The 10 key items

Well 10 or thereabouts, I am not a creature of exact science.

A while ago I edited my wardrobe heavily, attempting to attain the 'holy grail' of the capsule - 10 item - wardrobe.

I'm not quite at 10 items yet, but I do have space between the garments hanging in my wardrobe.
I've been quite surprised by the items I have been wearing and which have been working for me.

Here is a run down of my absolute basics. As some of the items are no longer available I've included links to similar things should anyone be interested.

1. Tesco navy cotton pencil skirt (similar here). Skirts have featured more heavily in my 10 items than I expected. Maybe it's a little bit of not wanting to wear jeans / trousers ALL the time, maybe a bit weather related. But whatever, my Tesco navy pencil skirt has proved to be a real workhorse. I love navy and it fills a 'jean shaped hole' while still looking feminine and just ringing the changes from jeans. I plan to snap up this new season version as a 'spare' because,  while Tesco clothes are great, I don't expect the original to last forever:

2. Musto checked shirt (similar here). This was a bizarre item. Had I been dreaming up my ideal 'must have' wardrobe, it's hardly the first item which would have sprung to mind! I just tried it on and decided I liked the checks. Mine is a subtler colour but I also like the colour-way below. Checked shirts are apparently the next big thing - they are everywhere! - so unknowingly I was right up to date for this season as well as (I think) having a reliable basic for years to come:

Musto are 'heavy duty' country wear I guess, so are a little pricer, but lots of equivalents are available if you just want a nice shirt and are not planning to go shooting ;-)

From Zara - see here 

 and also Tesco - see here

3. Selection of breton tops - my new Jigsaw breton (now further reduced at John Lewis - just £18):

And classic navy and white from Zara here:

4. Sainsbury's black cropped capri trousers (similar here from M&S). Just one of those basic items you need to have I think. I like the 7/8 length - seems a bit fresher somehow and I'd say will still work for autumn with ankle boots:

5. Pink Joules cable knit crew neck jumper (similar here from Crew). To add a bit of colour. Complemnts the navy and the shirt, and the trousers.... (you get the idea!):

6. Toast & New Look denim / chambray shirts (similar here from Tesco). Layers brilliantly over the maxi dress and breton tops and under the pink jumper. Works alone too. No-brainer:

7. White Tesco jersey biker style jacket and navy White Company jersey style biker jacket. I like the fact these can be worn done up and also left open, giving very different looks. Two for one, or four for two. I am a creature of simple brain, but there you go. Similar knitted autumn /winter version from Pure Collection below:

8. Long black Warehouse vest style maxi dress (similar from Asos).

This has proved to be an absolute necessity. It can be worn so many ways - as a dress on its own, over a tee, under a tee - under a jacket - with scarf, with bold necklace, belted up etc etc.) If I was starting from scratch and had to buy one item I think this would be it - on a cost per use basis - and this one from Asos is an absolute bargain at £14!

9. M&S black knee length swingy jersey skirt. Can't find an equivalent and don't really want to! Unbelievably it was all I had in the suitable / flattering black skirt line!  And it has now been replaced by the Whistles black jersey tube skirt. A necessary basic, in much the same way as the black trousers:

10. Loose Zara black top - similar here. Because everyone (well I do at least) needs a black t-shirt:

10a. I haven't included jeans as I haven't worn them much recently. Realistically though, any 10 item wardrobe would need a pair of jeans. My current favourites which will be added to the mix are these from Topshop:

Moto Boyfriend jeans - Topshop £42

These are just the 'bare bones'.

I haven't talked about the myriad of shoes, bags, scarves and other accessories which are key to varying the look. I've been plundering my reserves of those to keep me sane. Maybe I'll do a future post on the accessories which I find most useful to make the 10 item look more interesting.... :-)

The 10 or so clothing items will change as I move further into my warmer autumn wear, I'll attempt to keep the list updated!

A hole in my wardrobe

I mean - how CAN it have happened?

