A New Year...but not so new clothes

I don't think it would come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that the last year has been incredibly rough for me. I've never been one to deal well with change, and my life has changed drastically in the last 12 months. A little bit (ok, a ton) of retail therapy really helped me out over that period, and I've decided that I really need a new hobby to take my mind off things. Preferably a free hobby, so if anyone has any ideas, I'm listening!

Today's outfit was a fun one. A friend of mine told me that I don't know the difference between "bar cute" and "professional cute," and to that I say, "PLLLBBBB!" I think I look cute in it, and for God's sake, I'm 29 (for a few more days), not 90!

Top: Martin + Osa (RIP...we hardly knew ye, but damn! you had some cute stuff) Silk Racerback Tank
Jeans: !iT Diva Jeans (aka, my favorite jeans in the world...I'm going to wear these until they dissolve)
Shoes: Banana Republic Flats
On the phone: Katie (Yes, we talk to each other at 7:00 in the morning. Don't judge me.)

Back to work...in my sister's clothes

Since I can't shop at actual stores, I choose to shop in my sister's closet. Today's outfit is courtesy of Katie's closet, and I'm not sure that I'm ever giving it back.

Top: J. Crew
Jeans: Paige Premium Denim (aka, jeans that I could never afford...but I'm kind of in love with them)
Shoes: Target (even Connor is pronouncing it "Tarzhay" these days...and even better because I bought them on sale 2 months ago)

Lori's Outfit of the Day

Time for another pair of 3" J. Crew Chino Shorts...

Top: J. Crew Jackie Cardigan
Shorts: J. Crew 3" Chino Shorts (This time in white...ooh!)
Belt: Banana Republic silk scarf
Shoes: Banana Republic flats (The chain on the front adds a certain je ne sais quoi.)

Lori's Outfit of the Day

Can you really go wrong with leopard or cheetah print? The answer to that question is probably a giant YES!, but I think this belt is kind of cute with a few of my outfits. Thank God for belts - even though I only own 4 of them, I feel like they can really dress up an otherwise boring ensemble.

Top: Banana Republic Timeless V-Neck Tee

Shorts: J. Crew Matchstick Denim Shorts (no longer available on the website, but I kind of love them)

Belt: J. Crew Leopard Patent Belt (I didn't spend even close to $40 on it)

Bracelet: J. Crew

Shoes: ???

Child Lounging on Couch: Connor

In other exciting news, I’ve decided that those temptresses at Zappos know me too well. I blame today’s near slip up on my Internet history. I don't claim to understand that much about technology, so thinking that my computer is spying on me and sending the information from things I look at to various companies freaks me out. I’m waiting for my computer to turn on me completely. Thank God I have a MacBook – no CD drive to pop out and try to eat my hand…or worse.

Zappos has been harassing me with ads for days. I made the mistake of looking for some cute new patent leather heels before I repaired my old pair (Yay for me saving money, right?). Now every website I go to comes up with ads for these beautiful shoes scrolling across the page. Yes, Calvin Klein is making some beautiful shoes this season. No, I don’t need them…but I want them. Facebook pulls the same thing. A few weeks ago, it actually posted an ad for “The Perfect Teacher Dress.” Are you kidding me? That’s like offering crack to someone who just got out of rehab. And Jenna from J. Crew is back at it, offering me an exclusive preview of their new shoe collection because I’m a cardholder. Katie told me to cancel all of my e-mail subscriptions, but that doesn’t help the Internet cache.

But I have willpower. Sometimes. Ok, not very often, but enough to get me through this challenge.

Lori's Outfit of the Day (aka, Sparkly Headband Day)

Today's outfit is an ode to sparkly headbands and ballet flats that look like house slippers. I'm going to make the perfect old woman. I'll wear too much makeup, dye my hair colors that aren't even close to my natural color, and toss on a few too many sequins for daytime. Hmm...I might be doing all of those things right now anyway. I also somehow manage to stock up on every color of the same pair of shorts. When you find something that fits, you just go with it...multiple times over...even if one pair has dragonflies on them (maybe those will have to make an appearance soon).

