Goal achieved - 5 pairs of shoes out!

Woohoo! I achieved one of my 2016 purging goals - to let go of 5 pairs of shoes this year. 

I passed on a pair of Guess wedge strappy sandals to my coworker - I had purchased them so long ago and hardly got the opportunity to wear them. With her style and outfits, I thought they would be a great fit for her. 

Now that I'm housing more in my closet, space is a very big deal - it might seem like a drag, but it's actually really great for me to be more conscious of what works with my lifestyle, and if it can physically fit in my closet. 

Spring cleaning!!!

Over the weekend, my husband and I, delved right into the spirit of Spring Cleaning!

We let go of a lot of books and DVDs; consolidated a number of items into one organized cube shelving unit; removed furniture, and re-organized some furniture for better uses; managed to create more open space in our condo; and removed the remaining gross carpet in our bedroom in preparation for new floors. Talk about being productive!

Turning to my closet - we removed the inefficient cube shelving unit (it's now in the living room and looks so awesome) and replaced it with 4 shelves meant for shoes, but we turned two upside down to stack, making it the perfect height for my bags; they're also shorter than the original shelving unit so my clothes hang better. I am now storing the remainder of my shoes in my closet as opposed to an ottoman that was in the bedroom (which we are now using in the living room, where it should go). 

Honestly, the consolidation makes me closet look less than ideal now  but I do have more wardrobe related items in it, which is what I eventually want (to consolidate every wardrobe related item into one area), and it definitely strengthens my goal of wanting to have less. The sheer number of my bags and shoes, along with everything else, is overwhelming and I just want as much out as possible. Once we are done with the rest of our condo, I will be refocusing my attention back to my wardrobe and closet. 

March comings and goings - first purchase-free month of 2016!

Comings - 1

• Swarovski necklace - a gift from my Godmother

Goings - 4 (+1 from February)

• Adidas Superstars - I actually forgot to include this in my February count, but I let these go as they were a lot more worn looking than I remembered.
• 2 Eddie Bauer sundresses - I bought these not because I loved them, but I needed something light for a trip I was taking a few years ago. I only wore them a couple of times each but never was too impressed with them. I held on to them because it seemed like a waste, but it's just as much a waste if I'm not wearing them and they're taking up closet space. 
• Vintage wedges - I love them and they're super cute but the other day I tried wearing them to work and had to change out of them immediately by the time I got there. I think I wore them before, I wasn't doing too much walking. The walking distance I have for my commute to work isn't even that long. 
• Navy Zara kitten heels - SO sad about these as they just became a wardrobe staple but unfortunately they make an incredible amount of noise on the concrete. Constantly squeaking and in trying to walk a certain way to avoid the squeaking, have been causing me pain. So choked to let these go as they went so well with a lot of my outfits, but there's just no way around it =(

On a plus side, to-date, I'm already 4 pairs of shoes in (or gone, depending on how you look at it haha) towards my goal of letting go 5 pairs of shoes this year.

9 more days of March - will it be this year's first purchase-free month?

With the exception of an almost moment of weakness at Danier Leather, so far, so good.

This is a big year for non-material expenses - circumstances have resulted in two trips lined up for my husband and I: New York in May, and Korea in August. Both will be expensive trips so I don't plan to buy anything (except in Korea where I will go crazy over skin care products since it's much cheaper there than in Canada) but have decided to spend my money on experiences since I don't know when I will be going there again, any time soon.

I'm also trying hard to let go of more stuff. One of my wardrobe goals is to be able to consolidate 2 exterior drawer units in my room, into my closet so that we can have more space and options when we finally decorate our room. So far, I've managed to remove one drawer and still reuse the fabric containers in my existing closet unit.We live in a condo so space is precious and I just want clean lines and very little clutter. 

All in all, the more months I'm able to have, purchase-free, the better successes I'll have in most of my 2016 goals. I'm hoping that March will be a no purchase month to motivate me through the rest of the year. 

And I repeat, gifts don't count. 

February comings and goings

Wow, I actually had quite a few items come in this month, but fear not, every single item was a 'love it' piece and I have been wearing them non-stop. 

