How I killed my impulse shopping habit

A remarkable thing has happened to me the last few months: after five years of impulse shopping, spending hundreds of dollars and hours at the mall or in online stores every month, I finally broke myself of the habit.

When I say I shopped, I mean I really shopped. I thought nothing of going up to the outlet mall for the day, one weekend a month, and coming home with multiple bags. I had a routine online, where I would hit 3-4 of my favorite stores, fill up the shopping carts, then as the best sale email popped up for each I would hit Checkout. Of course, I also ended up returning a lot, but that just gave me another excuse to go to the store.

Even if I wasn't buying, I was always shopping.

I could give you tons of excuses for it -- I had significant weight losses and gains, I discovered fashion very late in life, I got wrapped up in following and being a fashion blogger and trying to keep my closet fresh -- but all of those are just excuses. The truth is I liked having new clothes, and lots of them.

Killing that habit has been a 4-step process.

1. I read Overdressed: the Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. My reader Roberta recommended it months ago, and I have been recommending it to all my fashion-minded friends both on and offline ever since. The book does a tremendous job detailing the impact our shopping habits have had on our style, our economy, our charities, the international economy, the workers, and then environment. The chapter on what really happens to most of the clothes we donate was enough for me to re-evaluate what the hell I was doing.



2. I cleaned out my closet. And by closet I mean I cleaned out everything, right down to every obscure corner where I was essentially "hiding" clothes: in drawers, on hangers, under the bed, in bureaus in the hall, in closets in the office, in many, many places in the basement. I had an unnecessary amount of clothes, so much so it was preventing my ability to SEE what I had. I have always used my outfits as a creative outlet, mixing together colors, patterns and just the right accessories to finish it off. Now I can do that much more easily because everything is right in front of me every day, and I don't feel like I am "missing" things for outfits...which of course means I don't need to shop as much.




3. I began tracking my purchases and edits on a monthly basis. I did one final massive drop-off at the donation center when I cleaned out my closet, but that is the last time I intend to do that. The quantity of what I gave away was ridiculous, and not in a good way. That said, things do need to get culled regularly, and it's equally important that I track my purchases. It helps me see my buying patterns, and more than that it helps me see when I am buying things that don't make it more than a month or two. I already have a few items I bought in September and October that I want to get rid of already; I need to get smarter about that.

Once those pieces were in place, that solved many of the utilitarian, practical problems that impulse shopping had created. But what the first three steps didn't give me was the excitement and fun that I got with new clothes: that first thrill of trying on a new piece and see how it flatters me, the creative buzz as I figure out what I can pair it with in new outfits, the compliments I got from other fashion-minded friends.

That only came with the last step of the process.



4. I joined Gwynnie Bee. I've talked about my love for this company many times in the past, but they've earned it. I love everything about them: the website is easy to navigate, the photos of the clothes are flattering and often show the same item on different models so you can see differences in fit and drape on various body types, and adding items to your "closet" is a snap. They've improved their shipping times since I started in September, and will be improving them again once they move to a new distribution center. But for now you can indicate on the website when you are shipping something back, and they will send your next piece out sooner.

Best of all, I get all of the fun of new purchases without having to buy anything. The white box arrives every couple of days, and inside is a lovely piece gently folded and wrapped in tissue. Sometimes I don't check the website before so it's a surprise when I open the box, other times I take a peek so I can start planning how I will fit it into my closet before it gets here. Once I've tried it on and determined it is the right size (which I am getting better at ordering now that I am more familiar with some of their brands) the creativity starts as I dream up new outfits for it. And if the item didn't fit, I fold it immediately into the return bag, go to the website that evening to note I am shipping it back and wave it goodbye, just like I would do with any returns from my impulse shopping days.

Some of the pieces I have gotten lately (more are here):



(My hair was still soaking wet so I just did a quick half self-portrait.) This Rafaella long sweater was unexpected and fun; the cowl was a knit weave, but the sweater was more like a terry sweatshirt. It felt great and perfect for a chilly winter day.