Top: Banana Republic Sheer Button Down (similar-ish here)
Shorts: J. Crew 3" Chino Short...This time in navy blue (Variety is the spice of life after all)
Shoes: Cheap Ballet Flats from Target (similar here)
Headband: Forever 21 Sequin Fancy Headband

Katie's Outfit of the Day - Waterloo

Do you ever have a random song just enter into your mind, particularly one you haven't heard in a really long time?  I was sitting at my desk today, busy fixing about 20 drawings, when the ABBA song "Waterloo" popped into my head.  And so I sat there for the rest of the day, singing it and wishing I had a white polyester jumpsuit on.  But of course, I didn't think to wear that today so here is what I actually did wear:

Top: Express 

Bottoms: Express (circa 2006)

Shoes: Kate Spade patent leather heels (the greatest shoes ever!)

Earrings: Coach

Puppy: Chloe :)

Where did it all begin?

I've been trying to figure out where my addiction to buying more and more clothes began. I think it can be traced back to the mid-80's. My dad had us convinced that we were destitute. I kind of doubt that we actually were, but we were never allowed to spend money. It's not like we didn't get the things we needed, but we also weren't allowed to be excessive (perhaps it would have been better if we had maintained that attitude into adulthood). I still remember shopping for mix and match outfits at Target during elementary school. Even worse, we occasionally had to shop at K-Mart (*shudder*)...never mind that my favorite winter coat ever was that cute blue one with the snowflakes on the cuffs that we bought from K-Mart.

I'll never forget the first time I got to shop at the GAP. I know, big deal. But it was to me at the time. I bought a forest green velvet blazer from the GAP in seventh grade. I thought I was SO cool. Of course, I looked kind of ridiculous, weighing about 80 lbs. and wearing giant shoulder pads. And it felt so amazing to spend $32 on a pair of jeans (remember when GAP jeans were that cheap? I'm lucky if I can find a good pair of jeans for under $80 today). I finally tossed that green blazer into the Goodwill pile about 5 years ago.

From that first GAP trip, I kept wanting more and more designer things. We moved from GAP to Coach to Kate Spade. I'm still convinced that designer products are made better than their generic knockoffs, but my excuse that they'll last forever doesn't matter when I don't even wear half of what I own.

-Lori

Lori's Outfit of the Day (Stickin' it to J. Crew)

It's Day 2 of our fashion challenge and already, J. Crew and their evil minion Jenna are taunting me with emails. "Take 30% off Final Sale!" "Free shipping on all orders over $125!" Not fair, J. Crew. But this fashion junkie isn't going to give in that easily (even if their Minnie Pixie Pants would look super cute with my gray flats).

So I've decided to create the most ridiculous J. Crew-inspired outfit I could come up with today. I would never wear this out in public (or would I? Actually, it's kind of cute now that I have it on), but I figured it looked just like something that would jump off the pages of this month's catalog.

Jacket: Anne Klein (circa 2005...can we consider it Vintage?)
Cami: J. Crew (similar here)
Shorts: J. Crew 3" Chino Short
Belt: J. Crew Metallic Leather Belt in metalic pewter
Shoes: Ann Taylor Perfect Leather Ruffle Pump

I wonder if Jenna would approve.

-Lori

Katie's Closet Inventory

Closets are a funny thing.  They are used to organize and store your clothing, yet somehow things always seem to disappear.  You swear that you owned that blue shirt yet it is nowhere to be found on the hangers.  And then miraculously 9 months later when you don't even want to wear that blue shirt, it appears.  I tend to have this problem a lot so I wear the same outfits over and over again until I grow tired of them and buy something new.  It is a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped.  So for the next year, I am only going to wear what is in my closet right at this moment.  Here's a tally of what is in there:

54 Shirts (a mixture of casual and work)

20 cardigans (Yikes!)