Comings - 6

• Red Banana Republic sweater with side zip - I actually bought this for Chinese New Year since it's traditional to wear something red to celebrate and start the year off
• Navy Banana Republic sleeveless top - I love navy and find the color is a great base for me to build outfits around and this was super comfortable, a great length to act as a layering piece or on it's own, and also just really basic looking which I like
• Raspberry Banana Republic cardigan - love the color of this, and against navy, it just looks so good. A great pop of color to add to my wardrobe and a very easy cardigan to wear. 
• Pair of casual pants with zip detailing from Banana Republic - these are just super cool and I'm obsessed with zippers lately so these were great, and they were petite so the length was perfect to wear with flats and heels. Just fantastic and sooo comfortable to the point where I don't even feel like I'm wearing pants haha. 
• Gray sweatpants, also with zipper details, and yup, you guessed it, from Banana Republic - I was thrilled to find these and they up my lounge wear by 200%
• Orange satchel from Lauren by Ralph Lauren - I finally broke my bag ban and succumbed to this beauty. It was love at first sight and I've used it every day for work. I even go the extra mile to carry a separate tote to fit my laptop and other things in, just to carry her. 

Current budget left over for this year - approximately $700

February goings - 1

• I sold my Coach Poppy Madras bag to start my 'let go of 10 items' goal from my bag and wallet collection =)

Sell threshold

I talked before about a 'buy', or 'cost per wear threshold' as a criteria I use to decide whether or not I should buy something - my buy threshold is a cost per wear of $1.

So, how do I decide whether or not sell something? 

Sometimes it's very easy to let something go, especially when I'm getting the price I want for it, but what about the times when I know the price I can get for it, may not be worth letting go? Of course it's easy to reason that I should sell it because I'm not using it anyway, it will free up space for something that I love now, and something is better than nothing, but when you love bags as much as I do, it's hard. 

I went through this again on Sunday when sold my Coach Poppy Madras for $30. I originally listed it for $45 on Friday night, and decided that I wanted a quick sale instead of waiting it out. What made me decide to let it go for so low? I decided that for the period of time that it was in my possession, and how many times I used it, less the amount I will recoup from it, I was worth it.  

I purchased it in 2012 on sale for $79 (original price is $158) and during that time, I used it for a recorded 17 times since 2014 when I started to keep track. If I sell it for $30, then I 'bought' it for $49. The breakdown cost per wear of that is $2.88. For me to hit $1 cost per wear, I would have had to have used it 49 times; I know I haven't used it that much but definitely more than 17 times, so I calculated that my total cost per wear for this item is probably closer to under $2. Seeing it calculated like that helped me realize that I got good use out of the bag, and get over the emotional connection to the bag and I happily let it go. Now I'm one item less towards reaching one of my 2016 goals =)

 

January 2016 - comings and goings

I almost had a no-purchase month until I purchased the style of belt I had been looking for, for ages. Does that count? It's a very planned purchase and I got it at a great price... hm...

Comings - 4

• Lou & Grey Mix-up cardigan - bought for me by my parents <3 (I insisted to pay for it myself, but they insisted they buy it for me - gifts don't count ;))
• off-white skinny belt for my waist - been looking for one for a long time and the right one finally came along, with gold hardware, at an amazing price - $9 for leather, you really can't beat that. 
• Edit: Feb 3-16 - Forgot to add 2 pairs of shoes I got at the end of the month from The Wishbone Collection

Goings - 5

• White and navy striped blazer - it was starting to pill and look too worn. Also it was a bit shorter in length than I prefer, so I am on the look out for a longer version since it was a great outfit finisher.
• Pair of black mesh earrings - I just didn't wear it enough, if at all, and against my black hair, the details got lost anyway, defeating the purpose of adding any oomph to my outfits.
• Esprit black dress - I bought it because it has studs on the shoulders but I never got a chance to wear it since, and trying to fit it into my rotation now, is just not working.
• Gray Ugg Baileys - I love them and I will miss them very much, but they are too worn out now. I've lovingly said good-bye to them and thanked them. (That's also one pair of shoes gone, towards me owning 25 pairs... it's a loooong road)
• Esprit blue and white sundress - just didn't like the length of it any more;I got good use out of it but I think I wore it so much that it's a bit out of shape too and flares a bit too much for its length, for my liking.

It pains me to let you go

After 5 years, I am sad to say that I have had to make the decision to part with my first ever pair of UGGs - my gray low-rise Baileys. 

It took years for me to jump on the UGG bandwagon and after I made my first purchase and slipped into them for the first time, it was magic. I wanted to wear them everywhere (but I didn't because that would be a fashion faux-pas) and when the Canadian winters co-operated, happily pulled them out. They even inspired me to write a haiku.