This Edista top is still one of my favorites, ever.





Like I said, I didn't a good picture of myself in this Eloquii sequin jacket, but it was a really flattering fit and good quality.





This Karen Kane orange drape neck top proved to add a nice punch of color to a couple of business meeting outfits.





This brown animal print jacket is hard to photograph so you can see all the detailing, but it has great quilted ruching on the side so it is not nearly as boxy as the top photo suggests. I really liked the orange with it; the brown and black have a dusty, muted tone to them so it's difficult to find the right blouse for the jacket.



I got in one more wear of the orange top in a casual outfit, with a long chunky grey sweater, silver circle pendant from LOFT Outlet, faded Kut from the Kloth boyfriend jeans, and my faux-moto Clarks boots.



I showed off this JonesNY snakeprint cardigan in my Color Project: White post, but it also got a few more wears with other colors for some work outfits too.



The all-black palette brought out more of the baseball jacket look of the sweater, I thought. And hey Mom -- that's the badge pendant necklace from Brighton that you got for me! :)



Last outfit was with my own red Lane Bryant drape top -- which you will see again as part of the Color Project: Red round-up. :)

Gwynnie Bee approached me last week to become an affiliate, and I very happily said yes. Long-time blog readers will know that I don't really do blog sponsorships; I get email inquiries occasionally asking me to review products, but nothing has ever interested me the way Gwynnie Bee has. So I guess this is my first official blog entry that will need a disclaimer!

If you are interested in signing up for Gwynnie Bee, click this link to join. Joining is free -- it lets you look around the site and view some of the clothes they offer. If you decide to subscribe to the 1, 2, or 3 plan, they are currently offering a 30-day free trial, and after that they will charge your credit card for whichever monthly rate you choose. Here comes the disclaimer part: as an affiliate, I will get a free month myself if you follow the link to join and end up as a paying subscriber.

I am going to be blunt here: if you are a plus-sized woman who likes clothes, you are foolish not to try this out. I've been a big girl all my adult life, and I have never, EVER had a site where I could see -- and more importantly, get to feel and wear -- so many different brands and styles together in one place. It's like a whole mall, just for us!

They have TONS of dressy outfits too; my plan when I have a nice party to go to is to rearrange the closet and hold sections so I will get sent a good assortment of dresses and sparkly tops and jackets to try and to borrow for the occasion. I can't even think of another site where that is possible for someone my size.

When I eventually start to lose weight again, I suspect they are going to be a godsend for that as well; I will just order smaller sizes as I move down the scale, thus rotating through a new wardrobe without having to buy a whole new wardrobe.

Most of all,  Gwynnie Bee makes me feel PRETTY, and WELCOMED, and VALUED, as a woman and as a customer. I never feel left out because I want to wear something that isn't offered in my size (thanks a lot, Banana and Gap), I don't feel pushed aside and sent to the Misses section behind the luggage on a different floor than everyone else (hello, Macys) and the online photos they choose are pretty and flattering and don't make their models look like squat dwarves in highwaters (that's you, Nordstrom). I do shop at all the stores I just complained about, of course, but it's always while feeling like a little bit *less* than their preferred customer. Gwynnie Bee never makes me feel like that.

Seriously, give them a try. They were definitely the final piece I needed in place to kill my impulse shopping habit. :)

Now, don't get me wrong: I still love shopping! In fact, my next post will be about Stuff I Want. But the need to do it as often as I used to, or at the same volume of purchases, that's dead and gone. I don't miss it.

If only it were this easy to give up some of my other bad habits! :)

My hair is bouncin' and behavin'

I dub Day/Night 1 of the Night-Shower Experiment a success.



All I had to do was brush it in the morning. !! Apparently bed head is a good look for me. I did make one mistake in letting it air dry the first night; it was a little flat on the top of my head, which a good volumizer and a quick blow would have fixed. I will work on that.

I also liked the outfit; the pants are a grey pinstripe, so it's not as all-black as the photo would indicate. You guys know me, I'm not a all-black person so it feels like when I do wear it, it packs a punch. The turquoise Blogger Necklace helps soften it up around my face, too, which I need.

