Holiday Capsule Wardrobe

I wrote this post for Sugar & Spice back in 2011 and focused on using a few key items from my own existing wardrobe to create a plethora of holiday outfits. What is fascinating to me is that here we are, five years later, and this is still extremely relevant. I'm sure you have similar staple items in your wardrobe that you could mix together so create your own holiday capsule wardrobe for "go-to: outfits so you don't have to worry about what to wear at the last minute. Check it out for some inspiration!

Hi Everyone, I’m Iris from 260 Days, No Repeats! I have challenged myself to wear remixed outfits from my closet… It started out as a one-year thing but, has since evolved and kept on going. During this experience, I have learned that you don’t need all new items of clothes to have a fresh new look. I am constantly finding ways to take the things I wear every day and pair them with completely different items! There are no limits... With the holidays on the horizon, I’m sure everyone’s social calendars are filling up. While you might feel like there is nothing in your closet that is going to work you can take a few key pieces and put together a plethora of fabulous outfits! I chose a great dress, sparkly sweater, sparkly t-shirt, classic pencil skirt, and pinstripe blazer and mixed them into 12 different holiday ready ensembles. What pieces would you pick? How would you put them together?

Lace Yoke Sleeveless Dress – LOFT

Red Embellished Sweater – RED via Loehmanns

Green Sequins Embellished T-shirt – Ellen Tracey via TJ Maxx

Black Pencil Skirt – Old Navy

Black Pinstripe Blazer – Calvin Klein via SYMS

1

1+5

1+2

1+2+5

1+3

1+3+5

1+4

1+4+5

2+4

2+4+5

3+4

3+4+5

Mixed Metal Earrings – ModCloth
Belle Fleur Ring – Stella & Dot
Rhinestone Earrings – New York & Company
Gold/Silver Teardrop Earrings – V’ta Jewelry

Black Pumps – Candies via Kohl’s

Black Belt – Adrienne Vitadinni

Can you see yourself utilizing similar pieces from your own wardrobe in similar fashions? What would you do differently? It doesn’t have to be exact; You could throw a pair of pants or jeans in the mix for more casual gatherings and you are covered for every situation!

Fall Palette

I feel like it's finally Fall. While PSL has been in our faces since September 1 the weather (hello 80° days) has not been in alignment with that autumn reality and all the other fall paraphernalia until more recently. While summer is my favorite thing, I appreciate the changing of the seasons and get excited about the opportunity to be super basic and wear a flannel/plaid/puffy vest combination to do some sort of autumnal activity. How serious am I being? You will never know... but, in all seriousness I do get excited about the changing of the seasons because that means fun things are on the horizon like, holidays, seeing family, layering, and wearing amazing fall colors like mustard. When I put this ensemble together it really struck me as being a great combination of less traditional fall colors (read: not red orange, yellow) but, still in line with cooler weather. Thoughts? On another note, I have to share a secret with you... these were Hubby's pants. Could you tell? I didn't think so. When Hubby was getting rid of them because they were too tight on him I thought, "Why get rid of a perfectly good pair of (fancy) pants? I could incorporate them into my wardrobe instead of picking up a trendy 'boyfriend chino'." That's a win!

• Top: lace trim shell, Merona; black cardigan, 14th & Union
• Bottom: Sharp Grey Emerson straight chino, Banana Republic
• Shoes & Accessories: black pumps, Sam Edelman; silver bead earrings, Tiffany & Co; paisley infinity scarf , gift from Mom

I'm linking up with What I Wore, Watcha Wearing Wednesday, Style Me Wednesday

Don't forget to enter the Nordstrom gift card giveaway! 

Fix It, Don't Forget It

Did you know that  that the textile recycling industry recycles approximately 3.8 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste (PCTW) each year (read: clothes you throw away, and other fabric stuff) this only accounts for approximately 15% of all PCTW, leaving 85% in our landfills.While that is scary enough to read watch this short video below and continue to be shocked and horrified. 

While you might not think about the impact that shopping "all the time" and buying cheap/disposable clothes has on the planet it obviously does and it is significant, at that. When shopping, I think the more important thing to consider is why buy that item of clothing in the first place. Do you love it? Do you have a need for it? Do you even see yourself wearing it? Or is it just something that is just "ok" considering the cost. Why even bother wasting your time and your wardrobe space with something that doesn't get you excited to wear it or at least put a smile on your face. One of the ways that I try to stretch the life of the clothes that I love longer is not by washing things less (eww) but, by fixing things that have a slight "damage" from wear and tear.

