Hi friends! If you’ve read the title of this post, you know I’m covering a lot of ground today. Today’s post is long, and it’s a bit in the weeds. If that’s your thing, read on!
2018 Reader Survey
One theme that came up in last week’s 2018 reader survey was that you guys want more information about my real closet. (Not that I have a fake one, you guys just seem like you want to know a little bit more about the inner workings.) Overall it seems many of you are interested in my style and wardrobe as a person and not a blogger. Obviously, I am both, but I wanted to do my best to give you a deeper look into the inner workings of my closet. More on that farther down in the post.
First, a few quotes from the survey:
I am most interested in how people (like you) work with clothes in their closets to come up with different combinations.
I would love to see more on whole closet curation. For example, a run down of all the pants and how they work as a group…
I really love honest product reviews and I also love your weekly outfits. Thanks for writing such a lovely blog!!! One thing I am particularly interested in is how specific pieces of clothing have held up over time–how is the fabric wearing after 1-5 years of wear, for instance. I’m very interested in the oldest pieces in people’s wardrobes. Thanks for writing. I’m always excited by your posts.
I would love to see yearly round-ups on your wardrobe, what kinds of things you bought, kept, and purged, and maybe what your best buys were? It would also be interesting to combine your weekly roundups into monthly or quarterly roundups, to identify the trends. Thanks for putting yourself out there with an awesome ethical fashion blog!
would love to see a greater emphasis on working with what you have instead of new pieces/acquisitions/promotions
I love seeing you style the same pieces in different ways. As someone trying to limit shopping this year, this is what’s most helpful to me!
I couldn’t include all the comments here, but the ones above highlight some of the themes that showed up. You guys gave me so many great things to think about!
Another person brought up some valuable feedback on product reviews:
First, I love the blog, so I hope you take this as constructive feedback rather than something more negative. I have become skeptical of product reviews on blogs when I never see a negative review, which tends to be the case on S&S. The incentives just aren’t clear enough to me. I don’t know if it means that you don’t review things you don’t like, or if you are induced to give positive reviews. The love of Everlane, in particular, gives me pause since I find their mfg practices opaque and the quality low. At the same time, I have discovered some brands I really like through the blog (although most through your “where to shop link” rather than from reviews).
Reading this last comment made me realize I haven’t been doing a good enough job being transparent with you guys. And bottom line, I think that’s because it’s awkward. I don’t know how to talk about my relationships with brands without adding the trite “This post is sponsored but all thoughts are my own” tag at the beginning and ends of posts.
So let’s spend a few minutes unpacking this topic.
1.) If I am PAID to create content, the post will always be labeled as SPONSORED. More recently, I’ve added the ‘Sponsored’ notation at the beginning of the post in addition to the end of the post where it always has been. If a brand asks if they can sponsor the post, they do not get to dictate any of the content (per my rules, I’m not sure how it works with other bloggers). It’s up to me to pitch them a compelling idea, and see if they are interested. They don’t even see the content before it gets published except in extremely rare situations (so far I’ve only done this once).
2.) If I am COLLABORATING with a brand, this usually means they are giving me an exclusive commission on their items sold through a particular blog post. These types of posts will always be labeled as in PARTNERSHIP with x brand. Again, the brand never dictates the content, most don’t even make suggestions, and they absolutely never preview the content before it gets published.
3.) If a brand sends me an item for review, it is rarely given with strings attached. The brand is usually hoping I’ll like it, and share it with you guys. I turn down many gifted items for review because I do not want them, or I don’t think they would be a good fit for the blog. I see little value in spending my time on a negative review of an item. If I don’t like it, it doesn’t make it on to the blog. Any items sent to me for review (or gifted through a collaboration) are noted c/o or ‘care of’ on the blog. I note them c/o every time I wear them, even if I have worn them for months or years.
When a brand sends me a gifted item, it is always my choice, and I work really hard to pick something that will either fill a hole in my closet, or something I would find useful well beyond the collaboration. However, sometimes, after repeated wear, I realize an item may not merit a spot in my small, exclusive closet. If I find the fit or the cut isn’t 100% for me, I usually sell or give the item away.
I hope this helps lift the veil a bit. I didn’t mean to keep you guys in the dark about anything, but the onus is definitely on me to share if I want you guys to be informed. I may work with (carefully chosen) brands, but all thoughts are indeed, my own.
