Wednesday, March 30, 2011

One Piece Three Ways


The Dress: Silk Ruffle Dress from Banana Republic, on sale in store for $59.00

Work


Cropped Blazer from UO (similar style here); Vintage rhinestone brooch; Celine espadrilles

Evening


Banana Republic necklace, Balenciaga slingbacks, Forever21 earrings, vintage rhinestone bracelet

Weekend


UO striped cardigan, on sale for $14.99, vintage boat shoes, the boyfriend's watch

Today was closet cleaning/reorganization day, and oh boy, it was a doozy. I often get frustrated in the mornings when I'm trying to put an outfit together, and then that can throw the whole day off. The other day I saw a quote from a French fashion editor who said that she didn't understand the size of American's closets - "How can you dress well with so many clothes?" And that seems about right. I've tried to simplify before, but alas, it almost never works. Whenever I can't find an outfit I like, I just go out and buy something that feels right in the moment.

So, that strategy = a lot that doesn't go with anything else.

Today I got rid of over 100 things. Yes, 100+ pieces of clothing. And you know what? My closet looks and feels fine. Come the end of the week, I probably won't even remember what I got rid of.

So this new series for the blog - One Piece Three Ways - is inspired by my trying to make do with less and really be happy with it.

13 comments:

KristiMcMurry said...

100+ pieces?! That's incredible. I applaud you...

This is such a wonderful idea, and very well done. I love all three of these looks!

Pinecone Camp said...

Good for you! I love your 3 looks here. You've inspired me to take a closer look at my mess of clothes!

Pretty Little World said...

I started by taking everything out of the closet. When it was all piled on the floor, I couldn't believe how much there was - I was like, "Where did this all come from?"

Unknown said...

this is a great idea, i look forward to more! :)

Secondhand Stella said...

Wow, 100 pieces is amazing! I love purging my closet. I did the same thing this year and I def feel like I am shopping smarter and have been remixing more.

Amanda said...

Wow! This really inspires me to do a little closet cleaning myself. It needs to be done!
Love the dress - the evening outfit is so cute!

Anonymous said...

hello! just found your blog and wanted to say hi!


i love your taste and the way you shoot some of your photos. totally unexpected and refreshing. i'm so following you now!

cheers,
yvonne
modern.girl

Katy said...

Oh, goodness. That sounds just like me. I think I saw that same quote somewhere and it struck me, too. I feel like I'm constantly pruning back my wardrobe, but somehow, it never seems to get smaller. (Darn impulse buys!) I think part of the problem is that one must have a very strong, stable, well-defined sense of one's own style in order to have the sort of small and well-edited, yet versatile wardrobe that French editor was referencing. And personally, my style tastes are all over the place!

Courtney said...

i think that's really smart & i totally agree about american closets. the year i lived in spain i had the smallest amount of clothes ever and i had to get creative. as soon as summer begins, i am cleaning out my closet. it's always very liberating :)

Unknown said...

DYING for all the shoes in this post ...seriously dying!

The Housewife(職工MUM) said...

Kristen, wonder if you would sometimes go back and read your older posts. Have you realised you have "predicted" the outfit that the new Duchess of Cambridge wore on the morning after her wedding? XD This is her photo: http://i1.cdnds.net/11/17/550w_showbiz_royal_wedding_kate_william_walking_buckingham_palace.jpg

Also a black little jacket, blue chiffon (possibly silk too) dress, and a pair of black espadrilles. :-D

Sugar Darlings said...

Kristen, do you sometimes go back to your older posts and read them? I was reading your blog and found that you have accurately "predicted" what the new Duchess of Cambridge wore on the morning after her wedding!

http://i1.cdnds.net/11/17/550w_showbiz_royal_wedding_kate_william_walking_buckingham_palace.jpg

She was also spotted wearing this cute little cropped black jacket, blue chiffon pleated dress, possibly silk as it flows very nicely, and a pair of black espadrilles! XD

Because of this, I had this urge to dash to Zara and I bought a similar pair (open-toed) of espadrilles too!

Pretty Little World said...

Lol, I didn't realize at all!! Maybe there's some kind of future in this for me: Psychic Fashion :)