At the end of the first week back to blogging, recounting my clothing audit and overhaul, I thought I’d touch on something else that came to me over my break away.
I normally don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I generally just write out a list of things I need or want to do through the year, book them into the appropriate month in my diary and then do one after the other. Essentially, make an appointment to do it.
Losing weight has always been September 1st for spring and last year I did that, although since the weight has stopped falling off my next step is Zumba to see if that burns off more.
I don’t smoke or drink so no need to give up those. But this year was different, and this year I plan on sticking to it.
Hopefully…..
My New Year’s resolution came on New Year’s Day itself. It was hot and muggy and I was still slaving over my clothing lists even though I had a migraine, feeling, needing to continue throwing out. And then boom! Out of the blue, there was my resolution. NO MORE BLACK CLOTHES! So out went more black clothes, 25 pieces in total, which doesn’t seem many when I still have 138 pieces of black clothes. But as I mentioned in my first post, I threw out 70 pieces in total.
I have more black than any colour and it’s not my best neutral or base colour. I think my neutral is navy or royal blue as black and white make me look sick and washed out. So I’ve only kept the best in black. The best skirts, jeans (I have big brand names of Wrangler, Mustangs, Jag and Macs so I’m sure as hell not throwing them out when most actually came from op shops and the retails prices are expensive), the best blazers, coats, jackets, pants, tops, shirts and blouses (although I got rid of a few of those). Unless it’s an embellished top, because so many embellished tops seem to only be black, it’s NO MORE BLACK, and definitely NO white, although I now have 5 pieces of white clothing (down from 9 as four went), only colours I love; only multi coloured, and only pieces I cannot live without in my wardrobe.
I decided to be choosier with what I buy. I want to spend my money more wisely, only buy what I fall madly in love with and can really get a long time out of, instead of something that can only be worn for one year because the underarms go manky, or it stains or stretches easily.
It has to be my colours, my favourite colours, colours that suit me and do wonders for me and my complexion and not the other way around. Some clothes can drag you to hell and back, making you look washed out, anaemic, yellow, sick, and just absolutely horrible. Generally, that’s because you have the wrong tone (cool or warm) and the wrong shade for you and your skin tone.
I find blues, blue/greens such as teal, and green look best on me, most likely because they suit my green eyes with their slate blue ring around the iris. I also look good in pink as it brings that glow to my cheeks. Multi colours, especially my favourites, look fantastic, so there will definitely be more of those coming my way this year.
I also found in my purging that my style is changing again. Gone are plain shirts and blouses from twenty years ago when I went through that stage and now there are more flirty, fun kaftans and embellished tops. Prices over the last thirty years for clothes have changed so much. A sequin top that was once a hundred dollars or more can now be bought for less than twenty. Kaftans, my mum had the old fashioned variety in the 70s when I was growing up, have changed as well. Coming in a variety of lengths they are made with gorgeous colours and designs. The prices aren’t always cheap, but the tops I’ve gotten from Millers are fantastic.
So now I’m into floaty, fun clothes and I’d say this style will stay for a good while. That also means more purging of the older items I still have but will eventually go over the next few years.
And since I’m moving into this new phase of mine, and chosen to spend more wisely (we’ll see how long that lasts) I also decided that I’d like a few key pieces this year such as Camilla kaftans and capes. They are on the pricier side of clothes and I should have been looking in their pre-Christmas sale (I could have gotten the pieces I wanted cheap), but I only want a few pieces and only in my colours.
So my resolutions for the year are this –
1 – NO MORE BLACK CLOTHES (unless it’s an embellished top I MUST HAVE!!!!)
2 – Choose clothes more wisely. (I think I already broke that one last month….)
3 – Spend more wisely on the pieces I do buy. (At least they were cheap and on sale….)
4 – Only buy colours that do “something” for me and my complexion.
5 – Only buy clothes in colours I love and that MAKES ME HAPPY!!!!
I want nice, I want pretty, I want colour!
God help me when it comes to jewellery though….
What resolutions did you guys make and have you already broken them?