Please don’t leave a comment asking me to stop doing collaborations or sponsored posts, that is not the reason why I am addressing this topic. Brand partnerships will always be a part of this blog, and I handle them with almost as much judiciousness and care as my own children. If those posts aren’t for you, feel free to skip them.
What is Coming for Brand Partnerships
In the spring I look forward to working with a few of my favorite brands again, and introducing you to a new one or two. Next month, I’ll be sharing a new release from Nisolo in conjunction with taking you to some of my favorite spots around Portland. Later this week, I’ll be sharing some brand new technology in the sustainable manufacturing industry that could lead to major ripple effects in how our clothing is made.
My 2018 Purchasing Philosophy
I have been working hard since the start of the year to drastically limit new purchases. Paige and I discussed this quite a bit at the end of 2017, because we both felt like we ended up buying/adding way too many items to our closets. She is constantly inspiring me with her willingness to take on new challenges, and be disciplined in all aspects of her life.
For the month of January I set out to make zero purchases, though I did add a few items through collaborations. Even though I cheated at the end of the month and ordered the Day Heel and white denim, I learned a lot through the overall experience of waiting. I slowed WAY the heck down on my purchasing, both mentally and in actuality. Through the course of the month I had a small handful of items that I thought I truly needed, and by the end of the month, with substantial time to ruminate, I realized I indeed did NOT. And then I didn’t buy them. I also realized every new purchase I made created another fatiguing “choice” when getting dressed each day.
It’s now mid-February and I’ve kept my January-mindset going on purchases. I plan to extend it through the rest of the year (and beyond).
You might have come here looking for concrete rules on purchases, but I have found adopting a mindset and overall philosophy to be much more beneficial. It’s akin to treating the root of the problem instead of the symptoms. Will I buy five, ten, twenty-five items this year? I don’t know. What I do know is that implementing these mindful techniques is bringing a lot a peace and a slower pace.
My strategy in a nutshell:
1.) Just mull it. Thinking through my purchases for weeks at a time brought excellent clarity. I could see much more clearly once the emotions and impulse attached to the ‘want’ passed.
2.) Don’t create more decision fatigue. Getting dressed with fewer items is always easier. That’s why 10×10 challenges, or getting dressed when traveling is much quicker in the morning.
I actually feel more content by waiting. It’s a kind of a challenge with myself to see how long I can put off a purchase before I pull the trigger. It allows for more mindfulness around the decision making and I think the waiting makes the reward greater.
2018 Closet Additions and Subtractions to Date
A few of you were curious about what I’ve purchased this year and what’s exited my closet recently, so I thought I’d give you a peek inside.
This year I have purchased four items (listed below) and received a handful more for spring collaborations.
1 – Day Heel by Everlane (I love these)
2 – White Modern BF Pants by Everlane (I’m excited for these)
3 – Tan Ribbed Top by First Rite (impulse buy, might be a bad choice for me)
4 – Luke Fedora by Yellow 108 (semi-thought out emotional buy, more details to come)
In January I sold my sherpa-lined denim jacket. I feel sheepish even mentioning this because it was not a well thought out purchase. If I had adopted my mindful practices before I bought it, I’m very sure I would have passed on it. After ruminating on it a bit more, I realized it was not a good style fit for me, despite how much I love them on others.
Currently on the chopping block: cashmere crew neck cardigan (I bought it a size too small), brown courduroys (cute in theory, not the best in execution, I should have opted for a different fit or a bigger size), Rag & Bone jeans (I don’t like them as a stand alone item), Only Child Mara Dress/tunic (super cute, but it doesn’t get worn because it’s a touch too short for me).
At the end of last year I sold my Veja sneakers because the the side was too high for my ankle, and my Everlane Modern Heel boots because they never got worn.
What I’m Saving My Pennies For
I have three big ticket items that I’ve been mulling over, and I’ll list them in order of my conviction about making the purchase.
1 – Kamm Pants in dark denim. According to Instagram, these release on Friday, and as soon as I saw them, I immediately halted any thoughts of future purchases and started dreaming of these.
2 – Black crossbody bag that doesn’t have a top flap, I am heavily eyeing the Stowe’s Brady Bucket bag. I love the simple, minimalist design. I expect their spring line to go online in March. Recently, I saw my friend Ellie with this cute bag, and I’m considering that one as an option too.
3 – I’m thinking of adding a pair of black clogs to my closet. I’m currently scouting out the high heel ones from No.6, but this is still a big maybe.
