No printed sweatshirts, please.

Last year I posted that I was only going to buy clothes in specific color groups.  I can report that I have stuck very close to that plan.  Of course this was possible only because I bought virtually nothing in the last 12 months but still, I accomplished what I said I would. Go me!

When I say I have bought virtually nothing I guess I mean, nothing controversial.  Nothing too far off center.  Oh, I've been tempted but my answer to temptation in this arena is to just not go shopping. I am too pulled by the sale racks, the new arrivals and the picked overs.  The dregs.  This was my weakness when assembling the wardrobe that didn't work.  The wardrobe that was given over to charity. 

Since I was working from home, my wardrobe didn't matter a whole lot.  I got some great basics and did my work in comfy pants and loose shirts and sweaters.  This was dangerous, folks.  The pants got more comfy and the loose shirts more loosey.  We will not talk about "foundational pieces" as they were non-existent ~ gotta love the tank top.

I then started working at the art center and needed a quick and cheap update to my wardrobe.  Fortunately I did have a few things I hung on to from the donation box but, I was still lacking.  I bought jeans, and then I bought jeans again and again.  I bought a few sweaters; I started working right at season change ~ bonus.  I bought a practical pair of shoes.  I bought in my "palette" with little waivering. 

The problem now is that it has been a year.  I look in the closet and find only those things I have worn to death and not much else. To be honest, I bought things kinda cheap and well, those things don't look great after a year of washing and wearing. What we should all know about cheap material is, well, it looks cheap.  It pills, it shrinks and it wrinkles. Sometimes, though, that's all we can do. 

I am going to be replacing a few items this year with some better quality things.  New jeans, at least three pair, and maybe a pair of black dress pants. Maybe.  New shoes but still practical.  I have already started the quest for new "foundation garments" and will post about those experiences later.  All I can say now is, pack a lunch.

In case you don't know, my palette is grey, red, turquoise and off-white or ivory; I have a ton of black and that's okay.   I did pick up a top last year in rust, and also one in a bright royal blue, which I bought for a specific event.   I do have a brown skirt and some tan dressier pants that are my stand by when I can't find anything else to wear.  I know those pants are going to pull together nicely with a top or two because, well, they have sort of a turqouise pinstripe.   It is nice to be able to pull a couple things out of the mix and put them together which, I gotta say, is much easier if you have shopped from a palette and not a clearance rack!