My No-Brainer Wardrobe

I never blog about clothes (not my own, anyway—matching girls' clothes, sure) because, frankly, I hate them and am not a style maven in any way. Getting dressed in the morning is more or less the worst part of my day, because—despite a huge walk-in closet and dresser full of clothes—I always feel I have "nothing to wear." First world problem, I know.

Somehow I accumulate tons of clothes that don't fit well, don't look good on me, or that I'm not comfortable in.   There may be several reasons behind this:

1. I'm frugal, and too often buy things that are cheap but not necessarily good quality in terms of fit or durability (think Old Navy and Target). Even with better-quality things (I love Ann Taylor LOFT), I have a tendency to buy because something is cute but without thinking about what I really need. (A bunch of cute tops and no decent bottoms to wear them with is pointless, for example.)
2. My body has been shape-shifting over the past several years. Though I currently weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with Kate (and maybe even slightly less than when we got married, I can't remember exactly) my body is different, simply a result of two pregnancies. My tummy is like jello now. That and the fact that longer tops are in style now means everything looks too short. 
3. I keep things forever and have trouble parting with things even if I haven't worn them in years. I finally got rid of my last 20th century items recently (a couple shirts I got the summer before heading to college in 1999). 

But a couple weeks ago I saw, bought, and read this ebook, The No-Brainer Wardrobe: Get Dressed with More Confidence and Less Fuss, and I'm hopefully turning over a new leaf. The author is a blogger whom I had not heard of, but am definitely checking her out now. (Click here to visit Hayley Morgan @ The Tiny Twig.) The premise of the book was exactly what I needed to learn: that you need to purge your closet and maintain a wardrobe of a limited number of pieces, things that fit, flatter, mix-and-match, and make you feel confident.

Amvets was coming last week anyway, and I already had a mostly-full box of giveaway stuff, so I tried to purge my closet further. I still have more work to do (see item 3 above—it's so hard for me to get rid of something that is in good condition, even if I don't wear it!) but I was able to start organizing the closet a little better to highlight the items I wear well and make getting dressed in the morning a little less frustrating.

Step 2, at the book's suggestion, was taking advantage of Pinterest to figure out what "my style" really is. What doesn't just look cute, but would work for my body and lifestyle?

I noticed a few trends (no pun intended) in the things I pinned. I realized I liked jackets (something I'd been realizing lately anyway, as my go-to "professional-yet-cool" outfit lately has been skinny jeans, top, and suit jacket), and it clarified basics that would be useful for lots of mixing-and-matching.

Armed with this info, I went shopping the other night (a rare luxury in itself, given my job, two kids, and busy schedule) and was a woman on a mission. I hit six stores in three hours (two of which were kid-related errands) and kept my list close at hand. I was on the lookout for:

• black skinny jeans
• jacket
• longer, looser tops/blouses
• a basic white tank and/or tee
• black peep-toe wedges

I found all those things (plus an omega scarf on clearance and a swimsuit for our upcoming beach vacation) and have been enjoying trying them all out in various combinations the last several days.

I'm still a frugal person and not a big shopper in general, but this book has definitely helped me shop smarter and be more thoughtful and intentional about my wardrobe. I highly, highly recommend this ebook.
Click here to view more details about The No-Brainer Wardrobe.