5×5: Daily WFH Outfits & Happy Things

Inspired by this great post by Andrea at Seasons & Salt, I chronicled my outfits throughout the week, & small, daily things that made me happy.

Pieces

Daily Accessories

Monday

Outfit

One Happy Thing

The sun was shining so my husband, kid, & I went for a long walk around the neighborhood over my lunch break.

Tuesday

Outfit

  • Everlane – The Texture Cotton Crop Cardigan (bone)

One Happy Thing

I painted my nails over my lunch break. Not something I usually take time to do, but I always enjoy admiring them afterwards!

Wednesday

Outfit

One Happy Thing

These delicious peanut butter, coconut, oat, & chocolate energy bites (recipe).

Thursday

Outfit

  • Everlane – The Cashmere Tee (camel)
  • Everlane – The Modern Flare Jeans (dark wash)

One Happy Thing

A lengthy dance party with my kid after dinner. We played songs & jumped around my bedroom for a good hour. Perfect way to shake off the creeping blues & frustration of a cold, gray, & – frankly – rough day working at home.

Friday

Outfit

My favorite items from my closet this week making an encore appearance.

One Happy Thing

I made a nice cup of loose-leaf Chai tea from a local teahouse.

Time To Change It Up

I challenged myself to wear the same 10 pieces of clothing for 21 days when I first began self-isolating. Well, I made it 14 days.

At first, I really enjoyed the novelty & simplicity. For a solid 10 days, it was fun. Then, I got bored. Figuring out how to pair things in a new way started to feel like a chore. I definitely went through my favorite outfits at the outset. Of course, I could revisit them for the next week, but why? I started this because I wanted a happy distraction, so if it’s not making me feel good anymore, there’s not really a point.

So, it’s time to change things up.

I want to maintain the ease of getting dressed I’ve had the past two weeks, so keeping my closet to a minimum still appeals. Thus, I’m going to continue to limit the number of items I wear – but fewer, & for less time.

New 5×7 Challenge

I’ve pulled out 4 pieces from my closet, plus 1 new item I received while attempting my 10×21 challenge, & will wear them for the next 7 days.

Top to bottom in above photo:

You can see there’s a bit more variety in color this time around. I’m also not going to plan each day’s outfit upfront like I did last time. Instead, I’ll just grab whatever feels right for the day. I decided not to count tights because I plan on wearing them every day (since dresses are at the core of this capsule & it’s still cold outside), so I need to be able to switch between pairs.

Another motivator: I recently ordered The Texture Cotton Crop Cardigan from Everlane. I’ve on the hunt for awhile for a chunky off-white cardigan. I tried the Alpaca Crop, & didn’t like it at all so exchanged it for this. I really like the feel & style, but have some buyer’s remorse after the news broke about Everlane’s recent treatment of team members. I wish I’d saved the receipt & tags, honestly, & returned it. I regret not being more patient & saving up for a Tradlands cardi instead.

Ultimately, I think rotating 5 or so pieces for a week at a time for the duration of staying-at-home might be the right way to go. It’ll let me experiment with different looks & quickly get dressed in the morning, but – when 7 days are up – I get the fun of picking out new things to wear.

Update: Challenge Complete!

Note: This post is not sponsored by nor am I affiliated with any brands. I make no money from links on my blog & I buy everything featured myself (no gifts).

What I’m Reading…

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Melina Marchetta is, hands-down, one of my favorite authors. Definitely in the top 5, if I were to make a list.

Jellicoe Road was the first of her books I read – about 11 years ago. I loved it then, I appreciate it even more now.

Unfortunately, it’s the only book I’ve read this month thanks to my unfocused, anxious brain. I started & put down a number of other books. All good, but apparently not engaging enough for me right now. I went back to this one – an old favorite – for that reason.

I’m hoping to pick up my reading-pace in April. I might just stick with more Melina for awhile until I do…

VETTA Review: The Convertible Sweater & The Every Day Pant

I’ve collected a number of second-hand VETTA pieces via Poshmark, & love them all. Finally, earlier this year, I splurged & invested in a custom capsule of 5 items. Two of which I’ve been wearing a lot the past two weeks:

When I was deciding what to purchase (& I spent a LOT of time considering different pieces because this was by far the largest single clothing investment I’ve ever made), I was bummed I couldn’t find blog reviews of either of these. So here’s my own!

The Convertible Wrap Sweater

Truly, a versatile sweater. I love the feminine look of the lantern sleeves. The cotton is super soft, & the color (oatmeal) is the perfect light beige – it goes with everything.

You’ll love this if…

You’re looking for a sweet, light open cardigan.

I prefer the look of it tied in front (as pictured above), or with the wrap closed in front or back. I’m not a huge fan of how it looks completely open, but that’s a personal preference; waterfall-style cardigans aren’t my thing.

Something to consider…

The thread loops that close the wrap feel very delicate to me. In fact, I had to return the first sweater delivered to me because one of them was completely missing.

Also, the wrap in front is pretty low-cut. I’m much more comfortable wearing a cami underneath.

Notes on size…

I’m 5’8″, 128lbs, 34B.

I bought a small, & it fits slightly large. Again, mainly, in the chest area.

