30 Piece Year Round Wardrobe

 

I'm grateful for everyone who followed my journey from tenuous grip on reality to brink of sanity, so it seems only fair to give you an update now that I've descended into complete madness. And thank you so much for your lovely messages of concern. I promise I'm ok. Yesterday I drank kombucha I did not brew, so life is pretty good right now. As you know, I finally ended the Khloe Lamar relationship I had with cardigans, wearing coats instead of a separate sweater or jacket, which Jane Birkin does. I gave away my espadrilles because one of my French friends (friend is a strong term) hated them, comparing them to ballerines. It seemed unreasonable to have so many pairs of shoes in such a small wardrobe, and white sneakers are just as breathable and summery, but more versatile, less cliche American girl pretending to be French anyway.

Now I work in an office with a business casual dress code (I still need formal business attire 2+ days a week), hike on lunch breaks, commute by car to work, garden, swim, clean, etc. These secondhand clothes withstand everything, and I don't need a separate capsule every few months. There's enough that clothes and shoes rest between wears, and I don't think I've mended anything once this year (Paris was a lot rougher on clothes). I can wash everything in a single laundry load with castile soap and hang dry- even woolens dry overnight.

1. Levi's Wedgie high rise, Coyote Desert
2. Classic tint Levi's
3. Levi's Wedgie cuff shorts
4. Equipment cotton shirt (heavily tailored)
5. L'ecole des Femmes Oui shirt
6. Plaid Isabel Marant Etoile shirt
7. Black H&M tank top
8. Black American Apparel crop top and circle skirt
9. Black H&M ribbed top
10. Reformation Piper top
11. Reformation Axel bodysuit
12. American Apparel ponte foil dress
13. Dior black dress
14. Dior navy dress
15. Dior gray dress
16. Louis Vuitton black wool skirt
17. American Apparel grey dress
18. Louis Vuitton raincoat
19. Camel Dior coat
20. A Wool Story socks, hat, and mittens
21. Merino wool turtleneck
22. Pact Organic leggings and socks (horrible)
23. Christian Louboutin simple pumps
24. Ferragamo Vara
25. Stuart Weitzman boots
26. Nike Wedge Sky Hi's
27. Nike Air Force 1's
28. Longchamp Pliage
29. American Apparel swimsuit
30. Four bras, ten bottoms, four garter belts, one pair Swedish Stockings

That's it! I promise, I'm not demanding everyone reduce their wardrobe to this point. I was under the impression these posts were about me, not you. Plus I have very little control over my own life right now, and what I wear is one of the few things I can control, so I'm taking these rigors to an extreme. But I don't think my life is very different from the average twenty something working person. I go to work and have fun and hang out with friends and travel with only these clothes, so it's definitely possible to exist in today's modern society without needing a different outfit for every single occasion. 

I detailed costs in this post. I budgeted comparatively more for things like shoes because, at the time of purchase, my feet were my main mode of transportation. Along with lingerie, they form the basis for everything else, so it makes sense to spend a little. Coats are another important investment piece, at least if you live in the city, since everyone sees you in them most days of the year. I prefer lightweight, natural, temperature regulating fibers, like linen, camel, or merino wool, but wear a small percentage of synthetics. Anyway, even when my life and emotions are unstable, my wardrobe remains constant, enduring. Each garment has survived unspeakable abuse, and I cherish them more each day, probably because they don't constantly disappoint me like humans do.