How I’m Tracking My Closet
And finally, I wanted to share with you guys a little more about my closet tracking, specifically how and why I’m doing it.
It’s really very simple. I created a Google spreadsheet, as this was the most natural place for me to track. I can’t do it on paper, I’d surely lose it, and I like that it’s in my Google Drive, a place I frequent very regularly.
At first I started with straight up tally marks, but then I realized it would be more helpful for me if I had a column for each day (you can see my process evolve in the top row). It made it much easier to look back and see if I had remembered to enter my outfits. Lucky for me, if I forget, I have photo documentation, so it’s easy to fill it all in.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by cataloging everything from the get-go, I decided to add items as I wear them. I am marking each wear with a ‘1’ with the idea of setting up a formula at the end of the quarter to see how many times I wore each item. To make tracking easier, I’ll probably add a new sheet for each season (copying over the inventory), so I don’t have to scroll so far to the right on my computer screen.
At the end of each season I hope to share tallies on the blog of what I wore the most.
A few months ago somebody commented on my Instagram how tracking her wardrobe wears for a year dramatically impacted her shopping habits, because every day it brought her face to face with what she already owned. I have found this to be very true. For example, a few times I’ve been tempted to buy another sweater (because it’s still cold out!) but every time I look at my list of sweaters, it’s quite the reality check – I have many to choose from.
Tracking my wardrobe for the last six weeks has greatly played into my mindful philosophy about clothes and purchases. I am excited for the year, and continuing to nurture my lean closet status.
Thank you guys so much for sharing your feedback in my reader survey. Blogging is something I love to do; I’m passionate about creating and sharing. It means so much to me that you spend time here, reading, commenting, and engaging in this online community.
WOW. Love this post. I am starting a wardrobe spreadsheet right now! I had been using a Pinterest board to keep track of what I already own, and to use for outfit inspiration, but I think it will be so much more enlightening to keep specific track of how often I wear each piece. Also, simply listing out everything I can think of off the top of my head is already making me sheepish, so that should help with the goal of limiting new items coming in! I love your blog and appreciate your posts very much. I’ve always found you to be transparent about your collaborations and fair in your reviews. Your style is also often a major inspiration for me (Hello, spirit animal clog boots instead of chelseas ;-) ) – so thank you!
Thank you for the feedback Taphi, I really try hard, and your support means a lot. :) Good luck with your wardrobe tracking, I hope it helps you make great choices (and brings more style clarity).
Thanks for the transparency. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed reading about what you got rid of and why it didn’t work. Very helpful! Sometimes it’s ok to just admit something isn’t working.
That is good to know!! Perhaps I’ll integrate that into my quarterly wrap ups of how much I wore my items! You’re right, sometimes it is okay to just admit something working – thank you for that.
Ouch, that comment hurt me as a blogger. I totally understand why readers feel distrustful of sponsored posts, but I think setting things up transparently as you have done here helps a whole lot. I’m the same way as you – I don’t review things that are crappy – but I do, like you, try to mention the pros and cons of items or at least give fit details so that the review is more helpful. There are so many bloggers who don’t abide by transparent and honest standards it can sour the whole industry. Thanks for being one of the good ones!
Leah, you are a constant inspiration to me with your transparency. You set the bar – thank you! And your words of support mean so much. I love what you do over at Style-Wise!
You probably don’t want ideas for a new system of tracking your clothes, but for others, I highly recommend Stylebook. It takes some time to set up, but I now upload a picture of every item as soon as I buy it. (I just use the website pictures, rather than taking my own.) It gives information on most/least worn, cost-per wear, and you can even see how many pieces you have of each color. Some days I challenge myself to look at my least worn items and put together an outfit featuring these. My only complaint is that I wish it allowed me to track WHEN I bought an item. For now, I get around this by putting this information in the size category (i.e., I create a category called “Winter 2018”).
I definitely second the Stylebook recommendation for the same reason (and I just use website photos too)! The most/least worn & cost-per wear data has proven to be super useful to me. I’ve been using the app since Feb 2015 (they’ve updated the app in some great ways since I first installed it!), and it still catches me by surprise sometimes just how few times I’ve worn a particular item over that time period. It’s also super handy for being able to quickly check what size I wear in a particular brand!
