Out with the old and in with the new

I have been trying to go through my clothes with a careful eye, getting rid of stuff that doesn't fit, is worn out, but mostly just doesn't go with my life/style/job.

I also recently read this post  from LPC at Privilege on dressing for academia. And while scientists (and biologists in particular) tend to be more informal, I did get several good ideas. Namely, I should focus on basic dark colors to mix and match.

So out with the old and in with the new. (notice a pattern here? everything is purple/fuchsia)

I also found a new swim suit at old navy - I was really impressed with the quality - the fabric (fully lined on top and bottom) was as nice as any of my JCrew suits (my usual brand).

I also rounded up some pastels (LPC says no to these and I realized there was a reason I hadn't been wearing them) and some shoes that I no longer wear to donate.

Add in a few button downs and a blazer or two (like this charcoal linen one) and hopefully no one will mistake me for a student (its only happened once so far).

Project 333

A recent article in the NY Times on a project where people wear only 6 items of clothing for a month got me thinking about creating a more efficient, minimal wardrobe. I have already been doing this over the summer. TD and I spent the summer in Austin with a small suitcase each - and I certainly could have gotten away with fewer clothes - there were several things that I never wore. When I went to Mexico and Brazil in August, I actually brought too few clothes, and it was a pain. Confession: I brought only one pair of pants for the city and didn't wash them the entire time (because it takes 24 hours to get our laundry done and I couldn't wear gym shorts to work).

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So when I saw this project on selecting 33 items to wear for 3 months, I decided it was something I could do. Here is my list of 33 things. I went ahead and included workout clothes, but not underwear on the list. I know I'll be able to do this October - November, and hopefully I can keep it up once I come back to the states for the closing and to Austin for Christmas. I plan to blog photos of some of my outfits, but for now, here is the list! I am worried about being warm enough, so there may be some shifting once I start packing.



Item Category Description
1 Accessories Diamond Studs
2 Accessories Gold bead necklace
3 Accessories Wool Stocking Hat
4 Accessories Deerskin Gloves
5 Accessories Black belt
6 Accessories Black tights
7 Accessories Coral Pashmina
8 Accessories Navy tights
9 Dress Navy Boatneck dress
10 jacket Black Soft Shell
11 pants Dark, straight jeans
12 pants Brown cuffed chinos
13 Shirt Kelly green button down
14 Shirt purple floral
15 Shirt Black eyelet tunic
16 Shirt Black v-neck
17 Shirt Navy tuxedo shirt
18 Shirt Paisley long sleeve
19 Shirt Black mesh tank
20 Shoes Dansko mary Jane clogs
21 Shoes Salamon hiking shoes
22 Skirt Brown midcalf skirt
23 Skirt Navy cargo skirt
24 Sweater Cream cotton cardigan 
25 Sweater Tan/Blue stripe boatneck
26 Sweater navy/white stripe boatneck
27 t shirt Pink AGMC tee
28 t shirt Harvard tee
29 Workout White v-neck
30 Workout White v-neck
31 Workout NB running shorts
32 Workout Black yoga pants
33 Workout Patagonia pullover

Something fun for me!

I have been trying to be careful about shopping--because we are watching our budget--but mostly because we already have TOO MUCH STUFF. I have varying levels of success at this, but when ever TD or I get something new, we put at least 1--preferably 2--things in the donation basket. However, I have been in the market for shoes that are better for my feel (danskos/birkenstocks/earth) for a while.

I got these earth shoes last summer and I adore them. They are incredibly comfortable and are one of the only shoes that have never given me blisters. And I got them for about 60% off on Overstock.com. But since TD is almost a foot taller than me, I'd love to have some supportive, comfy, good looking shoes with at least a 2 inch heel. I'd looked at Dansko clogs for a while, but they are $$. And then I saw these babies--they meet all my criteria, and then some! I flipped over the color and the (faux) snakeskin accent. Awesome!

When I did a search for them, it turns out Sierra Trading Post has them on sale. So needless to say, I got something fun for me. Now I just have to figure out which pair of shoes will be going in the donation pile to make room for these...