Good-bye my friend. You've kept me warm and cozy for 5 seasons and I will never forget you. Even though I have a new pair (given to me by my mom, who didn't wear hers) they will never have that same bond as you and I, once had. 

How I track my purchases

I posted about this before when I first started my blog, but I just wanted to share again since I've been doing it for 2 full years now - this exercise really helps me be more aware of what I buy and now that I have a few years under my belt, can also look at the categories that require a bit more data, such as the condition of an item.

In 2013 I started to track my purchases and it was very simple, just handwritten in a notebook with the item description, price, and date. Then in 2014 I made an excel spreadsheet that I uploaded to Google drive so I can track anywhere (in case I go on vacation and make purchases), anytime. These are my categories: 

• Cost per wear - I've set up the excel to automatically calculate this for me; remember, my own threshold is $1 so before I buy something, I ask myself whether I think this item will meet that by the time I'm done using it (either worn out, or loss of interest)
• # used in year X - now that I'm on my third year, it's interesting to see what items I bought before, that I am still using and how often; helps to let me know what pieces are a staple that I may not have realized before, and  might keep in mind to replace again. 
• Description
• Designer - tells me what designer/brand fits me best for certain items
• Color
• Type - type of article, i.e. shoes, blouse, t-shirt, etc.
• Cost
• Condition (1 poor - 10 - excellent) - this one is more for future purposes so I can get an idea of the quality of the item over a course of time, and see if it's something worth buying again, or perhaps I should go with another brand
• Date of purchase - tells me how often I shop
• Place of purchase - tells me where I shop
• Regular price - tells me how much I'm saving, and just makes me question whether I would have purchased this same item at regular price

When the new year comes around, I just add a new sheet, and copy and paste these categories into it, and I add an additional column to the previous years and track how often I use them in the current year, and adjust the cost per wear formula.

This might seem excessive and probably, slightly, obsessive compulsive haha, but I find it helps remind me of my budget when I look at my quarterly spending to get a gage of how my yearly budget may be looking; tells me what items I may be buying too many of and should take note of before I buy another one (by tracking the type of item, I realize I go on small binges where I buy a lot of certain items - in 2014 it was khakis and button-up shirts, and in 2015 it was shoes); and each time I update how many times I've used an item, it makes me feel good to know I made a good purchasing decision and reminds me that I've come a long way from making random purchases.

My Bleeker's first official plane ride! Vegas, here we come!



I'm headed to Las Vegas today for 4 days and have decided to do only carry-on, and not just that, but try to minimize the amount of stuff I'm bringing so that I can carry the beauty that is the Coach Bleeker; I have been waiting about 3 years to take her on a plane.

 



I've used her for other weekend trips but I would say that this is her first major test. Just to give you a better idea of what she will be carrying and how I packed her, here's a brief run-down of my trip: I arrive on Tuesday afternoon and leave Friday afternoon; we plan to have one day of randomness until the rest of our team arrives the next day, plan to go to the shooting range, have a nice team dinner, a gambling competition, spend some time at lounges, and a full working day. I have packed a heavy cardigan, pair of black jeans, toiletries, PJs, clutch for going out, under garments, belt, a top, and left room to comfortably fit a puffer jacket that can be bunched into a pouch. I could fit another pair of shoes and a few more tops, but I gaged our activities there and with what I packed, and my outfit to the airport, have enough to mix and match. If it were summer and I didn't have to pack for cooler weather, I'd have even more space!

 

From my previous trips, I can tell you some of the pros and cons of the Bleeker:

Pros <3 - 

• Spacious - I am always able to pack at least 3 days worth of outfits and that usually includes at least 2 pairs of shoes, 5 outfit changes, PJs, toiletries, curling iron, and my laptop and ipad. My previous trips, the bag would be stuffed to the brim but since I'm flying, don't want to over-do it. 
• Organization - it has 2 large inner, slip pockets, 1 large zipped compartment, and one outer slip pocket. The inner pockets are very useful for electronic cords and chargers, and I keep important documents in the inner zip pocket; I don't use the outer slip pocket except as an emergency place holder for papers, before I move them to another spot. I like the openness of the bag because it lets me pack that much more stuff in it.
• Large opening - the zipper extends well beyond the opening of the bag so I have easy access to my stuff and it also has a little more give if it gets over packed. 
• Color and profile - what can I say? I love the color, and I love its very minimal look.
• Leather - its leather is super sturdy and I really like that it holds itself up so I can easily organize my things.
• Feet - I like that it prevents the bag from touching the ground, and with a bag that size, gives it a bit of detailing.  