Love this post! Thanks for sharing how you handle sponsors and the like. As a non blogger, I appreciate the insights and transparency. I’m tracking my wardrobe for the first time this year and am loving it. I am thought it would feel like a hassle but it is forcing me to be more reflective (in a good way!) and has even inspired me to wear a few things because I felt sad that they still had big fat zeros next to them!
Yes, me too! It’s lot easier to notice what is not being worn when you’re tracking, and it makes me feel more inspired and creative because it helps me to stop reaching for the same things all the time!
Thanks for this post, Andrea! Each section was interesting and/or useful. Seriously considering tracking my closet now…
It’s funny how certain ideas seem to be in the ether. I feel like the last couple years have been “ok, changing shopping habits to be from more ethical sources,” and I’ve followed blogs focused on doing that. This year I and several of the blogs I follow (including yours and Paige’s) are focusing on buying LESS, even if it’s from a good source. I am trying not to beat myself up too much for shopping too much in the past year–I definitely did shop less and I am reminding myself that changing habits and mindsets is a process. It seemed impossible or very impractical at first to shop from more ethical companies, but now it feels normal due to a shift in overall mindset as well as following great blogs like this that helped me find good companies!
Hi Alice, I’m so honored to play a part in your journey. I know exactly what you mean about mindset shifts, I’ve had a few as well. I think being mindful of our choices is half the battle. And of course encouraging one another along the way!
Thanks for this post! I understand that sponsored content is how bloggers earn a living, so I am not against it- your sponsored content is typically high-quality and informative. Also, I really enjoy and appreciate your blog! I do want to second the suggestion for bloggers to do more negative reviews, however, as long as they’re honest reviews – they increase the perception of authenticity, and are extremely practical (btw, I am not the same person who left the original comment). I think there is great value to your readers in doing negative reviews, especially since you are a blogger that I trust and respect. Many smaller, ethical brands are somewhat new to the scene, and they either don’t have customer reviews of items, or they are so limited in scope that there aren’t enough review-leaving purchasers who leave feedback. I rely on negative reviews when making a purchase – they tend to have helpful fit and feel information, and the companies that don’t allow reviews also tend to have somewhat difficult return policies. If I’m being honest, that is one of the biggest reasons that I don’t buy more from smaller, ethical retailers – I am too unsure of the fit, and don’t want to pay for return shipping, if returns are even allowed in the first place. You and I have a similar build/style, so hearing why something doesn’t work for you/why you don’t like it would be incredibly valuable to me when considering a purchase! If you were mostly reviewing items from Nordstrom or Madewell, it probably wouldn’t matter as much, but with the type of apparel and merchandisers you tend to work with, it would be super helpful.
Thanks for your feedback Holly!
Andrea,
I love how you’ve laid out and addressed everything here and I think it’s so important to set this precedent of transparency in blogging. I am so grateful to have you as a friend, not just to hash out blog/shopping/fashion issues, but parenting and family life too.
xo,
Paige
Thank you Paige!! Love you much my friend!! xo
I haven’t been following you for super-long, but I have always thought that your reviews were actually pretty balanced. I have found a few new brands as well, thanks to you! My husband would be ga-ga over that spreadsheet. As an accountant, he has pretty much everything laid out on a spreadsheet… it never would have occurred to me to do this, but I think tracking your “wears” is a great idea.
I am most curious about how you purge or sell your unwanted clothing….? Would you ever consider trying to sell your unwanted or unused clothing on your blog? Maybe it would be tricky to do that. I am in a smaller city in Canada, and have found that getting rid of unwanted clothing can be frustrating. Most of it goes off to charity, but sometimes there are items that are just too good to do that with. Plato’s Closet will take some stuff with the exception of anything too dressy.
Hi Brenda, I wish I was excited about spreadsheets as your husband! They are not natural for me to use. ;) As for selling unwanted clothing. Sometimes I do it online at Noihsaf Bazaar on Instagram, I’ve had the most success there! Or I give them to friends. :) You should look into Noihsaf if you need to sell something. The returns are much better there than places like Plato’s Closet or Crossroads.
Love hearing more of your thoughts and processes, as always. Thank you for taking such a thoughtful approach to your content. <3
Listing my entire wardrobe and tracking wears has also been really illuminating for me. It forces me to see things as a little less cyclical (with items constantly added and subtracted) and focus more on how I can best use what I have. I may even add a cost per wear formula to me excel sheet to see what my “best buys” have been.
Yes, I so agree LO! On all counts.
