My curated closet

I feel like I probably spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about my closet (or maybe not haha what's considered normal here?) but that could be in part because my bed is flush facing my closet and the doors are wonky which keeps them swinging open constantly (old house problems) so basically anytime I'm laying in bed I'm staring into my closet! I'm definitely an "out of sight out of mind" kind of person so maybe that isn't so bad after all. To quote style icon Sarah Jessica Parker "I like my money right where I can see it...hanging in my closet " ;) Not like I paid big bucks on my wardrobe being the thrifty gal that I am, but the time spent and sheer luck scoring so many great pieces over time is priceless! A great perk to being able to stare into my closet while laying in bed is the ability to pick out some outfits in my head (if I can't sleep!) and then trying it out the next day if I'm forgoing my usual jeans, tee, and hat routine ;) I've been swapping out my seasonal pieces on a quarterly basis for about a year and a half now and I've been really enjoying the results! Not only does it make my wardrobe less packed and easier to navigate but I can get excited about items all over again! And if I didn't really miss something while it was stored away? Put it in a bag to sell, gift or donate. Instead of brushing past my winter coats all summer long with slight annoyance they are a welcomed treasure once the seasons change. (And I need all the reasons to get excited about the cold that I can get!!) Living in an area with more distinguished seasons has changed me for the better I feel. I'm continually learning to "embrace the season I'm in" which obviously has a spiritual application as well. When it comes to that mindset with clothes I've been trying to embrace seasonal pieces more readily. Wearing my fun shorts and favorite sandals in the summertime instead of reaching for the favorite jeans and sneaks because it's only this warm once a year! But and there's a big butt here, (whoops I meant but) ONLY if I love it! Forcing myself to wear something because it was 1) expensive 2) is on trend 3) is a beautiful piece but not me is no longer as tempting to me. There just aren't enough days in the year to wear something so-so when I could be wearing one of my favorites! I'm learning how to choose quality over quantity and it feels so good. It's like my friend's Grandma used to say "Life is too short for squishy tomatoes" you catch my drift? 

The Curated Closet author Anuschka Rees explains "the sunk cost fallacy" as the personal guilt trip we've all put ourselves through after buying something expensive and wearing it out of a self imposed obligation. "It was expensive so I better keep it/wear it" Or even if you found a killer piece at a great deal, if its not "You" don't keep wearing it! (I've fallen prey to this many times but what can I say I'm admittedly a bit of a brand snob) 

Reading a book like The Curated Closet is such an excellent resource if you need help figuring out and fine tuning how you actually want to dress to get out of the rut of constantly buying random pieces or multiples of the same item without any idea how it will work with the rest of your clothes. And if you feel like your taste isn't lining up with your budget read my Ode to Thrifting post (http://karinawears.blogspot.com/2016/08/thrifting-ode-and-how-to.html) for some further inspiration, I promise dressing well doesn't have to be expensive! Personally reading this book helped me to realize that I can probably lay off buying any more T-shirts, jeans, or chambray button ups for a little while (I mean unless they are amazing!) and instead focus on buying other pieces to fill in the gaps for my wardrobe. With any kind of shopping its highly productive to have a list! Taking stock of what I own and what I would like to be wearing for the remainder of this season has me keeping my eyes peeled for more high waisted skirts and quality leggings to wear with some of my favorite tops. Over this spring and summer I gradually managed to get rid of almost all of my skirts because I wasn't liking the way they were fitting post baby, so that's given me ample opportunity to keep an eye out in my thrifting excursions for skirts that I really DO care for. One activity that AR recommended that I didn't actually complete was going on sort of a window shopping date for research. Trying on a variety of styles and brands to figure out what you feel actually looks best on YOU. (Its a great idea to bring a bestie and camera to document your experience for later reflection) I thought that was a great idea and I might still give it a shot, especially for items I might end up searching for online via PoshMark or ThredUp but the thought of trying on a bunch of beautiful clothes only to go home and think about them sounds a little like torture personally haha. 

Reading this handbook I was able to decipher what exactly I want my style to be in this season, fine tuning the "story" I want my clothes to tell. My friend Kiersten asked me recently "if you could completely reconfigure your wardrobe what would you buy?" (We were window shopping at Anthropologie) Without skipping a beat I started describing statement pieces that I would love to wear with classic basics. Which caused me to realize, why not? I can always switch things up! Especially with how often I like to go thrifting, goodness. This book is so helpful in creating and narrowing down your "style file" that is your list of colors, silhouettes, outfit combinations that really help you feel like your best self. I can't recommend this book enough so if you are feeling a bit stuck when it comes to your personal style or shopping lately do yourself a favor and give it a read! 

Lastly in case you missed my Instagram post here are some brief thoughts on how I reorganized my ever so simple little closet.

I feel like this project falls into the category of tasks you spend more time thinking about doing than actually doing. As far as "transformations" go this was fairly simple (and only cost me about $10 and maybe 2 hours of work? Haha) After categorizing and colorizing my closet I bought three packs of matching hangers and made a "mood board" via Costco photo online with some inspiring images I saved from Pinterest  (I'm almost positive that is a copyright infringement but I figured it would be ok as long as I don't start printing the posters out for distribution, right? 😅) We had some cool old wooden crates that were left behind in the garage when we bought our house so I cleaned those up to house shoes and bottoms! It's satisfying to have a workable system in place that is fairly easy on the eyes as well. I know it won't remain immaculate but at least I've got a framework to maintain instead of the haphazard mess my closets have always been, so hooray for that!

I hope you've enjoyed this post! What might you like to read about next?

Cheers and happy styling! ❤️