A few years ago after I had my 5th (and last) baby, I slowly started weeding through my wardrobe and began making the switch over to more quality clothing. After 9 years of being pregnant, nursing, gaining and then losing weight, I had a lot of clothes in my closet of all varying sizes, and I was ready to trim things up and make sure that the things in my closet were not only things that I loved, but also fit me well. For so long I wasted too much time trying on clothes in my closet, tugging and pulling, and feeling altogether uncomfortable in what I put on, b/c I was trying to wear things that no longer served me.
Some of you need to hear this: it’s ok to let your body change with the season that it’s in. It’s also ok to not be miserable when you put on a pair of pants. Whether you have weight loss goals or not, you should feel comfortable in the clothes you wear. There’s nothing worse (IMO) than putting on a tight pair of pants or constantly tugging on a shirt that doesn’t fit right. That’s a great way to get me focusing on MYSELF vs. those around me.
My goal now is to grab a shirt and pants, throw them on and be able to move on with my day, whether that’s running to my kid’s ball game, playing outside, or heading to work to see my patients. I don’t want my focus to be on my clothes, I want my focus to be on the people God’s placed in front of me!
Initially upfront, I know I spent more money on clothes as I updated the essentials to quality pieces that I loved, fit well, and all worked together. It’s also a bonus if they’re fairtrade, which gives me even more bang for my buck, b/c I know my purchase is helping someone else!
Now that I’ve been doing this for a few years, I need fewer things and I have an even better idea of what’s trendy vs. timeless and how to dress my body shape in a way that works for me. This makes it easier to figure out what’s a good choice to add, and what is an easy “no.”
Every season change I go through my closet, get rid of a few things that need to go, and purchase a few new things to update my wardrobe. This keeps me from ever needing to do a full overhaul and keeps things classic while still feeling fresh. 🙂
Here were my purchase this fall!
- Varley sweatshirt – I found Varley last year and LOVE their clothing. I’d call them high-quality athleisure. I got a sweatshirt last year and decided to get a new one this year. If you have a Scheels nearby, they sell a few things at this store and I’m sure many more, and it’s always nice to try a few things on before ordering online so you can get a feel for sizes. I have a discount code for you here if you want to give them a try. It’s not a cheap purchase but I have no doubt their items will last for years to come. I also personally wear sweatshirts daily in the wintertime so they get a lot of wear for the price I spend. I sized down on this one and it was a good choice!
- Madewell sweater jacket –I saw this and thought it would be the perfect layer for fall. It can be worn as a jacket or just as an extra heavy layer in the wintertime I sized down and it can still be worn easily over sweaters. I loved the weight, length, and colors which are perfect for fall. They offer great sales if you become a Madewell insider, which only involves creating an account with your email. I highly recommend this as you get free shipping and returns, as well as other good deals throughout the year! Madewell has some fairtrade items as well so they’re a go-to for me when I’m looking for something new.
- Madewell Dress – It’s been a few years since I purchased a dress for fall, and I’m not traditional, but I love wearing a dress to church on Sunday simply b/c I never get an opportunity to wear dresses otherwise. 🙂 This one is super easy to wear and would even work great for pregnancy or postpartum. I probably could have (should have) sized down, but it’s not so large that it bothers me.
- Evereve sweater – this is a gorgeous color in person, and I loved it when I tried it on with bootcut jeans (see below) and a front tuck. Soft, easy to wear, and would work with black jeans or pants for work as well!
- Kut from the Kloth high rise flare jeans – Y’all I did it – I purchased my first pair of flare jeans since probably at least 10-15 years ago. Call me crazy, but I personally am A-ok with this style being back. I don’t think it’s trendy – I think it’s going to stick around for quite some time, although I’ll admit I have a body style that works well with bootcut or flares, so they may not be for everybody. Also, these are more bootcut than flare – despite the name they’re not like the flares I wore back in the early 2000s. 🙂
- Able sweater – Full disclosure: I don’t personally own this, but if I needed another fall sweater, this one would be on my list! 🙂 Perfect color, it looks like a great weight, shape, length, and best of all: it’s fairtrade! 🙂
- Able earrings – these little earrings are the perfect pair go-to with every outfit. They can be dressed up or down, and again, their purchase provides another woman a fair living wage!
- Crossbody bag – If I needed a new bag, this would be it! It looks like a perfect size, color, and I love that it has a zipper. A lot of beautiful fairtrade leather bags don’t have zippers, and if you’re like me, I don’t need all my random stuff falling out of my purse on the bleachers! 🙂
- Birdies “The Starling” – these were a purchase from last year, but I’ve found Birdies to be super comfortable and they go great with jeans or pants. I wore these a bunch last year and they have SO many colors to choose from!
- Olive and June nail polish for fall – a couple of years ago for Christmas we got our girls the Pedi system from Olive and June. Not only is their polish free of typical harmful chemicals found in most polishes, but I find that a decent application will look good for a week! I save a bunch of money by not getting my nails done professionally, and it’s a really fun pastime with my girls as well. If you’re interested in purchasing a mani system, I have a discount code for 20% off!