Also, a few readers mentioned Stylebook, which calculates cost per wear for you. That might be worth looking into!
Thanks for such an honest & in-depth post! It’s always fascinating to learn more about how collaboration/sponsorship works. As a regular reader, I have no issues with sponsorship, and I love most when you use your platform to spotlight independent brands and designers. I’m more curious about how contentment + consumerism interact within your wardrobe and your “c/o” choices. It’s the subject that I connected to most when I started reading your blog (back when you were shifting from capsules to ‘uncapsuled’) and it sounds like the spreadsheet tracking is an interesting new take on it.
Yessss I also wonder how people can make sense of “ethical” fashion when capitalism is at the core of most style blogs…
Hi Lexie, I think I see what you’re going for here, but I’m not sure that making money and ethics are mutually exclusive. I feel strongly that emerging designers, and brands who practice responsible manufacturing should be paid for their work. That’s how we keep the process going, and eventually make change in this industry (by supporting the companies who are doing it right).
Thanks for weighing Jess. I constantly live in the tension of trying to showcase new brands/items for you guys and the companies I work with + not consuming too much. It definitely isn’t easy.
Love this post. I read a few bloggers who are interested in slow fashion and I have learned so much about this. I would not have known where to look for the pieces for my wardrobe that were my style without the help of bloggers like you. I understand how collaboration/sponsorship works and I have no problem with it.
Because of reading blogs like this I have bought more carefully and thoughtfully over the past few years. Last year I bought a pair of Jesse Kamm Sailor Pants (Tobacco). After reading here that they are releasing them in dark denim I am seriously considering adding them to my wardrobe.
Thank you for this comment Janet, <3 I'm honored to be of help! I hope you love your Kamms x 1000. Some day I hope to have the Tobacco ones too. ;) Good luck on your future styling.
I appreciate your transparency and encourage more of it!
My only two cents in terms of sponsored content is that I remember way back in the day of Pioneer Woman’s blog, Ree would use the money she earned from sponsored posts every few months or so to BUY an item for reader give-aways ( a Kitchenaid/Le Stand Mixer/Le Creuset pot/etc). This ensured that the recommendation was 100% authentic, and it was a really thoughtful and meaningful way to give back to readers who are a major part of blog success!
I am also a huge fan of bloggers who choose to DONATE items that they have been gifted but no longer want rather than resell them.
Just an idea! :)
Those are wonderful ideas. If I ran my blog as a non-profit, or ran a seven-figure blog like I am pretty sure Ree does, (or just plain ol’ had huge profit margins) I would take them into consideration. ;) (And many of my close friends have benefited from items I’ve retired from my closet!)
Just a point on donating, I manage a thrift shop and have got to say that most thrift shops have no idea what they’re looking at when they get an indie-made item in, and those items also tend to be a little bit ahead of the fashion curve in terms of what most people are shopping for in person and/or what is practical for their lifestyles. For those reasons, I actually do advocate resale to niche communities rather than sending things off to thrift shops or shelters. In the case of thrift shops, they aren’t going to make more money on it than other items and customers are not really more likely to buy it, because as far as they’re concerned, these brands are “no names.” (I’m normally the only person in the shop who knows what I’m looking at when it comes to brands outside Old Navy, Eileen Fisher, and Talbots.) That means that the item is MORE likely to end up in the landfill. The US already throws away millions of pounds of textiles every year.
Speaking as a blogger, I think it’s important for readers to realize that most bloggers make comparatively very little on freelance blogging. Since the comped item was essentially part of payment for the blog, it doesn’t strike me as unfair that they would sell rather than give away.
Thank you for these insights Leah!
Like I said, this was actually in the beginning of her blogging days. I don’t think she does this anymore, actually.
In response to Leah’s comment, given that we live in Portland, I am *sure* there is a thrift market for the types of brands featured on Andrea’s blog. That being said, it would be great to see some of the profits from reselling items going towards charity, even if it’s just once a year or so.
I am not trying to sound critical here — you opened the floor for suggestions! Perhaps you complete your charitable contributions in a different way. :)
I do! ;)
This was such a good point! I’ve had trouble selling some items to resale shops that would actually sell quite well online as those lines were not mainstream and had limited audiences. I like to buy made to order and handmade lines. For these small batch makers, I typically choose to sell the item myself on Poshmark but don’t always get what a fan of the line like myself would be willing to pay. I plan to send a few things to Slowre as she specializes in slow fashion resale. I don’t have too many people in my life that have a similar style as mine otherwise I would be happy to gift/trade a few pieces. I’ve even noticed Eileen Fisher doesn’t sell well on Poshmark so I’ve scored a few pieces very cheap there.