Cons </3 - 

• Heavy - it's VERY heavy. I don't recommend this if you have to move around a lot from place to place. Ideally, you should be carrying her from: car -> airport -> car -> hotel; also, don't carry more things than you need to, outside of this bag, or else it will be very difficult for you juggle. For this Vegas trip, I'm designated all my electronics, and travel documents to my handbag, and leaving my liquids on the top of the Bleeker for easy access at security.
• Handles - most of my complaints are with the handles. They are very stiff and short. If they were slightly longer, and able to fit over my shoulders, I think I would have an easier time dealing with its weight, but as it stands, the short handles mean that I have to use this as a hand-held, and it does get cumbersome. Also, if I am carrying a lot of things, the stiff handles do not make it easy to juggle a few things at one time as they give no amount of flexibility and sometimes you just need things to twist and turn a bit to manage - don't try with this, it will hurt your hand. 

Changes I would make - 

• Nylon with leather trimming to lighten it up, while keeping its sleek look and maintaining some of its structure; I think there's a heavy canvas version which would probably fare well, but have not had a chance to see it in person.
• Lengthen the straps, or give it a detachable shoulder strap (although given the weight, the shoulder strap would probably hurt, but it's still nice to have the option so it can free up your hands from time to time in the event you need to have your hands free for a moment)

My wardrobe count going into 2016

It's been well over a year since I started using the Stylebook App and it has definitely helped me to keep focused on my purchases and how often I'm using each item in my wardrobe. 

When I first started using the Stylebook App towards the end of 2014, my wardrobe consisted of:

124 tops (includes sleeveless, blouses, t-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirt/hoodies, blazers)

48 bottoms (includes jeans, shorts, trousers)

25 dresses

53 shoes

17 scarves 

68 bags (including clutches)

17 coats and jackets

32 pieces off active wear (tops, headbands, bottoms, runners)

After more than a year of purging and refining, these are my current numbers:

106 tops (includes sleeveless, blouses, t-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirt/hoodies, blazers)

54 bottoms (includes jeans, shorts, trousers)

31 dresses

51 shoes (I previously reported 46 pairs of shoes because I didn't count my one pair of sneakers for running, or a few pairs of shoes that were made specially for my Chinese wedding ceremony when I got married)

16 scarves 

65 bags (including clutches)

18 coats and jackets

22 pieces off active wear (tops, headbands, bottoms, runners)

Overall, I think I did pretty well - doing this for almost 2 years now I've definitely seen a shift from purging, to learning what works for me, to narrowing things that work really well for me and finally coming to a plateau where I feel comfortable with the items I have. 

The drop in numbers in my tops came from letting go of graphic-Ts, tops I had been holding on to in hopes to fit into them again in the future, and items that didn't fit as well anymore. Bottoms saw an increase as I slowly replaced wider legged trousers with slim fitted ones and also got some incredible deals on shorts and jeans; I also stocked up a bit on pencil skirts, my work staple. Dresses saw an increase mostly because I brought some that were at my parents home, into my current closet. 

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

Happy New Year! (December comings and goings)

Happy New Year to all of you!!! - I hope all of you have had a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family and are ready to start fresh with any resolutions you have.

To start off the new year, a recap of my December comings and goings =)

Goings - 5

• Doc Marten combat boots - sold them to fund my future pre-loved Speedy
• Doc Marten loafers - sold them to fund my future pre-loved Speedy
• Adidas work out top - don't like it anymore 
• Esprit dress - don't like it anymore
• Purple top - doesn't fit the same anymore

Comings - 1

• Stuart Weitzman loafers - given to me by a family friend - this DOES put me backward by one pair of shoes towards my goal, but I mean, they're Stuart Weitzman's, c'mon haha.

Re-cap of 2015!

My goals for 2015 were to:

