Author: Debbie Roes

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June “Love It, Wear It” Challenge Update – Part One

I have now completed the first half of my 2015 “Love It, Wear It” Wardrobe Challenge (LIWI).  I feel this project has been instrumental in helping me to feel better about my clothes, shop smarter, and cultivate a more workable wardrobe.   I continue to learn new things about myself along the way, as well as what types of clothes, shoes, and accessories work best for my life and my evolving style aesthetic.

As with last month, I am splitting this update into two parts. In today’s post, I will share what I wore during June and give you a glimpse into my “working closet” halfway through the challenge.  In part two, which will go live early next week, I do some analysis into what has yet to be worn and why.  In both posts, I will include lots of numbers and photos to help illustrate my points.

Love It, Wear It Challenge

I hope you will find this update interesting regardless of whether or not you are following along with LIWI yourself.   Those whose eyes glaze over with numbers will have many photos to look at, while those who like data and statistics will likely embrace those parts of the posts.   I encourage you all to see if you can draw parallels between my situation and your own and glean some pearls of wisdom from my mistakes and the lessons I’ve learned.

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June 2015 Accountability Update

I hope all those in the U.S. had a great July 4th weekend (and that everyone else had a nice weekend, too).  Mine was more low-key than usual, as my sweet kitty Coco had to have five teeth extracted on Friday and I wanted to stay close by to keep an eye on her.   She is doing okay now and is on my lap purring as I type this… There must be something about July 4th and tooth issues in my family, as I suffered with an infected tooth and had to have a root canal last year!

My husband and I celebrated our 14th anniversary with a lunch on Coronado Island.  Since we got married on an island (Catalina – see a photo and read about my 2013 anniversary here), we make it a ritual to spend every anniversary on an island.  Our island jaunts have ranged from the faraway and exotic (the Caribbean, Hawaii) to the nearby and tame (Coronado, Balboa).  Here’s a photo of us from this year on Coronado, with downtown San Diego in the background (I was wearing one of my wardrobe pieces that have stood the test of time – the tank, as well as a favorite maxi skirt from last year).   It was a beautiful and sunny day and the crowds were definitely out, as evidenced by the other photo below (taken with the new camera my husband gave me as an anniversary present).

July 4th, 2015 - Anniversary on Coronado

My husband, Mike, and me on our 14th anniversary on Coronado Island. 

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Creative Solutions for Making Closets More Efficient

The following is a guest post from Dane O’Leary of Modernize.com. Dane is a full-time freelance writer and design blogger. He has degrees in psychology and anthropology with additional study in journalism, graphic design, and public relations. Dane is currently working on his debut novel.  

While many of us are looking to shop less and downsize our wardrobes, we still need to consider how to best use the closet space in our homes. The ideas in this post can work for both homeowners and renters alike.  I hope you’ll find some inspiration here that you can to make your closets work better for you.  

When shopping for a new home or even a new rental, most people have a list of criteria that must be met. The new abode must have a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the preferred type of kitchen, some prefer a separate dining space or to have a formal entryway, and the list goes on. While the details may vary from person to person, there’s one thing that’s usually on everybody’s lists:  closet space.

Messy closet

If your closet looks like this, the tips in this post can help! 

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June 2015 “Grab Bag” of Useful Links

It’s the last day of June (how did that happen so quickly?), so it’s time for me to share my latest “grab bag” of useful links (see previous editions here).   Included below are links to articles I think you’ll enjoy on the subjects of shopping and shopping psychology, wardrobe management, style, and personal development.  I’m also sharing a few previous “Recovering Shopaholic” posts that you may have missed the first time around (or may choose to revisit now).

Fletcher Cove, Solana Beach, CA

A sunny June day at the beautiful Fletcher Cove beach in Solana Beach, California.

As with last month’s useful links edition, the photo above is one of mine.  I previously used stock images for these posts, but I will now include my own photos in these useful links round-ups, as well as in select other articles.  I will also periodically feature some of my photos in standard posts, including this one and this one.   I’ve been taking photos at least two or three times per week, so I have lots to choose from!   I still plan to get into the routine of sharing photos on Instagram and I’m posting about that here to light a proverbial fire under my backside.  If you want to see my photos there, you can follow me at debbie_roes (some cat photos and a few other random images are posted already).

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Lessons from My Outfit Journal – Summer Then and Now

It’s been a little while since I last shared some entries from my outfit journal (see the most recent installment here), so it’s high time for another post in the series.  For those who are new to the blog, I’ve been keeping a journal of my outfits since last summer.  In this journal, I write what I wore, where I wore it, how I felt about my outfit, and what I would change if I had it to do over again.   I also try to take photos of my outfits most days so I have both a visual and written representation of what I’m wearing.   This process takes me just minutes each day and has helped me tremendously in improving my personal style and wardrobe satisfaction.

Summer outfits

What do you like to wear during the summer months? 

I’m going to do a mini “series within a series” beginning with today’s post.   I will share two outfits from last summer as well as two outfits from this summer.   The outfits I’ve selected from last summer are ones that I don’t think work for various reasons.   I will share what I wrote about these outfits last year, as well as anything else I notice today about why the look didn’t work.   I will also comment on how I would change the ensemble if I were wearing it this summer.  The outfits from this summer are ones with which I was quite happy overall.   The reason for sharing the new looks is to highlight what I’ve learned as a result of keeping an outfit journal for over a year.  I have learned so much and I feel that it shows in what I’m wearing now and how my outfit satisfaction has increased.

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