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!

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!

"Weekend" Chores

"Remember when you were a child and weekend meant a mini vacation? Or at least a break from the mundane so you could enjoy yourself and take part in fun activities, those Barbies and Legos weren't going to play with themselves but, I digress... Do you find that now, as an adult(ish) person, your weekends are full of running errands and chores?

Image courtesy of Hyberbole and a Half

Me too... which is absolutely lame when you think about it; you spend all week at work doing whatever it is that you are an amazing girlboss at and then you spend the weekend catching up on other things. Organizational experts talk about "Work Life Balance" but, I think the real key is "Life Integration." As the lines between the workplace and home blur due to our heightened state of connectivity, it is important to tweak our behavior accordingly and maximize the times when we are focused on being productive so that we can truly enjoy and be present in our periods of relaxation. There are some of the things that I have tried to implement so I can take my weekends back from the shore monster and enjoy myself. Do you have any good tips to add?

• De-clutter one room a night. I don't know about your but, new things come into my home or items move from room to room and then next thing I know my office is looking like a mail room or my kitchen is looking like a staging ground. It's very manageable to work in one room at a time picking a few things up and putting them in their proper place whether that is the shredder, a closet, or another room altogether. You could even pass a vacuum over the carpet and wipe down the surfaces... ok, ok I'm getting ahead of myself. But, tackling one room a night makes the process more manageable. 
• Do laundry during the week(days.) If you have access to a private washing machine/dryer you can run a load of laundry through the washer while you are at work, throw it in the dryer when you get home, and separate/fold it after dinner. Honestly, it's one of my one of my "favorite things" to do and was a huge transition after moving into a house. If you don't have access to a washer/dryer where you could leave your clothes all day it might be worth investigating the option of dropping it off at a local laundromat. If not, you could always visit somewhere after work and tackle that chore during the week   

• Do dishes while you are at work. In the same vein of the laundry, load your dishwasher after you eat breakfast and run it during the day while you are at work so you can empty it when you get home. I don't know about you but, I feel like I am always doing dishes especially if I cook the evening prior. Growing up without a dishwasher I don't know how I could live without one (Dramatic? Maybe...) and I love utilizing it to it's maximum level of effectiveness. 
• Run errands after work. Sometimes you need to run to the store and pick up a face cream you ran out, get a massage, or drop something off which can be challenging outside of normal business hours especially if you are in the burbs which means they get pushed to the weekend. What is important to realize is that sometimes it's totally feasible to tackle these errands after work because stores and other business are staying open later and later or working around your schedule. 

A photo posted by Iris (@260daysnorepeats) on Oct 4, 2014 at 11:02am PDT

• Delegate one weekend day for completion of chores if you must. Maybe you need help from someone else and that is the only time they are available or perhaps that store really doesn't stay open late enough for you to head there after work those jerks... For me it's easiest when hubby has to work on Saturdays, which happens often occasionally, and on some level it's great because I can move any unresolved errands to that day and "work" on those things so we have Sunday free and clear to do whatever I we want which is really the point of your weekend! 

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

Don't Call It a Comeback

I am feeling some serious déjà vu right now, how about you? No? Well, I won't hold that against you but, I've been here before, coming back to blogging after a longer than expected hiatus because I just don't know how to quit you... While I have been feeling the urge to author amazing content comprised of all the "important" things I have to say, not many of those things were centered around fashion, Shocker, I know but, things are different now. Yes, I get dressed every day and (for the most part) I am continuing to avoid my sartorial crutches despite the new challenges that have manifested but, there are loads of other interesting things going on over here like: house projects, engaging reads, professional development, interesting events, and yummy food to name of few. Besides, how much more can I talk about my ensembles after 6 years? Maybe a little bit more but, when you really think about it I've been a broken record, repeating myself about clothes when there are so many other things to expound upon.

So what does this mean moving forward? Well I'm sure you guessed it from my new snazzy banner.

That's right we're going to be talking about it all... craft projects, house things, interesting books I read, things to do, food to make/eat, clothes (of course,) and anything else that comes to mind because this little blog as well as all these other things are a part of me and I want to share them with you. Right now, I am working on a lofty editorial calendar but, we'll see how it goes. I'm not going to place too much pressure on myself and am hoping that I can take the (many) years of blogging that I have under my belt to turn this into a sustainable thing. Wish me luck!

