above images via 

...an oat-colored layer, comfy leggings...

...a pale sweatshirt, an oversized pullover + pale soft pants.

Silhouettes I'm wearing ::
-tee or button-down + jeans 
-leggings + any top
-sweatshirt + any pants
-oversized pullover + soft pants 
(all + a cozy layer as necessary)

Pieces ::
-cream tee
-chambray button-down
-sweatshirt
-pullover
-pale jeans
-cream jeans
-soft pants
-leggings
-oat layer
-quilted jacket
-clogs 
​-boots 

Simple!  :)

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

Autumn seems like a natural time to consider color...and I love these nature inspired tones. These lovely pieces could mix + match + layer for lots of lovely outfit options. We obviously don't need to buy a whole new wardrobe's worth of pieces, in order to consider color in our own collections.

One way I've been considering color is by choosing pieces in white + natural tones.  :) I choose white tones not only because I like them...but also because I'm thinking about longevity. I am anticipating extending the usefulness + my own love for these pieces by dying them with natural dyes as necessary or desired. Dyes are a great way to add a little color to a thrifted, stained or existing piece in one's wardrobe! I love indigo dye + am looking forward to trying some of EarthHues natural dyes too.

Another way I like to add a little oomph to my regular outfit lineup is by mixing colors in unconventional ways. A few of my outfit dreams using the pieces above include...

I'm actually wearing this combination right now. It doesn't seem like it would work (one of those unconventional color combinations mentioned above), but I think it does.  :) It's one of my favorite cozy at home looks.

I like the idea of sliding a heavier, cozy layer over a simple, sleeveless jumpsuit. The ease of two piece dressing feels like a luxury as temperatures dip. I'd really like to see these different tones of green together, but I have a similar grey jumpsuit already in my closet that would benefit from a cozy layer like this.

These colors are an autumn dream...and that green cardigan above could take this pairing into cooler days. Let the leaves fly!  :)

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

Another quick installment of the get-it-worn chronicles. Appearance-wise, I like this top best as it was originally made. In reality, however, I was just not wearing it. Even though the fabric is very lightweight, the sleeves make it too hot for my lifestyle. The removed sleeves offer fabric for bias binding, and now I think I will actually wear this top. It'll be breezy on the hottest of days with shorts, and on cooler days it can be layered easily under a sweater with jeans. 

Sometimes it can be a bit painful to mess with a good thing, but the results may just be a bit better for getting it worn...which is the point, really.  :)

Love,
​Jane

Last week I pulled all of my summer clothes out + reevaluated what got worn, what works + what might work better for someone else. My focus on "enough" has made this a welcome process, rather than one that I dread. It probably sounds a bit silly, but I do enjoy learning from this process. 

Some preferences shift + change...and some stay the same. A couple of summer preferences that I really do need to trust + embrace:
-I like sleeveless tops, dresses + jumpsuits in the hot months. My daily circumstances are rarely such that I will be comfortable even in short sleeves all day. I love the look of breezy blouses, but they are too hot most days...for me. I don't work in an air-conditioned environment right now + try to keep our AC running as little as possible. Sleeveless pieces are easiest to layer. Plus...sun-kissed shoulders are nice.  ;)

-I really like soft fabrics. Stiff fabrics really don't see much use in my wardrobe. If I dressed the way that is most attractive to me, I would wear soft, pale jeans + a soft white tee every day. In reality I wear soft tanks, soft shorts/pants + jumpsuits/overalls most. Might as well embrace it.

So...I let go of a few lovely pieces that really do feel like me. This can feel a bit sad, but I know they will be more useful in someone else's wardrobe. I don't have to own every lovely thing. It can also make me feel guilt over the money spent. This is where it is good to sell something before it loses more of its value (I'll recover most of the money spent)...and...where it's important to make note of + learn from the mistake. I really try to focus in on the reasons that a particular piece doesn't work for me + I try to make notes for next warm/hot season.

Notes:
-I like white tops.
-Swingy, lightweight, elastic waisted shorts are great. Esprit pattern or maybe Pietra.
-Favorite summer fabrics: lightweight rayon, cotton, linen + voile
-Sandals that don't flip or flop + have a little arch support are most comfortable

What I'm left with for the summer months:
-6 tanks
-short rayon jumpsuit (that I wear as shorts with a tank over top)
-soft pants
-linen overalls
-2 dresses
-at-home shorts
-sandals

I always feel lighter + happier at the end of this process. I know that I have what I need + that I'm not holding things from others. One planet...limited resources...gratitude... generosity...compassion...love.

Love, 
Jane

Once we've decided where our vacation plans will take us, one of the big things we have to deal with is what clothing to pack. I find this task both fun + daunting. No matter the size of our wardrobes, many of us might start to make a list of things we "need" to purchase in order to feel prepared for our travels. 

Our past trips have often involved being prepared to do lots of walking + maybe hiking as well as looking cute enough to join the chic in the city. The trip we are looking forward to involves all things outdoors...in a place where outdoorsy style fits right in even in the city. (Fingers crossed.)  :)

This trip will involve "living" outdoors + visiting areas steeped in this lifestyle. I anticipate feeling comfortable in pretty much one type of clothing + that makes the prospect of packing only a backpack seem really manageable. Layering is king here. A tank, soft pants (or shorts...yet to be decided) + sandals will keep me cool. Layering leggings, a long-sleeved tee, a wool layer, windbreaker + trainers will keep me warm. Outdoor living + hiking can call for various levels of layering throughout the day. I think these pieces will be up to the challenge. 

