Purging my closet....being creative, not consuming.....

Before we moved to a different city a year and a half ago, I had a busting at the seams closet!  And you know what?  I had NOTHING to wear!!  How can a woman have so many clothes and nothing to wear???

Well, probably because when I opened my closet, my eyes had nowhere to rest.  Just a riot of fabric and colors and clothes that don't fit, or that I'm iffy about, or I bought because I thrifted it cheap.  The last one is a huge lesson I've learned...thrift like you retail....if you don't love it, I don't care if they're GIVING it to you, DON'T take it!

Anyway, beyond shopping secondhand first, I also want to make the most of the space and the clothes I have.  Over the past year and a half, I've seriously purged.  And I continue to purge!

Whenever I open my closet and see something for which I've lost that loving feeling....it's GONE!  And I mean GONE!  I'm brutal about this.  I want to open my closet and see nothing but items I aboslutely love!!  If I love the item, I can create a look I love...pretty hard to do when I'm apathetic about my clothes.

I've even paired down my leather skirts!  I have given up a couple because they no longer fit.  I didn't think I had really lost weight, but the two I've purged just didn't hug my hips the way I think pencil skirts should.  Soooooo....those skirts went into a project in which I used them to cover my dining chairs! More on that in another post, but I have to tell you, I feel pretty uptown with my suede cushioned chairs!!!

If you can believe it, I've even pared down my shoes!  I truly LOVE my boots and so I've lined them up on the floor of my closet and rolled up magazines to put in them to help them remain aright.  And by the way, remember this post about lusting after the Nine West Harper boot that retailed for $250?  Well about a month ago, I checked out the site and it was on clearance for $60!!  They didn't have the reddish brown color in my size, so I hopped on the blond leather and actually find it more wearable than the darker!!

I counted up all of the items in my closet, including shoes, boots and coats and also counted in cotton tee shirts and I came up with 84 items.

I love the idea of being creative with my wardrobe - of creating multiple looks out of the same item.  Have you seen The LBD experiment?  It completely inspires me to use my creativity and not my credit card to put together fabulous looks.  Like I mentioned on Bella's blog, my aim is to be a creative woman, not a consuming one!  

Have you ever counted the number of items you have in your closet?  Are you cool with it?

Before I let you go....don't forget to check out Bella's shop for some fresh picked vintage goodies, Terri's offerings for some of the most unique items I've ever seen,  and my ebay store...I'm running a crazy sale right now!!  Oh!  And I almost forgot!  My aunt is selling some beautiful new Doncaster items in larger sizes....gorgeous career clothing!

NUETP: A Hand-Me-Down

NUETP (Never UnderEstimate The Power)
My aunt gave me this dress along with a bag of other unwanted clothes of hers for me to either sell, keep or donate.  The interesting thing about this dress is that it's not something I think I would have picked out for myself.  I mean, I probably wouldn't have even considered taking it into a dressing room!  I didn't think it was me.  But, hey, if she's just GIVING clothes away, I'll give it a shot!
And I'm soooooo glad I did!  It's easy to wear.  It's got a gorgeous print.  It's buffet friendly!  C'mon! Nuff said!
And since the dress pretty much speaks for itself, I only had to had my favorite boots (which, by the way, make everything look just a little bit better) and I had a great look that felt very "elegant bohemian". 

Dress:  label was taken out, so I have no idea   Boots:  Nine West

And a couple of weeks earlier, I wore the dress as a blouse with my favorite leather skirt!  Seriously, if I ever had to make a run for it fast; I'd be grabbing this skirt on the way out the door!  I've also worn it here, here, and here.

Dress:  Same  Boots:  Same Leather skirt:  Vintage and thrifted

So the moral of the story is, hand-me-downs are good.   The price is right AND sometimes, it helps push you out of your comfort zone!

And if you're so inclined, check out my other NUETP posts here.

Same dress.....different day

In yesterday's post, I wore this thrifted dress as a long top over black leggings and boots.  Today, I wanted to show another way that I wore this within the past couple of weeks.  

Worn with a slip (this dress is REALLY sheer!), an ivory scarf from my husband and my Nine West high heel boots....


On my way out, I threw on a dark wash denim jacket that I've had for about 10 years!  It's still fabulous!!