I imagine you don’t really want to hear any more about your sponsored/review posts, so skip this comment if you’re sick of the topic…but I do want to add one more thing… Something I noticed in your fall posts is that I just wasn’t convinced that you would have bought all of those pieces yourself. Some of the pieces very clearly added nothing to your wardrobe’s functionality or versatility and/or were repeats of very very similar items that you already owned and had featured and/or were just obviously not something that you would’ve chosen had you randomly come across it in a store. I’m betting that that’s what contributed to or even created many readers’ feelings of frustration/puzzlement – what gave folks the feeling that the posts were being done solely for money/partnership/exposure. In other words, if your sponsored/featured items had been less similar to each other, less similar to things you already owned, more special, and/or more obviously things you would’ve eagerly swooped up at a boutique on your own time and own dime…then I bet you would be hearing fewer complaints about those posts – I’m betting a lot of folks might not even have noticed their sponsored-ness, because they would’ve felt more organically in service of your overall project. Those are my cents on that matter.
You know I always welcome your feedback Koyuki, your comments are among my favorite.
As I mentioned, I try really hard to avoid repetition, etc. when adding to my closet. But in the course of featuring clothing and brands over the years it’s inevitable that there will be some overlap. And sometimes items featured in a sponsored post may not end up being as versatile as I hope, but other times they are. It can be hard to decipher this before many wears have taken place.
I do feel like saying that ‘many’ readers were frustrated is more exaggerated than I experienced, which was limited to just a few people.
At the end of the day, I am working my tail off, and my main goal is to connect with readers and support my family. So far, I’ve been pretty happy with the results.
Thank you for your feedback!
Oui oui bien sûr! You know I love your work! I was just kinda ruminating on why you seemed to have gotten a bit of pushback on those posts, not because I have any specific opinion, but just for the sake of ruminating…you know me, I’m a ruminator!
I want to jump in on the sponsored posts too. I actually enjoy when you feature something that may be a bit different than what you normally wear, like the Matter jumpsuit or that long printed dress you featured over the summer. While I love ethical fashion, every other ethical fashion blogger features similar clothing – Elizabeth Suzann, J+J, etc. I have my fair share of those, but I live in Miami and flowy dresses and prints fit the climate better than a T-Sweater. It’s nice to learn about other ethical makers whose clothing has a slightly different aesthetic more suited to where I live. I would never have heard of Matter without this blog and I absolutely love the brand.
I’d also love to see the quarterly roundup of things you wore / didn’t wear. I’m keeping track with an iPhone note. I basically have a list and every day I change the number next to the item (ie. Everlane Boyfriend Jeans – 3). I know if it’s on my phone, I’m more likely to update it, even on the weekend.
Thanks for the input Mel, that’s great perspective. (I can’t wait for it to get a bit warmer so I can wear my Matter jumpsuit, btw!) For now, my plan is to try and include anything I purge, in my quarterly round ups. :)
Geez my third comment. Can you tell I get a lot out of reading comments as well as the post? I wanted to mention that after reading your post on Matter I ordered a dress in the same print as your jumpsuit and absolutely love it. I get compliments each time I wear it to work as well (I work in a museum). I never would’ve known about that brand if you had not included it on your blog so ditto on the unique content!
Thank you for sharing this Tania! And I am so happy to hear you get a lot out of the comments, I do too!!
You are clearly putting a lot of thought and work into this. Thank you. I have been following you and several others for some time, trying to get over urges to shop. We moved to a city where shopping is not as good where we used to live. Online shopping in now my major source. I keep a wishlist in Pinterest and let it sit there for some time. Often, the desire goes away after a while. If I do order on line, I shop at sites that provide free shipping on returns. Then I am ruthless about returning anything that isn’t perfect on my body. I no longer accept things that bother me in some way… fit, comfort, quality. Most of the clothes I have given away have been because something has bothered me about how they fit. Another thing I do now is shop my closet. I don’t try to limit my wardrobe to a certain number of pieces. I have a lot of nice pieces I have collected over time. I do pack away out of season clothes. I pick an item I own and type it into Pinterest…for example, black leather jacket outfit. Lots of ideas pop up. If there is an outfit I like that has pieces similar to what I own, it goes into a Pinterest file called, for example, my winter closet. This provides inspiration for creating new outfits without spending money. I actually have bought very little in the last year. One question I do have is how does anyone buy jeans on line? I go to a Saks Off Fifth outlet and take every pair in my size into a dressing room. Even within one brand there is so much variation. My hit rate in about 1 in 10.
