July 2017 Sampler Wardrobe Outfits (D)

One more for the road, guys!

I'm feeling under the weather today, so I'll leave this one short and sweet: black, white, gold, and berry tones. Mmmmm, this palette's got me feeling like royalty...

I promised I'd let you know what's up for the month of August, so let's touch on that: As I'm doing some traveling in the upcoming month, I'm not planning to create a sampler or keep up on croquis panels during that time. Rather I'll be pulling together a vacation-capsule better suited to my travel needs. Hopefully I'll find some time to share that process here on the blog. If not, I'll see you in September!

In the meantime, journey on, sustainablistas.

July 2017 Sampler Wardrobe Outfits (C)

Remember that song about making new friends but holding on to your old ones? "One is silver and the other is gold," it says. Well, I'm a weirdo and sometimes I think of my clothes as friends. And this week's panel is a pretty good representation of the wide range of "friendships" going on in my closet.

The oldest item in this illustration is actually those denim shorts -- they were purchased by my mom around the time I was born, making them vintage now, I suppose. But they're fairly new to me, as only recently were they gifted to me with permission to revive them as cheeky cutoffs.

The item which has belonged to me personally for the longest time is this wonderful floral print maxi dress, which you've seen featured here before. Nearly eight years after its purchase date, it remains one of my favorite items because it checks so many of my boxes: it's comfortable, it's whimsical, it makes a statement, its made of a durable, natural fabric, it took a hunt to find it, and it was a total steal. (RIP Macy's Clearance Center of Spokane, WA... you bestowed so many gifts upon me.)

The newest item? Those amazing black trousers! I have to stop myself from wearing them to the restaurant too often. My coworkers are no doubt onto my secret, anyways: I'm basically rolling out of my pajamas every morning only to put on something just as comfortable.

Throw in these other pieces and I'm left with a neat little timeline of my personal style from the last decade or so. And you know what excites me about it? This is the good stuff. These are the pieces that have outlasted both the washing machine and my ever-changing fashion sense. It's great to see them working in tandem; histories upon histories, informing one another in their mixed memories and continually building new ones with each new wear.

July is almost over! Stay tuned for my final panel and a word on what to expect on Inspirsession for August.

July 2017 Sampler Wardrobe Outfits (B)

I'm particularly pleased with the color harmony going on in this mini collection of outfits, mostly because it has that earth-fairy vibe I tend to gravitate toward as soon as it becomes to hot for silk shirts and sweaters. There's something so comforting to me about all those warm browns!

The secret to attaining this modern hippie, Free-People-esque look seems to exist in one concept: TEXTURE! From the folds of this easy-wear cotton dress, to the lace detailing on these weekend crop tanks, to the draping pattern play on that beloved polka-dot standout, texture is decidedly present throughout these figures.

It's this kind of symmetry that makes me a total nerd for minimal wardrobes. Mind you, it took years to actually master maintaining a palette -- even when I was developing seasonal capsules I would agonize over questions like: Should I use navy, or chocolate as my base neutral?! (Trick question; you can use all of them if you want to.) It turns out, as with most things, it took relaxing the rules a bit to finally figure the whole thing out.

July 2017 Sampler Wardrobe Outfits (A)

Welcome, July! It's hot in the city, but I'm feeling pretty cool in my new looks this month!

For this month's sampler wardrobe, I stuck with 30 pieces but made sure to strive for mixability, particularly in my host wear. To feature all of the July pieces, I realized I'd have to do four sketches instead of three, so that's why you see an extra figure here.

Nanny days call for easy-wash materials, so I aimed for lots of cotton and denim in that category this time around. My weekends lately have involved a great amount of catching up with friends, from both in and out of town, so pieces like this lightweight jumpsuit keep me comfy on long walks while upping the snazz factor. And for hosting? I'm drawn more and more toward black and white. Maybe it's the servers influencing me, but there's something unbeatable about that sophisticated contrast!

Enjoy the sun.

July 2017 Sampler Wardrobe

Last month's Sampler Wardrobe went better than I even hoped. It finally felt like I got to wear my pieces enough, and in moments of boredom, I simply reminded myself that I'd be diving into a whole new selection of clothing in one month's time. Limiting my wardrobe to just 30 pieces brought both peace of mind in its simplicity, yet creative fertilizer in its mixability.

Naturally, I was feeling pretty pumped to dig through my in-storage items, tucked away on the high shelf of my closet since May 31st. As usual, I dumped everything onto my bed, poured myself a wine glass of ice water (who says you can't stay classy without A/C?) and turned on my favorite playlist.

First, I reviewed each of my thirty June items, chucking some to laundry, some to storage, and a few special favorites back into my July consideration pile.

Then, I promptly snatched up all the pieces I've been dreaming about wearing since the NYC humidity reared its ugly head. (OH HEY, DENIM CUT-OFFS.)

Then I had a lil' squealing fit over a few clothes that I'd momentarily forgotten I even owned. (They don't call it "shopping your closet" for nothing!)

With my June experience fresh in mind, I felt fairly confident in selecting what I'd need for the next (sweaty) 31 days. But I was a bit disappointed to find last year's high-summer duds a bit more worn than I remembered. So there's some chance of this list shifting in one or two places as I replace those threadbare bits. (First I want to make sure I'm not just looking for an excuse to go shopping...)

I also chose to limit my nanny clusters in favor of expanding my weekend ones, as I have some days off this month.

Here's what came together:

JULY 2017  Sampler Wardrobe Selections

• Work (Host) - 1
• black & cream print tee blouse
• off-white tee blouse
• black a-line skirt
• black & cream pleated dress
• black Mary-Jane pumps
  
• Work (Host) - 2
• white black-tie tank bouse
• periwinkle tunic tank blouse
• cream & chocolate polka dot dress
• black high-waist trousers
• black oxford flats
• Work (Nanny) - 1
• pink dotted tank
• white & black striped banana tee
• olive cargo skinnies
• gold sneakers
• Work (Nanny) - 2
• fuschia crochet-seam tank
• chocolate tank dress
• black lace-pattern shorts
• olive green sandals
• Weekend - 1
• black & cream printed jumpsuit
• floral print maxi dress
• strawberry sundress
• denim jacket
• black cork wedges 
• Weekend - 2
• white cut-off tank blouse
• pink floral-pattern crop tank
• ((various camisoles))
• white & green cardigan
• white shorts
• denim cut-offs
• brown ankle boots

A little note on those "various camisoles" above.

First off, I'm really at a loss for what else to pair with those high-waisted cutoffs in the summertime.

Secondly, I consider camisoles to be something closer to underwear or pajamas, so I don't tend to include them in minimal wardrobe inventories. I've listed them here as one item, however, to remind myself that I need not purchase any tight-fitting tanks -- I have plenty at my disposal when I consider my underwear drawer. And real talk here: NYC humidity has a weird way of making you feel suddenly comfortable wearing stuff from your underwear drawer right out onto its frying-pan streets. So yes, I technically have a couple extra tops to choose from. But who am I to deny mom jorts their summer soulmates??

Happy Sampling!