The Every Day Pant

OK, I’ve been living in these pants. They’re 100% Tencel – a fabric I’ve come to love – & the perfect cross-section between comfort & sophistication.

There’s a slight sheen to them, which makes them a little different from your typical matte black pant. I have 2 cats &, to my surprise, these aren’t the fur magnet I’d imagined. So, in short, ideal pants for my working-from-home days.

You’ll love this if…

You want a flattering, not-too-tight tapered pant. I waffled on them for a while because I haven’t had much luck with the tapered pant-look. They tend to accentuate the bigger parts of my body (hips & thighs, obviously). For example, I bought a pair of Everlane’s Easy Chinos last year & they looked terrible on me.

But… I like these. The drapey Tencel definitely works, & they look particularly excellent with a fitted tee or sweater.

Something to consider…

These are high-waisted (about 12″ front rise for a size 4). Personally, that’s what sold me on them. However, depending on your measurements & preferences, a ribcage-glazing fit may not be for you. There also isn’t much give in the waist, in spite of some elastic in the waistband.

Notes on size…

I’m almost always a size 28 in denim. I bought size 4, & consider them TTS.

The inseam is 26″ for all sizes, which hits just above my ankles. For this style of pant, I think that’s ideal but I’d love them just as much if they were a true ankle-length on me.

Note: This post is not sponsored by nor am I affiliated with any brands. I make no money from links on my blog & I buy everything featured myself (no gifts).

My 10×21 Self-Isolation Closet Challenge

I’m very fortunate to have a job that’s stable in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. If I didn’t, this could have been ruinous for my family. My husband is a stay-at-home parent to our 3-year-old. So, we’re a single-income household. We know we’re lucky, & even when this situation gets me down, I can focus on that. I realize so many others don’t have that security.

So, of course, I’m working from home – at least through Apr. 6. I work in tech, & have the luxury of occasionally working at home in normal times. Usually, I do so in my PJs (or a close approximation). Obviously, I knew that wouldn’t be the best idea while self-isolating. Instead, I’m taking the opportunity to try a capsule wardrobe challenge, like the 10×10, because I felt I could:

  • Stretch my creativity with items already in my closet (staying at home has made me want to online shop – a lot)
  • Motivate myself to get dressed for work every day
  • Lessen my laundry
  • Increase the wears of items I love & was feeling bummed I wouldn’t have out-&-about for awhile

I selected 10 items of clothing, & excluded shoes because, hey, I barely need them. I also decided to go for 21 days, instead of the typical 10. (Optimistically, 3 weeks is how long I thought I might be home when I started the challenge a week ago.)

My Isolation Closet

From right-to-left in the photo above:

  1. Vetta The Convertible Sweater Dress (thrifted; similar)
  2. Vetta The Convertible Shirtdress (thrifted)
  3. Vetta The Oversized Sweater (thrifted)
  4. Vetta The Convertible Wrap Sweater
  5. Tradlands Lily Button-Down (thrifted)
  6. Everlane The Cotton Crew (thrifted)
  7. Everlane The Lightweight Wide Leg Crop Chino
  8. Vetta The Every Day Pant
  9. Eileen Fisher Pencil Skirt (thrifted))
  10. Loft Opaque Tights (old)

Obviously, having a lot of Vetta pieces eases the challenge! I also kept to a neutral palette of black & white with a couple beige & gray options. If I do this again, I’ll definitely want to add more color.

Today is Day 7 / 21. So far, it’s been easy-peasy (again, a lot of Vetta helps…). I planned 21 different outfits in advance in a nerdy spreadsheet, so technically I don’t need to repeat. But I definitely love some combinations more than others, so I probably will go back to a few in the next couple weeks.

I’m not taking daily pictures (not sure sharing pics of myself is something I’ll do here yet), but I am diligently updating the aforementioned spreadsheet. At the end of 21 days, I’ll likely share that to highlight my favorite Isolation outfits.

Note: I’m not sponsored by or affiliated with any brands. I make no money from links on my blog & I buy everything featured myself (no gifts).

Hello!

I’m writing here because the world is a scary place right now, & I need a distraction. Writing about things that make me happy seems like a good way to pass the time in self-isolation. At least, it’s way more productive than skimming anxiety-inducing news feeds, which I did way too much the first week.

The state of things is also kind of remarkable, right? If there was ever a time to journal everyday life…

Like my mind of late, this blog will probably be pretty unfocused. Just random things I want to share. Some ideas:

  • Minimal-ish home (aka making my neuroses work for myself & the planet)
  • A sustainable closet (I bring nothing new to the ethical fashion sphere, but I like my clothes & want to talk about them!)
  • Vegetarian cooking (tips & tricks from a mediocre cook & full-time working mom)
  • Books! (Former librarian here. Reading is my only hobby)

Thanks for reading 🙂

Falling In The Raindrops

Even if it means oblivion, friends, I’ll welcome it, because it won’t be nothing. We’ll be alive again in a thousand blades of grass, and a million leaves; we’ll be falling in the raindrops and blowing in the fresh breeze; we’ll be glittering in the dew under the stars and the moon out there in the physical world, which is our true home and always was.

The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman