the sweater saga, part 2 + sweaters 10 & 11

I'm counting this sweatshirt and warm charcoal-colored maxi skirt as sweaters 10 and 11.

Keep reading to hear more about my thoughts on my closet, my sweaters, and minimalism...

part 1 of the Sweater Saga here

My purpose in sharing my "Sweater Saga" on my little blog is not to gloat and show off how many sweaters (or other items of clothing I own), or impress anyone with my precise mathematics of 31 sweaters in 31 days. But in the past year, I've become really intrigued and fascinated with the idea of minimalism.

Before you stop reading, I'm not saying I'm going to become extreme and give away all of my possessions and move into a tiny home, but I have been trying to incorporate some minimalist principles to my life. I've started asking myself: "Do I really need this? Should this even enter my home?" I'm trying to be very thoughtful when it comes to bringing items into my home or adding things to my life - I've discovered that stuff overwhelms me. Easily. Upkeeping it, moving it, cleaning it, maintaining it.

This is something I've got lots of thoughts about, so stay tuned...

Oh, oh, and I linked up this outfit from the other day over here for a weekly style challenge!

sweatshirt: American Eagle

v-neck: Target

scarf: WalMart

skirt: thrifted

boots: c/o Aéropostale

the sweater saga, part 1 + gray all over #9

Let's talk sweaters (this whole "Sweater Saga" will have several parts, let's call this Part 1 - we'll talk numbers today). I mentioned recently that my total count of sweater + sweater-esque items is about 31. And sometimes my interpretation of a sweater is pretty loose. I know to some people, 31 seems like A LOT. And to other people, 31 seems pretty small. And some people have no idea how many sweaters they own, so 31 doesn't really mean anything to them. And for me, that number does not include fleeces, jackets, hoodies from high school or college, ski gear, running gear, or pajamas (of which I have many).

Here's the breakdown of my sweater collection:

14 cardigans

9 pullovers

1 cardigan type sweater, with no sleeves, so it's more of a vest. kind of.

4 nicer sweatshirts

1 sweater dress

1 sweatshirt dres

1 sweater knit maxi skirt

31 sweaters + sweater-esque items in Annie's closet

At times, 31 sweaters feels to me to be a bit much. Other times, I long for more - more textures, more colors, more chunky knits or drapey cardigans or longer pullovers to wear with leggings. In the last few years, I have gotten rid of many sweaters. And I've added a few in, as well. Some are nicer sweaters from J. Crew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and others came from a variety of places like Target, WalMart, or fast fashion chains. Consider me a high/low fashion mixologist...

The Sweater Saga is to be continued...

striped sweatshirt: Old Navy

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

pants: c/o Aéropostale

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

pea coat: Old Navy

sweater #7 + open to interpretation #8

Since it's Monday, and it's cold and snowing, here are two outfit posts in one to start your week off.

Enjoy!

I love the look of this sweater dress. The color, the pockets, the long sleeves. However, it's a bit sheer, and a bit itchy, so I have to wear something underneath it (like a button up shirt). and then whatever I wear under it bunches kinda funny. So, besides that little bitty feature, this sweater dress is perfect. And makes sweater #7.


shirt: Hollister via Plato's Closet
dress: from a friend (Target)
tights: ?
necklace: Old Navy
boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

This gray cardigan makes sweater #8. This is one of those "open to interpretation" sweaters I mentioned here. It's cut like a sweater, but it's really a cotton knit. But I say it counts. Especially since I wear and style it as a sweater.

Glad we can all agree on that.

tunic: Target

sweater: c/o Aéropostale

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

pants: c/o Aéropostale

boots: c/o Aéropostale

eye-popping blue + sweater #6

This “skirt” is really a dress – I’m really trying to get more wear out of my (summer) dresses by layering and adding tights. I know I could always wear a black cardigan over a dress, but that feels a little too easy to do all the time, so I tried this dress on with most of the pullover sweaters in my closet. There just so happens to be teeny bits of blue in this floral print, so this eye-popping-blue v-neck was the clear winner.

And now, an explanation for featuring my sweater "collection" this month...

