Hellooo, I’m back again!
Another month has come and gone and I still have a small 33-ish item wardrobe. And as I tend to do I’m going to reflect on that and think aloud about what’s working and what’s not and what I want to change.
The stars of my closet this month were my: blue jeans, black skinny jeans, leggings and tanks (both mostly for layering, so really they shouldn’t count, but I just count several pieces as one item), black maxi skirt (with pockets!), grey long sleeve t-shirt, chambray shirt, pink short sleeve (dress length) cardigan, new grey cabled cardigan, and the biggest star again, the long pink cardigan I reach for more than anything else (15 wears this month).
My wardrobe is mostly working. I had something to wear every day, so that’s good! haha.
No, but seriously, I had a few days where I went through a few different options before I found what I felt comfortable in. That’s usually caused by having an idea to wear a particular item and then finding it difficult to make a complete outfit that worked for the weather and situation. A couple of times I loved what I was wearing but it wasn’t warm enough and I couldn’t find an appropriate top layer that worked with the rest of the outfit so I had to start over. That’s because I don’t have a cardigan that really works with my lovely black lace top. A simple, pretty colored cardigan with a smooth knit texture that is long enough for an untucked top is definitely on my wishlist. I didn’t replace my black Lands End cardigan and that’s OK. I don’t want another black one (and the one I donated wasn’t really black any more anyway). I’m just challenged to find the same kind of thing in a color that I love, that will work with the rest of my clothes.
I also hesitated to wear black on some nice spring days recently. I like black, but it doesn’t always reflect my mood on a sunny bright day. Right now I have 3 skirts and 4 pairs of pants on my list (2 pairs unworn lately) but they’re all either black or denim. If I’m wearing my chambray shirt, which is a great spring layer, I don’t want to wear another blue denim piece, so that cuts out half of my options. A few times when I got stuck it was specifically because I didn’t want to double my denim with a denim jacket or shirt. I’d like to give myself a couple of different options – maybe a colored cotton jacket similar to a denim jacket, a pair of colored pants, and definitely a colored skirt that I can wear with my chambray shirt.
My other “problem” right now is a lack of pockets. I try to go for a long walk most days and I don’t want to carry my phone and keys. I have a selection of things that are comfortable to wear for walking on warm days, but very few of them have pockets. (In winter it’s easy, but it’s getting too warm for jackets and coats these days.) I know I have shorts and a skort with pockets which will be useful again this summer, but right now my only pocket options are jeans or sweatpants. So the thing that keeps popping up on my wishlist is a pair of colored warm weather pants that have pockets. That probably means capris. The skirt I mentioned earlier should also have pockets and would fill a similar need.
Let’s face it, almost everything should have pockets!
I’ve been wearing my dresses more now that it’s warmer – a couple of times each last month. Half of them have at least one pocket. The other ones should, but don’t. I’ll forgive one of them – it really isn’t built for pockets. But the others just annoy me. I’d love to get one more cotton sundress with a fitted waist and a flared skirt that has pockets.
Sometimes I wonder if I would ever have the guts just to grab all those pieces that aren’t quite right and banish them. I wonder what I would have left… ? Maybe I’ll give that a go later this month. Just as an experiment.
I’m going to go through my closet very soon to pull out some pieces that are not really seasonally appropriate any more. And a few more pieces are going to be added to the donation pile.
The most important item on my wishlist is STILL a pair of nice flat shoes. April was not the month for me to finally buy those. Maybe May will be. So, ballet flats, an everyday skirt with pockets that isn’t black or denim blue, some casual pants or capris with pockets, and a simple cardigan. Not really too much of a challenge.
Thanks for stopping by and listening to me ramble. As always.
Jo:)
adventures in the here now 
Hi Jo, I have to agree with you about pockets. All you have to do is remember to take the tissues out before washing, especially if the item is black. Like yours, our seasons are a bit wonky and it is still pretty warm for mid May. Makes it hard to know what to put on. Sometimes too much choice is a bad thing, it can take a lot of extra time trying everything on and then taking it all off. LOL Dale.