The shoes are Circa Joan & David kitten heels from several years back. Shopping Friend will remember them; they're the first "heels" she convinced me to buy! When the pointy-toe look faded the last few years, I tucked them into the back of my closet, but now that it is making a comeback -- and frankly I needed the kitten heel height for the pants, and these were all I had -- I pulled them back out. They've held up well; guess spending a few extra dollars on quality shoes instead of Target/Payless cheapies pays off.

Speaking of spending, this is now following me around the internet.



The two-tone brown booties are the ones I was talking about the other day, and the wedge casual booties on the left are a fabulous find from Angie at YLF. Now that I can wear jeans a few other days besides the weekend, and I do have a good number of said jeans with long hems for heels, I think I can justify a fun bootie like that.

I may scrap the fall/winter purse idea for another year -- since none are jumping out at me as The One -- and go for some solid bootie additions instead.  And maybe a smart daytime clutch -- it's very on-trend, and the only clutches I have are summer woven ones.

Dammit, the ads win again.

Fall Style: Blazers and pants

I may have mentioned in my Closet Purge post that I am wearing a lot of blazers and suit-like outfits these days; mostly it's due to having so many meetings these days at work, but blazers are also an easy cop-out on weekends to having to buy more fall jackets.

This is what I wore yesterday:



Pretty much everything is from Gap or Old Navy. The cobalt blazer is this one, the pants are the modern bootcuts, and the button-down is actually this military style jersey. I've decided I like this better than a stiffer cotton button-down, which tends to square my torso off in terrible ways.

But the parts of this outfit that make it interesting, IMO, are the necklace and the shoes. The necklace is what Gracie over at Fashion for Giants teasingly (and affectionately) calls the "blogger necklace", the colorful statement style that has definitely been making the rounds on many blogs. I picked two of them up as part of a Groopz deal that Kimberly from Fab Finds under $50 linked to a while back, and I've been wearing both all summer, and getting many real-life compliments on them. Even though the turquoise is a summer color, I used the inspiration from a Nordstrom display to wear it for fall too.




(Next time, I am going to try it with my trusty striped blazer.)

The other item of note are my flats. I have been thoroughly unimpressed with the shoes out for this fall; I've bought many and returned just about all of them, only keeping one pair of black studded flats so far. But these flats have been sitting in my closet for a few years now, an impulse purchase from the Ann Taylor Factory outlet, picked up for about $10. They've been mostly unworn because their style hasn't quite fit with my dress obsession or any casual looks on the weekends. But since hurting my back last week I've been wearing mostly flats with shorter-length pants, so I pulled them out and gave them a try. Good thing I didn't purge them; they look professional and cute with my new blazers look.



All in all, I thought this worked well for the season. I was actually one of the better dressed people at my meeting!



(Our new fish doormat says hello. A birthday gift from my parents to my fisherman-husband, heehee.)

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. :)

Style Evolution

For my first day as a day student at Choate, I spent a long time picking my outfit. It was 1982 and the Official Preppy Handbook was my bible; I took every word from it as truth (that's how everyone dressed so how was I supposed to know it was actually satire?), and I wished so much I had a name that lent itself to a cool nickname (Kristen or Kris was so blah). The night before, I laid out my outfit reverently on the bed: kelly green chinos, a white button-down shirt, and a bright yellow sweater to tie casually over my shoulders.

My dad dropped me off on campus that morning, and all the other students were in navys, darks, subdued colors, or grey. I looked like a clown escaped from the circus in my neon colors. I was mortified, and I remember immediately stuffing my yellow sweater in my locker, and crying in the bathroom because I had ruined all the anticipation and excitement about my first day with my hideous pants. I was never going to fit in, I was never going to be cool, and I was never going to be a true preppy like they were.

Slowly, over the next four years, I studied and copied a lot of their looks so I wouldn't stick out anymore. Sweatshirts and pearls were a big look; I wore my pearls rowing on the crew team, just like everyone else. We wore skirts and blazers to dinner, and oversized button-downs, and I don't really remember what else. But I never cried about my outfit again.

