Day #6 – Another Lost Soul

Featuring: Birds of North America Navy Crop Top

Purchased: Last Summer
Status: Sold on poshmark

Another item I’ve sold off and don’t own anymore. My blog is becoming less about what to buy and more about what not to buy. There were 4 crucial mistakes that were made in the purchasing of this top. Firstly, it was on sale. It was a size XL and it was a style I had seen on everyone and their cat on insta and thought it would look good on me. Lastly, I bought it in store on a whim instead of waiting and after careful consideration. I’m all for experimentation when it comes to your closet but seriously, I can do much better than this. Every time I put it on I felt Amish and tried desperately to balance the oversized fit I thought looked good on me in some distant universe. So this is the sad story of how Pat, once again, failed her closet. And it would not be the last.

Outfit:
Birds of North America Top (1yo/bought new/poshmarked)
Aritzia Black slip dress (3yo/bought new/1st feat.)
TKEEs Toe Strap Sandals (1yo/bought new/2nd feat.)

Disclaimer: I actually think Birds of North America is a great sustainable brand. I am honestly commenting more on my process of buying this top vs. the quality of the item. It was also very easy to sell this top through a secondhand selling site because of the brand’s reputation. Buy from them! Just don’t do what I did and buy the wrong thing.

Day #5 – Too Fancy

Featuring: Harly Jae Aura Shorts

Purchased: Last summer
Status: Sold on poshmark

So as I mentioned before, these shorts are long gone. They were beautifully made but always felt too “precious” when I wore them. I was always afraid of ruining the beautiful knit or staining it with my poor table habits and tendency to sit on/climb anything. So I sold them off and found myself a cheaper more casual looking pair (to be featured later) that better met my lifestyle. I think it’s important to be honest with yourself about what “vibe” you go for on a day to day basis. I don’t like feeling overly casual or overly formal. These shorts just felt too formal so I never reached for them unless I forced myself to. So off they went, to a hopefully better home to be loved.

Outfit:
Aritzia Taupe Cropped Tee (4yo/bought new/1st feat.)
Harly Jae Aura Shorts (1yo/bought new/poshmarked)
TKEEs toe strap sandal (1yo/bought new/1st feat.)

Day #2 – Long Gone

Featuring: Aritzia Striped Tie Crop Top

Purchased: 1 year ago
Status: Traded via Bunz

Oh look, another old photo. Oh and another item I no longer have in my closet. However that’s what I want to process today. The idea that even if I can make a great outfit photo out of an item (although looking back this outfit photo isn’t so great), if I don’t feel comfortable wearing it, then I’ll never reach for it. That was the story of this Aritzia top. It honestly hit the mark on everything I wanted from a top at the time – boyish flare, crop length, and easy drape. Put on? Made me feel like a potato sack. Was it the slightly oversized fit? The barely breathable material? Who knows. So after months of deciding if I was OK being a potato sack that day (and unsurprisingly the answer was always no), I turned on my bunz app and traded it away for some btz (bunz digital currency) I have yet to use. But at least this top isn’t hanging in my closet giving me decision fatigue. Small wins.

Outfit:
Aritzia striped crop button shirt (6mon/bought new/traded)
Aritzia grey slit maxi skirt (5yo/bought new/1st feature)
TKEES black strap toe sandal (1yo/bought new/2nd feature)

Day #1 – Starting again (again)

Featuring: ZARA Blue Patch Button Down

Purchased: 4 years ago
Status: Still active in closet

Full disclosure, this picture is old. It is no longer summer (so sad) and I don’t even own those shorts anymore. However, this top is a good example of letting yourself have a trendy “closet staple”. Is that an oxymoron? Probably. But knowing what you love is important in the journey to building a smaller more functional closet. It took me a few years to realize that only solid colours and simple cuts make me bored with my closet pretty quickly. Finding those fun items of a little quirky but still functional, give me a thrill that helps me curb desiring every new shiny thing that hits the rack. If you’re the type of person that can be fully content with a closet full of solid neutrals than that’s great for you. I wish I was you. I want to be a happy stick of butter dammit! But I’m not, and I guess that’s OK too.

Outfit:
ZARA Army patch button down (4 yo/bought new/1st feature)
Harly Jae White Aura shorts (1 yo/bought new/already resold via Poshmark)
Everlane Tank top (1 yo/bought new/first feature)
TKEES black toe strap sandal (1 yo/bought new/1st feature)

As I continue documenting my outfits on my blog I want to focus on understanding my own style and my journey to shrinking my closet in a sustainable way and buying less. At the same time I want to encourage buying secondhand and highlighting smaller sustainable companies. Honestly this blog is so I can finally get all that I’ve learned from this journey into words. So yes reader, I’m selfishly using you. But I guess I also hope you can gain something valuable from here too.