I also love that as I think through packing for this trip, I can find almost all of what I anticipate needing in my own small wardrobe. (!)

Here's what I'm planning on packing:
-tanks
-long-sleeved tees
-wool layer
-windbreaker
-soft pants or jumpsuit or shorts 
-leggings
-trainers, socks, sandals
-baseball cap (+ maybe a beanie or headband)

I did need to purchase a windbreaker that packs small. Otherwise my small wardrobe proved sufficient! Yay!

Photos via links. Unlinked photos, mine.

Love,
​Jane

June was cooler than usual where we live. I spent most of the month enjoying wearing outfits like a navy tee + navy soft pants or linen overalls + tank. When I had to wear shoes, there was only one choice to make...sandals. Jo + I made a trip to our favorite thrifting spot here. I did a little sewing + tried some fair options as well. In the end I added a couple of white tanks to my wardrobe. 

In all honesty, I'm still trying to figure out some presentable, everyday, hot weather outfit options. I have one pair of shorts + one pair of lightweight pants that I am willing to wear outside of the house. I can wear either of those with my small collection of tanks + tees. I'd like to add a couple of bottoms +/or a dress or two. I'd also like a pair of comfy, cute shoes that I could walk for hours in. In trying to put a positive spin on things I can say that I'm learning about what I do + don't like and what does + doesn't work on my body.

A few June fairdare observations:
​-The fairdare is more about what we wear than what we want to wear. 
-It is as much about what we don't add to our wardrobes as it is what we choose to add. 
-It's more about creativity + perspective than the size of our budgets.

For accountability's sake (June) ::
bought fair: 2 white tank tops

Love,
Jane

Many of us have learned this lesson in some area of our lives...maybe through putting in the time + effort to study in school...or maybe through eating well for a period of time. I've been particularly surprised by how decreasing the amount of my possessions has changed my thinking. The desire to find something to bring home from a trip no longer tugs at me. Wandering through the mall once a week no longer appeals to me. Packaged junk food doesn't have such a hold on me. 

Having experimented with dressing with less + living with less, I now find it easier to recognize enough in my closet...in the decoration of my home...on my bookshelf...and at the grocery store. I feel like I've inched a tiny bit further away from illusion + closer to Reality. I still live in the midst of illusion + I am still affected by it, but I am also aware of its shifty + deceptive nature. I look forward to more discoveries in this direction...the direction of Reality.

Love, 
​Jane

I love the idea of versatile dresses that can not only be worn on their own, but can adapt to many uses, occasions + seasons. The images above come from Richer-Poorer, + I think they've captured this idea to perfection! 

A classic, black, slip dress is always the first versatile dress that comes to my mind, but there are so many other options as well. There may even be a dress or two in one's closet with possibilities previously untapped. Here are a few less-basic dresses that would be just as comfortable with trainers as they'd be with strappy sandals...a sweatshirt or a blazer...a cropped tee or a cashmere cardigan. 

When looking for a versatile dress I think of all the pieces that could work with a dress + then I consider if they would layer well with the dress I'm considering. A few things I keep in mind:
-a non-waisted or raised waist dress will work well with shorter + longer tops...a dropped waist limits these options
-a sleeveless dress has more potential to layer over + under well without any extra bulk or bunching at the shoulders
-look for dresses that would be breezy summer options on their own as well 
-a little wiggle room in fit is good for layering over other pieces
-keeping the neckline from being too high increases the ways that things can layer on top
-natural fabrics layer best...no static cling

A carefully chosen dress can be layered under + over lots of the things already in one's closet...over a slim tee or merino turtleneck...or under any number of things. I love the versatility of layering a dress under a tee, sweatshirt, tunic or even that same slim tee, so that dress becomes a skirt without any extra bulk or tightness at the waist. I've tried to stick with some basic layering pieces here, but trying not-so-basics like a flouncy sleeved top or smock could be great layering options as well.

I love that a single piece can wake up so many other piece already in one's closet. Suddenly many of those pieces can be appreciated in a whole new way.

All lovely photos via links.

Love,
Jane

Reading about Sarah who found a basic tee that could carry her through the next twenty years in style had me thinking about uniforms again this weekend. The appeal of a uniform for me is less about the daily savings of time getting ready + more about the overall decrease in time + money spent trying to figure out what to wear.

                     via                                               via                                                via

My wardrobe has always been a bunch of basics with a smattering of unique pieces thrown in. I would imagine many people's wardrobes are similar in this way. When the basics are lacking, it can all just feel like a mess of things that don't work. With the basics in place, the other pieces sing.

So...here is what I'm thinking for summer: a few solid tank tops + a few basic pairs of shorts. As needed, these pieces can mix with the other pieces in my wardrobe to make a sort of uniform with options. If I find the perfect "special" piece to add to this little collection of basics...great. If not...I have what I need. I've been thrifting + sewing + browsing a few fair pieces with varying amounts of success...so...fingers crossed.

Photos via links.

Love,
​Jane