Mid-year Review

Dear YLF, 

My wardrobe is in a pretty good place, so apart from replenishing my gear capsule in the winter, I haven't made many "fashion" purchases at all so far. And everything I've bought was (uncharacteristically for me) on sale. 

Below are the things I've bought. The colour on the EF shirt is so good for me that I bought it even though it wasn't really on my list of needed items. I love wearing silk shirts -- they tend to live in my closet for a long time and never fail to spark joy. 

The BR tops are staple items, replacing a few worn tees and tops. It's already too warm for me to wear them, alas, at least the sleeved ones, but I know they will get years of use, as this type of top always serves me extremely well. 

Both J. Crew pants will work well for me in the casual summer wear department. 

The Ecco sneakers (actually darker than shown) are replacements for my beloved silver Ecco 8s. I don't love them quite as much as the others, but there is no silver anywhere in my size, so. Also, they seem wider on the heel than my previous ones so the fit is not so good for me. I am experimenting with various insoles. 

The Fitflop sneakers are a FLOP. I'd hoped they'd work like the Eccos but the fit is too wide no matter what. I think this counts as my shopping mistake this year. About to let them go to a happier home. 

The Earth sandals were a complete surprise. They were priced at less than $40 CAD and I couldn't resist. Very very comfy. Not a true wild card because after all, they are a classic sandal in "my" colours. But certainly an impulse purchase and I think, a good one. 

So, here I am in my circa 2013 tube skirt. The denim jacket, which I bought in my first year at YLF. The top is also on its 3rd or 4th season. Only the bag and shoes are recent. Once again, an outfit that isn't particularly current, yet it makes me happy. 

On a sadder note, 2 of my Boden dresses from last year are fitting poorly. Partly it is me -- I gained a few pounds.  :(.  But mostly it is them -- after many many wears and washes, they've simply shrunk a bit. I always wash in cool and air dry, but eventually shrinkage will occur, I guess, no matter what. And these dresses did see a lot of wear last year and even early this year. Each was worn about twice per week through the warm months -- so well over 30 wears apiece. So I'm on the lookout for great summer dresses, along with several others of you. Haven't found my dream dresses yet but open to suggestions. 

This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

24 Comments

  • Helena replied 4 years ago

    Looking fab as you always do Suz! The outfit might not be trendy, but it doesn't look 'uncurrent' to me, if that makes sense - like, if you told me you bought all the pieces this weekend, that would seem completely sensible to me. The power of classics!

    Your shopping looks like it's been focused and tight, and I can see how all these pieces will work for you. Too bad about the sneaks but I love how you've analyzed the problem rather than sweating it - makes total sense.

    Good luck with the dress shopping! I've not got any suggestions but I don't doubt you'll find some winners; you've got a great eye.

    PS - I love the idea of a mid-year review and may do same!

  • Cardiff girl replied 4 years ago

    You are indeed true mistress of your wardrobe.Everything works,you look great and manage new additions in a controlled and timely manner.

  • Bonnie replied 4 years ago

    Those sandals are perfect for you and look great with your outfit. You've shopped carefully so far and hope you find new summer dresses you love. I need summer pants so am looking at your choices. 

  • Angie replied 4 years ago

    Suz, you ALWAYS look fabulous. I like seeing 2013 wardrobe items rock their style in 2019. A great look that is very far from broken. As chic today :)

    The trends are fun, but the classics are too. And swinging things back round can be very satisfying. I noticed that as I turned back to classic tops for Spring & Summer this year because the trends are against me. 

    Our favourite workhorses can wear out too fast. It's annoying, but bound to happen especially with jersey type fabrics that are not made of 100% polyester. We can be on the look out for frocks together. 

  • nemosmom replied 4 years ago

    I am so jealous of your laser-precise ability to add items!

  • smittie replied 4 years ago

    Oh I like those sandals! Sorry to hear about the FitFlops and the Boden dresses. 

  • Style Fan replied 4 years ago

    Suz, that EF silk shirt is perfect for you.  Love that colour with your skin and hair.  Your wardrobe pieces all work so well together.  

  • Jenn replied 4 years ago

    You KNOW I was excited to see this pop up on the forum today. Introspection FTW! It seems like your wardrobe is in a great place, and you're  benefitting from not having to constantly fight your climate! 

    2015 was a wardrobe rebuilding year for me, and I'm just now starting to notice that some of those items aren't really working for me anymore...less because of trends than because I was doing a lot of experimenting at that time. I kind of recall you leaning pretty classic at that point, so it makes sense that many of those items still work. Yay for that!

    As for summer knitwear...I have the same issues, but when you wear something like heck and then can happily move on to something new when it wears out, that's a win-win.

  • The Cat replied 4 years ago

    I suspect modern building materials are to blame--that they somehow cause beachwear, summer dresses etc. to shrink in the course of winter .... :-)

    Suz, you have great style, and I like all your new items. Congratulations with finding them on sale!

  • karen13 replied 4 years ago

    Love all of these, and your old faithfuls as well. I can't wait to see the silk shirt in your WIWs - yummy color. So frustrating when carefully thought out shoe purchases don't live up to expectation!

    I am not surprised you are in a wardrobe happy place, and I am hoping to able to write the same sort of post one day - I'm definitely in a better place wardrobe-wise than I used to be, so progress is being made!

  • replied 4 years ago

    Looks good to me! Been wondering if I should try fit flops, but since youre my foot twin maybe not!

