Tag: 15:30

The Final Fifteen of the Ultimate Fashion Diet

If I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s that life is short and a month is even shorter. I’ve already told you how my lovely fashionista friend, Pam, threw down the gauntlet of the ultimate fashion diet…wear only 15 pieces of clothing for the entire month of September. I can do this. It’ll be fun. My bank account will like it. And I know the 30 days will fly by. 

So here’s my final list. The only way this will change is if my new running habit really takes off and I happen to drop a full size this month. A girl can dream, right?

Choosing these clothes was an amazing exercise, I have to say. Fit mattered more than anything in my selections. I was actually surprised that the pieces I ended up choosing were mostly from higher end labels, not LOFT and Target which have been my go-to brands for the most part. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that more expensive clothes are manufactured better. One piece that almost made the list but didn’t is a black sheath dress I pulled from the back of my closet, since I haven’t worn it in years. I realized the accessorizing options with it are endless, and after this month it will go back into heavy rotation.

1. First up are my gray wool (with stretch!) trousers from Michael Kors. They are lightweight, fit really super awesomely, and of course go with everything. I have had these for years and even had to restitch the inseam once when it split open a bit. 

2. Next up are my new Lucky brand, Sweet and Low jeans. Dark denim bootcuts rock. Screw the heat. 
3. Ok so I have to face the heat. These golden khaki bermuda shorts from J. Crew are my nicest pair. They are wrinkled in this pic because I took them off my body to take the photo. I suppose I need to bust out the iron.
4. And again with the heat, my J. Crew favorite fit capris. I like these so much that I have two pair of them, which may make things easier in the laundry department. 

5. On to the skirts. I found this dark wash denim pencil skirt at Ann Taylor and it is awesome. I wear it ALL the time now.

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6. The last skirt is a black faux-wrap skirt from Michael Kors. It doesn’t go with everything because the draping makes it only look right with certain structured tops, but I love it and it’s versatile enough to make the cut.

7. Next up is are some basics. It doesn’t get more basic than a plain white V-neck tshirt from J. Crew. 

    

8. Stretch ivory tank top from Casual Corner. Since you probably know Casual Corner went out of business, you know how old this is. I admit I generally like more color than this, but it works with everything and provides a great backdrop for accessories. 
9. I picked up this navy striped blouse at the LOFT BlogHer Style event I attended in Philly. I can’t tell you how much I love it.  

   

10. At the risk of being somewhat redundant, I am going with another navy striped blouse, this one sleeveless and from Ralph Lauren. The foundational color of this 15 piece wardrobe has turned out to be blue.

   

11. Case in point, more blue. I just love this seafoam blue silk blouse from J. Crew so much I had to include it. I just hope I don’t ruin it from overuse.
 


12. This sheer silver tshirt from LOFT has become a staple of my wardrobe, I’ve gotten countless compliments on it and it goes with everything.

13. For dressier occasions like church (ok, my church is FAR from dressy, but I dress up) I chose this structured but sparkly shell by Alfani.

14. A late addition to the final group was this black silk top from LOFT. Solid black looks great on anyone, is fabulous for accessorizing, and I happen to have two of this exact top. Don’t ask. 

  

15. And finally, a girl cannot live on blue, black and grey alone. I would die. The rest of my closet is loaded with color. So I figured this bright pink camisole from Talbots would fit the bill. 
So that’s it.  I’ll be photographing completed outfits with accessories and adding them to Susan Wagner’s Working Closet group on Flickr. 
I’d LOVE to hear your suggestions for pairing and accessorizing these pieces.

Fashion Friday: End of Summer Steals and My 15:30 Fashion Project

First I want to tell you about a little fashion project I am embarking upon during the month of September. It has to do with the yogic principal of mindfulness and applying it to my shopping and wardrobe choices.  I was issued a challenge by my friend, Pam, the accessory whore, to join with her in Felicia Sullivan’s 15:30 project. That is to carefully choose only 15 items of clothing to wear for the 30 days of September. It’s all about having a very carefully edited closet, learning to choose much more carefully some well crafted and versatile pieces that emphasize fit. Oh and accessorize the heck out of them. 

As you know if you read my Fashion Friday posts, I am a collector of clothing. While this is fun, it is really more out of a misplaced emotional need than a physical necessity of course.   So I thought I’d give this a try. With Pam, Felicia and Susan Wagner playing along it should be fun. I hope. I have started selecting pieces and trying them on, with some disappointing results, so I haven’t chosen the final fifteen yet.  You’ll get a post when I do.  You can read all the rules here, but basically it doesn’t count underwear, gym clothes, house lounging clothes or outerwear.

Not that we’ll be needing any coats here in Texas during September.

So before I can end my shopping for a month, I must share with you the incredible end of season deals I got this month.

First, there was this coupon code my friend Stephanie posted about for $10 off at JC Penney and they had free shipping on shoes. So I scoured the website and found a pair I thought maybe I liked, and ordered them for less than $8.  They arrived and I fell head over heels in love…they are as comfortable as they are cute!  And actually totally practical, they go with everything!

Then I had to return something to my LOFT store, plus I had a 30% off everything coupon.  So on the final sale clearance rack I found this boyfriend cardigan for $6.92.


And these three tops for $6.92 each.

And this top which you’ve already seen in this fashion friday video blog for $4.82!

And finally the piece de resistance, this amazing LBD for a mere $20.97.

I had been searching other LOFT stores to find that dress in my size for awhile, and there it was waiting for me, looking perfect on me, at exactly the right time and place.

For more fashion friday posts check out Musings of a Housewife (back to school!), Centsible Life, (more back to school!) girlymama (dresses!), Mommies With Style (military jackets) and Big Mama (fall trends). 

So, do you think you could choose 15 pieces of clothing and circulate them for your entire wardrobe?