I don’t really know what my blogging identity is these days. I’ve been doing this for over a year and a half – I just thought at some point I’d hit my stride and be more consistent in terms of content and style. I’ve tried blogging about a lot of different things – sustainability, minimalism, style, money – but none of it really sticks as “my” thing. Every time I get a new idea for a new direction for the blog, I scrap it just as quickly. So thanks for being here, even though my pictures are bad and my posting is sporadic and my attempt at web design is basically non-existent.
What I like talking about lately is just outfits. Late summer has been a surprisingly fun time to get dressed once I embraced the real weather and stopped trying to completely transition my wardrobe into an autumnal Pinterest board the moment the calendar turned to September. This is the time of year when I try to remember how much I hate the cold, unrelenting chill of winter, and how much I appreciate being able to walk outside with bare skin exposed and not be assaulted by the weather.
Here are a few outfits that I wore recently that I thought were particularly good (and that I was wearing when there was enough daylight in my home to snap a photo…).
Wearing Tradlands Lily shirt (no longer available, similar on sale), Everlane shorts (no longer available, similar) Tradlands Les Femmes Tote
This was such a fun little end-of-summer outfit. I felt like I was saying goodbye to this top and shorts since I knew I’d be putting them away for the season soon. I’ve been a little on the fence about keeping this top, though – I wore it a lot last year, but hardly wore it at all this year. A friend of mine who has the same one recently put hers up for sale, saying that she “felt like a waitress” every time she wore it. I thought that was hilarious and perfect.
I feel a lot of guilt about getting rid of clothes I once claimed to love (and did, actually love!) but now no longer reach for. Earlier in my personal wardrobe journey (lol) I was mostly saying goodbye to old fast fashion items that I’d bought without a lot of intention behind the purchase, but now I’m facing getting rid of nice things. Things that cost a lot of money and that I considered investment pieces.
I’m not sure what the solution is here. Keep wearing a thing I don’t love? Stop spending so much time on the giant technicolor guilt trip that is Instagram? I don’t want to be one of those bloggers who turns her wardrobe over so quickly it gives my readers whiplash, but I also don’t want to be reserving precious closet space to clothes that I just don’t wear. Thoughts? Feelings?
Wearing Tradlands Seville Shirt (sold out, similar in long sleeve), Everlane Corduroy Stamp Skirt, Blake Goods Center Bar Belt, Nisolo Mariella Mules
I liked this outfit SO MUCH. I’m not really a mini-skirt person, but I was drawn to this skirt like a moth to the flame. I had a cute little cream colored linen mini-skirt from Loft that I wore for several summers in a row, but this year I outgrew it, and so I was looking for something similar, but updated and more appropriate for all seasons. I think this one fits the bill as a year-round staple. I’m wearing it in a size 2, which is my normal size, and it fits me well.
Quick note about these mules – Nisolo recently did a very cool thing by creating an Essentials Collection, offering many of their most popular styles at a permanently lower price. They were able to do this because they own their factory, and as they grow and scale up production, they can pass on the savings to the customer without compromising on their standards for fair wages for their workforce. Nisolo explains this process more fully on its website.
P.s. I am a Nisolo affiliate, but I bought these shoes myself and Nisolo does not gift products to me (I don’t know why – I’ve asked!).
Wearing Everlane Texture Cotton Crop Cardigan, Everlane Japanese GoWeave Shirt Dress (on sale for $65), Everlane Editor Heels
I asked my husband to pick out my outfit today and even though he took the easy way out and picked a dress, I think it turned out to be a great office outfit for this weird weather time of year. I can’t get enough of this dress and I’m already sad about the day when it will no longer be seasonally appropriate.
Also, yes, I realize this is a lot of Everlane. I think that these days my wardrobe is mostly Tradlands, Everlane, and Eileen Fisher in the same way that it used to be mostly Loft and H&M. When I find something that really works for me, I stick with it. I don’t really feel the need to shop in a lot of different places if I know that these particular places are consistently going to have things that fit my budget, body, and style. What I’m trying to say is that I always feel a weird compulsion to apologize for wearing so much Everlane, but I really freaking like Everlane and I’m not going to apologize for it anymore.
Anyway, shoes.
I am calling it. The Editor Heel is the best damn heel I’ve ever owned, and yes, that includes my Day Heels, which I have been wearing constantly for most of the last year.
The Editor Heel is just so beautiful and elegant. I saw it on Angelina Jolie and I was MAJORLY INFLUENCED (do I have a secret Angie Pinterest board? Maybe.). These had been on my list for a long time, specifically to replace a pair of black suede pumps from H&M that I’ve had for a few years but are just a little too tight in the toe box. The Editor Heels were, surprisingly, the most comfortable shoes right out of the box that I’ve ever had from Everlane. I got them in my normal size (6), and did not experience any rubbing, chafing, or discomfort of any kind during the three full days I wore them to work.
