Recent bags in rotation - tons of rain, but I'm worry free!

The last month we have been experiencing non-stop downpour, and these are the 3 bags I chose to tackle the horrible weather.

Coach Madison "Julianne" Op-art tote - despite being hot pink, I reach for this bag a lot when I can't think of what bag to use. Its canvas material gives me peace of mind since I don't need to panic and baby it in the rain, and the detachable shoulder strap makes it really easy for me to go hands-free to hold my umbrella.

Banana Republic "Scalia" tote - I bought this bag as my 'public transportation' bag and it has not failed me. This bag is HUGE and with all its compartments, works really well for work. Taking public transportation means I have to be quite prepared for our temperamental weather and at a moment's notice, I can pull out the scarf and gloves I have stashed away, or put away my jacket if it warms up. The compartments keep my documents neat and separate. Even though it is leather, I don't have problems using this in poor weather because it is so tough and I swear, any marks that are made on it gradually disappear over time. The only down-side is that it gets a bit heavy, but the wider straps and generous drop counter that a bit.

Valentina mustard convertible hobo and crossbody - I found this at my local Winners 5+ years ago and it has been one of my best bag purchases. Not to mention I got it on clearance - I think I paid around $50 for it, and it's made in Italy. The leather is pebbled so it can withstand a lot of abuse and since it is convertible, when I have to unexpectedly hold an umbrella, it is so easy. Even though it looks like it puddles and it would be difficult to find anything in it, it actually has some interior compartments that alleviate that a bit. A zippered pocket, one cell phone pocket, and then a larger slip-pocket. Its color makes me one of my faves to pull out for fall.   

Too cool for me

Last night I decided to donate these gloves. They are just too cool for me.

I bought these years ago and I had all these outfit ideas for them but unfortunately, those never materialized - I just don't' see myself walking down the street as if I'm on a runway (which is what I imagine someone wearing these to be doing, and ever-so stylishly!)

Not to mention, when it gets to be glove season here, I need to be kept warm.

Seeing as they don't work for me, it's time to pass them on to someone who can enjoy them.

(Once, I did use them as an emergency golf glove when I went to the driving range and didn't have any gear with me - that did work pretty well but they deserve better)

Second chances - my Dr. Martens

I've had these shoes since my grade school days and I remember wanting them soooo badly. I wore them for a year and put them away. Since returning from university, I have debated many times to let these go but didn't have the heart to because I remember how happy I was to finally get them, and also they are in really, really good condition.

This year, I made a decision to wear them. I brought them to my own home (they were living at my parents' place) and began a Pinterest board of outfit ideas. On the weekends, I dabbled in some casual outfits, mostly consisting of jeans and a sweatshirt, but last week, I debuted them for the first time in an actual, thought-out outfit for work.

Using my Stylebook App, and inspirations from Pinterest, I put together this outfit:

Other outfits I plan to wear them with are:

You'll note another mustard yellow cardigan =) Bonus! They match the signature stitching of my Dr. Martens perfectly. 

I am SO happy that I decided to keep these and am over-joyed that I will finally be able to enjoy them fashionably, and not part of a school uniform.

I also have the boot version and am working on outfits for those too - stay-tuned.... =)

Re-purposing - Tiffany's jewelry pouches

I've unfortunately lost some of my beloved Tiffany's pieces and am left with only their pouches =(

I did however find a good use for them. When I go boxing I remove my rings and watch and I don't put them back on until after I get home so they're left scattered and banging into each other in the bag's large compartments. 

While I was purging and looking through my stuff, I realized that the pouches have a divider in them which I found useful in preventing my rings from scratching my watch, and everything is kept together - a perfect solution!

Current count in wardrobe

The last 3 weeks I have been busy cataloging my wardrobe into the Stylebook App and current count for major categories is:

• 77 tops (includes sleeveless, blouses, t-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirt/hoodies, blazers)
• 38 bottoms (includes jeans, shorts, trousers)
• 4 dresses
• 20 shoes
• 15 scarves 
• 58 bags (including clutches)
• 10 coats and jackets
• 24 pieces off active wear

I'm about 3/5 of the way through. When I am done, I will be fine-tuning and purging my wardrobe again.  

I already have some goals/benchmarks/'rules' for next year, for the number of items in my wardrobe. 

I let go of 2 more shirts today during my cataloging. 

Edit: mustard yellow works for me!

I had previously posted that yellow was a color that did not work for me, but I would like to edit, and state: the majority of yellows don't work for me but I have found that mustard yellow does! While most yellows wash me out, this wonderful shade seems to complement my skin tone and is a great accent to my base colors. It goes really well with purple, navy, and gray.

While I had purged most of my yellow items, I had kept a cardigan in a dark mustard shade because: it didn't wash me out, I loved the details, and I was able to find outfit ideas on Pinterest that worked with existing items. I did note though, that the outfits I found used a slightly brighter yellow than what I owned.