Flashforward twenty-five years to my Choate reunion. I'm heavier than I want to be, but I have a fashion blog with several hundred readers, I get compliments on the street on my outfits all the time, I feel pretty good about the way I dress. I have lots of colors in my wardrobe, I love a good print, and I read up on all the trends. I know a lot better than to show up in a clown costume this time.

Except I did, again.

All the women were in expensive neutrals. Not just black (my office wears all black, and it looks terrible) but muted tans, browns, greys, blues, with just the right dash of (still muted) color. Their jewelry has only gotten nicer since the days of pearls with sweats; there were a lot of mixed-up bracelets in gold or silver on their arms, and they all had the perfect jacket and shoes for each type of weather (and we had all weather that weekend). They had defied the stated dress code and were almost all in jeans ("We're too old for them to keep telling us what to wear" was a common phrase). Whereas I had packed all my cute, patterned, bright dresses, leggings, and my costume jewelry. Stuff I wear every day on the blog and to work -- and it suddenly looked wildly wrong.

I didn't cry, but I did have several anxious moments. High school all over again! Luckily, this time I had other clothes with me, and I selected more of the toned-down pieces to wear. And it kind of surprised me, because they looked good together. My eye wasn't used to that: two neutrals together? Not having the color be the focus of the outfit?

I've been thinking about neutrals ever since. It wasn't just that I felt out-of-place again; once I had calmed my own returning teenage anxieties, I was able to look at them again and recognize that the neutrals they were wearing all looked really, really GOOD. it wasn't just the all-black uniform like the ones the women in my office use as a cop-out, it was the variety and richness of the colors and tones they used. There was still a lot of creativity and life in their outfits, despite the lack of bold colors. It was the first time that I had seen neutrals done naturally and really well on live humans, not just in magazine spreads.

That has spurred on my own creative juices; can I find a way to wear neutrals that doesn't bore me or suck all the liveliness from my skin tone? Can I work in some of my favorite colors without going overboard? I don't want to ban them from my wardrobe completely, but I would like to find a way to mix it up so I keep it fresh and interesting for myself.

So now when I shop, I check out the neutrals first. Navys and blues are starting to make an return to my closet. But I have to be honest, it is awfully hard to not grab the fuschia or yellow or purple version! :)

As I was having this epiphany, Sal posted a great blog about Color Isn't Cool. Her stance was that neutrals often are more chic and are cooler than bright colors, but she's happy to be a dork in her colors. I'm not so happy to do the same right now, so I'm going to give neutrals a try.

No worries, I still have lots of color in my closet, so you'll be seeing that too! :)

October Fashion Goals

I was haphazard about taking photos this week, but this was Tuesday:



This is the new Kohls cranberry sweater, which I LOVE a million times over. So comfy and warm, but the waist tucks in just enough to give it some shape and swing. Cindy asked what brand it is; it is Axcess and it comes in this yummy mallard too.

I paired it with my tie-dyed LOFT tee, new black Gap modern bootcuts, and two SYC Challenge items: a triple-strand of grey pearls on knotted brown leather (local jeweler), and my Circa by Joan & David black pointed-toe kitten-heel pumps. Otherwise known as the pumps that started my shoe obsession. Shopping Friend convinced me to try them way back when, and even that inch-high heel was more than I had ever worn before. I got used to the height and look pretty quickly, and started trying more of them. Three years later I am unfazed by a 3-inch heel, and in fact consider that my ideal shoe height. And it all started with these shoes! They're a little dated now -- especially the pointed-toe -- but they fit great and they look good with bootcuts. So I resurrected them.



You can also see the darker tones in my hair in these shots; I love the way it looks, but I almost wish she had gone even darker. I might go for it next time.

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Over at YLF, my buddy Bella posed an interesting question: what are your fashion goals for October? I don't set goals by the month but I thought I would give it a whirl to keep things interesting.