After all my purchasing and browsing and fiddling over the years, it took a radical wardrobe 'declutter' to discover that one of my absolute essentials is a black skirt. Not just any black skirt mind you: I have some too short, some too long, some too large (although none too small, oddly?!), some too buttoned, some too bunchy...I won't bore you, the list goes on.

No - what I needed was something really minimal, simple, stretchy and 'flat'.  I have plenty going on around the waistline already thank you very much - I don't need bulging zips and sticky outy button tabs adding to my woes.

Now I may have said it many times before - but I'll say it again - this blog is a learning curve for me. Don't come here expecting any answers - or, if you do, be prepared to wait a long time while I muddle through stuff and the penny eventually drops!

However....if you also have come to the conclusion that a simple black skirt is what you need to fill your wardrobe hole (a kind of 'skirt shaped alternative to black trousers' I guess) then you may have come to the right place. I give you this:

Whistles Jersey skirt - £45 (John Lewis)
More sizes available here - Whistles online

It's a jersey skirt from Whistles - called the 'tube skirt'. It simply slips on, no zips or buttons. It is just above knee length on me - although they do a longer version, which the jury is still out on... (for me, but could be practical come the colder weather) - see below:

Longer version of Whistles skirt (£55) at John Lewis

or Whistles online

The short version (which I bought) is £45, which naturally equals a saving of £80 rather than any actual expenditure as such - as by buying this I avoided the pleated offering from Jigsaw (post the other day) which rang in at £125. Simples :-)

Here I am yesterday in London at the top of the 'View from the Shard'. Our school is not back yet so we had a final 'day out' day. Boy - what a day it was. I do not intend to repeat rush hour tube travel and small child combo anytime soon.  (By the way, note how even at the top of the Shard my photos - or rather the helpful assistant's photos - are still dismal. It is clearly a case of blaming the tools and my phone is not up to the job.)

Jacket - navy jersey 'biker' style from The White Company

Top - short sleeved breton - H&M

Skirt - navy pencil skirt - Tesco (similar here)

Shoes - tan TODS-a-likes from Russell & Bromley (old)

Bag - Longchamp - available from Selfridges

Necklace - SchoolGateStyle shop

The torture of having to pass by the majority of shops just begging me to go in! The shoes - oh the shoes - that had to be ignored.  And the lego that had to be played with. Oh yes: Selfridges have a very nice little lego play station. Which, oddly enough, I somehow wasn't aware of until yesterday. If it came with fully paid up and vetted Norland nannies I may have been sorely tempted to leave in situ... but it didn't and I am not THAT bad a mother.... (I think! But the temptation was strong.)

The Shard was amazing - and I would highly recommend it. It was so well run and (shock horror...I am so cynical and old with low expectations) had such friendly and efficient staff.  

Loved the 'open-ness' - wow!

Simply amazing views.... and so peaceful - the noises are so far away.

Stripes and No 19

A couple of therapeutic purchases.

One was 'considered':  I'd tested Chanel no 19 Poudre a few months ago and kept coming back to it.

I love Chanel no 19 anyway, and this I think this version is even better than the original, in the Eau de Parfum concentration anyway.

Since I had a £5 off voucher and a double points voucher from Boots, now seemed the perfect time for a purchase.

The other buy was an impulse one! While wandering around John Lewis, I had a browse through the dregs of the clearance rail, and immediately spotted this little striped Jigsaw top in amidst a sea of nondescript florals.  I've been wearing a lot of stripes recently and feel good in them, so although an impulse buy, a good one I hope...!

Chanel No 19 Poudre - get it here from Boots - plus Advantage points!

Yippee - an outside picture!  Excuse the heavy little person cropping outage.

Top: Jigsaw (sale) - buy here - now reduced FURTHER to £18 at John Lewis

Skirt: Tesco (last year)

Shoes: Converse (available from John Lewis)

Gold overlapping leaves necklace: SchoolGateStyle shop

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TK Maxx

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Oh, and by the way, I tried on the Jigsaw pleated skirt from my last post.

