Express Lane Challenge: Post-Game Wrap-Up
In retrospect, this challenge (wearing only 12 items of clothing for 4 weeks) was easier than I thought it would be. I had a few days of feeling constrained or not quite in sync with some very changeable weather, but for the most part I think I chose my pieces well and made them work.
I wore everything at least once, except for the taupe tunic. Just never worked that one in. I strayed outside of my twelve pieces twice but was back in bounds the next day each time. I did end up staying within the challenge for our work presentation last week; I’d been clued in that none of the other monthly presenters had been doing Full Corporate Drag, so I wore the skirt, black tunic tank with rust cardigan, accessorized with tights, boots and scarf, and felt perfectly appropriate. And extremely comfortable!
Wendy B asked last week, (in a nutshell) “why bother?” That’s a valid question and I’ll try to answer. Un, I’ve always aspired to a smaller, well-edited and better quality wardrobe. Perhaps it’s my fascination with the French aesthetic, or maybe just some of the values I was raised with coming to the fore. Deux, I’ve often scrambled around in the mornings trying to put together a coherent ensemble from the myriad pieces in my closet, and love the idea a simpler, more coherent garde-robe. Honestly, I just get overwhelmed by too many choices. But I’ve had trouble putting these ideas into practice, and was wondering if maybe I’ve just been paying lip service to something that I’m really not committed to. So the challenge gave me a perfect (and finite) framework in which to really test it out on and for myself.
Conclusions:
1. My dream of a well-edited, workable wardrobe is a viable one. My goal is a ratio of 70% “simple chic” workhorse pieces like the ones I chose for the challenge, and the rest as “icing” garments which are more fun/frivolous/twisted, and that don’t necessarily have to coordinate with everything else. Those pieces were what I missed wearing most during the challenge weeks. (Examples of “icing” pieces would be my Hero Jacket or my Suva Wear printed tees. While these aren’t items I’d wear every day, I enjoy having them available when the mood strikes.)
2. Knit pencil skirt is my new BFF. (Edited to add: the one I have–Eileen Fisher–doesn’t seem to be available any more on the EF website, but I did find it at Neiman Marcus, here. The foldover version still available at eileenfisher.com is similar in fabric and cut, except for the foldover waist which allows you to adjust the length.)
3. Eileen Fisher pieces will probably continue to be the foundation of my wardrobe, even once I’ve hit my goal weight, as they coordinate well, travel well, fit my “simple chic” aesthetic, provide good quality and durability, and the long-over-lean silhouette works for my proportions. (And I’m really liking many items in their current and upcoming collections, more on this later.)
4. I’ve done way too much “consolation” buying. (Thank you, Duchesse, for articulating this so clearly in your post last week.) There’s a whole lot of “I-can’t-find-the-perfect-little-black-dress…ooh-look-a-cardigan!” purchases taking up space in my closet. As well as the dreaded, “It’ll Do’s.”
5. Quality, quality, quality. Those little J.Crew cotton sweaters are fun, but like cotton candy, don’t satisfy over time.
6. I need to more stringently apply the “do I love it?” litmus test when considering purchases.
And to switch sports, a bit of Monday Morning Quarterbacking…
The Talbots pink coat has been returned. As some of you suggested I tried it with pants, buttoned up, standing on my head, but ultimately it just didn’t work. Had it been just a bit longer, and cut more narrowly, and without those big patch pockets it MIGHT have been a keeper. Add to the list of items that are great in concept, just not for me.
Picture at top from here.
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I appreciate the recap. I am a huge fan of Eileen Fisher lately and it’s provided a foundation for my wardrobe with really versatile and workable pieces.
Hello Pseu! I loved the idea of a simpler, limited wardrobe…thank you for testing the idea for the rest of us. I also followed Duchesse’s progress.
Yes, I agree that it wasn’t The pink coat for you…mine is vintage, and i do Love it. Yours will come along. Every redhead should have a pink coat!
I’ve waited to see if you liked the idea of a limited wardrobe before committing myself to print. I wear black gabardine wool pants every day…with a white shirt…and either a black trench, a brown herringbone tweed, or a white tweed coat, depending on the season. I wear scarves for variety. My shoes are black, hats, black and bag, black. I have found such freedom in this plan. Everything is as nice as I can afford. My uniform at home is white tees and cotton pants. I have had to become a woman of 60 before I found myself! V.
I love knit skirts for travelling, and on the bicycle, but they have to have gores or panels, or otherwise fuller than pencil, though not the frightening-on-full-hips “peasant skirt”. And the knit has to have body, and not cling, except in the case of some summer knits that tend to be fuller and away from the body. But would also love to know where yours came from.