• continue to downsize the number of shoes I have - I purged a lot this year but there are still some that I can let go of. Also, I won't be replacing a number of them when they wear through - I ended up purchasing 9 pairs of shoes and was given 2 pairs of pre-loved shoes, for a total of 11 pairs of shoes in. I sold 2 pairs of shoes and donated several pairs (unfortunately, I did not keep tabs on how many I left go). My total count for shoes is 46 pairs =S
• continue to work on using the things I love and not worry about them getting ruined - Still continuing to do this, which is great. I can definitely see that I'm not as panicky when it comes to wearing my Burberry coats.
• build a capsule wardrobe for each month - unlike some capsule wardrobe challenges, I'm not limiting the number of items I will use but I will make sure the amount is reasonable - This was a bust. For most of the year I did not have my Stylebook App, but  think the major reason was that I still have too many items. I ended up switching to a color capsule which yielded better results but it tells me I still need to downsize my wardrobe
• continue to shop out of my bag and wallet collection and implement a one-in, one-out rule. - My biggest success for my goals, and personal best when it comes to not buying any bags or wallets. I bought 1 MbMj backpack which is something I don't have and therefore not counted as a bag, and my husband gifted me a wallet. I sold a cardholder earlier in the year. All in all, I did amazing!  There are still 10 bags I didn't use this year so I will be trying to see if I use them in 2016.
• rotate through all my wallets throughout the year. - My husband was away for most of the year so while he was gone, I missed him and mostly used the 2 wallets he gave me so I didn't make a complete rotation of my wallets. I still had 6 wallet I didn't use, in addition to my travel wallet.
• use jewelry more to accessorize my daily outfits. - still making progress with it and was gifted a few items.The Swarovski bracelet I purchased was used quite often.
• continue to purge, re-fine, and down-size my wardrobe. - still working on this and despite removing a number of items, I did bring in 62 items, including items gifted to me. 
• budget $1,000 for wardrobe purchases (not including investment pieces that may replace current wardrobe staples). - I exceeded my budget by approximately $240. Not bad considering I never implemented a budget before.
• downsize the number of jackets and coats - this started out great, and I managed to let go of 3 jackets/coats, but then I purchased 1 investment coat, 1 casual jacket, and was given 2 other coats.
• use the bags I weren't able to use in 2014 - if I don't use them again in 2015, consider letting them go. - I managed to get through a great rotation of my bags and of the 8 I didn't use in 2014, I used 5 in 2015. There are still 3 bags I haven't used in the last 2 years and so far I am thinking of selling 1 of them.
• have some purchase-free months - I had 3 purchase-free months.

Merry Christmas!!! - Preparing for 2016

Merry Christmas!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day with their loved ones. I'm spending the day with my husband and enjoying the time we have together before he heads back up north to finish school.

I'll make this post short and sweet =)

After what I consider to be a pretty successful 2015 year of purging and refining my wardrobe, and being mindful about my purchases, I'm very much looking forward to setting new goals and furthering my progress of perfecting my closet. 

How am I preparing?

• I'm taking another sweep of my wardrobe to see if there are any other items I can remove;
• I've set aside some items that may have re-sale value and listed them for sale to build a 'rainy day' reserve fund outside of my budget for some pre-loved bags I have had my eye on should they become suddenly available;
• I'm checking my Stylebook App to remind myself of the number of items I have in each category and revise my 'no buy' lists;
• I'm revisiting my 2015 resolutions to remind me of my goals and decide which goals to keep, revise, and what new goals to add; and
• Reorganizing my closet

I'm looking forward to sharing my new goals with you and seeing how I can make 2016 an even more successful year!

The start to my pre-loved Speedy 35/40 fund!

After confirming how much I want a pre-loved Speedy, I went through some more of my things and actually started to list things for sale. I started with shoes since I have way too many and it seems to be the most difficult area for me to make a dent in.

The first item to contribute to the fund are my Doc Marten combat boots. I had come up with a number of cute outfits for them, but still hadn't worn them, so I decided to let them go and help them find a home where they could be loved and fully used.

Second on the list is another pair of Docs - my 'second chances' shoes! I did make awesome outfits with them and wore them a few times this year, but over all, I didn't wear them as much as I thought I would. Off to a new home they went!

I hope I'm able to keep this momentum up and continue with the selling. I sort of regret not trying to list my previous items I let go, for sale, but onward and upward!

November comings and goings

Goings - 6

• Banana Republic colorblock sheath dress - was one of my staple wardobe pieces for work but is now pilling and showing signs of color bleeding into the white portion; tried to treat it but it didn't work.
• My black sheath dress - this was purchased in 2014 at Target and for its price, I definitely got amazing cost per wear with it. Unfortunately it was getting too worn out.
• Banana Republic navy dress pants - didn't like the wide-leg cut anymore; I have been slowly shifting towards skinny fitted pants for a more streamline look since I'm quite short.
• J. Crew plaid tunic - too worn out
• Sparrow blue short sleeved cardigan - lost its shape to due my laundry mishap =S
• Banana Republic pinstriped black trousers - another pair of wide-leg pants that don't flatter me.

