February was a bit of a hard month for me: getting sick with a cough that’s still lingering; having one of my wheels stolen off of my car; and feeling the lowest ever emotionally at my job. I’m so glad to see this month come to end and can only hope that March brings better things. It rained for a lot of February (which may have contributed to my negative mood) so I definitely got a lot of use out of some of my new additions.
Read on to see what I added and purged from my closet down below!
– NEW ADDITIONS –
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TO MY SHOES:
Everlane Rain Boot (gifted) received on 02/04/19 — You can read all about what I think about these rain boots over on this blog post here.
Marais Ankle Boots ($35) via Poshmark bought on 02/12/19 — After doing a purge of my shoe collection, it was time to replace some of my ankle booties. I probably didn’t need to buy this particular pair, but I couldn’t resist the price tag once the seller lowered the price. I’ve been wearing these non-stop since I received them!
TOTAL MONEY SPENT: $35
TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: +2 in shoes
TO MY EVERYDAY CAPSULE WARDROBE:
Comme Des Garcons T-Shirt ($70) via Poshmark bought on 02/04/19 — I had been wanting this tee for years to layer under slip dresses, and to have it be a bump up from a basic white tee. I finally bit the bullet this month. You can see how I styled it over on this blog post.
Hackwith Design House Button-Up Balloon Pant Jumper (gifted) received on 02/09/19 — You can read all about what I think about this jumpsuit over on this blog post here.
Everlane Chore Jacket (gifted) received on 02/15/19 — A black denim jacket has been on my list of things I wanted to hunted for this new year, but when this was released from Everlane, my hunt was over! I love how perfectly boxy and lightweight this is! This will definitely be in heavy rotation in the Spring/Summer! Review on it coming at your way soon!
Madewell Washed Leather Motorcycle Jacket ($290) via Poshmark bought on 02/18/19 — It’s been over a year since I wore my leather jacket from And Other Stories. As much as I loved it when I bought it, I’ve realized that it’s much too thick and heavy for LA. I’ve since been on the hunt for a thinner version have been eying this one from Madewell for years. I waited for it to go on sale, but alas, it never really did! I have since been checking almost everyday for the last few months for it to come in my size and for it to be under $300, and so here we are! I haven’t been excited about an article of clothing in a very long time.
TOTAL MONEY SPENT: $360
TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: +4 in everyday capsule
TO MY LOUNGEWEAR / GYM WARDROBE:
Girlfriend Collective Black Comprehensive High-Rise Legging ($68) bought on 02/26/19 — As much as I love how curated my Loungewear & Gym Capsule has become over the last year, I definitely want to replace it with higher quality pieces. I spend quite a bit of time in loungewear (more than I probably should), so I would like to invest in some great pieces. I know this wasn’t a secondhand purchase, but I’ve been wanting to try Girlfriend Collective for a while so I let myself have this one.
TOTAL MONEY SPENT: $68
TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: +1 in loungewear capsule
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– WHAT I LET GO –
FROM MY EVERYDAY CAPSULE WARDROBE:
–Abercrombie & Fitch Grey Ribbed Knit Sweater
–Abercrombie & Fitch Camel Ribbed Knit Sweater
–And Other Stories Leather Jacket
TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: -4
FROM MY SHOES:
–Urban Outfitters Chelsea Boots
–Dolce Vita Tan Ankle Boots
–Dolce Vita Black Ankle Boots
–Rag & Bone Newbury Boots
TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: -4
ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK:
–Everlane Silk Square Shirt Dress
–Everlane Navy Soft Cotton Square Crew
–Frank & Oak Grey Sweater
–Anthropologie Rainbow Knit Black Sweater
–Free People Long Sleeve Ruffle Tunic Dress
–H&M Wide Leg Jeans
–Lou & Grey Grey Rainbow-marled Cardigan
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– WHAT I LEARNED –
It’s funny how my mood and mindset when it comes to minimalism waxes and wanes over the months. It seemed like last month, I didn’t feel very rigid when it came to sticking to a certain number of items in my wardrobe. This month, I seemed to swing to the other extreme and started feeling overwhelmed with the 67 pieces that I did have. March will be fifth month, I’ll be tracking my wear count and it’s been so eye-opening to see what I get a lot of use out of and what I don’t. There are quite a few pieces in my wardrobe that I thought I loved but haven’t worn (some I haven’t even considered wearing) for the last four months. While some are in my Spring/Summer capsule, many of them are in my everyday and in my Fall/Winter capsules. Not wanting to be rash though (since I actually do like these pieces), I put a lot of them in my On-The-Chopping-Block List to consider for March & April as we transition to Spring.
Now that my second month of shopping-second hand only is over, I have the confidence to finish the six months and will probably extend it to the full year of 2019. I did start to notice my shopaholic tendencies creeping back in while thrifting. The lower prices can be irresistible and I have to constantly check myself: Do I really need that? What hole in the wardrobe would that fill? Are you willing to let go of another pieces to make room for that one? It’s thrilling to get access to brands that I wouldn’t be able to afford brand new, but I have to keep reminding myself that overconsumption is overconsumption, even if it’s secondhand overconsumption. It’s also been really fun having Brandon along for the ride these last two months. He’s just as excited as I am when he finds a gem in thrift stores or when he’s scrolling through Poshmark or The Real Real.
On that note, I feel like in these last few months, I’ve really been enjoying the fruits of my labor of the wardrobe that I’ve curated in the last year and a half. Getting dressed has been so much less stressful than in year past, and I rarely ever feel like I have nothing to wear. Sifting through racks at thrift stores are easier since I have a better sense of my style (aka only look at the black clothing racks ha), and I now know what works best for my body. I am so grateful that I have this relationship with my clothes: that I’ve pushed through letting go of all the just-in-case clothes; that I’ve invested (quite heftily might I add) in clothes that will last and that are “me;” and that I’ve stuck this lifestyle through as I can be quite finicky with these types of things. I think a good chunk of my wardrobe will still be with me in the years to come. At the beginning of this year, I jotted down all the items I started 2019 off with, so it’ll be interesting to see how many of those are left once 2019 is over. In June, I’ll have been on this minimalism journey for two years and I don’t think there’s an end in sight. I still make mistakes, lots of them, but that’s all a part of the journey!
Here’s to March!
THE PLEB LIFE 