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Thursday, December 19, 2013

experimentation

I wholeheartedly believe that fashion should be fun, & that experimentation is an unavoidable part of the game. Over the past two years of chronicling my personal style, I have found things that worked, tried new trends that failed, & refined what is ME. That doesn't mean that the style journey is over, or that experimentation is a thing of the past, but I have turned a personal style corner.

For one, I want to free myself from the mindset that I should save my favorite pieces for special occasions. I want to only own favorite, beloved, curated items… I want to love my clothes more & NEED less.

I want to break out of the idea that I NEED lots of stuff each month. In the past, if I fell in love with a $200 item, I would tell myself that it wasn't in my budget, because I thought that with my $250-300 monthly shopping allowance, I should be getting LOTS of STUFF.

Turns out that I don't NEED anything, & there are many things in my closet that I only kind of like, a consequence of feeling like I constantly should be purchasing THINGS, STUFF & the latest ITEM.

You all should know by now that I like making "rules" & lists, so I present you:

{My style truths}
- I could never have enough slouchy charcoal gray tees & tanks
- I like my tops oversized & my bottoms more fitted
- Splurging on shoes + purses works for me (see Tuesday's post)
- Polished pointy toe pumps will always be my favorites
- Neutrals are my jam
- I add personality with funky necklaces
- I like the ideas of sexy tops, but I own zero (sorry boyfriend)
- Blazers are good for all occasions
- I generally dislike chocolate brown ("cognac" all the way)
- Stripes & leopard are the only patterns I need
- Turns out, I LOVE hats!

So, maybe you have seen my pinning lots of "minimalistic" fashion lately… if not, here are my favorites:
Find more like minded inspiration here, here, here, & here.

During my style soul searching I have started to fine-tune my WANTS & identify wardrobe holes in line with my new streamlined vision. The top 5 pieces (below) are topping my wish list, while the bottom 5 are items already taking up residence in my closet that I imagine will continue to be functional workhorses in my personal style.
(all top 5 pieces are from the online shop Modern Citizen, but no this post is not sponsored by them. I have truly found their clothes to be an inspiration during this shift in my personal style.)

While I am still working on being strong & let go, I am starting to part with some of the pieces that I like but don't love over on Poshmark… shop my closet {here}.

Anyone else feeling the urge to purge? What is your personal style vision for 2014?

23 comments:

  1. I have an obsession for womens clothing. I spend hours a week shopping at a few vintage clothing stores looking for anything cute. I need to stop shopping, I have more clothes then I know what to do with. I love that grey shirt, it would look perfect with a nice pair of jeans.

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  2. I am totally with you. I need to purge my closet like crazy and truly invest in the things I LOVE. For me, it's hard when my work dress code can be fairly relaxed, so I feel like I wear the same thing over and over. I need to start buying more jewelry that can change it up!

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  3. I love a good purge and a always a good stash of grey and/or white tees. You are right, never enough!

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  4. If you would like to purchase an ad spot on my blog, please contact me for rates. It is not appropriate to link to websites for your profit in my comment section.
    xx

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  5. Love all of this! I am just beginning a style journey of my own and I am finding that I am more minimalist than I would have thought. I am by no means a fashion blogger, but I'm taking cues from my favorites to inspire a complete makeover of my closet and my style to match who I feel I've grown into. Your pinterest pictures here really embody a lot of what I feel I'm moving towards! Thanks for sharing!

    -Kate
    www.theflorkens.com

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  6. I have found I have a lot of the same rules, especially a love of neutrals and wanting my tops to be loose and my lower half fitted. I also grew up thinking I should buy quantity over quality. We thought if the tops fit and they were cheap, buy them! Buy multiples! So I have been trying to reshape this line of thinking in order to get pieces that I really love.

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  7. I recently started my fashion journey, to get to the point where you are, when you value a good investment piece and are able to style it multiple times, and don't feel the need to constantly buy the "new" it item. You are such an inspiration.