It was £125.
It was 100% polyester.
It was vile.

Problem solved :-)

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Short story

Or Shorts Story actually, that was the name.

Mentally filed away for later use.

If (like many a time I suspect) you wonder what on earth this woman is wittering on about - it's this:

OPI Shorts Story - available here from John Lewis 

(click on the 5th colour swatch, 2nd row!)

Pink - yes.
Sickly - possibly.
On my wish list - (for some unfathomable reason) - yes.

Pink suits me, I do believe. In the light of 2 x pink lipsticks and a Bobbi Brown 'pale pink' blusher, I'm hoping so anyway!


Other items on my wish list:

Jigsaw pleated skirt

Jigsaw red pom pom scarf

Whistles 'ovoid spot' scarf

Pure collection V neck boyfriend sweater 

I also have in my sights:

• Pink tweed Jigsaw skirt (there I was I hoping Jigsaw were 'finding their way' again... but no picture on website!)
• Orla Kiely pink(see the worrying trend?) and blue scarf - no picture anywhere - but it's in John  Lewis. Helpful (not).

The White Company autumn catalogue had arrived; nothing immediately grabbed me. There was nothing offensive, but just a rehash of last winter (most of which already seem to have bought!)

Having said that, I may make an exception for this maxi skirt:

White Company Jersey Maxi Skirt

A couple of recent outfit pictures below. Excuse the general carnage which surrounds me. I've momentarily lost the wherewithal and time to do anything about it.

Still surviving on a 10 (ok maybe 15) item wardrobe. (Not including accessories!)

Breton shrt sleeved top - H&M

Black capri trousers - Sainsbury's

White jersey 'biker' style cardigan - Florence & Fred (Tesco) <-- thanks to Sue at Susie So So for that tip :-)

Bag - Mulberry Bayswater

Shoes - Russell and Bromley (old)

Shirt - Musto (don't ask) (How did it survive the cull..? Double don't ask!)

Jumper - Joules (similar here)

Trousers - Sainsbury's as above

Bag & Shoes - Mulberry & Russell & Bromley as above

Back to Plan A

The 10 item wardrobe. I have wrestled so much lately to streamline my clothes. 'I have bought far too much' can be the sum total of my observations. Added to that, I have bought the wrong things out of boredom. It's always the easy way - go shopping and buy a new look (maybe duplicating what you own in the process) - rather than carefully editing what you already have and adding to discriminately. Ha - my new watchword - let's see how long it lasts!

Anyway, after a careful sort through, I applied what I am dubbing the 'smile test'. This meant that to make the cut, an item had to generate a genuine, spontaneous smile - as it 'I like it'.  Now very importantly - do not apply logic here - just go with your 'gut feeling'.

I was left with a rather odd assortment of items frankly, and for a while was scratching my head wondering if I had totally lost it and thinking how on earth I could work with them and make outfits.

Well it wasn't so hard really. A lot of the items were simple. The ones which were not simple will be an 'accent' item to lift an outfit out of plain-ness (she fondly hopes!)

My other new watchword - 'accessories are my friend'.  I didn't edit my accessories - heck no! - if I am going to survive on 10 key items (give or take a few - and this doesn't include layering t shirts / outerwear / shoes etc)  - then I am going to need to be an awful lot more creative with my accessories.

I suppose it really is that old chestnut - 'shopping your wardrobe'.  It's the start of a learning curve for me - but think today's cobbled together look is OK-ish...

(Excuse half finished demolition work / building sundries in the background!)

• Fairly recent Zara breton t shirt 
• Very ancient (poss 10 years?) black vest style Warehouse maxi dress.
• Red Clarks flat shoes (this summer in sale)
• Old Joules beige bead necklace - bought on impulse in sale ages ago as was so cheap... and have been wondering what to wear it with ever since! Similar available online for this season
• Mulberry brown Somerset hobo bag

A new lipstick, an old favourite and a lightbulb moment

Ok. There are 3 sections to this evening's ramblings.