I can also picture wearing this as a dress again with my over the knee black boots and a black tuxedo jacket.  A perfect date outfit!

It's so much fun to come up with different ways to wear a piece that I love!

If you buy only one pencil skirt this season....go eShakti

I was so flattered when eShakti approached me recently about reviewing one of their items.  I've seen their dresses on many of my blogging friends, so I already knew they have beautiful pieces!  
But I DIDN'T realize what a variety they have!  I came across this skirt and just fell in love!  It has everything that I really want in a skirt....pencil style, high waist and black!  Hello!  Hello! and HELLO!  I ordered it with the option of customizing the fit.  When I got it, it was a little big on me, but next time, I'll just take off a couple of inches from my measurements when I order.  The skirt arrived quickly, even given the extra time needed to make it to my specifications.
So I decided to keep with the Spanish vibe the skirt was giving me and go "Classy Ranchera"!

The waist rises just into my rib cage which gives such a great hour glass silhouette!  And how about that corset style detail!?

Blouse:  Vintage, Thrifted  Skirt:  eShakti  Boots:  Jessica Simpson via TJ Maxx (got them on clearance last year for a song AND they are over the knee!)  Hat:  Thrifted

I have so many other styling ideas for this skirt....

Denim shirt and my short vintage Nine West boots

Cropped sweater and my Nine West brown boots

White tank and strappy sandals in the summer

Silk blouse and black pointy toe heels

I found a similar skirt on their site that I may have to order!  Check it out here!
My sweet husband did a fabulous job taking pictures for me!  It was hard to narrow it down!

I'm linking up with Patti for Visible Monday.  Be sure to check out the other visibly gorgeous ladies!

I just browsed the website and it's AMAZING all the fabulous choices they have!  Their prices are already really reasonable, and with $25 off your first purchase, there's not much to even think about!

NUETP: Thrifting the one that got away!

NUETP:  Never Under Estimate The Power

Sometimes the planets align and you can actually thrift that expensive goodie that your pocketbook balks at!

Case in Point:

So check out this fabulous boot from Nine West that truly causes me to salivate more than a little!

And with a price tag of $250, it also makes me weep a bit too!  I just can't....especially on the heels (ha ha, no pun intended) of a $150 boot purchase for my birthday!  Oddly, as I'm sitting here typing, the wheels in my head are STILL turning as to how I can make these happen....Oh man oh man oh man.....

HOWEVER,

Quite a great consolation prize is this pair of VINTAGE 9West booties.


I thrifted these bad boys literally DAYS after I saw the current ones.  While not EXACTLY the same, obviously, they come a really close and contented second.  They have many of the same elements that make the ones above so special:

• 100% leather
• Cordoban tone
• Heel
• Rounded toe
• Same height
• Same shape at the top
• Same western feel

And guess what?!  MY SIZE!  For $3.50, I just about RAN out of the Goodwill with them!   Slight Problem:  When I got home and started to wear them, and they hurt like you wouldn't believe.  Apparently, years of neglect and un-use left the leather really tight.  I tried to bear through it a couple of times and thought my feet would cry genuine tears after 30 minutes.  

I tried stretching them with the water in the ziplock bag method, and while it helped a bit, not nearly enough.  I was concerned that I'd have to put them in my store, but I still had one more Hail Mary play - professional stretching.  For $10, a local shoe repair store was able to stretch them for me.  WOW!  What a difference!!!  While they're still a tad stiff, they are immensely wearable!  So for $13.50 instead of $250; I now own a very similar pair and they're still my beloved Nine West!

While I'd still love to own the current pair, if they never end up on my feet....how could I even complain?  This pair that I thrifted is a most delightful, Candy bar from God!!

Suede in full! Or Don't be Suede by imitators!

And my love affair with all things suede and leather continues!  I thrifted this vintage suede skirt at a little shop that I found not long after moving here last year.  The color is so vibrant (shown better in the second picture).  And it really can be worn all year long!

Top : Hand me down from my aunt.  It has a white leather panel on the front.  Previously worn here.  