Compared to the Day Heel, I find them to be much more comfortable, but definitely more delicate and precarious. You can chase after a bus in the Day Heel (ask me how I know), but the pointy toe and the slim kitten heel on the Editor Heel would get ruined pretty easily if you attempted any physical activity more treacherous than walking down a sidewalk. I went for these in the new “chocolate” colorway because I’m attempting to warm up my cold-weather wardrobe with colors other than black.
One last thing I wanted to mention in today’s post, my friend Jenny of Loyale Studio is officially phasing out her amazing tees and tunics to focus on her line of ethical and sustainable kitchen essentials. I missed my opportunity to tell you about the killer clearance sale on the tees, but I hope you’ll check out Loyale in its new iteration, and maybe subscribe to Jenny’s email list, which is basically a beautiful thoughtful essay dropped into your inbox every month.
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This post is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links and gifted items. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission from purchases made using affiliate links.
Goblin Shark 
“I feel a lot of guilt about getting rid of clothes I once claimed to love (and did, actually love!) but now no longer reach for. Earlier in my personal wardrobe journey (lol) I was mostly saying goodbye to old fast fashion items that I’d bought without a lot of intention behind the purchase, but now I’m facing getting rid of nice things. Things that cost a lot of money and that I considered investment pieces.”
That seems to be the dilemma, isn’t it? With fast fashion, the logic was the item’s short life would mean you felt like its life would be over anyway when you stopped loving it or got bored so it felt less sad when getting rid of it. But with investment pieces, the logic is since you ‘d keep it long-term, you’d choose ones that would also be loved for as long as they last, which is longer than the fast fashion piece. But how can you make yourself “love” an item for longer, just because it was intended for a longer life? Intending to love an item for the long term, alas, doesn’t make it always so.
When you realize you no longer love an investment piece, I’d imagine it’d suck it if happens that the duration of time you “enjoyed” the investment piece was not that much longer than the fast fashion one? Is that the case, it feels like a waste (what is the lifespan you’d tend to think of that a fast fashion item had for you in the past vs. an investment piece now, and on the whole, have fast fashion items worn out before you stopped loving them or have they been tossed out earlier from getting bored of them first with this period of “no longer loving them” reached faster than with the investment “nice” items now)? It’s hard because you have to see yourself loving the item 4, 5 years, even the good part of a decade down the line versus only a year or two, and honestly, so many things in our life can change that it’s hard to visualize “will this item be with me, looking nice on my +5, +10 years older self”.
I suppose it’s still better that “saying goodbye to” an investment piece means it’s likely to be sold or given to someone and live on hopefully in someone else’s life (assuming it’s more likely to be bought and not just also tossed unsold) rather than fast fashion items for which “saying goodbye to” means the trash, since their durability is such that others won’t want them and that’s often the end of the line for it. But that still doesn’t assuage the sacrifice you had making the investment for the investment piece to begin with, in terms of your life.
That said, I think regarding investment pieces, maybe do keep them a little longer in the hope that they’ll still spark a little love after being put away, but if they really don’t, I guess really you shouldn’t let the guilt keep you from saying bye (but hopefully you can give those clothes at least a good second home!). Perhaps also think of what enough “love” for them to keep them around means — will you grow to love them and see them as “old reliable friends” that you can gradually come to appreciate, even if they’re not immediately “fun” the way trendy fashion items are? Or will they simply not likely work out, not being any more loved the longer you keep them, sitting in storage?
By the way, just wanted to ask again on sandals (sorry to bring them up since you just mentioned sandal season is nearing its end), if you don’t mind, back when you had those LOFT sandals you said goodbye to earlier this summer right after switching over to the Eileen Fisher sandals (https://goblinshark.blog/2019/06/28/day-30-eileen-fisher-sandals), how many summers did they last, and by comparison, what would be a reasonable lifespan of shoes that you consider investment pieces, like the Eileen Fisher sandals that replaced them? I know you still transitioned into many new shoes, but were you thinking say 5 years or even more for “reliable” shoes, versus only a couple summers or less for fast fashion shoes?
I still feel like there’s something particular sentimental about shoes but that’s just me. I actually have a harder time getting rid of them than clothes but maybe it’s because for some reason, I get “bored” of them less quickly and love them longer.
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Thanks so much for this thoughtful comment! You make some good points and ask some good questions. I think that a big part of the decision for me also comes down to the availability of physical space. I live with my in-laws in a small bedroom with one small closet that my husband and I share. As much as I want to buy myself some decision making time by storing things away for a while, there’s really no place to store anything that isn’t essential. Thankfully, my nicer clothes are all in good condition, and if I were to donate or sell, they would probably find great second homes.
