Closet Update: July 2018

I was inspired by Paige from Style This Life to start documenting my minimalism journey better. In her closet updates, she lists the items that she added to and purged from her wardrobe, as well as the items that she wore the most/least. Her goal was to be more transparent in her journey, and I have been enjoying her honesty and reading all about her journey of having a capsule wardrobe. My goals are similar, but I’m also hoping that this will keep me accountable with following my guidelines for mindful consumption. I’m hoping that being honest with the public about my journey (especially when I stumble and cave into fast fashion), that I can be more honest with myself and make the necessary and sustainable changes I need. In these monthly updates, you will see what I added to my wardrobe (both what I bought and what I generously received from brands); what I purged and/or decided to return; and my realizations about my wardrobe for the month. I also want to track how much money I’m spending on clothes so I’m going to also include total costs in these monthly updates. I’m hoping that this will also help keep me accountable to update my closet inventory page.

– NEW ADDITIONS –

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Free People It’s Yours Hi-Lo Tee via Nordstrom Rack ($25) — This was an impulse buy made possible by a 120-degree summer afternoon spent trying to avoid the heat. You can read all about this relapse in my shopaholic ways in this post.

Kut From the Kloth Jeans (similar option) via Nordstrom Rack ($40) — This was another purchase made in my relapse, but was a little bit more intentional because I have been hunting for a pair of blue jeans in a certain blue shade.

Celine Rounded Cat Eye Sunglasses via Nordstrom Rack ($150) — Yet another purchase made in my relapse…

Veja x Madewell Fruit Embroidered Esplar Low Sneakers ($63) — Yet another purchase made in my relapse…

Madewell Embroidered U-Neck Tee ($14) — Yet another purchase made in my relapse…

Madewell Sundrift Eyelet Ruffle Top ($30) — During my Summer 10×10 challenge, I realized that I was enjoying my light colored pieces paired with my black pieces. The contrast was fun, and suddenly seemed less piano-rehearsal-like. I knew I wanted to add some white blouses to my wardrobe, and so when I saw this on sale (my trigger words), I ordered it. Seeing it on Cassidy was just the ammo I needed. I still want to find a way to bring in my boho-dreams to my wardrobe. This top seemed like a good step in that direction.

Nisolo Isla Slide Sandal ($60) — This purchase was actually intentional. These sandals have been on my wish list for about a year! I even tried to get a cheaper dupe from Nordstrom Rack a few months back that have sadly ripped. Nisolo was having their annual end of the season sale and I knew that this would be my best shot at buying these.

Sotela Lyla Crop 2.0 ($89) — I have been admiring Sotela since I started my journey to shopping more ethically. I have been eying their Ryan Trouser for a long while, but when Hanna came out with her Sand Collection, I knew I wanted to give it a try. The Lyla Crop is something that I didn’t have in my wardrobe, and I wanted to try the flax color that every minimalist, ethical-fashion enthusiast seemed to be obsessed with.

H&M High Waisted Denim Culottes ($30) — I lived in my Muji cotton wide leg pants for a good part of this Summer. One of the reasons why I love them so much is also the reason why I needed another pair of wide-legged pants: they feel almost pajama-like with how soft they are. I didn’t know how often I could get away with these pants at work, so I knew I wanted to add a more structured pair into my wardrobe. I wanted to try a denim version. After scouring the internet for ethical options, I was disappointed with the lack of sizing and with the lack of black denim options. I then turned to H&M and found what I was looking for. After getting over the guilt of shopping fast fashion (took a few days to be honest), I bit the bullet and ordered these, hoping that the intent behind them would outweigh the cost.

TOTAL MONEY SPENT: ~ $501.00 // TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: +9

– WHAT I LET GO –

I remember doing a quick declutter at the beginning of the month, and let go of a few tops and sweaters before deciding to start this series. But then, things in July really picked up the second half with a four-day training and then soon after, I started my month-long stay at a home where I’m currently house- and dog-sitting. I did not get another opportunity to evaluate my wardrobe and purge anything that didn’t need to be there anymore. It has been interesting being away from the majority of my clothes and living with a fraction of it. I am actually anxious and excited to get back to living in my apartment and get a good session of decluttering in at the end of August. I already can think of a couple things that are redundant and can go to better homes.

I thought I would end up returning some of the purchases that I made, but I ended up returning nothing! I have been loving and enjoying all my new purchases (even though there were quite a few of them!). Maybe, just maybe, I’m getting a little smarter with what I’m choosing to buy. Or I’m just getting better at justifying my purchases (which is not good).

TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: -unknown #

– WHAT I LEARNED –

When I just totaled up the sum for how much I spent on clothes in July, I was shook. To see that number, 501, on my phone’s calculator shocked me. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve looked too closely at how much I spend on clothes for a long, long time, so to see it in big white numbers shook me to my core. I instantly felt super guilty and ashamed. My inner voice suddenly turned on: You were supposed to have spent no dollars, and somehow you’ve spent almost 500! Clearly, this was a summer of not enough. You could’ve totally gone a trip with this money! You were doing so well up until you said you wouldn’t shop. Maybe bans don’t work for you. 

But now that I’m looking at the list, I realized that besides the jeans, the Nisolo sandals, and the Sotela crop top, I’ve worn every single item a lot. It’s been too hot for jeans, and the latter two pieces arrived in early August so I couldn’t wear them in the month of July. I’m looking forward to wearing all of these new pieces for a long time. The Celine sunglasses have not left my face since that day, and I practically live in the Free People tee (it truly is so soft) when I’m at home.

I did get a bit spend-happy on clothes this month. Thinking back though, I think I tend to get a little bit more spend-happy when July rolls around because it’s the only full-month I truly get off from teaching (which means more idle time that is apparently spent shopping. I’m definitely going to have to be more conscious when next summer rolls around). I’m not quite sure if I regret any of these yet (maybe the Madewell embroidered u-neck tee). I know that as I’m continuing to refine my style and build my perfect, capsule wardrobe, that I will need to fill in the gaps (aka buy things, but keyword being gaps). I guess I’ll see what I end up regretting in future monthly updates with what I let go. I probably could’ve done without all of these purchases, but slow-living and minimalism don’t mean to go completely without. It also doesn’t mean to buy excessively, which I admit, I did. I’m still learning how to shop more mindfully, and after my relapse (aka purchases #1-5), I really did try to stick to my approved shopping list (white romantic blouse ✔️, and Nisolo Isla Slide Sandals ✔️).

This month shows where I’m starting. I’m hoping that by doing this every month, my mindfulness will grow and this growth will show in these monthly updates. Something, I really regret in starting my journey towards minimalism was not being better at documenting my journey, so this–a pretty low point in my minimalism journey–is where we’re going to start.

Until August…