A few weeks ago, I counted how many sweaters I had, and I had about 26. Couple that with my attempt to come up with my own style/blog challenge, and I came up with the idea to wear a sweater every day in January. I purchased one more sweater, and have a few nicer sweatshirts, plus a few sweater dresses/skirts, bringing the total to 31.

And there's 31 days in January, soooo

I figured January is as good a month as any to wear sweaters - it'll obviously be too warm in the summer, and the fall and spring in Colorado can be hit or miss (60 degrees or -20). But January is pretty consistently cold, and so, a sweater a day in January was born!

dress: c/o Aéropostale

sweater: GAP

scarf: gift

tights: Old Navy

boots: c/o Aéropostale

casual + sweater #5

 A casual look today. This tee is from volunteering at a bike event, Tour de Fat, a few years ago (worn a few times previously: here and over here). I really love the color and the bike logo, so it has yet to be relegated to my old t-shirt drawer. Instead, it hangs in my closet, with the rest of my “more than t-shirts” tops. And of course, some of my favorite go-to items: skinnies and my new Frye boots I just can’t get enough of. And this cardigan makes sweater number 5.

One of my friends (below) was in town recently, so we got together with one of my besties and went to dinner.

Andy & I

Lara & Andy 

Lara & I

Lara and I, without planning, managed to look pretty similar before we even left the house: dark colored down coats, dark skinnies, the SAME style of boots (she's had hers several years longer than I), and bags carried the same exact way (not planned).
So of course we documented our best friend-i-ness & matchiness.


shirt: Tour de Fat
cardigan: local consignment shop
scarf: WalMart
jeans: c/o Aéropostale
boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom
coat: Coldwater Creek
bag: TJ Maxx

tights-less + sweater #4

Originally, this outfit was slated to be worn with bright red tights. But, when the forecast called for “sunny and in the 50s,” I ditched the tights and opted for bare legs. I've still got a wee bit of color from Thanksgiving in Key West, so I wasn’t afraid my legs would blind anyone. I didn't originally intend for this to be a black + white look (plus brown boots), but when tights were taken out of the equation, it just sort of happened that way. And I don’t hate it.

And count this black cardigan as sweater #4 for my "sweater a day in January" style change/style prompt - check back for more information tomorrow!

dress: Target

sweater: Maurice's

scarf: c/o Aéropostale

boots: The Frye Company via Nordstrom

kindergarten and a sweater a day in January + sweater #3

 

After examining these pictures, I’ve come to the conclusion that I look a little bit like a kindergarten teacher in this outfit. Not knocking kindergarten teachers – they do an important job. It’s just that I am NOT a kindergarten teacher. Or educator of any sort. That being said, I really like this printed scarf paired with this polka-dot cardigan. Call me crazy? Or Mrs. Frazzle…

And also...I'm starting the year off with a style challenge. I don't have a fancy name for it (yet), and I have yet to hear of someone else trying it (but if I'm mistaken, please let me know!). My plan is to wear one of my sweaters each and every day during the month of January. According to my count, I've got about 26.

My interpretation of a sweater is pretty loose (i.e. it's a knit cotton, but it's a cardigan, so it's a sweater, and I'm also including a few nicer sweatshirt-y types in the mix), but, 26 gives me a few "off" weekend days where I won't migrate out of sweats, and a few days that I'll be skiing in long underwear and snow pants, so even if I do discover a few more that I've overlooked (because they're in the wash or hiding somewhere...), I can easily add them to my count and not have to double up one day.

There's a few reasons I'd like to do this, but look for those in a few days, as well as my official sweater tally, and maybe some rules guidelines.

If you're interested in joining, let me know and I can figure out a link-up deal type thing-ey, or just post your outfit(s) in the comments, too. Would love to see what you come up with! Is the number of sweaters I own excessive? Just right? *gulp* Too little?

Hope your 2015 is still off to a great start!

shirt: J. Crew Factory

cardigan: J. Crew Factory

scarf: gift (Old Navy)

jeans: c/o Aéropostale

flats: Kohl's