Recently my mom got me several sweaters and cardigans and when I saw them, I got really excited since they were the actual shade I had been seeing on Pinterest. I immediately started putting together outfits. This is one of the cardigans in the only yellow shade that works for me:

I should have known that this shade worked for me because my 'second chances' scarf carries this shade, and one of my remaining 3 yellow items from my purge contain it as part of its pattern.

Here are 3 different outfits I used it in. 

For those interested, this cardigan is by Sparrow.

Perfect example of having too much stuff

The other morning I was getting my gym bag ready for the day and pulled out a pair of shoes that I had switched out of 2 weeks ago. I was shocked - I had actually forgotten about them and they are my every day shoes! I had been wearing them for the majority of the year until recently since temperatures have dropped, (which is why I hadn't removed them from my bag), but the fact that I had forgotten I even owned them, completely shocked me. It really showed me that I had too much. Shoes alone, I have 42 pairs that I have counted and logged (I'm sure I'm forgetting a few) and my goal is to take it down to 20.

As I mentioned before, we supposedly only wear 20% of our wardrobe and with that in mind, I should be down to about 8 pairs of shoes, but ... let's not get crazy now ;)

For those interested, these are Cole Haan silver cap toe "Bria" wedges with the Nike Air soles - picture not my own. 

A few of my favourite things - Adidas multi-color plaid high-tops

I love sneakers. They were something I collected in my university days but have stopped, and have since donated many pairs since I can't possibly wear them all, and found them to be taking up too much space. 

As an adult, I did buy one pair and they are my absolute favourite. They are so cheerful looking and comfortable - I would wear them every day if I could =)

Tie waists, wrap dresses, shirt dresses - no tying for me!

Part of refining my wardrobe is knowing what doesn't work for me. When I was younger I would just buy what I liked but didn't understand or grasp what it meant for something to fit well, or why some pieces might look good on one person, and not on another. 

Shirt dresses, or other pieces that involve a tie at the waist or wrap around, do not work on me. They don't work because I have a shorter than average mid-section and the tie part doesn't land at my waist - it hits me between my waist and hip and then rides up as I move, resulting in fabric collecting up at my back. Also, if it sits at my waist, the upper part gets too big and lifts up a bit.

Exceptions are pieces with a built in elastic waist and are meant to fit looser, or fall at my hip - I usually remove the tie and cut off the little loops. 

Re-purposing - turning my necklace into a bag fob

I frequent a popular forum called thePurseforum, and one of the threads that I have the pleasure of being a part of, we discuss a number of topics ranging from "shopping from my own closet" to what to pack for traveling, to significant life events - recently there were some DIYs shown from one of the members (bakeacookie) and also a few posts about fobs. 

Taking a queue from these latest topics, I decided to re-purpose an old necklace of mine into a bag fob. I think I bought this necklace on my last trip to Malaysia (~13 years ago) - I wore it a few times but stopped because it had quite a short chain making it more of a choker and gave me a rash each time. I loved the coloring so I kept it and the other night had a great idea to remove it from its chain and hang it off one of my black bags that has silver hardware. 

Second chances - Joe Fresh scarf

I used to have a habit of buying things because they were an amazing item and I had to have it, or it was a steal and had to have it. As I make a change in my lifestyle and wardrobe, I realize that neither are good reasons if I can't put the item to use. Over the years, I have collected a number of such items and in my purging, have re-discovered them and put them through a trial period before making a decision to keep it or to let it go.

This scarf for instance - I purchased this 2-3 years ago at Joe Fresh on heavy discount and wore it a handful of times without giving it much thought as to how it would complete my outfit. Needless to say, given my inability to work with accessories, I've actually ruined some perfectly good outfits. I put it away and called it a day.

 

I re-discovered this during my purging and was on the fence with it for quite some time. I didn't feel that the color or material was quite right for fall and winter and it was clearly too warm for spring and summer. I put it through a 2 week trial run and paid a bit more attention with what I was pairing it with and now I am happy to say that with the current items I own, it will be staying!

Using Pinterest, I found some outfit ideas with existing items I already owned and while yellow doesn't work with me in clothing, as a scarf, it's not too bad. I mostly pair it with shades of purple, white, and light blues..

How often do you shop?

I don't consider myself to be a frequent shopper but in tracking my purchases this year, I discovered that I bought something every month. I was shocked because I recall thinking/feeling "wow, it's been a while since I bought something," when in realty, it wasn't the case at all!

To be fair though, I have used each and every item extensively and they are all favourites as I have been much more thoughtful in what I bring into my closet. Also, aside from some 'investment' pieces, I'm well under, what I think, is a very reasonable yearly amount to spend on my wardrobe.

So how long is a long time? Certainly 1 month is not long at all especially since none of my purchases were actual needs of necessities - wardrobe fillers, upgrades and wants, yes,  but I can say that I could have gone without any of these purchases and still have a work-able wardrobe. (Not as stylish, but nonetheless, I would still be clothed).