  • Karie replied 4 years ago

    The new items look great, and so does the 'ol faithful tube skirt. I just let mine go - I didn't wear them (I had two) at all last summer - I seem to be craving more relaxed fitting items. I'm LOVING the J Crew seaside and cropped chambray pants. Can't wait to see how you style them!

  • Runcarla replied 4 years ago

    Classics for the win! The sandals do look to be trendy with that block heel, and they look great in that outfit. What a great find they are.

  • replied 4 years ago

    You never fail to inspire  , and to instill confidence that this wardrobe mastery can indeed happen.  I like every one of your new purchases , and commiserate with the FitFlop fail.  I like your attitude of assessing, acknowledging a mistake , and then passing them on.  I also really like the blue sandals - is there a link you can share?  I can google myself of course, but curious where you bought them.

    As to the Boden dresses, I don't think it's all that unreasonable for two dresses that got a ton of wear (and subsequent washing ), to not hold up past one season of wear.  Nothing in that fabric will last very long, and it seems that you got reasonable value out of them (I'm remembering Boden dresses to be quite reasonably priced, no?)  .  At least they gave you an idea of what works for you and what you can look for again.  

  • LaPed replied 4 years ago

    Those sandals are really cool! What a great semi-wildcard. 

    I've had a lot of shoe duds (none yet this year, but it's only a matter of time), so I understand your frustration with the Fitflops and the new Eccos. It is sooo frustrating when a shoemaker redesigns a workhorse style so that it no longer fits quite right. 

    Can't wait to see the silk shirt in action!

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    Thanks, all, for commiseration and thoughts! 

    LaPed, the Fitflops in some of the other styles still fit me -- just not the tie-up sneakers. The sandals work if they have an adjustable strap  (not all of them do, but the Skinny style does). The sneakers that work are basically a stretchy fabric upper -- so it accommodates lots of foot shape and shrinks to fit where I need it narrower, and expands where I need it wider. The tie ups are just plain loose through the midfoot as well as the heel. Oh well. Live and learn. 

    Lisa, thanks.  I got them in store during a Ronsons wearhouse sale. The website doesn't seem to have them any more but you might check any way, or check your local store, if you have. I have never owned Earth shoes before and I find the footbed very nice and the suede extremely soft against the foot. I would look at this brand again for a comfortable shoe.

    Carla, I think they date from two summers ago. But that is okay. They're not trendy but they are still perfectly stylish. 

    Karie, good for you! I should really move mine along, too! But I rely on them so much and haven't found my alternative, as you can see! Those pants would work well on you, too, if you could get longs. 

    Suntiger, do try Fitflops -- just take my comments to LaPed into consideration if you do! The different styles fit a bit differently and it's worth knowing that. 

    Karen13, I think you must be awfully close to a happy wardrobe place! 

    TheCat, how right you are about those pesky modern materials. Not to mention my too-frequent indulgence in dark chocolate this winter. :)

    Jenn, you are SO right. I don't have to fight my climate all the time. Duh!! No wonder things seem to be working more easily for me. Thanks for that insight. And also for commiseration re the knit dresses. I did get a lot of wear from them and they were, as Lisa said, very reasonably priced in the first place. So I shouldn't feel guilty about letting them go. 

    Thanks, Style Fan. I do think that orchid shirt will be a winner for me. 

    Smittie, nemosmom, thank you! 

    Angie, YAY to shopping for dresses together! Or at least hoping to find some. :) 

    Bonnie, those chambray pants might work really well for you. Worth a look for sure. 

    Cardiff Girl, thank you!

    TG, thank you, and I encourage you to do a mid-year review -- it's useful! 

  • Jaime replied 4 years ago

    Well starting from the bottom, you look fantastic in your outfit made of cloths of many years. Some items are meant to last longer - jackets and jeans come to mind. Summer items worn on repeat just wear out more quickly. Some items don't work out despite our best intentions. Your wardrobe is in a very good place from every point of view.

  • replied 4 years ago

    Fixed my typos -oops.  I'm not familiar with Ronsons , nor the brand Earth itself. I'll do some digging.

  • rachylou replied 4 years ago

    This is very satisfying!

  • Bijou replied 4 years ago

    Great new additions, but I am disappointed that the Boden dresses did not last longer, because they looked so great on you. Hopefully you will find something to replace them with. I really hope the JCrew 2 piece dress is going strong - as that was my favourite Suz last summer purchase.

  • Suz replied 4 years ago

    Bijou, the J. Crew 2 piece is BRILLIANT and I so wish they had done something comparable this year. They do have some liberty prints and some looked nice, but not as nice as mine (IMO). It will last a long time -- woven vs. knit for the win! 

    Honestly, the Bodens would probably still be okay if I had not gained a wee bit of weight. The Phoebe is still wearable as a house dress. The other one -- well, I'm wearing it and still even getting compliments on it -- but it doesn't fall properly any more and is shorter than I'd like. 

  • Column replied 4 years ago

    You always look fab, Suz. I am instructed every time you post!

  • Jenni NZ replied 4 years ago

    This is a great post. I’m sorry about the dresses. Still getting compliments is good though?
    You seem to have managed your numbers better than me. I noticed rather too many items for next summer in my list :) Only just started our winter. I find those sale items hard to resist especially if I had noticed them earlier in the season and rejected them for being too pricey.

  • Angie replied 4 years ago

    Suz, why don't you start a separate frock thread, and lets get you sorted.

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