I said:
-I am going to continue the SYC-dressing challenge, where I highlight at least one older piece from my closet and try to rotate as much as possible. I've just done a bunch of fall/winter shopping so the impulse is to wear all new stuff -- but I kept the old stuff for a reason and I want to remember that.

-To try more silhouettes. I am giving the big blouse look a try; I picked up this Calvin Klein blouse in white (the green is on its way from another store) last night and I will give the true voluminous look a whirl. I am also really enjoying the bootcut look again.

-To mix up my shoes more. September was a lot of flats, which I have been loving, but it's time to rotate in my heeled oxford shooties, more of my boots, and my clogs and loafers, etc.

-Stay on top of my laundry more. With a smaller wardrobe and most of my clothes being fine in the delicate cycle, when I let the laundry go for two weeks I completely forget about perfect pieces for outfits because they are buried at the bottom of the pile!

Do you have any fashion goals for October? Let's hear 'em!

Changing styles and preferences

Five years ago, I hated fashion.

I hated getting dressed, I never cared about being trendy or flattering, I wore the same damned pair of black loafers every single day. I was stuck in the same styles (oversized tops and sensible pants) that I had been wearing since the 90s, and I didn't care.

Four years ago, I got a job at Forth & Towne, mostly to get the discount. I had been shopping there a lot because they were one of the few stores in the mall that carried size 18 in the store itself, and my salesperson recommended that I apply. It was kind of hilarious, in retrospect; I didn't know anything about putting outfits together, I had no idea what was in or out (hadn't read a fashion magazine in decades), and I absolutely positively could not wear high heels. I tried a pair on at the store one night and nearly fell over.

Three years ago, by the time Forth & Towne closed, I had become friends with Shopping Friend (my boss at the store) and she took me under her wing and took me shopping. She explained how pieces worked together, how great good shoes could be and how they could add polish to an outfit, and she helped me see how things fit or didn't fit for the first time. It was a revelation, to say the least. At first I only shopped with her, but then since my closet was so sad I started to head out on my own to figure out what worked best for me.

Since then, I have made major changes in my style. I started with Shopping Friend with lots of button downs and shells over them (ha, remember that look, SF? I wore a million variations of that when I first got started), then finally I broke out of that uniform and tried new things. Skirts became a big favorite. Then I found YLF and really began to see the variety available, but since I tend to like to wear one type of look all the time, I started a dress obsession. For the last year I bought, oh, at least 60 or more dresses. A ridiculous amount, but I was also losing and then gaining weight, and I wore them through all 4 seasons. I also amassed an impressive collection of shoes. High heeled shoes. And let's not forget all my boyfriend cardigans!

Now, I am coming back full circle. This fall, I am craving pants, and mix-n-match tops and sweaters, and sensible shoes. My high heeled shooties and dressier heels are waiting patiently for their turn, but for some reason I am dreaming about clogs, and flat oxfords, and rough-style engineer boots. I even bought a pair of pretty pewter loafers, for God's sake. LOAFERS!!

I was fighting these urges for a bit, mainly because I was afraid I was 'giving up' on fashion and looking nice and reverting back to my stodgy self, but I am starting to think that maybe this time I should see it as a challenge. See if I can wear the same pieces I used to wear when I was dowdy and boring, but this time make them interesting and stylish. Maybe I've just been looking at from the wrong angle. Maybe I'm not wanting to wear pants again because I am fat again and don't care how I look anymore, maybe I'm doing it because I am following trends, and pants are the hot trend.

What about you guys? Do you change up your style when you feel the need, or do you stick with the tried-and-true?

Thursday: Making a Statement

I walked into Martin + Osa last weekend during my wanderings through the mall, and bumped into an old Forth & Towne co-worker who was now working at M+O. She talked me into trying on this outerwear jacket, and styled it for me as a suit jacket instead. As soon as I put it on, I was in love; it's a great midweight grey patterned wool, and it hit my leg at EXACTLY the right spot (the one I need to find a tunic to hit at). She kept talking at me, but I could see how many outfits this would go with -- with pants and a button-down for a suit look, open with a sheath dress, even with jeans and a tee on the weekend.

