Wardrobe goals for 2016

Last year I worked hard on making more focused purchases and tried to make sure that each item I brought in would make at least 3 outfits. I also continued to purge and focused on letting go of items that could be substituted with other items, and didn't rush into making any purchases until I found the perfect pieces.

My goals for 2016 are to:

• Not purchase any shoes, and continue to let go of more, with the ultimate goal to own 25 pairs of shoes
• Continue to work on using the things I love and not worry about them getting ruined
• Continue to shop within my collection of bags and wallets, and let go of 10 items
• Stay within my budget of $1,000, and again, not include any major investment pieces or bags
• Have 4 purchase-free months
• Continue to purge so I can consolidate all my items into 1 closet
• Build a 'rainy day' fund by selling any items that may have some value to use towards a pre-loved Louis Vuitton Speedy 35/40.

2016 Wishlist and "needs" (these items are exceptions to any 'do not' buy lists):

• Black wedge ankle boots 
• Gray leather bag 
• Gray wool winter coat
• Navy sheath dress
• Pre-loved Speedy 35/40
• Black sheath dress

'Do not buy' list: 

• Trousers and Khakis
• Shoes
• Bags, wallets and small pouches
• Jeans

Mini goals achieved!

Wardrobe related, this is a short but very satisfying post.

One of my goals is to own 10 coats/jackets - to make it a more realistic and achievable goal, I aimed to let go of three in 2015. I am pleased to announce that I have achieved this!

Lifestyle goal related, this is a super satisfying post. 

A lifestyle I'm striving for is one that combines being active, strong, and fit, while also living my life - I don't want to confine myself just to the gym, or restrict myself to endless diets. My husband loves being outside and while I enjoy it, it takes a lot of convincing to get me there. I'm working on changing that and spending more time breathing in the fresh air, and spending more quality time with my husband, doing something he loves. It's also great for me to get that 'natural workout.' 

On that note, over the weekend, my husband and I tackled the Grouse Grind. Located in North Vancouver, the summer transforms Grouse Mountain into one of the most popular hikes for tourists and locals. It is a steep trail that climbs 2,800 feet,  with an average grade of 17 degrees. The total number of stairs is 2,830 and the fastest time is about 23 minutes, with an average time of 1.5 hours. For those visiting Vancouver, I highly recommend trying it. If you're visiting in the winter, it is one of our local ski hills. You can find more info here. It was his first time doing the Grind, since he has moved to BC and while most find it grueling, he found it to be 'easier than he had thought' - yes, I married one of those. HAHA. I'm happy he enjoyed it - it felt great to be outside and I got lots of exercise.

Here are some of my pictures - 

The bottom of the Grind, and my husband making a cameo <3

View at the top

View of the gondolas to take you back down - $10 for the ride down 

Make a list of things you don't need

For as many years as I can remember, I have always tried to buy less and last year, while still a work in progress, was definitely my most successful year thus far. I kept my purchases to a minimum (relative to other years =P) and every purchase became a wardrobe staple. 

It really helped to take inventory of what I owned and this year, while I usually make 'want and buy' lists, I instead made a list of things I didn't need to buy. That has really helped me to think twice before I make a purchase and since I'm also trying to own less, I decided on the amount of each item I would like to own. For example, I would like to own 10 coats and jackets, 5 pairs of jeans, 20 pairs of shoes, etc. 

This is my list of "I don't need to buy" (and the ideal amount I'd like to own): 

• nail polish (5)
• coats/jackets (10)
• shoes (20) (this one is a hard one to get control of)
• perfume (2)
• rain boots
• hoodies (2)
• wallets
• sneakers (3)
• lip balm
• eye shadow
• blazers
• dress pants
• khakis
• scarves
• jeans (5)
• bags

I keep myself in check by looking at my list frequently and it's really satisfying to see the gaps get smaller between what I have and what I would like to own. 

I don’t need to buy - nail polish

When I first discovered nail polish at age 10, I went nuts and bought all the colors and glitter I could find. As I got older I used them less but every couple of years I would binge on buying nail polish. Last year I got rid of a lot of my polishes and am left with only 15. I’m still trying to purge and get down to 5 - I’ve identified 5 colors to keep on hand that will work throughout the year and with my wardrobe: nude, navy, gray, red, and a light pink. 

My love for bags and my goals for my collection

I am a lover of handbags and wallets and have been buying since as far back as I can remember. 10 years ago I made the switch to designer bags and have never looked back, to the point where I now own 60+ bags and clutches, 10 wallets, and a number of various small leather goods (SLG) such as pouches and cardholders. 

Every year I tell myself to buy less (clearly unsuccessful) and it wasn’t until the last two years that I have been able to make some real progress.

In 2013 I made a new year’s resolution to shop from my own closet and let go of items that weren’t really working for me. I had a plan to use a different bag and wallet combination each month - this worked for a while but for practical reasons I had to at times switch to a different bag. No big deal, I was still doing a lot better than previous years and I was able to get a better idea of why I wasn’t using certain ones, and what styles were actually working for my lifestyle. That same year, I was able to sell a majority of my wallets and SLGs and actually get down to a reasonable amount. I did make a couple of bag sales but nothing to make a dent.   

This year my goals were a little bit more specific and I had hoped to get my collection down to approximately 25 bags and 10 wallets, and exercise the “one-in, one-out rule”. In the beginning of the year I was able to sell a couple more wallets and unknowingly achieved my goal of 10 wallets, not counting one I use specifically for travel, and another I am retiring soon (but will never get rid of since it was the first gift my now-husband gave me).  

This year I also tracked the number of times I used a bag and after each season, I assess my list and then mark off which ones I might consider selling due to lack of wear, boredom, or it no longer suits my lifestyle. I still own a lot of bags but I now have a much better idea of what I will use versus “it looks awesome, I have to have it, just so I can stare at it but never use it.” 

I don’t need to buy - perfume

As part of my goal towards minimalism, I have been identifying items that I feel I don’t need to own a lot of - my closet and ‘get ready’ routine contain a lot of things I can pare down on. Sure, variety is great, but some times it’s just overkill (not to mention, when you live in a <800 SF condo, you just can’t, or in my case, don’t want to own so much stuff). 

Perfumes are such a thing that I don’t need a lot of, especially since they take so long to use up. I started this year with 7 full-sized bottles of varying amounts, and have a goal to down-size to just owning a maximum of two at any given time. I currently have 5 and am switching back-and-forth between my Marc by Marc Jacobs Daisy, and YSL Parisienne.