Comings - 8

• Casual winter coat with fur hood - my mom gave it to me as she received it as a gift from a family friend but it's too big for her. *As great as it is to receive something for free, this, plus the earlier coat my mom gave me, and the casual jacket I purchased at H&M, puts me back where I was at the start of the year with my numbers in coats and jackets. Bummer.
• black sleeveless top, gray waffled trousers, black trouser pant, plaid button-up, and navy & black pencil skirt
• Marc by Marc Jacobs Printed Crosby quilted backpack - I found my perfect casual backpack!!! =D
• Cole Haan Johanna ankle boots - was given to me pre-loved and gently worn from a family friend; very excited about these

October comings and goings

Goings - 3

• Collarless blazer - just don't really like the way it looks and fits on me any more
• Guinevere purple bolero - gave it to my friend as it was a little snug on me and looked better on her
• Esprit white and navy striped 3/4-sleeve sweater - it was big on me to begin with but has now stretched out even more

Comings - 17

• Cobalt colorblock drape pants from Banana Republic - got these for such a steal and I'm so in love with the color!
• a set of 3 pouches - I'll count as one item
• a coat from my mom for weekends and casual wear - it' s a good in between fall and winter coat until I am able to find one that I like enough to purchase. It's in a neutral color scheme and also has a hood for our never-ending Vancouver rain.
• 2 pairs of white jeans, pair of blue jeans, white linen pants, a black and gray patterned drape pant, a blue sheath dress, sweater, tshirt, and v-neck top for layering all from the Banana Republic outlet
• Slipped a last minute haul day into October - 2 ivory tops and 2 dresses from LOFT, and a navy quilted jacket from H&M for casual outings (something I had been missing since I donated a number of jackets)

For the rest of the year, I do not intend to add any more pieces to my wardrobe since I went a little over my 2015 budget with my last second haul at LOFT and jacket purchase at H&M. Hopefully, I see more 'goings' for the rest of the year to start out my 2016 goal with a bang! I'll talk more about that later ;)

September comings and goings

Coming - 3 

Technically, NOTHING (at least nothing that I bought myself) - It is my second no-spend month of the year!!

• Gifted - Swarovski necklace
• Gifted - Banana Republic earrings
• Gifted - Jeweled firefly necklace

Goings - 3+

• Necklace
• Tahari sleeveless top - actually, it will be demoted to a sleep shirt (letting go of another one of my sleep shirts which I don't log in my Stylebook App)
• Banana Republic khaki colored trousers - don't like the way they fit anymore 
• not directly from my home closet, but from my closet at my parents' house; I donated a number of work appropriate pieces. I had been hoping I would fit into them later, but my friend is involved in a program to collect clothing for women who are looking to get back on their feet, so I let them go. And I'm very, very, very close to completely having no clothing at my parents' place.

One and the same - let's lighten that closet!

Can you account for every article of clothing you own? Yes? You sure? 

I'm glad I started this blog to capture milestones, and remind myself of what I previously thought. In one of my earlier posts, I wrote, "I didn’t have an insane amount of clothes to begin with ..."

I thought I didn't until I continued to find myself thinking "Oh yeah!" upon discovering a forgotten piece that was hiding in the back of my closet, or in the weird nook and crannies of my drawers. They weren't there because I didn't like them, or they didn't fit any more; some were actual wardrobe staples of mine! How could this happen? 

Was it because I actually had a lot of clothing? I argue against that, but who really knows haha. That aside, I think I figured it out.

My first major purge targeted items that I didn't like anymore, didn't fit, didn't flatter, etc, and the usual list goes on. What I didn't do was remove items that I had more than one kind of, or can be interchanged with one another. If they didn't fit the purge criteria, I kept them.

Where did my black pants go? I didn't even have to ask myself because there would already be another pair of black pants hanging right in front of me (or something I easily substituted it for). This leaves me with possibly 3-5 times the amount of items that essentially serve the same style purpose.

I recently did another round of purging and identified these duplicate or  interchangeable items - I picked 1 or 2 of my favourites from the bunch and culled the rest. My wardrobe has seen another significant purge, allowing me to better remember what I already own and preventing me from purchasing another item that might be too similar.

With even less now, it's much, much easier for me to exercise the one-in-one out rule because I actually only have 1 of that item that serves a more specific purpose, and also it helps me to better consider whether what I want to bring in will indeed enhance my wardrobe and style, is of variety, and won't simply just add to its numbers.