The one in the store was too big, so she ordered it for me online. They were having a 30% off sale on top of it being on sale, so I ended up with a $250 jacket for $150. It arrived on Wednesday, and I acknowledged when I put it into a perfect outfit within minutes -- no raiding of the closet for an hour, a miracle! -- it was worth every penny.



What's amazing to me is that on my own I would never have tried it; the breast and the hip pockets alone should be all wrong. But there is something about the placement of them, and the quality of the cut and the fabric weight, which makes them work. I can't explain it, but I love them. Thank you, Cindy, for convincing me to give it a try! (Ask for her the next time you go to the Martin + Osa at Old Orchard; you can tell her I sent you. :))



Angie over at YLF has talked several times about statement pieces and finding one's signature style. I've struggled with the concept of a signature piece, usually because I've taken it to mean an accessory of some kind, and I don't have one particular accessory I think really defines my style or sets me apart as unique. (Especially since Shopping Friend and I have all the same Coach bags, LOL.) But I do think I have a signature style: polished, professional, confident, colorful, tailored and classic. The prep-school ethos runs deep in me still even if I don't wear my pearls with my sweatshirts anymore; I prefer clean lines and traditional looks over ruffly and romantic or studded and edgy. I like mature, but not old-lady; confident but not showy.

This jacket is a statement piece for me. It will go with almost everything I already own, dressed up or dressed down. It takes even the simplest pieces in my wardrobe -- in this case black Semantiks suit pants, a gold Lands End turtleneck, a black Target leather belt and my simplest black Franco Sarto heeled loafers -- and elevates them to a killer outfit. I knew it was a winner when not only did I receive random compliments walking down the halls from just about everyone, but the two guys I eat lunch with, the ones who talk about football, snowblowers and their kids constantly, both did a double-take when they saw me. LOL!



I can't wait to wear it with something else!

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In unrelated news, Shopping Friend gave me 5 BAGS of unworn suits, skirts, jackets and pants. I have to try them all on for fit and length, but some are old favorites from Forth & Towne, and I will probably have them tailored if they are a little too big. We both sighed in nostalgic fondness when we saw them! I'll post photos of the keepers later today. YAYAYAYAYAY. Guess it pays off to lament one's lack of pants and skirts publicly. :)

Stuff I Want: Fall Edition

No clothes post today, as I spent the day at home, shuffling from reclining chair to doctor's office. The good news is they prescribed some excellent muscle relaxants which have quelled the spasms. It's likely I will be well enough to go to work tomorrow, although I will be bringing my ice pack. :)

Anyway, I thought today was a good time to mention I've finally put myself on a clothes budget. I've replenished my closet at my new size with all the basics -- although winter coats are still a major hole I need to fill ASAP -- but most of what I am looking at now are wants rather than the needs. So I've got no more excuses for the crazy spree I've been on since I started losing weight. :) Thus, a budget; the number is still extremely generous and realistic, but it's much less than what I've been spending. That should be making me a bit choosier in theory, although I've still been doing my usual buy-3-items-return-2-the-next-day the few times I have shopped this month.

So far I've bought:
-an eggplant puffer vest from Eddie Bauer outlet
-chocolate brown long cardigan from Eddie Bauer outlet
-black thick cabled cardigan from BR outlet
-grey faux-sheep-lined casual hoodie from Target

I am also returning the turquoise corduroy Halogen blazer from NAS and the Michael Kors open-toed bronze stilettos; the blazer is too stiff and just hasn't looked right in any outfit I've tried, and the shoes are simply too high. I had them on for about 5 minutes -- the time that my back started to hurt -- but they were just too much. I love heels, but those have bested me. Good thing I have so many others to get me through the winter. ;-D

Here are some of things I am considering getting with my budget this month:

1. The Invisibelt. I have tons of belts, but sometimes I need one that can be hidden away. Sal from Already Pretty mentioned a few months ago that it was great at pushing back those little edges that stick out at my jeans button, and I've been contemplating it ever since. Anyone have one? Do you like it or is it like the Thighmaster of accessories?

