Hello from the land of slow Internet. I’m away on a trip (not for fun), which I packed lightly for. Packing always stresses me out a little. You’re anticipating everything that you might need while worrying that you’re forgetting something. (I use a list, but still). And well, the whole indignity that is air travel these days fills me with dread.
I’m pretty pleased with my travel capsule wardrobe, though.
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Capsule Wardrobe for Three Weeks in Warm Weather: 1 T-shirt dress (Target Prologue), 1 puffy down vest (Uniqlo) cause I get cold on the plane, 3 tops (Thakoon for Target, Oak + Fort, Muji), 2 tank tops, 1 chambray shirt (Uniqlo) [ethical option], 2 pants (Everlane Easy Chino) [review]. Not pictured: shoes because I would never bring dirty shoes near my bed.
The key thing is color coordination, and I think the above works well. Everything goes together. (For a deeper dive into travel capsules, see my post on packing lightly.) Half of the pieces are ones I bought this year, which I guess reflects how much I favor new things. Or maybe I’m doing a better job at buying things I actually wear?
What I Bought
The newest item is this Thakoon for Target shibori print T-shirt. I was very good in the face of Target’s 20th anniversary reissue in September and stuck to my plan. Mostly, I was curious about the Thakoon shirtdress, but it didn’t suit me. I found it too poofy with all the pleats and too short for comfort. You could create a similar look with a T-shirt and skirt (love that this option was offered!) so I ordered those as well. But as I tried on the skirt, I knew I would never wear it. The shape is not one that works for me anymore.
So, I kept just the T-shirt. I also found a cardigan with the same print while I was in store. After checking the tag and realizing that it was 100% cotton — a rarity, it seems, with Target sweaters — I grabbed that too. I plan to wear it as a pullover, not a cardigan. (There’s a blue and white colorway as well, but the black and white print goes well with all the black I already wear.)
The only other wardrobe purchases I made in September were for practical reasons, spurred by the pain in my foot that I described in last month’s diary. I ordered the ugly running sneakers my podiatrist recommended to take pressure off the balls of my feet. (It was that or a boot, yes the kind of boot you wear when you have a fracture.) I’m supposed to stay away from other shoes and wear these sneakers for a few months. At least there’s an all black option, so they’re not as unattractive as they could be. And it gave me a blog post idea: how to style ugly sneakers!
I also bought a pair of sandals by Vionic, which is a podiatrist-approved brand. I was hoping to take them with me on this trip so that I’d have something to slip into quickly in warm weather. The sandal has excellent arch support, but it gave me serious blisters on the top of my feet after just a short walk. Sigh. I left them at home. Hopefully, I’ll be able to break them in later.
As to things I subtracted from my closet, I gave a pair of Loeffler Randall heels to a friend. With my feet issues, I knew I would never wear them again. In fact, I’d barely worn them in the first place. They were always more aspirational. And then there’s this bee print dress I wore once. (This purchase was the product of Target collab hype. I even wrote about snagging it back in the day.)
Welcome Objects 2019 Wardrobe Count To Date
Additions: 4 this month = 13 items total for the year
Subtractions: 2 items this month = 35 items removed from my closet so far this year
Travel Outfit with Two of My New Buys: Thakoon for Target shirt // Everlane Easy Chino [review] // Hoka One One shoes
What I Read
Speaking of decluttering, I really enjoyed this post by The Luxe Strategist about things she decluttered and why. She also wrote a monster post comparing four online fancy bed linens companies.
NPR has a great interactive piece that explains what’s recyclable and what’s trash. Of course, you should check with your local waste management company, but for general guidance about what goes in which bin, it’s handy.
While I was in Target, I noticed this:
What? Fair trade denim at Target? There were only a few styles, but still, it’s nice to see a huge retailer like Target carrying fair trade items. Then again, is this just a marketing gimmick? Target trumpeted its jeans made from recycled cotton when it first launched its Universal Thread denim line. Those are now nowhere to be seen.
I have so many questions about this fair trade line. Where are these jeans being made? Who made them? Is this going to be an ongoing thing? Why are these jeans synthetic? (The fiber content was mostly rayon and some polyester.) Leah from Style Wise wondered the same thing.
I hope you’ll keep us posted on the Vionic shoes! I’ve wondered if they are really as good for the feet as they claim.
Will do! FWIW Vionic made it on to a short list compiled by my podiatrist’s office. I’ve had some Vionic boots that had good arch support — I think it depends on how the support lines up with the shape of your foot. May not work for everyone. But I didn’t keep them because they ended up being too small in the toe box for me. So close. 🙁