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.

Love,
​Jane

May was a beautiful month full of weather extremes + one big event for us...a wedding. In May, we bared our arms + legs to the sun...watched the rain fall for days + days...and camped out in the basement tracking a giant tornado. Clothing-wise, I wore a lot of varied pieces + combinations to keep warm + cool...often in the same day. These soft pants I purchased at the end of April were definitely my most worn piece. They are the perfect weight, so comfortable + go with everything from tanks to sweaters. 

I had the chance to test out this organic cotton/hemp tank quite a bit too. It's the perfect length, layers well, washes well + the arm scythe is just right. Note to self: a good purchase is quite easy to confirm (just not always so easy to find).  :)

The wedding had me a little more flustered about what to wear than I'd like to admit. My wardrobe is quite casual...just the way I like it. This wedding had me hearing all these little shoulds + shouldn'ts in my mind about lengths + colors of dresses, as well as what-ifs regarding temperatures for this outdoor affair in the upper midwest. I ended up collecting a few options, choosing the one that felt most "me" + confirming that absolutely no one cared what I wore.  :) So...there was a bit more returning of pieces this month than I'd like to admit or do again. 

For accountability's sake (May):
no wardrobe additions kept

Love,
​Jane

April temperatures have given the thermometer a work out...up + down. We've cozied up, and we've soaked in the sun this month. My most worn piece was probably this rust sweatshirt. It goes with everything + adds a cozy layer just right for these in-between days.

We also received a taste of much warmer temperatures which skip right over all the in-between clothes + the lightest of layers. Last summer I felt like I would have appreciated a couple more pairs of shorts in my wardrobe, so I started thinking about what ones I'd like to wear. Shorts are one of the easiest things to sew (elastic waisted versions anyway), so I worked on personalizing the fit of a pattern I already have. On the very last (rainy + cold) day of April, I sewed this block printed pair (above) out of a scrap of fabric just big enough to squeeze the pattern pieces onto.

My trainers situation also received some thought + action in April. Along with flats (+ an appearance or two of sandals), those trainers have been all I need during this transition season.

We are going to a wedding in May, + I've been thinking about what I have to wear. I thought I'd try a jumpsuit that I tried earlier in the fall, but didn't keep. The day after I purchased it, I received an email that that jumpsuit along with the rest of the sale section was another big percentage off. I ended up purchasing a few things. I have yet to receive the package, but I will record what I keep here + share a little bit more about them in the weeks to come. (Update: kept one pair of soft, swingy pants.) With this purchase + a project or two I have in mind, I think I have met the needs I can foresee for the next few months. I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a little pure enjoyment of what I have. (yay!)

For accountability's sake (April):
bought fair :: tank + soft pants
​made :: shorts
sold :: trainers

Love,
Jane

I was telling him that my simplicity journey has taught me things in ways that I never expected. My thinking has been transformed, but I still have to push myself sometimes. It was about shoes + how I finally took the plunge to only having one pair of trainers. That's when he said it with a tiny, smug smile, "Guys have it so much easier. We only need three pairs of shoes: a nicer pair, a sporty pair, and a..." I still don't know what the third pair was going to be, because I just had to laugh at this point. "You think you only have three pairs of shoes?" I asked.

Later that evening, while he was out...I put his shoes together in a line...his thirteen pairs of shoes...with a little note above that read, "Guys have it so much easier." He gasped when he saw them + laughed. I just said that I knew I wouldn't have the chance to make this point again.  :) No pressure...just awareness.

He is the one who suggested writing a post about it. "Sometimes you just don't even know that you have so much," he said. 

To me, the interesting part is that he could easily say how many pairs of shoes would be enough + what functions he would need them to fulfill. When it came time to look at the shoes that were actually already in his possession, however, "enough" was not part of the equation. At that point, it was more about the items themselves...not "necessity".

I can identify with this too. But I'm trying to work things from the opposite direction...and little by little...I'm learning. We're learning.

Love,
Jane 

This last week of March has brought a couple of days with temperatures that touched the 70s F! As I write this I'm feeling resistant to thinking back on the rest of this cold + cloudy month. I just want to look forward to sun-kissed shoulders + bare feet. It's coming.

New collections came out this month which fueled those dreams. Dreaming made it a little easier to tolerate the still present leggings + sweaters...as did trading long-sleeved tees for short-sleeved ones, wool socks for cotton, and fur-lined boots for trainers. Little switches really did make things feel a bit fresher. 

My closet received a mini clean out + a few things were put up for sale on ebay. The usefulness of my pieces has come into acute focus over the past few years. I like the concept of objects maintaining their value through use. If I'm not using a piece to its full potential, it can feel good to pass it on to someone else who will use it well. I'm not looking to replace things with newer, shinier or more exciting versions. Less is liberating + often brings more value to the things that remain.

I'd been keeping an eye out for a restock of Aliya Wanek's beautiful sweatshirts all winter. A longer sweatshirt would be useful year-round in my simple wardrobe. This month I was able to purchase one in just the color I'd been waiting for. The rewards of patience have been evident lately. Now if I can just internalize + apply the lesson going forward!

This month it felt good to wear what is in my closet, to try on a few versatile pieces that I'm looking forward to wearing over + over in the warmer months to come, and to let a few things expand their stories with another wearer. Tiny moves have been made toward a truer alignment with function + beauty in my life + in my wardrobe.

For accountability's sake: (March)
bought fair :: sweatshirt
sold :: sweatshirt, pants, shoes

Love,
​Jane