Simplicity: To Top it All Off . . .

My wardrobe post from this past spring is my most-read post of all time, so I thought I’d take a day this week to discuss changes we’ve made to our current clothing selections.

We each have a few more clothes than we did in May, but certainly nothing approaching “normal” American levels of attire. You’ll remember from last week that we all now own rain boots. These are in addition to our regular shoes. Also, I purchased a pair of sneakers for myself earlier this summer because we like to play tennis; doing so in sandals is, while not impossible, not practical. Munchkin recently had a birthday, and he received as gifts new undergarments, two pairs of jeans (so the old ones went away – they were really ratty), two shirts, and a pair of shoes (slip-on sneakers). Earlier this week, Will traded his sandals out for a pair of black sneaker-esque shoes. His goal was shoes that would be comfortable for walking and go with both jeans and more dressy attire. He’s very happy with his choice. Seahawk is the only one currently still only in sandals and boots. His birthday is later this month (can you believe it’s already October?!!), so I’m sure he’ll end up with new shoes then, if not before.

This is not the skirt in the description, but is one I got for right around $7 from Goodwill last year. It’s my cold-weather staple because it’s ankle length and the fabric is pretty thick.

The dresses I got back in the spring were stretch knit, so they didn’t do so well in the dryer. I should’ve known better and hung them up to dry, but I didn’t, so they’re a bit shorter than they were when I first got them. They’re still wearable, but I’m really self-conscious in them now, so I don’t wear them often. Our local Fred Meyer had a clearance sale in August and I picked up a really cute skirt for 70% off (I think that made around $7). That’s my current go-to; it goes with pretty much all of my tops, whether the simple black cami or my pink or black turtleneck. As the weather continues to cool, I’ll be back in tights and/or leggings, so that will allow me to comfortably wear those now-too-short-dresses again, since the tights will do the heavy-lifting on my modesty.

A lot of the clothes Small Fry got for Christmas still fit him (everyone bought big, so I’m very thankful for that!). We’ve added a few pairs of pants to the mix and taken out the items that he’s outgrown. Many of those he wore for well over a year, and we’ll likely donate some of them to our new nephew, even though he won’t be able to wear them for a while (he’s only 3 months old). He still has his 15 cloth diapers, as well as two pairs of Crocs – one is almost too small, one is just a bit too big still – and of course, his boots for the rainy season. The extra pants are becoming more necessary as he begins his potty training journey. I’m not pushing him too hard yet (I kind of think he needs to be able to talk to fully potty train, and he doesn’t really talk at all yet), but he is learning to take the cues from his body. About 90% of the time, he’ll “number two” in the toilet instead of his diaper these days. He tugs on my arm or shirt or skirt and points to his bottom. That’s how I know to put him on the potty. He has no control over the “number one” yet though. (My apologies if that was a bit TMI!)

The last big piece we added to each of our wardrobes was a jacket/coat. Our neighbor went to an estate sale and picked up some vintage Seattle Mariners windbreakers for the boys for only a dollar apiece. Combined with long johns (which we’ll get them in a few weeks) and their regular clothes, that should be warm enough. It doesn’t typically get too cold here. Will and Small Fry still have good jackets from last year. Mine was 4 years old and in very poor repair, so I got a new one this week. It’s a wonderfully warm, faux-wool pea coat. I love it.

My new hat

Will and I also got our staple accessory: a hat (hence the title of this post). I had one that I loved, but I lost it a few months ago (I’m pretty sure I left it at a restaurant by mistake). I’ve been searching for the “perfect hat” ever since. I finally found it when we were out getting my coat. It’s really just a copy of my old one, just in a new color scheme. The old one was brown, the new one is black and red. I guess I know what I like! Will had a wonderful hat that he loved. He picked it up from a vintage clothing store for about $12 a couple of years ago, but then I ruined it several months ago. It got put in the washer by accident (it was buried in a pile of clothes), and being real wool, it shrunk so that it was too small to wear. So he replaced his hat as well. The new one is a similar style (though not the same – it turns out that hats like the one he bought for $12 usually go for well over $100), and just a solid gray.

Our clothing choices are sparse, but we all pretty much love every single piece we own.

What’s your favorite item from your wardrobe?

Blessings,

Wendy