How this tribe does fair, closet by closet. I spend a bit of time focusing on my own closet here, but in this house, each closet's owner really has his or her own way of doing fair. Our tribe consists of a home-schooled teenager, a working college student, a papa who works in a casual office setting, and a stay-at-home mama. So...I guess we're back to me + my closet. :)
key fair closet tool :: less
style :: California natural ? (this is a tough question)
We're in the thick of our cold weather here, so I'm aware of exactly what I like to wear when it's cold...pieces that work as well for yoga as they do for curling up comfortably under blankets...easy pieces that don't bunch or pinch + layers that are generous enough to wrap up tight. (It's kind of weird how that can be a bit hard to grasp in the weeks before the wind is biting at my ankles and the cold, even in the house, reaches my bones.) (so, yeah...thick socks too.)
Again this autumn, I hunted for a few things: tops (I mentioned at the end of last cold season that it might be time to let a few go + it was), a pair of pants, a sweatshirt, and possibly a sweater too. I was specifically looking for a pair of wider (but not too wide) legged, very slightly cropped pants that aren't jeans...a closer fitting, slightly cropped sweatshirt...and a big, snuggly sweater.
I ended up deciding that my black tencel Nehelem pants could stand in for the desired pants. They are comfortable for wearing around the house, yet look nice enough to wear out when jeans are not appropriate. I found the sweatshirt in a color I love + made fairly. The sweater was supposed to be in the bag already. I'd found a perfectly cozy, oversized one in a thrift store this summer. When I pulled it on a couple weeks ago, ready to be cozy all day, I soon started sneezing and itching my eyes...ugh...allergic. Maybe thrifted sweaters are not the way for me to go. So I kept looking and found a long, cozy sweatshirt that I am quite happy to layer over a tee and leggings (also fair!).
Shopping these days often involves shipping, since there aren't very many places to find fair (without sky high prices) in my neighborhood (outside of thrifting...which doesn't always include a win for me). I admit that it is very easy to get frustrated with this process. I'm looking to have a very small number of items in my closet, so the ones I keep really have to work. Sometimes I honestly start to wonder about my goal...but I know that more things that aren't quite right won't make me feel any better. I've been able to really scale shopping down to twice a year at this point and that is quite satisfying.
I really do feel best with less, so here's what I'm wearing right now:
underlayer tops:
-white linen top
-blue tunic
-2 long sleeve white tees
-2 long sleeve black tees
outer layer tops:
-long black sweatshirt
-slightly cropped olive sweatshirt
-marl cardigan
-tan cardigan
bottoms:
-faded jeans
-tencel pants
-2 pairs leggings
footwear:
-2 pairs brown boots
-trainers
total: 17 pieces
+ outerwear:
-wool blanket coat
-black puffer
-red plaid scarf
-gloves
-hat
-wellies
At the moment, I am just keeping all of these pieces in my closet instead of switching things in/out for monthly wardrobes. (and I like it.)
I've written a little more about my fair closet approach here, if you'd like a bit more. :)
Love,
Jane
key fair closet tool :: less
style :: California natural ? (this is a tough question)
We're in the thick of our cold weather here, so I'm aware of exactly what I like to wear when it's cold...pieces that work as well for yoga as they do for curling up comfortably under blankets...easy pieces that don't bunch or pinch + layers that are generous enough to wrap up tight. (It's kind of weird how that can be a bit hard to grasp in the weeks before the wind is biting at my ankles and the cold, even in the house, reaches my bones.) (so, yeah...thick socks too.)
Again this autumn, I hunted for a few things: tops (I mentioned at the end of last cold season that it might be time to let a few go + it was), a pair of pants, a sweatshirt, and possibly a sweater too. I was specifically looking for a pair of wider (but not too wide) legged, very slightly cropped pants that aren't jeans...a closer fitting, slightly cropped sweatshirt...and a big, snuggly sweater.
I ended up deciding that my black tencel Nehelem pants could stand in for the desired pants. They are comfortable for wearing around the house, yet look nice enough to wear out when jeans are not appropriate. I found the sweatshirt in a color I love + made fairly. The sweater was supposed to be in the bag already. I'd found a perfectly cozy, oversized one in a thrift store this summer. When I pulled it on a couple weeks ago, ready to be cozy all day, I soon started sneezing and itching my eyes...ugh...allergic. Maybe thrifted sweaters are not the way for me to go. So I kept looking and found a long, cozy sweatshirt that I am quite happy to layer over a tee and leggings (also fair!).
Shopping these days often involves shipping, since there aren't very many places to find fair (without sky high prices) in my neighborhood (outside of thrifting...which doesn't always include a win for me). I admit that it is very easy to get frustrated with this process. I'm looking to have a very small number of items in my closet, so the ones I keep really have to work. Sometimes I honestly start to wonder about my goal...but I know that more things that aren't quite right won't make me feel any better. I've been able to really scale shopping down to twice a year at this point and that is quite satisfying.
I really do feel best with less, so here's what I'm wearing right now:
underlayer tops:
-white linen top
-blue tunic
-2 long sleeve white tees
-2 long sleeve black tees
outer layer tops:
-long black sweatshirt
-slightly cropped olive sweatshirt
-marl cardigan
-tan cardigan
bottoms:
-faded jeans
-tencel pants
-2 pairs leggings
footwear:
-2 pairs brown boots
-trainers
total: 17 pieces
+ outerwear:
-wool blanket coat
-black puffer
-red plaid scarf
-gloves
-hat
-wellies
At the moment, I am just keeping all of these pieces in my closet instead of switching things in/out for monthly wardrobes. (and I like it.)
I've written a little more about my fair closet approach here, if you'd like a bit more. :)
Love,
Jane
