the sweater saga, part 4 + sweater #13

part 1

part 2

part 3

of my Sweater Saga

So maybe I've got a backwards American dream - I don't want a bigger house, I don't want a bigger car, or a bigger yard, or a bigger kitchen, or even a much bigger closet space.

We purchased a new (to us) car about a year ago, and we had a discussion about a 10% car - we shouldn't buy a car for specific functions that we will only do about 10% of the time (i.e. driving to the mountains, hauling, home improvement projects). That led us to my little Saab sedan. In the past year, there have been 2, maybe 3 times, where I've said "I wish I had a bigger car, like an SUV or truck, for this." One was getting beadboard home from The Home Depot, another was driving in the snow - specifically getting over a small drift in the road. Turns out, my little car does great in the snow, but lacks clearance. But if the weather and roads are that bad, I probably don't need to be going anywhere, anyways.

I've started applying the 10% idea in a lot of other areas: recently, my in-laws came up for a belated Christmas celebration and we broke out our electric turkey roaster, making the total number of times we've used it 3. For us, that's a 10% appliance. It’s nice to have, but rarely gets used in my kitchen.

We don't even inhabit all of our house - with extra bedrooms, an extra bathroom and a half, and a basement and garage, we've furnished spaces. Sometimes I think our house is a 10% house, at least for now. 

to be continued...again...

shirt: Ann Taylor

sweater: thrifted (GAP)

velvet pants: J. Crew Factory

necklace: WalMart

boots: c/o Aéropostale

the sweater saga, part 3 + sweater #12

part 1 and part 2 of my Sweater Saga

I used to be of the "more is more!" mindset, but I find myself lately adopting the "less is more" / "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication mindset." At times, I feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have/own, and subsequently have to maintain and upkeep. So, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to limit my "stuff." And that includes clothes.

I know my closet could always stand to lose a few items, and I'm becoming more and more comfortable with getting rid of things that don't flatter me, don't fit me well, or don't reflect me. I really enjoy "playing in my closet" - trying things on, pairing unlikely things together, further solidifying things I know I like to wear, and also getting rid of things. It's a more grown-up and real life version of dress up. 

All of that to say, I'm by no means a minimalist. But I can really appreciate many minimalist ideals - less is more, quality over quantity. I don't really need several of the same items, and I'm learning that less items = less maintenance. Which means more time to do fun things, like love on my pup, and read, and run, and ski, and sleep.

And those are things I'm into.

tunic: Hollister via a local consignment shop

chambray: Old Navy

sweater: Eddie Bauer

leggings: c/o Aéropostale

snow boots: SOREL

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