8 skirts

8 pairs of dress pants

5 pairs of jeans

25 dresses

18 Jackets (covering all seasons)

33 pairs of shoes

In my defense, I spent 18 months away from my closet and had to buy all new clothes.  But that is too much.  I'm thinking my new goal should no shopping at all for an entire year....

- Katie  

Lori's Outfit of the Day

Summer clothes are really tricky for me. I have plenty of work clothes and jeans, but I absolutely hate most of the shorts I own, hence the jean skirt today.

Skirt: J. Crew Denim Pencil Skirt (perhaps I shouldn't have gotten a petite size...oops)
Shirt: J. Crew Perfect-Fit Short-Sleeve Crewneck Tee
Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft...circa 2005
Necklace: Lia Sophia

Lori's Closet Inventory...or the reason this adventure should have started years ago

I'm almost afraid to look in my closet. Although it is probably one of the most organized closets in the the Western Hemisphere, it is packed. A walk in closet built for two? Ha! It doesn't even have enough room for all of my clothes. Even my 3 year old's closet is packed with clothes (organized by size and season...so what if I have a touch of OCD?). I knew I had a shopping problem when I realized Connor has 15 t-shirts in size 3T. What 3 year old needs that many t-shirts? And that doesn't even include all of his sweaters and long sleeved shirts in 3T. Oh dear. After discovering that, I noticed that Connor owns 2 identical jackets in 3T. Why you may ask? Because his closet was so packed that I didn't know he already had one. You know you have a problem when you can't remember what you've already bought.

At last count, my closets (yes, there is also an overflow closet in the basement...don't ask) contained the following:

79 shirts for various seasons...some with the tags still on
9 pairs of jeans
23 skirts
20 dresses
7 formal dresses
11 pairs of dress pants
16 jackets
33 pairs of shoes

I'm not even bothering to count what lives inside my dresser drawers...that's far too scary to think about.

-Lori

Day 0

Since the official purge begins at midnight tonight, we decided that we needed one last trip to satisfy our shopping cravings. Think of it as Lindsay Lohan's one last hit before heading to rehab.

Today's purchases...
Lori:
1. Express Embellished 2-in-1 Dress
2. Express Glitter Skinny Belt

3. Nine West Jon Dark Silver Pumps

Katie: 

1. Express Chiffon Flutter Sleeve Belted Top

And now....the purge begins.

-Lori & Katie

And So It Begins

In an attempt to save money (as well as our sanity), we have decided that it is time to begin a purge. We've been overly addicted to J. Crew and other expensive stores for too long. Our closets are out of control (yet amazingly color coordinated), and our pocketbooks need a break. Beginning today, we are starting a project: For the next year, we will not buy any new clothes (minus 4 seasonal shopping trips...more on that below). For most people, this would be an easy task, but for us, it seems as unlikely as climbing to the top of Mt. Everest.

Over the next 3 months, we will observe the following rules:
1. No shopping for any new clothes - no matter if they are on sale, we "just have to have them!," or if they are the cutest thing ever.
2. At the end of 3 months, we are allowed to purchase 1 outfit each. The purchase cannot exceed $175, including all accessories.
3. If an essential wardrobe staple (like patent leather pumps) break, we are allowed to replace them, but that amount must be deducted from the 3 month shopping trip.
4. If you are to break the purge at any time during the 3 months, you forego the 3 month shopping trip.
5. Gifts of clothing from others are acceptable (please send us an email if you'd like to show your support with gifts).  However, we can not buy each other gifts because that defeats the purpose.

Along the way, we will document what we actually have in our closets. The goal is to work with what we have. We can share clothes with each other to create fun, new ensembles from boring, old clothes. Window shopping is allowed...and encouraged.

Place your bets now - who will fail first?

-Lori & Katie