Best Laid Simple Statement

While I was on the train, Thursday morning, on the way to work I started putting together this post. I was super excited to be keeping up with my new personal schedule and doing the things that I enjoy doing like blogging and thinking about clothes. Unfortunately, thanks to Verizon's crappy service while traveling, I was unable to publish my post in a timely manner. In fact, I was unable to even save all the fun interesting things that I had previously written so, I had to start all over again. Sufficed to say that was less than motivating...

But, just because things get a little annoying doesn't mean it's time to give up all together so, here's that one missing outfit from last week. I was really feeling dresses, if you couldn't tell. Maybe because they are cute, or maybe it's because they are easy, or perhaps a little bit of both. Either way that's really the extent of loquaciousness that this ensemble inspired. Sometimes it is just as easy as I like this outfit and I need to wear something so, I will wear the outfit I liked!

• Top: purple and orange floral patterned jersey knit dress, New York & Company
• Shoes & Accessories: black t-strap sandals, LOFT; amelia drop earrings, Stella & Dot

Fresh Start

Let's get real! Sorry I have been MIA for the past month(ish.) Long story short, things at work got cray cray, think 10:00pm in the office most nights cray cray. Sufficed to say sleeping and grown up chores took up the rest of my extremely limited spare time. Before I knew it on top of work, chores, and other obligations I wasn't going to the gym or cooking healthy dinner regularly. We'll call that the turning point... I spoke with my supervisor about managing my time differently and she was ok with what I came up with. Hopefully this change will positively impact both my professional and personal time and enable me to do the things I need and want to do without feeling wiped out.

In terms of blogging, I was taking pictures of ALL the outfits but, I wasn't being diligent about keeping track of what was being worn on what days so I have made the executive decision to start again today with my "one year no repeats" mission instead of stressing about getting everything sorted out. This is supposed to be fun after all... Now, about this dress. If you follow me on Instagram (like you should) you would have seen the massive pile of clothes that I took to the tailor last month. While I could have donated all the clothes that didn't fit me and bought new or "new to me" things it seemed like a waste of time and effort when I could just have the items that I really loved (like this dress) tailored to fit me now.  

• Top: khaki green shirt dress, New York & Company
• Shoes & Accessories: beige striped pumps, Manolo Blahnik; yellow shell earrings, Steve & Barry's

I'm linking up with All About You, and Confident Twosdays 

What Goes Around...

This outfit is from yesterday, I think I might have a two post a day limit in terms of what I can churn out. Maybe today I will break that streak and catch up. Better yet, maybe I can even get ahead of the curve! Whoa. I know, I know, I need to take it one steps at a time and not get ahead of myself. Anyway, clothes...

I picked this dress up at Old Navy a long time ago like, years. Do you remember it? I feel like you probably do because it was all over their ad campaign that season but, I digress... Then, I didn't really wear it all that often because it got too small/was a little too short. I did the only logical thing at that point and gave it to my Mom so someone could take advantage of it. Fast forward to now and it's back in my closet. Isn't it funny how that works out sometimes?  

• Top: blue and gray dress, Old Navy/Mom's closet raid
• Shoes & Accessories: nude snake sandals, Bandolino via Unique Thrift Store; peach cushion cut solitaire earrings, c/o Sorelli

Purchases & Acquisitions: July 2015

Even though things were crazy last month (and continue to be so) I was still able to find time to do a little shopping... I am talented like that.

Clementine - $29.48 (gift card)

• yellow and pink t shirt, Lilly Pulitzer 

Ashby - $45.28 (secret gift from Hubby)

• black and white jumpsuit, Mossimo
• multicolor tank top, Boden

Target - $22.99

• green crepe shell blouse, Merona

Current Consignment - $39.50

• beige blazer, Nanette Lepore
• green gingham blouse, GAP

While I spent $62.49 this past month on clothes (and that's ok I guess) I am more focused on what's coming next in August. As you (should) know it's my birthday month so that means I get lots of things for my birthday and don't shop at all, shop like crazy because it's my birthday and I can, or both. We'll see how it goes. 

