Tonight we're going to this lecture on Augustine that we thought we were going to last week. I'll turn up at the Abbey around 5, we'll have some dinner out, then the lecture. So I'll need to think of, ideally, an outfit I can put on for the day (since I haven't gotten really dressed yet, even though I've been up for a long time and out with Dora, and do have on pants and a shirt) that will tweak for a date night.
Looking over my whole STYLE album, since it helps to see outfits laid out on a big grid. I realize that I've got, essentially, three whole different wardrobe-tracking systems going on. I have that photo album. I have this spreadsheet. And of course this blog serves me as a daily style diary. The question arises: do I need all three?
As quickly, the answer arises: yes, actually, I do need all three. They serve different, though interconnected, purposes. The photo album gives me a quick visual. Glancing over it reminds me of things I've liked and things I haven't. I'd have to wade through the blog archives for hours to achieve the same thing that that grid gives me in seconds. Meanwhile, the spreadsheet is useful in that it shows me patterns. I can see at a glance what I've worn the most and what I haven't worn at all. The photo album shows me what I have worn; the spreadsheet includes what I haven't, and that is just as helpful, if not more. This week I've really been trying to wear things I haven't worn so much. Give the wool swing dresses a rest, pull out other items that I have enjoyed in the past but that have been languishing in the dresses' shadow. Even though I haven't bought a single non-underwear clothing item in (checks notes) 119 days now, I have an incredibly versatile and enjoyable wardrobe for most occasions. It is good to be not only reminded, but prompted to enjoy that wardrobe to the fullest.
The blog just gives me a way to overthink everything I do, every single day.
Some Day-to-Date-Night Outfit Ideas:
*Combinations involving my Sierra dress are generally a win. I always feel good in that dress. Like this, I think. Or this, though for a lecture I would not wear the leggings, and I'd upgrade from my beat-up Birks to at least a nicer grade of sandal. The high today is going to be 76 again, but it's cool right now, and the evening will doubtless be cool as well.
*Skirts are always nice. I like what I wore to Mass last Sunday and could repeat it with a cardigan for the evening.
*I have liked a lot of combinations using my Pact grape-colored dress as a base. This was nice, recently. But I also liked this. Again, for evening, obviously I'd upgrade the shoe. Here's another good combo, though I'd switch out the boots for sandals. I also honestly liked this tonal grape-on-grape outfit with a silver belt, which I wore once last Advent and didn't repeat, for reasons I can't imagine now, because I thought it was nice.
*Of course there's my trusty Camellia, which dresses up nicely. I like it with this gray drape cardigan, for example, though again, obviously, I'd omit the tee underneath, and substitute sandals for the tights and boots.
*I could go out on a real limb and wear trousers. I probably won't, but I could. With nicer shoes, this combo would work for a night out.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but you see what a true embarrassment of riches I have, even among these relatively few pieces. Meanwhile, I haven't gotten dressed for the day yet, and I really must. My new shampoo and conditioner bars still haven't come (though I haven't checked today's mail yet), but I'm going to have to break down and wash my hair for the weekend, then put on something wearable for the day, whether I carry it through for the evening or change outfits entirely. STAY TUNED.
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Here's what I wound up putting on for the day: another "not frequently worn" option from the closet, but one I do like. This cotton sheath dress came off the clearance rack at Walmart in, I believe, the fall of 2019 --- I think it was a before-Covid purchase, but not that long before Covid. It cost me $5, and is the kind of impulse buy my no-buy year is supposed to be training me not to make, but I'm really not sorry I did buy it. In almost three years, I've worn it a good bit, both as a dress and as a nightgown. It's soft and comfortable and for such a cheap dress has held up really well. It is 100% cotton jersey, and while it's faded a little and stretched a tiny bit, it has largely held its shape, and the fabric still looks nice. The main drawback is that it does tend to show underwear lines, but I've just bought some modal bike-short-style underwear --- definitely underwear, not actual bike shorts --- which is actually no-line. It's like shapewear, but without the compression, as if shapewear were actually comfortable to wear. I put this thrifted Pierre Cardin crocheted cardigan over it and like the periwinkle/navy combination. Tan sandals for contrast. I'll wear this all day and see how I feel when it's time to go out, but I could definitely carry this outfit over into the evening, maybe just adding an extra necklace to dress it up. I would probably keep on the same shoes, even.
Conditioner-washed my hair with some cheap VO5 which my husband seems to have bought. I still like it a lot for co-washing: it leaves you with a good bit of slip, but it does clean hair remarkably well. I hadn't washed my hair since last Saturday, but now my scalp feels nice and fresh, and my hair doesn't feel weighed down or funky, with wet frizz. Still waiting for my Vida bars to arrive, but it's nice to be reminded that curly/wavy hair care doesn't have to be pricey at all.
To work now!
LATER: Didn't take a photo, but for the evening I wore my fisherman's-sandal heels and my blue bead necklace with the outfit above and called it good.