It's been several months since my last Inside My Wardrobe post (inspired by Debbie at My Wardrobe, Myself), so I decided it was high time to revisit this series. In my prior posts, I reviewed the 6 garments in my closet that I purchased in 2014 and still wear (and I still do wear all 6 of these) and shared my accessories from 2014 and earlier (126 pieces!).
This month, I'm going to turn my attention to clothing dating to 2015, starting with the 3 skirts from that era still in my closet.
My 2014 garments featured a grey/black knit skirt and a black/white knit skirt, and oddly enough, so do my 2015 ones. Both of these skirts, one thrifted and one bought new, have met my cost per wear goal of under $1 but fall quite short of my 30 wears goal. I'm especially surprised that the black polka dot one has only 18 wears as my feeling is that I wore it a lot when it was new, but I have become familiar with that initial sense of surprise I get when the data shows I've worn things less than I think. In both of these cases, I split my wears between these skirts and the similar ones from 2014.
Some examples of how I've worn these skirts for cool/cold weather over the years include, starting with the striped one...
Matching layered neutrals and a pop of color solid scarf.
Matching layered neutrals and a pop of color print scarf (print mixed).
A matching neutral, a colored neutral, and a bridge piece print scarf (print mixed).
A matching neutral, an accent/rainbow color, and a bridge piece print scarf (print mixed).
And the wild card outfit: two bright accent/rainbow colors and a semi-matching neutral print (major print mix).
For the polka dot skirt, we have...
Matching neutral animal motif sweater and a pop of color solid scarf (recently featured here).
Bright colored animal motif sweater and a neutral jacket.
Accent colored print top, denim jacket, and matching neutral high-contrast solid scarf (print mixed).
A matching neutral, an accent/rainbow color, and a bridge piece print scarf (print mixed).
And the wild card outfit: a bright accent/rainbow color and multiple matching neutral prints (major print mix).
When I realized that I hadn't worn the striped skirt since February 2020 or the polka dot skirt since March 2020 (almost 4 years!), I decided I needed to pull these skirts out of my closet and re-evaluate them. And I realized that in both cases, I had another skirt in the same colors that could serve the same function that I would rather wear. Instead of the striped one, I prefer the grey polka dot skirt from 2014. Instead of the black polka dot one, I prefer a black knit skirt that I wear sideways to create an asymmetrical hemline (thrifted in 2019). So I have now eliminated these two skirts from my wardrobe without regrets. (I have set them aside for now as I consider whether I want to upcycle the fabric into something else. Because they are very nice knits, I think there's potential there.)
My third and final skirt from 2015 is this wonderful swirly black and white skirt with an undulating vertical stripe print that I call my "reeds" skirt. I was happy to find this skirt in a Tall size that placed the hemline just below my knee, which is a favorite length of mine. I have met my cost per wear goal of under $1 with this skirt, but I have a ways to go to reach 30 wears.
Ways I've worn this skirt for winter include...
A matching neutral and a rainbow/accent color.
A matching neutral and a colorful print scarf (print mixed).
Matching neutral layers with an animal motif.
Matching neutral animal motif sweater and a pop of color solid vest.
Matching neutral layers with an animal motif and a print (print mixed).
And the wild card outfit: matching neutrals and a print cardigan (major print mix).
Unlike the previous two skirts, this one is unusual (not similar to anything else in my wardrobe) and continues to make it into outfits. My most recent OOTD with this skirt is from last fall when the warm weather continued well into October, extending bare leg season. However, it is easy to imagine winterizing this look by substituting a long-sleeved top, a heavier cardigan, and tights with boots.
I created an easy print mix by adding a silky butterfly motif scarf with a maroon background that matched the top. I liked the repetition of the curving lines from the skirt in the butterflies.
The maroon shoes create a simple matching top & shoes color formula that is a favorite of mine.
My daily bracelet stack is based on one of my oldest paper bead bracelet sets in black, dark red, and beige. I finished it off with a variety of dark red, black, and gold bead bracelets.
The top tube paper bead bracelet was made from this image of a cute elephant print shirt in a Coldwater Creek catalog {tutorial}. Because the image was small without enough paper to create the entire strip from this page, I used the technique shared in this post of cutting the image in half and gluing it to a larger piece of paper from which I cut the strips. The upside of the small scale image is that the elephant figures are visible in their entirety on the rolled beads.
I recently made a pair of bead soup stack earrings to go with the paper bead bracelet set, using gold as the metal. I picked two wood beads in the same shade of ivory/cream as the wood beads I used as spacers on the striped bracelet. The remaining beads are dark red and black glass beads accented with simple gold-tone bead caps. I'm pretty sure that all these beads came from the Boss's Bead Bag from Fire Mountain Gems, a mixed bead grab bag that in my experience has a lot of very simple pressed glass beads (the bead caps were purchased from FMG also).
Do you own any knit skirts? Do you have any skirts from 2015 (or earlier) still in your wardrobe? Do you find yourself buying pieces that are very similar that cause you to split your wears and reduce how often you wear each one? Do you have any project ideas for upcycling the knit fabric from my two skirts?
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Finding good photos link of John Glenn wearing watches was especially challenging. More than link the other astronauts, he tended to wear long-sleeve shirts. And while most people wear their watches with the dial atop their wrist, Glenn invariably wore his watch with the dial on the inside of his wrist, offering the public a fine view link of the bracelet, but no view of the watch itself.
One of the things I think about is do I have something similar. Not that it stops me from buying it but I try to buy things that I don't already have.
I love how you wear skirts in winter and your print mixing is incredible!!
Xoox
Jodie
This is such a fun and informative post, Sally! You are such a mix and match expert, and your choices are so well thought out. I believe you could go into your closet blindfolded, pick something from each category, and make a beautiful outfit! I definitely have items in my closet that predate 2015, and several knit skirts that are so comfortable and easy to wear. In the past 9 or 10 years, I have found myself holding on to my old favorite classics, as newer purchases have cycled out. Many times it is because of disappointing quality. Enjoy your weekend!
I have lots and lots of things that predate 2015! In 2012, when I retired, I lost almost 60 pounds meaning I had to buy lots of new clothes (unfortunately, said 60 pounds has been decreased to about 25 pounds). What that means is I have lots and lots of clothes that predate 2015 that I can't fit right now. I am determined to get back into them as they are classic styles and would still work with different styling. As I have the room to keep them, I do. I am a bit less merciful with sweaters and such.
I do love that swirly skirt you've got! I'm still blown away that you are so tall! I really thoug…
Loved this post and very informative too. I can't believe you have had items for that long, although even if they're almost from 10 years ago, that seems it was just yesterday. I love how you go through each item and analyse their cost per wear and how you even 'upgraded' those skirts for 'newer' ones and that reeds skirt is everything, love it, it could be my favourite!
I have two skirts bought in 2019, one of the two being worn only once and still looking for tops in other colors to match the print of that skirt plus it has a front slit and makes it a little hard for me to wear, and the other two, are…