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Feels like spring is underway now doesn't it. Time for a seasonal wardrobe refresh. I whiled away a couple of happy hours getting familiar with my spring clothing recently. I wanted to swap out the chunky roll neck sweaters - those are now safely stored away. Some lighter sweaters and sweatshirts have replaced them. I went through my jeans and swapped in a few ankle-baring styles in hope that I'll be kicking off my boots for good soon. It's lovely to see a few old-but-new jacket options greeting me when I open the wardrobe doors. I feel like I've breathed some new life into my outfits without having to buy anything new!
As promised I have taken a few mirror selfies now that my outfits are a bit more share-worthy. Meet my Zoom call attire!
M.i.H jeans denim shirt, past season - alternative here Adidas joggers - similar here (I sized up - mine are a 12) Golden Goose trainers - similar here
Whilst sorting my wardrobe this time I did take every single item out. I gave the inside a good hoover and clean. I had in mind a plan for my capsule this time and so when I started to put things back in it just all came together. The more I do the seasonal switchover the easier it becomes. It makes life so much simpler only to have in my wardrobe what I will actually be wearing. I have around 40 pieces which seems like a lot but as the weather is likely to be fairly iffy for the next few weeks so I've planned for more options than I might actually need. It definitely helps to keep on rotating things......it identifies the pieces I don't reach for that need moving on. Any gaps also become obvious which does assist me in making more considered purchases.
One area I did feel I had a gap in was my jeans collection. I uncovered a couple of duplicates and decided to part with a couple that just weren't all that comfortable. Time to let go of 4 pairs. I convinced myself that I was missing something style-wise. That was of course until I checked out what I had stored away in the autumn. I've totted them up and I have a total of 17 pairs and now I've become familiar with them all again I can see I have more than I need and there really isn't any shape unaccounted for. This is good because I've become very conscious of denim's impact on the environment. It takes up to 10,000 litres of water to make one pair of jeans and despite many brands now claiming to make environmentally friendlier jeans I believe the best course of action is to work with what I've already got. Jeans are hard to buy too aren't they? Especially at the moment with having to order online. One major takeaway from exploring my jeans was to learn that my favourite pairs are from Gap, Topshop and H&M - most of which are at least 5 years old. Although those brands aren't particularly sustainable at least if I purchase from those stores again I can confidently expect them to be in my wardrobe for the long haul so I'm going to try not to beat myself up about where I buy my jeans.
Topshop jeans, past season - these look similar Dune Guillt loafers, past season
The experiment of counting all of my jeans got me curious as to how many items of clothing I have in total. I've arrived at the rather shocking total of about 200 pieces 😱 (I haven't properly counted my dresses yet which is why that's an approximate number!) That does not include shoes and accessories either 😳 Seems like an excessive amount doesn't it? And whilst I will be streamlining my wardrobe a bit more I am getting to the point where it is getting hard to part with things and as I've said before one of my goals is to only purchase something if I'm prepared to let something go. The one in, one out rule. Anyway all in all, it's been a great experiment and lovely to be reacquainted with some of my old favourites. I'm really looking forward to the challenge of getting more creative with what I already have.
Here are a few examples.......Preloved & Other Stories blazer via eBay
Joseph trench coat via Kilver Court Outlet (really love this as an alternative) Uniqlo cashmere rollback - alternative here (I would size up for a more slouchy look) Rag & Bone jeans, past season - these look like a good alternative
Zara jumper, past season - alternative here Zara trousers, ancient - alternative here Vans trainers -similar here
Preloved Warehouse x Lucy Williams collaboration blazer (just in case you want to search eBay) J Brand jeans via T K Maxx
Golden Goose trainers - similar here Hermosa London bag, past season
Disko Kids sweatshirt, past season - similar here J Brand jeans via T K Maxx
Veja Wata trainers, past season - do love these as an alternative
This week I'm really hoping to get back in the swing of taking a daily mirror selfie and sharing a few more of my ensembles on the blog on a weekly basis.
On that note....see you next week!
