A little over two years ago, I set myself a goal of wearing things twice in a month after buying them. I've recently changed that to wear things twice in the month that I buy them. It gives me less time to wear things if I buy them near the end of a month, and makes me think even more critically when I'm buying. Near the end of a month I have to think 'do I really need this?' and 'will I wear it twice in just a couple of weeks?'. Often I chose not to buy, which is great for my budget, and wardrobe!
The only thing I haven't worn twice or more is the grey tee, but as mentioned in the video that's partly because I have a lot of grey tees and partly because I bought it so close to the end of the month.
Overall I think I did pretty well, especially after shopping so little over the past few months with #noBuyJuly and #noSpenderSeptember. It's made me use my own wardrobe more to see the gaps. While there are still some things I'd love to buy I haven't found the perfect pieces yet and so I'll keep looking. I'm going to try to not settle for anything less than perfect. It's not like I don't have any clothes to wear if I don't buy these things!
This is my current clothing wishlist:
white v-neck tee that isn't see-through
basic block colour relaxed fit tank without super low arm holes that show off a bra
boyfriend denim shorts (I miss my maternity ones!)
dresses I can breastfeed in
block colour maxi skirts
Pretty much just wanting to focus on adding more basics to my wardrobe! Would love recommendations if you know where I could find anything on my wishlist above.
After not buying anything for #NoBuyJuly16 I didn't buy as much as I thought I would in August. I picked up the dress I'd had my eye on in July after it went on sale again, and another wrap top from Atmos&Here. With the 30% off at Jeanswest for rewards card members I filled up my cart, but never bought anything in the end. With the official start of spring later this week I thought it best to wait and see what I end up wearing a lot of and where any wardrobe gaps are before I buy any more clothes.
Continuing with my goal of wearing things twice in a month after buying them, I've worn both things twice. Since I only bought two things this month, it was really easy to wear them both. I think they are pieces that will get a lot more wear as the weather heats up and we move into spring. I would have liked to have found a replacement for my black maxi skirt since I returned the midi skirt but after the hassle and cost of hemming the last skirt I bought I'm happy to wait a little longer until I can get the right one for my short self. Or until I find another local tailor!
As well as making sure I can think of two ways to wear things immediately before I buy, I'm starting to add things to my cart and then come back another day to buy them only if I've still been thinking about it. Not sure how I'll carry on with this pattern when I'm back to shopping in stores, right now with two boys under 3 online shopping is my main way to shop. It seems to be working to slow my spending for the moment.
I will be attempting #noSpenderSeptember next month and seeing if I can replicate July's no buy month in September too! I got the idea from Beth at Almost Posh. Wish me luck!
Thought I'd break with the standard outfit posts template to share my March wardrobe update. I made some purchases this month, and I got rid of a lot of things from my wardrobe. I even listed some on ebay! Also had my first session with a personal stylist, so I wanted to share what that was like with you all.
Not bad considering the last time I bought clothes for myself was in December! You can tell I had a few Jeanswest gift cards to spend ;)
March was the month I returned to the office after maternity leave. As I did so, I got all of my old office clothes out of the 'for after baby' box they had been hiding in and - honestly - started to get quite frustrated that I didn't really have any space for those things in my wardrobe. The slow and steady wardrobe clear-out process got a bit more focused and ruthless over the month. There are so many considerations and emotions around going back to work, and tackling my wardrobe at such a time was probably not the best idea in hindsight. I was just getting more frustrated trying to turn my wardrobe into something that would work for my new lifestyle. So I called in the professionals! One of my instagram friends (@sophisticatedmumma) recommended a personal stylist who lived near me (@istyl). I've been thinking about having someone help me with my wardrobe for a while, and facing a big lifestyle change with returning to work after maternity leave seemed like an ideal time to get an expert!
If you are thinking about getting a personal stylist to come help you with your wardrobe, do it! If you're wondering, I always disclose my sponsored posts. This is not one of them. This is all my own words and I paid for the services with my own money. I didn't even mention that I was going to blog about it. The wardrobe detox was not as stressful as I expected, and was actually really fun. It helped that baby T and Cooper were on their best behaviour and that Maudie was happy working around baby and his needs through the day. She was a superstar.
What I learnt from my wardrobe detox:
Babies never nap as long as you expect them too!
You will be trying on lots of clothes so you want to dress appropriately (maybe matching undies) or set up a little hidden spot to change if you're feeling modest. Dancing around the room half naked asking for a little help struggling to pull off a pair of stubborn skinny jeans / needing to fix a zipper caught halfway up a dress might happen more than once.
There are certain colours you can wear that can make you look incredible, and some that wash you out.
If your wardrobe is full of colours that don't make you look your best, there are a few tricks you can employ to get around this. It isn't about buying a whole new wardrobe, but learning how to make what you have work for you.
You'll never really comprehend how much stuff is in your wardrobe until you start going through it all.
It is extremely frustrating realising just how many 'perfect for nursing' tops you had hidden in your wardrobe, after you've stopped breastfeeding.
You will come up with the craziest justifications to explain oddities in your wardrobe. (Like why each and every one of your 14 grey tees is a complete essential and different from all the rest.) Thanks for humouring me Maudie!
A wardrobe detox is very emotional. Saying goodbye to old pieces, and re-discovering old favourites. You might feel compelled to tell stories of when, where, and why you bought things. It's a trip down memory lane.
Even you will be surprised with how stubborn you can be on keeping some pieces....and how happy you will be to toss others.
If there are things you just have to have despite the expert opinion saying it doesn't work for you, you can get ideas of different ways to style the items to make them work a little better.
Even an overflowing wardrobe can have 'gaps' in it. It is really helpful to know what things you should look for next time you are shopping, and what you should avoid buying more of. (Like jeans!)
Sorting things into piles of 'keep', 'tailor' and 'toss' is so much easier with an impartial third party helping.
It's never about you. You look amazing. Your clothes might not be working to show off your best self. And that can be easily fixed.
Hearing sincere and flattering compliments is always a good boost, especially after having a baby.
Some things you might be considering getting rid of can stay and become stand out pieces in your wardrobe very quickly when you know how to wear them.
Finding out why things make you look and feel good will help guide your shopping for the better.
A few hours, a bin bag full of cast-offs and a little bit of wardrobe reorganisation can make such a positive difference.
If you're in Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast I'd recommend Maudie as an awesome personal stylist. If a wardrobe detox isn't in your budget, try inviting a friend over and getting an honest opinion on some of the things you own. It's so helpful getting another view. I know some bloggers have check lists or flowcharts or things to help you do your own wardrobe detox too. Please feel free to link up any great advice you have or have come across in the comments.
As a result of my little spring-cleaning before my wardrobe session and a very productive couple of hours during it...there are a bunch of things that have left my wardrobe this month. I've included pictures of just some of them below, as they didn't all have a 'last wear' outside. You can find a few things on ebay. I'll be listing more as I find the time, and the rest will be donated to the Animal Welfare League shelter to end up in their op-shops.
