April - June Wardrobe Update + Why I Buy Too Much

I’ll just start this post by saying the hard thing - I have added 20 items to my closet so far. Yikes! My goal is to only add 24 items to my closet in 2024, and 20 by mid year puts me in serious danger of missing my goal by a long shot.

However, I am not giving up. I am refusing to have an ‘all-or-nothing’ mentality about this challenge. I do not want to throw in the towel and abandon ship.

Spring and fall are my heavier buying seasons. Not buying clothes in July and August will be pretty easy. If I can manage to keep my fall purchases to a minimum, I’ll at least land within a respectable proximity to my goal. I do expect it to be very hard though. Particularly if I have any gifting opportunities with my favorite brands.

The reason I joined this challenge was to be more mindful of my consumption and *slow down* on purchasing. Saying that outloud in this post, and mentally revisiting that goal on a regular basis is a must for me to stay (or get back) on track.

Sometimes I think the struggle of buying too much comes from not knowing what to wear, which stems from not knowing how to build an outfit I like. I recently read Anna Newton's post about 'ingredient dressing vs. formula dressing' and I can't stop thinking about! It really highlighted to me why I've often struggled to put together outfits I love. I've been so focused on the items themselves verses the formula to make an outfit I love. Anna's post gave excellent direction for formula building and led me to Allison Bornstein and her 3-word method. I've been thinking about that a lot in the last several days, and will share more of my takeaways in a future post. For now, here's a quick wardrobe update.

Over the course of April, May and June I added 10 items, 4 gifted, 6 purchased. 

What I added in April:

11 - Sera Fisherman Sandal in black with silver studs, styled with linen pants (older) and vest (linked to similar).

This purchase was planned well in advance, as I was in the market for a black summer shoe for work. I love how visually interesting these are! They look great with casual and dressy looks. I sized down 1/2 size.

12 - Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe Jeans in Bravo Wash, styled with Sezane top and Freda Salvador Sneakers.

I bought these thinking I would wear this dark wash for work, but I need to focus on learning how to style them a little better. I do not care for this outfit at all. The top is all wrong, it competes with the jeans too much! If I could turn back time I might skip this purchase. Going to keep trying to style them through the fall. They would probably look pretty with a chocolate cardigan or something else sleek on top.

13 - Sézane Max Shirt in Denim, styled with Vincent St. James Pants + Minimal Sandals (c/o).

I went to a Sezane influencer event in the spring and they were gifting us our choice of the Max shirt. I really could have said no! But in the end, I did not, and I received this beauty. It was nice to be able to try them on in person, I sized up x2. I haven't worn this one as much as I thought I would...

14 - Sézane Max Shirt in Stripes (sized up x1)

And then, for reason I don't understand, I bought the same shirt again in stripes.

What I Added in May:

15 - Madewell Slim Blazer in plaid, styled with Ayla Jeans and Freda Salvador Mules.

In May I had a gifting opportunity from Madewell. I thought about turning it down, but decided the chance to add workwear items to my closet was too good to pass up. I selected this long and fitted linen blazer and the two items below.

16 + 17 - Madewell Deep-V Boxy Sweater + Bev T-Strap Thong Sandal, styled with older white jeans (also Madewell) and Tote.

I've worn this sweater a *ton* it's a great, effortless top that looks good with almost any bottoms I own. It's easy to wear every day, and the texture and shape do a great job adding visual interest to an otherwise basic outfit. These sandals I didn't wear much, until I landed on my 3 style words. (More to come on that in a future post.)

18 - Linen Boxy Shirt from Madewell

I bought this after helping a friend pick it out for her own wardrobe. I would link it, but it's sold out. This purchase was a bit impulsive, but it's been very handy for work days in the hot weather.

What I Added in June:

19 - Birkenstocks in Suede Taupe.

I went back and forth on this one for quite some time before ultimately going for it. It's nice to have a 'fresh' pair of Birks, as my go-to's are getting a bit mucky in the footbed. However, I think if I had landed on my style words *before* buying them, I might have passed on this purchase.

20 - Pina Low Rise Jeans by Citizens of Humanity styled with the Tomboy Shirt.

It's still too soon to talk about this one. Let's just say I ended up shopping a sale at my favorite store when I was emotionally worn down. (10/10 don't recommend!) I do like the jeans though. They fit a bit more slouchy than it looks in the photos. More to come on these ones.