A lot of the bloggers I follow who've done capsule wardrobes in the past have talked about how the feeling of "failure" began to grate on them during the exercise. I don't want to dwell in this feeling that I "messed up" during my no-buy months, so in March I made that work for me, continued to purge pieces that felt unnecessary to my life now, and used April as a time to explore my Spring style.
1. White Wide Leg Pants - I'd been on the hunt for these for a little while, especially since both the Kamm and the Everlane versions don't come large enough in size to fit me. After my success with the Vince pants I had a brand starting off point, and while they're linen and a little prone to wrinkling, the fit is on point for Spring/Summer.
2. Chambray Dress - a some spur of the moment purchase of Marine Layer, I loved that it was a bit shorter than my usual, thus it can (hypothetically) be tucked in if I wanted. Before definitively keeping it I also experimented with it over black jeans and leggings, with and without booties, which helped me see the versatility of the tunic/dress when paired with things I already own. I also loved that it's made responsibly, even if that isn't a cornerstone of all my buying practices.
3. White Jumpsuit - I love(d) this jumpsuit from Anthropologie, and my only regret is that after wearing it twice it developed a random hole in the MIDDLE of the leg. Poop. Poop on all the things. So this was a purchase but also a return.
4. F21 Dress - Ok, this I regret only because I bought #8 down there, fucking up April simultaneously. It's still a cute dress though, and hopefully I can get enough wears out of both this summer to not make it a complete fail.
5. Denim Shirt - A replacement for one that was coming apart at the seams under the arm. No regrets, I tried it on, waited for a sale, and made it mine :).
6. Sweatshirt - This I could blame on Style by Lee, but honestly it is the softest most comfiest loungewear piece I think I own, and when it was cooler I even wore it out of the house (life is short). I felt good supporting another small company, which makes a well made piece even more pleasing to own.
7. Coat-igan - Am I sold on dusters totally? No. But I am enamored with the idea of a cardigan/mid-weight topper with pockets, which has been so popular lately, but a lot of the more voluminous ones just look ridiculous on me. Eileen Fisher popped up in my brand awareness because of the minimalist scene, and while a lot of their aesthetic doesn't fit me really, I had some Nordstrom notes and when I sized down this light tweed addition made me so happy.
8. Floral Maxi (gift) - I'm including this because it was an addition to my closet, but really it's only due to a dear friend who got it for me when I mentioned my April no-buy, and I'm so thankful to her for it. I plan to wear the crap out of it!
9. Floral Max 2 (all me) - So this dress. I originally fell in love with the floral pattern online, but since Free People's sizing can be all over the place for me, I didn't buy it. Then, out with friends. I stopped by a store that had exactly one left - not in the size I would typically have purchased, but they had one. I said fuck it and tried it on, which was the WORST thing to do, because it was amazing perfection but I couldn't think of man occasions to wear it, and I'm trying to buy less things that have a high price per wear. So I didn't buy it, I got the F21 dress, told myself the feel was the same, and worked on not being sad when my size was already sold out online. But (because there's always a but), I kept the tab open. I hemmed, I hawed, I told myself it was better not to even have the option to buy it, because I don't live a life with Coachellas in it. Despite all this firm self-talk though, the second they had a medium in stock, a single solitary little medium, I bought it immediately. And while I feel terrible because dammit I should be able to go a month without buying any clothing, I can only kind of regret something that makes me feel so amazing when I put it out. Thus is the tale of Dana and this Free People dress.
10. Swimsuit - This was an April fuck up, but it was an honest fuck up. It was only after I clicked buy did I think about whether swimwear counted as clothing and while I've decided that it does, but because it wasn't premeditated I'm going to give it a pass.
So what does all this mean? Well between March and April I bought twice as much as I did in Jan/Feb, and not all of it was done with the same forethought. I'm still not entirely positive I know what I want to look like in the end, which I was ok with before but it now kind of starting to become annoying.
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