I love your use of Pinterest, that’s such a great idea! I especially like the idea of typing in the name of an item to search for ideas on how to style it.
As for jeans, I am a pretty consistent size 28. But there have been times if I’m questioning it, that I order 2 sizes and return one. I’m also pretty meticulous about reading all the measurements, especially rise and leg opening. That helps eliminate a lot of them off the bat!
Ooh, reading this was fun! Thanks for sharing the highs and the lows – I know I definitely benefit from your transparency and from the things you learn from mistakes or wins.
I’m curious about your Everlane cashmere sizing…were you perhaps thinking of getting rid of a size M? If so I’d be happy to take it off your hands! I bought a cashmere crew sweater in M in December and have been wearing it constantly, but I’d like to have a non-black option, too.
xx
Hi Erin! My Cashmere is a small, which it turns out, is too small :(. Bummer!
Thank you for your feedback friend!! Xo
One additional note on the positive/negative reviews:
When I was in charge of product reviews for a magazine, we intentionally avoided negative reviews. We either politely refused the product or gently let the company know what the issue was with the item. That allowed us to give feedback without impairing the company’s image before they had a chance to make things right with customers/our readers. It sounds like you’re doing the same thing, and I applaud you for it. However, as a shopper, I also understand that the negative reviews are often the ones that offer the most insight…BUT I think your reviews are balanced and nuanced. I appreciate that!
Thank you for this insight and perspective Erin, it makes a lot of sense!
P.S. If your small cashmere needs a new home (and you can’t get a refund/store credit), hit me up!
Andrea, I really appreciate this post and all your efforts to stay as transparent as possible. To me, you always come across as authentic and joyful, and this makes you stand out. On another note, I LOVE the idea of tracking what you wear. You’ve inspired me to do the same, also in Google Sheets. I feel like it could be helpful to have a visual representation of what colors I wear, so I’m experimenting with using conditional formatting for each clothes item/row. It automatically fills in a tallied cell with the color you choose (then you don’t have to manually fill the cell with a color/try to guess which exact shade of cream each time you wear something). This is probably completely over the top, and I’m sure some of the apps mentioned early do that FOR you, haha, but I guess I dig the spreadsheet. Anyways, I’m excited as always to see what’s next for you and am looking forward to the next post.
Wow, that sounds like of amazing Lenna! I hope you get good results from it.
Thanks for your feedback. I am really curious to tally my results at the end of the quarter/season!
I really appreciate your honesty and transparency here! I guess I’ve never had a problem with sponsored content/collaborations because I know how expensive (in time and dollars) it is to run a blog, so long as they are properly marked, which I feel like has been very clear here on S+S, and as long as each and every post doesn’t feel like an advertisement (which I’ve quit reading some other blogs over). While I don’t necessarily feel the need to read “negative” reviews, I am interested in more of your thought process on item removal from your closet, like when it’s time for something to go, why it’s no longer working, and where it ends up!
A good strategy to spend less on clothes (or anything, really): get paid monthly. Lol. Okay, I’m all seriousness this isn’t something everyone can choose, but it has been surprisingly helpful for me. Going from every other week to once a month made me view my income quite differently and helped me not justify a purchase because I only had to wait a week. Now I have a whole month to ponder things and I often fall out of love with things far more often than not. Another thing that helps me is that I set up a savings account that is time consuming to transfer money out of (into is easier). When I think “oh I can just transfer from my savings “ it makes me think twice. Finally finding some love for spreadsheets and visualizing my money (graphs!!) also helps me remember my goal of building savings over a new blouse (or whatever). I also have a spreadsheet to tally my clothes (I have a hand tally sheet and add the monthly totals into the digital version that breaks things down by season as well as Year and has the price and cost per wear included).
I believe it! And I totally agree, the longer I think about an item, the more time I have to fall out of love too, and many times I have. Waiting truly brings the best perspective!
Loved this post. I love the idea of tracking what you wear, too! I might jump onboard from March…
Yay!! You should Ashlee!