What was even more exciting than shopping was getting all of the items that I dropped off at the tailor back completely fitted to my new body shape. I may or may not have tried everything on and flounced around the house. I can't wait to share them with you too!  

Delayed

This week is starting out less positively than I had hoped. Who didn't get home until 9:00pm last night? This gal! The sad thing is it wasn't for lack of trying, let me explain.While I departed work at a (quasi) reasonable hour (6:00ish) and met up with Hubby to grab a quick bite and catch the train because our schedules lined up (which is rare) we ended up sitting in a tunnel on a train trying to get home for hours, thanks delays! While I want today to be better than the craziness it's already a bit off, I forgot to set my alarm last night and missed my morning spin class (sad face.) I hope that's isn't indicative of how the rest of the day is going to go.

WE INTERRUPT THIS POST TO BRING YOU ADDITIONAL (Tuesday Morning) TRAIN DELAYS

The aforementioned resulted in my immediately heading to my car and driving to work. Annoying but, not the end of the world. On the other hand, clearly the end of writing that post until now though... I would have been happy to finish it when I got home but, it was 10:00pm (ONLY because I was able to drive home) at that time and I needed to eat dinner, priorities. Also, clothes...

I'm glad that I was wearing something comfortable while I was navigating all the commuting/work difficulties. Capris (and pants in general) are a life saver when it comes to a quick, comfortable, work appropriate ensemble component. Skirts are great (and obviously my preference most of the time) but, sometimes you just want to be able to sit cross legged on the floor of your cubicle to organize things without having to be concerned about modesty. No? O, maybe that's just me.

• Top: black short sleeved sweater, LOFT
• Bottom: beige pinstripe capri pants, New York & Company via Unique Thrift Store
• Shoes & Accessories: black peep toe wedges, Dr. Scholls; black pearl earrings, The International Gem and Jewelry Show

I most recently wore this shirt here.

Inspired Monday

How was you weekend? Mine was a productive and (sort of) relaxing. I got lots of my house chores and personal errands out of the way but, as still able to veg out a bit which I needed. After the intense week last week I needed to take a break and be a bit of a homebody. The only thing I wish I had been able to do was make it to the beach with the high heat but, it didn't work out with Hubby getting ALL the work calls. Maybe next weekend...

Let's talk about this outfit. We wear clothes everyday (hopefully) but, do you ever put something together that you just love? This is one of those combinations for me! I am so comfortable and absolutely in love with the overall combination of clothing and different accessories (these shoes tho.) Bonus, it's professional enough to wear to the office so it makes a great Monday motivation outfit; I am looking put together, feeling good, and wholly ready to keep up the momentum of last week. I am just hoping that that doesn't mean I am in the office every night until all hours. 

• Top: pink ruffle embellished shirt: LOFT via Clementine
• Bottom: gray pencils skirt, New York & Company
• Shoes & Accessories: black and white retro inspired pumps, Bakers via Unique Thrift Store; pearl earrings, Macys

I most recently wore this shirt here. I most recently wore this skirt here.

Secondhand Star

This outfit is from last Friday, it is the last of all the off schedules errant posts that I needed to sahre with you, Success!

One of the things I have noticed recently (especially when I'm going through purchases for the month) is that I tend to shop (almost) exclusively at second hand stores. On top of that I get lots of clothes from swaps with friends/family/rando strangers of a similar size. While it is intentional (money saving and all that jazz) I like how much it benefits the environment as well. It's a small action but, hopefully it is having a wider reaching impact.

• Top: white sleeveless polo shirt, Lacoste via  Mom's closet raid
• Bottom: denim skirt, LOFT via Melissa's closet cleanout
• Shoes & Accessories: brown top-siders, Kimmie Smith for Sebago c/o Sebago/Robert Verdi's Luxe Lab; vintage silver earrings, my abuela

Blaze Laser Blazer

You thought I was done with blazers for the season, right? Well, that would make both of us but, we were wrong. Even though the temperatures have been climbing it still seemed appropriate to incorporate a blazer in this outfit for professionalism. While it might have been a good idea in terms of the office dress code it was a bad idea in terms of surviving the day. Although it was rainy and that helped cool things down but, by the time I made it into the office I was still melting and since our air conditioning is controlled by someone who must always be hot it wasn't as refreshing as I would have liked. I ended up spending portions of the day with my blazer off (scandalous) thank goodness for this cute shirt.