• Find a cobbler - While clothes is a big part of textile waste another is shoes. Once you have worn through the heels or scuffed up the tips it's easy to cast them aside in favor of a newer (sometimes shinier) option. That being said, once you have found the right cobbler (thanks, Google/Yelp) it's just as easy to drop them off at your friendly neighborhood cobbler for a face lift or repairs.  

• Make Small Adjustments - I'm not saying that you need to sew a dress from scratch but, can you take up a hem? How about shorten straps? You could even take it to the next level by learning to sew a dart or upcycle your existing wardrobe into something completely different... Sorry, I got ahead of myself but, making small changes to an item of clothes can make a big difference in how it appears and make it continuously useful in your life. 

• Patch Holes - This is not a new tip from me. I've done (and shared) it before and I'm doing it again. Patching holes is such a tremendously simple fix that really adds length to the life of your clothes without anyone being the wiser that there was damage in the first place (as long as it is not somewhere that is highly visible.) Whether you sew the offending hole up, add a patch, or both it is worth the effort. 

What are some ways that you extend the life of your clothes?

Don't forget to enter the Nordstrom gift card giveaway!

All The Dots

In my current work environment, I could show up to work in leggings or jeans everyday and not get a second look from my co-workers or supervisors. That practice is not something that I find to be acceptable especially, on an everyday basis. Most days, I keep it professional meaning a nice shirt, non-denim or non-spandex bottom, and probably a blazer or cardigan. Some days the combinations of mundane raiments are next level. Maybe it's the just the former "outfit of the day blogger" in me but, when an exceptional pairing happens it needs to be memorialized! This ensemble was inspired by the amazing shoes which I picked up on super clearance at a nearby outlet mall. While they are comfortable and could be worn everyday they are unique and don't go with everything in my wardrobe. The "one of a kind" finds often are but, I digress... While a solid colored dress or jumpsuit would be an obvious and mediocre choice I wanted to put together an ensemble that was as amazing as these shoes are.When considering items that I could pair together I ended up with a plethora of polka dots that worked perfectly, in my opinion.

• Top: Glad-Zooks! Bees Top, ModCloth; black and white tweed blazer, Ann Taylor
• Bottom: black pencil skirt with pockets, Old Navy 
• Shoes & Accessories: black and white polka dot pumps, Jason Wu; pearl earrings, Macys; 

I'm linking up with What I Wore, Watcha Wearing Wednesday, Style Me Wednesday

Nambé at Macy's

Recognized for its award-winning designs for more than 60 years, Nambé’s commitment to timeless beauty, artistic integrity, and uncompromising quality is evident in the brand’s collection of serveware, barware, home décor and gift items. I'm sure you've seen them and might not have even realized! Nambé collaborates with the world’s most esteemed designers to develop products that bring function and style into the home. From The British Museum in London to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Nambé pieces are exhibited in renowned galleries around the world. What to do after you have already achieved such accolades? Well, keep going... Nambé is now partnering with Macys  to bring a stylish, sophisticated line of necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings to you. Working with designer Carolyn Pollack (pictured below) they are offering a line of timeless and unique accessories (also pictured below) that were created with the stylish woman in mind. Even better, everything from the line is made here in America, New Mexico to be exact. Most importantly, all the items for Nambé at Macys will be available at a reasonable price especially considering the quality, luxury, and design aesthetic that goes into each piece.

Photo credit: Kent Miller Studios for Macy’s Inc.

Photo credit: Kent Miller Studios for Macy’s Inc.

A photo posted by Iris (@260daysnorepeats) on Oct 18, 2016 at 6:25pm PDT

Photo Credit: Kent Miller Studios for Macy’s Inc.

First Day of School, I Mean Work

An outfit of the day post already? Yup! Don't worry, I'm not falling back into old habits. However, I have started a new job (yay, me) and I thought it only appropriate to show you what I wore on my first day in my new position. While I am still working in human resources/recruiting I have switched industries from non-profit to a more corporate environment. There has definitely been a bit of a learning curve in terms of industry specific practices, terminology, etc. and I am excited to learn them all. One thing that I am confident saying is that I do know is how to dress appropriately for work. That being said, I noticed throughout the interview process how laid back everyone was in my new office in terms of their wardrobe, leggings and jeans abound. While that might be acceptable for other parties involved that is not something I am comfortable with for work on a daily basis let alone my first day. Concurrently I did not want to show up in a full suit; that might have been a bit off putting to my new colleagues, albeit not inappropriate. I ended up going with a business casual standby: coordinating blazer/skirt combo with a cute top, it's the a perfect combination.

• Top: red floral print blouse, Anne Klein; black blazer, Calvin Klein
• Bottom: gray plaid pencil skirt, ABStudio
• Shoes & Accessories: black pumps, Bandolino; pearl earrings, Macys