    Happy holidays

    Natalia
    http://leavingthecorneranddippingmytoes.blogspot.com/

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  8. I'm right there with you Jessica and my vision for a new closet in 2014 looks so similar to yours! Experimenting with color and pattern was an adventure but I'm craving simpler, more neutral pieces in a big way. Thanks for sharing, I'm definitely checking out Modern Citizen!

    xoxo,
    Chelsea & The City

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  9. Girl, I hear ya! I've found that after having my baby I've always perfected a simpler wardrobe/look but tried to jazz things up way too much. Now I'm loving that I've found my groove and it makes getting dressed a lot more fun and way easier. Next week I plan on cleaning out my closet and will be posting items on Poshmark too;)


    xo, Joanne

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  10. I plan on going thru my closet here soon and redoing.

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  11. This is an AWESOME post Jessica!! I love the idea of owning nothing but things I really love. I find that I will buy something for one reason or another, and then I realize i only like it OK. And I couldn't agree more about blazer!


    Nikki
    thefashionablewife.com

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  12. These are great style truths, Jessica! I especially agree with the shoe/handbag splurges. ;)

    http://www.avecamber.blogspot.com
    http://www.bloglovin.com/avecamber

    I hope you are having a wonderful week!

    Amber

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  13. This is perfect timing (for me) because I recently cleared out my closets and really had to evaluate my personal style. I'm still coming to terms with some of the trends I like but just don't work for my body type, but this post makes that much easier! It actually made me feel more excited about getting dressed again.You never fail to inspire.


    NCsquared Life

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  14. Over the last few months my mindset has changed too. I've done very little shopping, and what I've bought has been a little more expensive, but a little more special to me. I think it's important to love everything you have, than to like it, and buy it cause it was a great price.

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  15. I am trying so hard to get out of the mindset of spending $100 on ten things and investing $100 on two quality pieces! I love the feeling of getting a deal, but in the long run, it makes more sense to have quality pieces.

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  16. I think there is a lot of similar thinking going on. I was just thinking after my completely unnecessary yet totally necessary tulle skirt purchase (for my 30th birthday, ok?) that I've gone a little out of control keeping up with the jones' and that is way more fun to be creative with what you already have. It's more fun if you actually adore all of those pieces as you said so, that is definitely my goal as well. I will also be assessing my budget for 2014 and although my style is ever evolving, I still adhere to the same classic and clean looks. Love following your story along and can't wait to see what you share!

    xo, Nina

    afterthe40barfinish

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  17. I've always been one to spend a little more to purchase quality items that I'm totally in love with. I also love blazers and add statement jewelry to liven up an outfit! I'm loving all your inspirational pins too!


    xx jen
    Pearls & Lace

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  18. I pretty much wrote this same blog last week (it's coming Saturday!). I've been drawn to minimalism lately and still feel the need to purge half of my closet. I think the 20s are for experimenting and getting to know your style though! It's the fun part.

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  19. Your shopping allowance per month is my half year budget *insert my sad face*. Oh how I long for the days I will no longer be a full time student, haha. I have however realized the very same thing over the last year. I've stopped shopping the high streets and only walk into my beloved boutiques, the ones I've been avoiding for years because I though that more was always better. I shopped a beautiful dress and a nice blazer so far. I could have had 20 items from H&M for the same money, but it feels better this way :) xo

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  20. Loved this post, you're so right. I think we've all been there.

    xoxo

    www.berrytrendy.com

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  21. You and I are literally style twinsies. LOVE YOUR STYLE!

    xx, chelsea

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  22. I'm in the same boat completely. I'm not sure if you've read my blog lately, but I've been doing "The French Wardrobe Challenge" which boils down to exactly what you're talking about. (Links if you're interested: http://bedknobsandbaubles.com/tagged/the-french-wardrobe). It's an easy way to stay accountable each season.

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  23. Yay for getting back to basics and parting with things you don't love! I'm definitely working on that, too. The part that rang most true for me was "saving favorite items for special occasions." I am SO guilty of that! I also feel like I need to be going somewhere really special to even put a skirt on. For that reason, I've cut down on my skirt/dress collection, but I want to wear the ones I love more often!


    Kaitlin
    www.teaandsequins.com

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Thank you for your comments, they make my day!!
xx