2. Tights. I am loving all my patterned tights that I got at NAS, and I scooped up a bunch more at Kohls a few weeks ago. Unfortunately a few of them have already snagged or been torn so I need to keep up my supply, and I would like to get a few more sheer pairs while I am at it. Kari had great things to say about the DKNY Comfort Luxe Tights, and the grey and brown are both calling my name. These Woven Rush ones from Anthropologie are pretty gorgeous too.

3. You guys, did you know Avon sells clothes? Really cute clothes too! I am eyeing this pretty multi-colored wrinkled scarf, this fabulous wool tote, and this cool convertible cardigan.



4. Speaking of cardigans, isn't this one from Ann Taylor LOFT delicious? Creme isn't really a good color for me, so...ALAS.

4. LOFT does have a couple of gorgeous jackets right now, like this tweed ruffle jacket and this motorcycle sweater jacket. But the truth is, I need big, heavy, warm, WINTER COATS now, not sweet little fall things like these.

5. Barking Dog Shoes had a favorable review for these luscious Sofft Orioles. OMG, in chianti!! They're just stunning. But they're suede, and I swore no more suede winter shoes. But...they're sooooooo pretty!



I am dead.

6. I am a longtime user of NARS Orgasm blush, but I can't stop staring at this gorgeous Laura Geller baked blush. Hmmm, in apricot?



7. This hand-knit purple cable hat will look great with all my coats this winter. Apparently, knit berets are very on trend this winter, but none of those look half as interesting as this one.



8. The rest of all my links are for winter coats. I'm thinking I'm going to need a warm puffer and a dressy long coat, something like this and this. Oooh, the cobalt lady coats at J Crew are gone now, but I am liking either the dark poppy or the wild blackberry. I don't have the balls to get the sea salt white, but I am considering white for the puffer. I had a white short puffer for the last couple of years, and I loved it. Eddie Bauer Outlet is having their annual down sale and the long puffer I had in black last year is available in white. I am taking Hubby to look at it with me on Saturday. I thought it was pretty darned cute, but I want his opinion before I got for it.

Of this, I will probably get the coats, maybe the Avon stuff, and the blush. And probably a bunch more cardigans and turtlenecks and long-sleeved layering tops; I forgot I don't have many of those anymore.

Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

Small Fabric of My Life has issued a Capsule Wardrobe Challenge, where we take 10 items of clothing and 5 accessories, and mix and match outfits for the week. It starts tomorrow and runs through Friday. I've been buying lots of dresses for the express purpose of being able to coordinate multiple outfits for them, so I am definitely in!

Here is what I will be wearing this week:



To start with, there are 3 dresses and 4 sweater/jackets:



MK Purple-mustard-brown dress
AT aubergine sheath
LOFT black pocketed dress

Kohls brown corduroy blazer (new!)
grey M+O boyfriend sweater
purple AT boyfriend sweater
mustard Halogen yoked cardigan

Also a white camisole, just in case.



The other two clothing items will be my shoes.

brown Franco Sarto riding boots (new!)
bronze Audrey Brooke jeweled flats

The accessories will include my beloved purple with brown trim Coach bag (which I have been using nonstop since I got it), and the stuff below.





mustard leather belt, Old Navy
multi-stone 3-in-1 necklace, BR
multi-colored floral scarf, owned for 15+ years

I HAD put aside for my last accessory either my Oriblu microfishnets or my reversible Spanx tights (black and bittersweet) depending on the weather, but then I just read that hosiery is NOT included! Whoohoo! I have a second scarf I debated using instead so I will add that back in.

Honestly, I think I could make many more than just 5 days of outfits out of this! I'm excited about it this week, and I lucked out in that I will be off-site at meetings several times this week, so I can repeat dresses and no one will know. LOL!

P.S. I am pretty impressed that there is only ONE black item in the whole set. My, how my closet has changed!