Regarding the sandals, I think I bought those little Loft ones in the early summer of 2015, so I wore them for four summers before they basically fell apart. To me, that seems like a really good life for shoes I wore almost every single day for three months at a time. I’ll do my best to get the same or more time out of the Eileen Fisher pair.
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I actually love your blog exactly the way it is! I find it refreshing with a “down-to-earth” blog amongst all the professionalized blogs out there, it makes me feel that I can relate a lot more to the content and the person behind the blog. I find your blog posts and your honesty really inspiring, so just keep doing what you’re doing – it works for me 🙂
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Aw gosh, thanks so much! That really means a lot to me. I’m so glad you’re here!
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The problem, if you want to call it that, with investment pieces is that we still want Rene clothes. Our bodies change, styles change, the rest of our wardrobe changes…
I don’t really have “investment” pieces because I’m on an ultra budget, but when it comes to clothes that I used to love and just don’t feel anymore, I store them in a box in the closet for a year or so. Sometimes they come back!
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I do this too! I can’t store too much because of physical space limitations, but I definitely find value in putting something away for a while and bringing it out again later to see if my feelings have changed.
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I love how you styled this skirt! Also, I definitely agree about feeling guilty. It is definitely something I’m working on!
Xo Logan
https://peculiarporter.com
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For me personally, there is danger in the capsule wardrobe tenet that we should love everything we wear. That idea has led me to chase the perfect wardrobe for years, buying and discarding an embarrassing amount of clothing along the way. Because of financial constraints and concern for the environment, I’m letting go of the notion that every tee shirt has to spark joy. Sometimes good enough is good enough for me.
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That’s a great way to look at it. I had a similar fear about needing to have a perfect capsule wardrobe – I like where my wardrobe ended up eventually, but I made some mistakes along the way!
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Hi! I’m looking at getting the same skirt! Is it see through at all?
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Nope!
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If I really, really loved something, lately I’ve been storing it instead of getting rid of it. It’s a hard line to draw but I can’t believe how often I’ll see a picture of me from 5ish years ago and think “hey, why did I get rid of that?!” so I’m trying to allow items that were once absolute go-tos more time to just sit in case I gain interest again.
That doesn’t solve the “this is actually nice and I don’t know how to part with it” problem–for that, I’ve been trying to think of people in my life who might rock the item in question so I can pass it on to them, which tends to make me feel better about getting rid of something “nice.” I’ve also sent a couple to instagram followers! It’s fun to know the item will get a second life!
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I can so relate! I’ve repurchased pieces that I donated in frenzied closet culls, so now if it’s a basic, good quality, or just too cool I’ll store it for a while.
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Oh yessss…getting rid of things might be my addiction. The dark side of minimalism for me! hahah
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I like the idea of sharing clothes with people who you know are going to wear it. I have a small group of friends who tend to swap clothes like that between us and it’s really fun!
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I really feel you when you say you feel guilty about getting rid of things you once loved. I try to force myself into ‘minimalism’ and get rid of 2 things for every 1 thing I buy, but I’m at the point where I’m getting rid of things that are well-made, and I spent money on! I’m thinking of scraping that rule as ‘minimalism’ is just another label I like to use.
Regardless of what you think your blogging identity is, I really enjoy your posts! I’ve been following you for a bit over a year, and I honestly thought I would stop reading when you left IG, but I didn’t! I actually LOVE that you aren’t on IG, as its just a cesspool of marketing and discontentment to me.
I think every blog tries to have a ‘theme’ or motif, and it can end up seeming exhausting and inauthentic, but I never feel that way with your posts.
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Ha! I appreciate your honesty! I knew that a lot of my readers probably wouldn’t follow me here when I left IG (no hate, I don’t follow all the blogs of IG-ers I like either), but it’s been so awesome to see how many people have stuck around. Thanks for being here – it really means a lot to me 🙂
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I love that cream skirt! Your outfit is great! I just did a closet edit and have quite a few items that I’m really hesitant to get rid of because they have been well loved, are timeless, and really nice quality. I’m actually doing a 10×10 right now with a couple of those items to see if I can rekindle the love or if it’s over. I’ve actually got an everlane sweatshirt in that category! Oh and the red day heel is on my dream closet wishlist!
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I definitely feel guilty about getting rid of things that are nice quality and that I spent good money on. But in the end, if you’re not using it, let it go. I recently sold I bag that I had splurged on but only carried maybe twice and I gave a pair of designer shoes to a friend. It helps ease the guilt/pain to know that they’re going to someone else who will actually use & enjoy them!
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