Speaking of this shirt, I picked it up while I was away this past weekend. While perusing the racks as one of my favorite second hand shops I was reminded (by myself) that I didn't need to be relegated to only searching the M, L, XL racks for clothes and that I could take a peek at the S or even XS (gasp) racks. This is partly due to the fact that my body has changed but, also  because clothing sizes are skewed depending on material, designer, production year. Remember that when you are shopping second hand and you might find some treasures (like this shirt) that you would have missed otherwise. I was initially attracted to the rainbow of muted colors but, was sold when I saw the embellishment around the collar. Can you see it? No, well they are basically fabric colored bead necklaces sewn to the collar; sounds weird, looks adorbs.

• Top: multi-color dot shirt, Boden via Ashby; brown blazer, LOFT
• Bottom: khaki pencil skirt, The Limited via Current Consignment
• Shoes & Accessories: gray pumps, Steven Madden; blue goldstone earrings, International Gem and Jewelry show; 

I most recently work this blazer here.

Lady In Red

This outfit is from yesterday. I only have a few stragglers to post and by next week I will be all caught up. Anyway, after getting an influx of new clothing items over the weekend I had to immediately start wearing them (obviously.) One of the challenges in wearing clothes that was from someone else's wardrobe is that it might need some tweaking stylistically or size wise but, that wasn't going to stop me! In the case of this dress, it was both. While the overall fit was sufficient it was a little big in the top. What made that more challenging to pull off was the sweetheart neckline. Tank top to the rescue, again,

Now on to the star of this ensemble, these shoes! I spotted them in the thrift store and just had to at least try them on, right? Yup. After walking around for five seconds a bit I just knew I had to add them to my shoe wardrobe, right? Exactly. They couldn't have been a more perfect match for this dress (ALL the retro inspired things) but, what else should I pair them with? Decisions, decisions....

• Top: red sweetheart neckline dress, eShakti.com/Mom's closet raid; black tank top, Old Navy
• Shoes & Accessories: black and white retro inspired pumps, Bakers via The Unique Thrift Store; vintage silver earrings, my Abuela 

Purchases & Acquisitions: June 2015

There was shopping/swapping this month, so much shopping/swapping! Well maybe not so much with the shopping but, definitely with the swapping... let me explain. I have been feeling the urge to shop in the recent months but, after my extreme closet purge that increased exponentially. I sent my Mom the picture of the finished product and she took pity on me bringing over some things form her closet that no longer fit her last weekend. Then we scheduled a time to go see the local tailor by her so that I could salvage some of my favorite items because tailoring is a great option instead of heading out and buying all new clothes. 

Unfortunately/fortunately, we didn't make it to the tailor because I was raiding my Mom's closet for things that no longer worked for her. I made out like a bandit (kinda literally) with bags of sartorial goodies. Ironically, many of those items had previously been mine going as far back as high school, for serious. It's a good thing that my mother doesn't have my penchant for closet clean outs but, I digress...  Even though the tailor was closed we consoled ourselves by heading over to one of my favorite second hand stores and she bought me a few things because she's super nice. The "damage"  is as follows... 

Goodwill $20.48 Amazon Local Deal

• red dress, Taylor 
• brown striped dress, Bailey 44 

Current Consignment $15.64

• eggplant suite, Nanette Lepore
• cream pants, Vanessa Bruno
• gray tank top, Bailey 44

Unique Thrift Store $45.22 c/o Mom

• beige pinstripe capris, New York & Company
• brown plaid pants, New York & Company
• khaki green bermuda shorts, Forever 21
• black pinstripe suit, Anne Klein
• retro inspired polka dot pumps, Bakers