Skirt:  Thrifted & Vintage

Boots:  New!!  My birthday gift from my sweet husband!    These* boots, from Nine West, were a really big splurge!  My husband told me to go get them, and was prepared to pay $200 for them.    When we got to the mall, they had a sale!!!! and we got them for just under $150 including tax.  For us, that's a HUGE splurge.  HOWEVER, we justify this cost by the fact that about 98% of my wardrobe is thrifted at usually no more than $4 a piece.  So to invest in a FABULOUS pair of shoes or boots that will last and look great for YEARS, just makes sense to me!  What you can't see from the picture is that these have about a 5" heel on them.  So 70s chic!!

BTW, take a look at these.  Oh be still my heart, I would love to own these!  But $250?  Yeahhhhh, I just can't.  But I WILL be watching them for a sale!

Purse:  Thrited.  No brand label, but the strap is genuine leather and it's actually lined with the softest black leather you can imagine!  I washed it via my leather washing method (which I learned from a customer of my store)  and BAM!   FABULOUS!!

See?  It wears great in the summer as well!  Here's the original post.

I'm hooking up (FINALLY) with Patti and Visible Monday!  To be sure, I felt very visible today!

*No affiliate link or commission here, I just happen to love me some Nine West!  They always have gorgeous shoes and boots at a price point where buying groceries is still viable!

NUETP: The Black Pointy Toe Pump

Never Underestimate the Power of a great pair of black pointy toe heels!

Silk Blouse:  Thrifted, Leather Skirt:  Vintage Thrifted, Black Heels:  Nine West Thrifted

Patti did a great post yesterday on "Out with the drab.  In with the fab!"  in which she explores finding ways to build on great basics to start adding fun to her wardrobe....

    "One definite spicy seasoning for me is The Shoe.  And that's fairly recent in my life.  For many decades I stuck with safe choices.  In my corporate years, the nice stacked pump or sling-back.  Simple flats or brown sandals made do for casual hours." 

I think my friend is dead on!  And, in my most humble opinion, where better to start than a black pointy toe pump!  There are so many variations of this, with the upside being that you can choose your heel height for maximum comfort.

The black pointy toe is classic, reminiscent of Chanel, and just about goes with EVERYTHING!  When I put on this outfit, I originally had a different shoe....a platform strappy heel that looked great but a bit too va va voom for church!  So I grabbed my standby and POW!  What could easily look a bit funky (and there ain't a THANG wrong with funky!!), went straight to classy.

The beauty of a black pointy toe is that it can be worn with jeans, slacks, skirts, bright prints, white, longer shorts (I'm not really a fan of heals with short shorts), cropped pants.....just about everything!  And it just makes everything look GREAT!

If I had to go on a trip and take only ONE pair of shoes with me, I think it would be these.  I really think it's one shoe that would be at home in any woman's wardrobe!

Take a look a these celebrities and their pointy toe heel looks.  And while you're looking around, head on over to Patti's Visible Monday and take a peek at some gorgeous ladies sporting their very visible looks!
   

A post full of favorites....

My favorite blouse....Ellen Tracy, thrifted

My favorite skirt.....Vintage aqua leather skirt, thrifted

My favorite shoes.....Nine West, eBay

Necklace....  Vintage, thirfted

Favorite gold bracelets.....Inherited from my wonderfully stylish mother!

My favorite photographer.....my sweet husband!

Even loving the way the sun is catching my growing gray locks!

When I put this outfit together, it simply was the culmination of wearing my favorites at the same time, and lo and behold....IT WORKS!  I NEVER would have thought this color combination would work and I can't really dissect why it works, it just does.

The moral of this story is to fill your closet with items you love, that make your heart sing!  Hence, you'll have outfits that evoke the same reaction!

Love Love Love and lots of air kisses headed your way!

Oh Deliver Me From Shoe Lust!!!!

I don't know what's come over me.  This is NOT me.....  I'm Serene.  I'm thrifty.  I put together $10 outfits.  I try to rise above clothes and shoe lust.  But oh my word....these babies, I REALLY REALLY REALLY want sooooooooooo bad!  Nine West, I'll scrub your toilets!  I'll write your emails!  I'll hang dead chickens on the door of your enemies!  Need something done?  I'm your Girl Friday!!!  But I MUST. HAVE. THESE. SHOES!!!!!!!

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Okay, I've gone for a bike ride and hopefully gotten it out of my system for now!  I don't normally do these kind of posts, but what can I say?  At the end of the day........I'm just a woman......who loves a shoe. (Heavy Sigh)