Eileen Fisher looks far less mumsy than before – and I see they have a very deep purple/violet – almost black. I LOVE that colour.
So much that I do like about this approach — and you’ve articulated it so well here — that I’m bemused at how/why I was resistant to the challenge this time ’round. Something about how much I do love my “hero” pieces, even if I’m quite happy to live most days in simpler elements. Food for thought. . .
Thanks for the recap; sounds like you learned/confirmed a few things that will help you achieve your goal of “healthy” shopping habits and simplified mornings. [Goals I share!]
So long farewell to the pink coat. IMO it didn’t do you justice, so here’s to finding something better.
I want to know the source and style of black knit pencil skirt too. Is it Eileen Fisher? I’ve looked at her foldover skirts, but haven’t tried one on.
I agree so heartily with quality, quality, quality and have tried to go with that lately, with a few slipups.
You have proven to yourself that you can be superbly dressed with fewer garments…and the quality/love connection with those pieces is evident.
I want to know more about the Eileen Fisher choices that you’ve made…I like her approach to minimalism and her knits speak to me…is the pencil skirt one of Eileens?
Pseu – you are so thoughtful as always. I found at the end of my office working days that I had exactly what you say. That foundation. And I, the most anxious human, never worried about what to wear to work, never got tired hunting through my closet. And I found that my basics got better and better and better over time. Of course my foundation was often Armani, but still:). I think you made the right decision about the jacket, BTW. Too boxy.
I have been curious about the challenge, and thanks for the thoughtful assessment.
Two things I wanted to share. 1) I am using an old thumb ring I bought on a whim as a scarf ring today and it is working out very well! A nice change in my scarf-wearing.
And I realized I too have a pink coat. A peachy- pink *suede* walking coat with three-quarter sleeves and brown faux fur cuffs and collar! I got it back in 2005? when pink was the It color for a season. I love love love it and of coiurse it is incredibly impractical. (light colored suede? As a coat?). Mais oui, c’est possible dans S CA! Find one you adore and keep forever.
I think it would be fun to “pretend” put together the perfect wardrobe based on the premise of quality and not excess. Of course there would need to be a fall/winter edition and a spring/summer edition.
I will vote for the black pencil skirt as soon as I know what it is!
I’m in the middle on the “minimal wardrobe” issue. I freely acknowledge that I have WAY too much stuff in my closet, most of which I don’t wear (especially since I am sort of retired, and have gained weight.) I need to do a major purge, but still can’t bear to part with many of my beautiful work clothes. I guess in my head, I haven’t quite given up the idea of going back to work and also losing some weight!
But I have to say, no offense to Anonymous, that wearing basically the same thing all the time would be incredibly boring to me. I love to wear colors, although I do have a workhorse pair of black gabardine pants (Talbots, side zip, very flattering.) I also realized I have a double faced wool jacket in the same shade as Pseu’s returned pink coat; that was Talbot’s from about six years ago.
So I’m striving for the happy medium; less stuff than I currently have, better quality, but still a nice variety of basics and fun prints and colors.
Oh, and re Pseu’s pink coat, I loved it in the catalog, but patch pockets pretty much doom any coat or jacket for me.
All – I’ll be back to respond to your comments individually, but just wanted to let you know that I’ve added the info about the pencil skirt to the post, and here’s a link; it’s still available at Neiman’s.
http://tinyurl.com/27br7bc
Where did your knit pencil skirt come from? Would love to know.
And, I hope you find your perfect pink coat. WIse not to settle. If one is to have a pink coat it should be love.
And I thought you did it to support me 🙂
The experiment made me realize I don’t need nearly so many back-ups of the same thing. And I wanted to address consuming from another angle.
I understand that as an office working (?) woman you need more clothes than those, who have a job with an uniform of some sort or freelancers, just to name a few. If your job does not acquire lots of representing or entertaining, I do think, that you could manage with less workhorse clothes. Maybe a change in your attitude = these are my clothes for work dot, would enable you to choose the quality clothes you wish for special occasions. In fact, I think you are already doing this, with only changing scarves and tops. As your experiment went well, you could do the attitude change too, that is, if you wish: )
Sorry about the jacket but congrats on knowing when to return something. Immediate application of the “Do I love it” scenario! That’s a great lesson in itself.
Fascinating. I still wonder what the “number” (of items of clothing) should be. 12 may be too low, but then what would be appropriate/optimal? Has anyone given this any thought? It’s still too easy for me to over-accumulate.