I spent this year trying to really purge and perfect my closet, letting go a significant amount of 'dead weight' and really enhancing my wardrobe by just being more aware of what I was bringing in, and how it would work with everything else.

As an experiment, next year I challenge myself to only purchase something only when it is to replace an item that is used up and what I consider to be a wardrobe staple of mine. As a short term goal, I'm going to try to not purchase anything in the month of November - wish me luck! =)

Re-purposing - candy tins to carry random small things

Part of my goal to live minimally isn't just to get rid of everything, but it's also trying to see if I can re-purpose old things, breath new life into them so they can be useful again. 

I used to collect candy tins (and other cute tins) and over the years have amassed quite a collection. I did get rid of those that were generic but kept the cuter ones and found new uses for them. 

Some of the things they now carry are:

• bobby-pins
• Q-tips
• Tylenol
• spare keys
• loyalty cards
• the extra buttons and threads for clothing
• candy (of course!)
• spare change
• a small first-aid kit (band-aids, alcoholic wipes, safety pins) 

Cost per wear

When I purchase something, I try to think of how often I will use it and if it seems like I will get enough use out of it, I buy it. Then I keep track of how many times I use it to see if it manages to 'pay itself off' and therefore worth its price, and worth having been purchased in the first place.

I track this through cost-per-wear and it's the price I paid, divided by how many times I use it. When do I consider something to be a good purchase? My cost-per-wear threshold is $1 per wear during its 'life span' (it might be different for everyone) - once I've used something enough to hit that target, I deem it a successful purchase!

This also tells me how long it takes me to use an item before it's worth it and through other factors (listed in my previous post about my tracking categories), tell me whether the value/quality of the item is holding up as it goes through the time it takes to meet my cost-per-wear.

The data also helps me see that I really don't need as much as I used to have because I really do only use very little of my wardrobe, constantly, and it helps me to buy less and thoroughly enjoy each item. 

Less is more - Sold another bag

I love all bags, but have been rather reckless in my purchases in terms of just buying a bag a like without any thought to whether it works for me. I have been trying to make better decisions with my bag purchases and also review what I already own. In my assessment, I have found bags that I know will just never work for me, and unfortunately have to let go.

At first it took a lot of effort to detach myself from the bags but after debating back and forth for a year, I finally decided to just snap out of it, "ripped off the Band-Aid fast", and posted my first "for sale" item on Craigslist. It got easier but from time to time I would hit a wall and revert back to my attachment to my bags.

I had a good first month of the year and ruthlessly sold a number of items and hit a wall for months, until recently when I was motivated again. This is my second successful bag sale in the last 3 weeks and may call it quits for the rest of the year.

I sold my Kate Spade Highlander tote. When I first bought this, I loved its instant Fall feel and thought it would be perfect for walking around the city with a coffee in hand and bundled in a cute scarf. It was perfect, but just not for my city where it pours almost 5 months out of the year. Sadly, I spent more time worrying about it absorbing rain and the possibility of it smelling (and not be able to get rid of the smell), that it stayed in my closet until warmer months, which didn't really fit the look of the bag or my intended purpose. I'm happy that someone else will be able to enjoy her, but I definitely will miss her.

This is Vancouver

A few of my favourite things - Tiffany & Co. Locks bangle

This was a beautiful (and lovely surprise) Valentine's gift from my now-husband in 2009 and he actually opened my eyes to bangles.

Canada's Sephora flagship opened - features only VIP Rouge studio in the world!

On October 31st, Sephora launched their Canadian flagship store in Vancouver, BC on Robson Street. It is the largest Sephora store in Canada, with 8,600 sq.ft. of beauty and features the only VIP Rouge studio in the world, set on the second floor of the store, allowing Sephora Beauty Insider Rouge clients free access to any beauty or skin care studio services in the private space. Today I managed to step out and take a peek - I've included some pics from the store (and also a picture of their recent Hello Kitty products). Enjoy!

For those interested, here is the Vancouver Sun article with more details.

My categories for tracking my way to my perfect closet

Part of the steps I am taking to perfect my closet is not just to minimize and find what works, but also to make sure my money is being spent well and determine the quality and value of my purchases.

I previously mentioned that I have been tracking this year's purchases in an excel sheet to give myself a better idea of what I'm buying. The categories I find the most helpful are: what type of items I'm buying, how much I'm spending, how often I'm wearing something (so I can tell if it will become wardrobe staple of mine, or fast fad), and cost-per-wear.

Below is the full list of categories I use: 

• Cost-per-wear - how much an item costs each time I use it (the more I use an item, its cost will go down which tells me I'm getting good use and value out of my item
• # of times used (in 2014) - the idea is that I will continue this in the years to come
• Description - just a summary of the item for reference
• Designer
• Color
• Type - i.e. sweater, shoe, dress, etc
• Cost of item - price I paid (versus original price - I try not to pay full price)
• Condition - I ranked it through 1-10 (10 being in excellent condition; this should change through wear and tear)
• Date of purchase
• Place of purchase
• Regular price - to see how much/if I'm saving