Not everything loved has to cost an arm and a leg

I am currently preparing myself to let go of two very beloved pieces from my wardrobe. They've both served me well and have helped to complete many outfits. While I generally feel OK with paying a little more for wardrobe staples in hopes they will last longer, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the ones that I do find, at a low price point. That said, I wish these did cost more so that they would have had a chance to last me longer (I love good deals but there is some truth behind getting what you pay for).

First up, is my J. Crew tunic - I love this item because I have a  lot of trouble fitting into button-up tops. They are either too tight across the chest, too wide along the shoulder, or too loose or tight over-all. I was drawn to this because it fit throughout and because of the lack of buttons, it didn't have any parts prone to gaping open. From afar it looks OK. but upon closer inspection, you can tell that the material is slowly starting to pill and thin out, and the colors are starting to cross into each other; not to mention, at the cuffs, they have torn from the shirt - on both sides! Yes, I could sew them back in, but I'm not a master seamstress, and the cost to get it professionally done would probably cost more than the shirt itself. The cost of this shirt was USD $13.99, bought in December 2013 from the outlet store. I didn't get into a lot of detail in tracking my purchases until 2014 so I can't tell you the exact cost per wear, but I can tell you that I wore it enough times that my mom has told me that, that's all she sees me wearing. From memory, I can tell you I've worn it at least 5 times in the last couple of months, which for reference is already $2.80 per wear, and let's say I wore it a minimum of 5 times in 2014, that's already $1.40 per wear ... you see what I'm getting at.

 

Second on my list is one of my favourite dresses - my black sheath dress. I found this unexpectedly at Target in September 2014, originally CAD $29.99, on sale for CAD $14.99. It fit me perfectly and to my delight, even has pockets!! I was able to track my wear on this item and wore it 7 times in the remainder of 2014, and 12 times in 2015, to-date. My cost per wear on this is 79 cents! I love this dress but unfortunately the quality really isn't there - it is stretching out and attracting too much lint to de-lint and is pilling. I'm sad to let this go but I can't wear it to work having it look the way it does. In my opinion, with its pockets, this is the perfect style of a black sheath dress for me and doubt I will be able to find its replacement any time soon, if at all.

I love buying only favourites but it's really hard to let them go when the time comes because they were just that perfect for me. I've enjoyed wearing these pieces and will remember them fondly. Farewell.

Jewelry purge and goal

Jewelry is an area where I personally find easy to own a lot of yet difficult to work into my daily outfits. I know a lot of fashion advice tells us that by changing up our jewelry, we can easily change up our look. This is really difficult for me as I'm admittedly lazy and rushed in the mornings and can't imagine having to add more brainpower to getting myself out the door. 

I have my daily jewelry which consist of my wedding and engagement rings, two bracelets on my left arm, two Pandora rings on my right hand, diamond studs, and a necklace with a family charm and a jade Buddha hanging from them. I wear these every day and only change them when I have an event that requires a little bit more. 

The 'little bit more' is where I plan to focus my attention - I did a major purge of my jewelry (not including fine jewelry or family pieces) at the beginning of the year and even tried to re-purpose a few items into bag fobs or other pieces that I may wear more. Now that I've minimized my collection, I'm trying to incorporate one piece into my outfits and force myself to change up my daily pieces. 

I still get lazy some days but I have noticed that a necklace really does spruce up an outfit and take it to the next level. Below are some of the pieces I've been able to use on a more regular basis. 

Left to right: navy and silver link 'Guess' necklace, a blue smoothed glass necklace (gift from husband from his latest trip to Nova Scotia), black 'J Crew' bangle, rose gold 'Coach' bangle, silver Tiffany & Co. mesh bracelet)