Well, there will be another pink coat.
I also get overwhelmed by too many clothing choices.
LBR – it’s from Eileen Fisher, the stretch crepe. SUPER comfortable! Until the pink coat of my dreams comes along, I’ll keep an eye out for scarves this color…
Stephanie – I’ve been really impressed with the styling and quality of their pieces in the last couple of seasons. My trick is to avoid anything with pleats or pintucks.
Maravonda – I think a vintage pink coat would be a much better option. But if it’s meant to be, I’ll find the right one.
V – it sounds as though you’ve honed your wardrobe down to the essentials. I admire that kind of minimalism, even if I know I could never achieve it myself.
lagatta – the skirt is from Eileen Fisher. I love how comfortable this skirt is, though it might be a bit too short for biking.
materfamilias – you seem to really have found your groove wardrobe-wise, so probably didn’t need this exercise. But it did make me appreciate the lift that the Hero pieces can bring.
Vix – thanks, I think this helped me to solidify what works and doesn’t. I was relieved to return the pink coat, frankly. It was causing me too much anxiety.
Susan – yes, this one is EF. It’s really similar to the foldover skirts, except without the foldover waistband. I like those too, as you can adjust the length.
metscan – what I think I could get to for workwear would be a foundation of maybe 15 pieces to mix/match. I know that sounds like a lot to you, but that’s a good number for me so I’m not doing laundry all the time. But yes, this has helped adjust my attitude about how much I “need.”
hostess – thanks. The EF pieces that work best for me are the silk jersey tops, the ponte knit pants and the skirt I mentioned. I’ve learned to avoid the pieces with too much volume. But most of the knit pieces drape very nicely and are comfortable, flattering and washable.
LPC – thanks! Oh, Armani. Sigh.
Spacegeek – yes, that’s what I’m talking about re: scarf rings! Sounds great, as does your pink suede coat. The fragility is part of the beauty, non?
Frugal Scholar – I think for my foundation, I can work with 15 pieces. (This doesn’t count the schub clothes for cleaning house and such.) Then add the Heroes on top of that.
Susan Tiner – I think there are some people who thrive on variety and a multitude of choices. I am not one of those people either.
Jill Ann – happy mediums are good. Could you put your old work clothes in storage for the time being? That way they’re not a constant reminder, but you could still retrieve them if the occasion arises…
Terri – I’m not familiar with that particular challenge, but it sounds as though you’re gleaning some worthwhile information from it.
Duchesse – of course, that too! Backups are one of the weak spots that I’m trying to overcome. I really don’t need three of the same top, no matter how much I like it!
Miss Janey – Being more discriminating is something I’m still on a learning curve with. And yes, “do I love it” is a fabulous litmus test.
I’ve been doing Kendi’s 30/30 challenge and I’m discovering many of the same things you have. I hope you do this again in the future…as my styling skills improve. If I did this often enough, I might just be able to afford clothing I always thought was out of reach.
I have just started wearing Eileen Fisher. In the past her things were too dowdy, but the design has become so much more stylish. Pricey, but I have found that I already wear the pieces I have over and over. I will continue to build a base with these. Would love to see more picture and posting on what you have of hers and how you wear it!
This is so funny! When I started this challenge, I went looking for a black pencil skirt I could wash (my others are dry-clean only) and came across the same EF skirt at a consignment store! I love it so much I don’t know what I’ll do when the waistband fully stretches out — it’s halfway there already.
A big surprise for me was that I actually wore fewer than 12 items — 10 to be exact, or 11 if you count the coat. They were:
black pencil skirt
gray pencil skirt
black cargo pants
gray trouser jeans
jeans
gray long-sleeved low-neck tee
gray 3/4 sleeve tee with ruffle detail
black v-neck tee
brown scoop neck tee
white long sleeved, long tee
cornflower blue cotton jacket
The brown tee didn’t get much wear, and neither did the trouser jeans, since they have to be drycleaned. I cheated on a couple of days when I hadn’t washed my black skirt, and substituted a dry-clean-only one.
What I learned? this was much, much, much easier than I thought it would be, and very freeing. I could actually get up in the morning knowing what I was going to put on without thinking about it, or thinking about it for less than a minute. I brought more of my jewelry and scarves into rotation, and I had fun playing with makeup and shoes.
I also learned that I look better in skirts, and honed in on that specific silhouette as something that really works for me and that I don’t need to vary. Ditto for pants, which were all semi-wide legged.
Now, one week after, I still find myself wearing these 10 or 11 items, adding very little to it. Next? On to the closet purge.
Thanks so much for spurring me on!