1. Make-up is a good 'pick me up'
(a)  It is size-less.
(b)  A lipstick rarely fails to make you feel happy.
(c)  It is relatively inexpensive - good happiness ratio per £.

Bobbi Brown Lipstick - Sandwash Pink (nice natural pink)

2. Some things are classics ....
....and therefore possibly boring and unexciting and uninspiring to keep 'repeat buying'. But don't let that stop you. It's stopped me in the past. Boredom, the feeling that there must be something newer or better or more exciting out there (there rarely is).  A case in point, continuing the lipstick theme: I give you Lipcote. It is fab.  (See '1' above - extends wearage and spreads the happiness.)

3.  The happier are the less you buy (need) and the better you look in your meagre items
You can waft through life with the fabled 10 item wardrobe (I've even done a 5 item wardrobe in the past when really on cloud 9) and not get bored.

You glow and clothes accentuate that fact. They set off the person, rather than attempting to conceal or distract from the fact that the wearer (i.e. me) is in fact a bored and unhappy blob.

This leads me on to (and I am sorry if this offends anyone, that would never be my intention) weight.

We all have a weight we feel comfortable with and which feels good for us.  I am not about to preach to anyone about what they should weigh. Personally speaking however, I feel too heavy at the moment and my clothes just don't hang right. Personally speaking, I find my clothes look better when I weigh less. I find I buy less. And what I do own looks better and keeps working.

Maybe because I feel healthier and happier, I need to shop less. I need less of the boost that new stuff brings.

Sorry to have veered off into the realms of psychology slightly. It just reflects how I feel at present.

And sorry if I am spouting the blindingly obvious and you all already know all of the above. Happy you. I wish I could hang on to it!

3 (i) Footnote to the cashmere jumper
Having reviewed my post from yesterday and deciding that it was utter nonsense and that I neither needed or wanted either colour sweater, I looked awful in both :-(  - I returned the navy and actually felt good about doing so!

My navy cotton one will do fine for now.  Spending £££ will not make me feel better.  Losing the other kind of £ (lb) will.

Am I mad?  Hopefully it is a mild version of 'mad' or PMT related.

I am going to go with the flow and blog my wild ramblings.

Many a time in the past there has been no blog because I've thought 'oh I can't blog, I have no decent pictures', or 'I feel down, I can't write happy things and pretend to be happy', or ' I look cr&p, no one wants to see that'... etc.

And last year when I was in  'down' patch, many people said don't worry - just blog about what is on your mind and 'write through it'.... so here I am doing just that.

***

PS  And I still shared a new lippy with you (all is not entirely lost!) ;-)

30 degrees and buying cashmere.

I have been getting pretty disgruntled in this humid weather. I don't do hot. At least, not unless I can recline on a sun lounger with earplugs and a G&T, which sadly is not an option most days.

As if to will the autumnal days into existence, I went cashmere shopping. And if I wasn't disgruntled before trying on cashmere in a very hot, stuffy and smelly changing room - sort them out M&S - I certainly was afterwards.

However, in mitigation, the 'M&S Collection' (whatever new marketing ploy that might be) long cashmere v neck sweaters / tunics are lovely. Just what I was looking for. I bought the navy version. I need a navy long tunic, I really do, I literally live in a variation of it each autumn / winter and navy is such an investment colour. (Then again, so is beige...sigh. )

Looking at my changing room shots (as ever) however, I think the beige might have been might a better fit and perhaps even a better colour...(drat) so I will weigh up the pros and cons within the 28 day return limit and no doubt regale you with my indecisiveness in due course.

If only I could work out how to get this 'My fitness pal' app everyone keeps raving about onto my phone and manage to look slightly less rotund, the navy would fit equally well. I've just eaten too much pizza been lazy and have at least half a stone to lose (and keep off this time!)