to like it.






Hubby did laundry so I am ready for the week. As long as we don't have snow, I can keep taking photos outside. I cannot believe it is February!