i opened up my fourth Stitch Fix box this week and it was just as wonderful as each one before it. i am kind of in the middle of re-evaluating and re-thinking the way i look at my closet and i am so thankful for Stitch Fix in the midst of it.
for a long time i lived my life in the clearance racks. i mean, it made a lot of sense. i did not have a lot of money and i was trying desperately to keep up with all the fun new looks of high school & college. also, i really had no idea who i was or what my style was. you would find me in zoomies, american eagle, hollister, lids, old navy, goodwill, limited too, forever21, aeropostale, and really any other mall store you can think of. i went through stages all the time – there was the time i only wore phat farms and south pole, the time i was skater, the time i was preppy, athletic, outdoorsy, hippie, and anywhere in between. but these last years since college, i have started to find myself & my style but my shopping was still a mess and most of the time all the “great things i got ON SALE” would be worn once or twice before hitting the goodwill pile or being shoved to the back of the closet.
it is expensive (even with cheap clothes) and exhausting trying to always be like someone else. even though i was much more confident in myself than high school/ college, i was still buying things i saw other bloggers wear, or buying everything from the Target sale racks because my friends shopped there, or shopping random sales from online stores to get a “good price.” i was still shopping with a high school mentality. i was spending all my allowance money (we both have allotted “no judge” spending money in our marriage) and having nothing to show for it in my closet. i would not like the way the $3 t-shirt fit, or the way the $10 jeans creased in weird places, or the $13 dress that i always had to wear a cardi with – so i didn’t wear them and i wasted my money.
the No Brainer Wardrobe was my first reality check to my buy & binge mentality (buy cheap things, get rid of them to justify the purchasing of more cheap things, etc). i realized that the same love for buying sale items was so similar to my love of purging my closet. i always bought, and always gave away but never felt satisfied.
and when i saw what Caroline of Un-Fancy was doing with her wardrobe, i knew i needed to change the way i viewed my closet and begin building a capsule wardrobe. this is just the beginning of the journey but with working at GAP for 2 years and now discovering Stitch Fix, i am already thinking better and have some “i would wear this everyday” pieces that are going into my collection.
over the summer, i will be working on perfecting my capsule wardrobe. i will cautiously and carefully pick items looking at cost, quality, fit, longevity, style, and heart. i will no longer waste money on things i am not sure 100% will fit well in my closet and get good use. i am letting go of spontaneous buys and focussing on intentional living. and all this too make my closet smaller, my confidence higher, and my perspective new.
Love these! I got the pomelo top in a green color in my second box and it is probably one of my all time favorite throw on and go kind of tops!
I am headed to check out those other resources now! I have really made a shift in my thinking as well when it comes to my clothes!
that is great! yes. I am sure you will love both of the others!!
I love that we ended up getting two of the same items in our most recent fixes. I got the clutch and that same striped top but in a grey/white combo. LOVE that top and I’ve already worn it a bunch. I also got some similar jeans, but they didn’t have the holes/distressed details. Isn’t Caroline’s Un-Fancy challenge the best? I’ve been loving it!
We are practically twins (I mean, we have the same last name!!) that is so fun!
I need this in my life.
like… .my wardrobe pretty much consists of dresses that don’t fit right (same as you, boobs too big/ bra problems) or jeans and t-shirts. I try to buy like.. comfy/cute tees.. but they all end up being black, grey, or navy, solid or striped.
for real. LIVE A LITTLE SHAYLA!
I’m going to need to do this. I’m going to do it.
You should! I believe in you! And you should feel excited and confident in the close you have 🙂 not searching through the closet for “something” to wear! I recommend sending in all the clothes that do not fit or you do not like into thred up, read no brainer wardrobe, sign up for stich fix, and build a capsule wardrobe! (at least that is what i did!!) ahhaha
so happy i found your blog through the link-up .. i love the idea of a capsule wardrobe, definitely something i should try! also the last top is perfect .. great choice 🙂
Thank you so much for the sweet encouragement! You should try it 🙂 I’ll be sharing more tips I learn a long the way! you should also try stitch fix if you have not yet!
These all look so good! And I agreed with everything you said. The money thing is huge. If it is cheap, I usually buy it, and a lot of times don’t wear it. No good. Trying to be more intentional with what you have/pick is a good thing. I just need to do it!
I love everything you got from Stitchfix! I’ve had to reframe my perspective on clothes, too. I’ve decided spending more on fewer high-quality pieces is ultimately less expensive than buying a lot of cheaply priced, low-quality items. It’s so easy to waste money on clothes, and I want to be more mindful of that.
Yes! It is so easy to waste money and we think when we are spending less on each item we are obviously saving but that is not necessarily true!
I love your thoughts on all of this. I think a big purge came when I could only pack 2 bags when I moved to Asia. The bigger purge came when I had 1 1/2 days to pack my bags back to America. I gave away a ton of stuff and it felt good to not have so much.
I have never read No Brainer Wardrobe and just checked out un-fancy. I love the concept behind un-fancy and can see how that would be a great way to go. I also think that would be great for people like me who travel / move internationally. Your wardrobe is already small and could go with you.
One thing I love about Dave is that whenever we shop he will ask “Do you like it or love it?” If it is a ‘like’ then I don’t buy it. If it is a ‘love’ then I can get it. That has helped me sort through needs / wants.
I do recommend both those resources!
That is such a helpful hubby!
LOVE your limited wardrobe philosophy. I don’t know about you, but summer is a difficult season to have a limited wardrobe. I wash my clothes more often in the summer, so I feel like they don’t last as long. But that could be that most of my summer clothes are from H&M. Hmm. I think I just convinced myself to put more focus on building my capsule summer wardrobe…
Ha! That is so exciting! I wear out my summer clothes less. We don’t get the longest summer here in Colorado 🙂 But you should still build a summer capsule wardrobe! It is a challenge!
I love this idea! I totally makes me want to evaluate my closet. I’m pretty intentional when I shop, but this makes me want to clean out my closet of old items I’m just not into anymore.
Yeah! Send those old clothes into Thred Up!
It’s so crazy that you posted this today! I need to do this EXACT same thing! And I was just texting a friend of mine (who manages to dress well always) about the best way to go about revamping my wardrobe. I think it’s like you said, quality over quantity AND buying pieces that you could see yourself wearing everyday. I’ve been following Un-Fancy and I really think the concept is brilliant! Can’t wait to get started. I’m going to have to look into Stitch Fix!
Hayley! You really should! If you want to learn more about stich fix, you should read my FAQ post! https://oakandoats.com/2014/04/the-real-deal-about-stitch-fix.html
I LOVE it. It is not monthly (just whenever you want) and I so recommend it!