Mom's Closet Raid Cleanout

• red dress, eShakti.com
• blue floral lace dress, eShakti.com
• black and white houndstooth faux wrap dress, eShakti.com
• gray scoopneck t-shirt, New York & Company,
• red scoopneck t-shirt, New York & Company
• black sheath dress, Books Brothers
• black sleeveless polo shirt, Lacoste
• white sleeveless polo shirt, Lacoste
• black polo shirt, Lacoste
• black capri leggings
• black embellished t-shirt, Merona
•  khaki skirt, Ann Taylor
• white linen pants
• denim skirt, LOFT
• black lace dress, H&M
• black sweater dress, Pink Rose 
• lime green scoopneck sweater, LOFT
• ivory scoopneck sweater, LOFT
• hot pink scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• yellow scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• green scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• black scoopneck sweater, LOFT 
• green cardigan sweater, New York & Company 
• purple cardigan sweater, New York & Company
• light brown plaid suit, Sweet Suit
• brown polka dot suit, Donna Sands
• purple tweed skirt, Norton
• black and gray plaid skirt, NYCC
• ivory and beige skirt, Theory
• gray pencil skirt, Emanuel by Emanuel Ungaro
• blue and gray dress, Old Navy
• gray cropped blazer, I.N.C. 
• black and brown plaid skirt, Worthington
• black t-shirt, Chanel
• blue ombre tank top, Xhilitration

You were worried, weren't you? It really wasn't that bad after all, after all of the fun new things I added or welcomed back to my wardrobe I ended up only spending $15.64 at my local consignment store. We'll see how I do next month since I will spending time visiting my favorite shopping destination my cousin and you've seen how that goes...

Make It Work Monday

If you follow me on Instagram (like you should) you probably witnessed the extreme metamorphosis of my closet over the weekend. Sufficed to say I was an amalgam of emotions. Accomplished? Yes! Sad. Totally... While I did not invent the closet purge I do consider myself an aficionado despite my emotional conflict. Maybe it's because of my love of fashion, or my obsession with organization, perhaps my personal/professional ability to make unbiased judgement (ahem recruitment,) or a combination of everything; Either way, I'm exceptionally proficient at it, or so I thought...

I hadn't been completely honest with myself about what was really going on in my own closet. While I had previously purged my closet and gotten rid of a large amount of things it wasn't really a true representation of everything that no longer fit me. Part of my difficulty posting last week was because the items that I would pull from my wardrobe to make amazing ensembles were not actually viable options (AKA too big/loose/unflattering) and it prolonged the entire process. So, this weekend I focused on being truly unbiased and got rid of all of those items. In the end I was left with a sparse selection of clothes from which I was able to piece together this ensemble.

• Top: beige/metallic striped sweater, Ella Moss via Ashby
• Bottom: black capri pants, Lands End
• Shoes & Accessories: gray cap toe ballet flats, Guiseppe Zanotti via Buffalo Exchange; coin pearl necklace, V'ta jewelry; coin pearl earrings, gift from Mom

I most recently wore these pants here.

I'm linking up with Mix It Mondays, Let It Shine, How I Spring, Monday Mingle, Creative Mondays,and Personal Style Monday

Teacher Dress

I'm sorry for the gap in posts; life happens, as you know. My personal style mission hasn't changed so, I am getting back to it... One of my biggest challenges this week so far was that I, kind of, hated (almost) every outfit that I put together over the weekend. So, instead of being able to post everything in advance, even pictures were taken, I ended up second guessing my ensembles, coming up with new (more awesome) outfits, and taking more pictures. Yes, it was as frustrating as it sounds. Now about those clothes...

This ensemble reminds me of something that a teacher would wear, right? Maybe I just had very fashion forward instructors when I was in school throughout the years. Either way, I was leading some trainings on Monday so, it was a teacher's outfit (technically.) This dress was my first experience with eShakti.com and I'm glad that it still fits (for the most part.) I didn't do much customization the first time around (other than adding pockets) but, the classic style and quality is something to note in the world of fast-fashion that we live in.

• Top: red blue bird printed dress, c/o eShakti.com; gray plaid blazer, Jones New York
• Shoes & Accessories: black peep-toe wedges, Dr. Scholl's; gray labradorite earrings, Pennyweights

I'm linking up with Mix It Mondays, Let It Shine, How I Spring, Monday Mingle, Creative Mondays,and Personal Style Monday

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Nailipop manicure strips!