Style Question Wednesday: Evolving Styles and the H&M Fatigue Jacket

Happy Wednesday All!

Today I am musing about how style revolves based on where we are in our life, the time of year and where we think we are going.

Dani has her uniforms and that has inspired me to think of mine.  Of course, you knew I would partial to her weekend uniform, magpie and lover of colour and bling that I am!

My life has changed with this ending of one career and planning for the next.  And while I will still need dressy clothes in my wardrobe, I will need much less than I used to when I was a CEO and I will definitely not need a new suit this summer.   At present, my plans do not include being a CEO again, but one never knows, and if that does happen, I still have a few suits and will add more if ever required.  However, I am pretty confident that the next phase will involve more casual frocks and I am fine with that!  I have actually given some of it away to my best friend here in town.  She needed some things and I did not need that volume of things and it made me feel great that she would get the benefit of them, especially the more expensive things.

Since the middle of March I have not worn a skirt or dress, save once.  It turns out that at a certain point, I hate wearing tights.  So my uniform at present is pretty consistent:

• skinny trousers
• sweater and tank top or tee
• flowy camisole or similar blouses as in the picture below

The ponte knit pants of March have been replaced by my Jcrew minnies and white jeans, which will soon be replaced by my eyelet pants.  And then, once the weather is warm enough to go bare-legged (and thanks xoxo for the heads up about the St. Tropez self-tanner - am off to order some today), I will be in skirts and dresses.  The two pair of khakis that I ordered from gap have not seen much use - they are a funny width for my skinny legs, which look good in either very wide or very skinny pants.  The british khaki will stay in rotation, while i think the hot pink will become my gardening pants - I needed a new pair and they will look fun with my purple rainboots.  You should see the getups I get into in the garden!

I have realized once and for all that button-up blouses are not really for me. They sit in my closet.  They might get drug out once in a blue moon.  Oh sure, I will keep a black and a white blouse, and my linen ones fron Ralph Lauren for summer, but the rest are being laundered and packed away for my friends or goodwill  They are too much effort for me: the ironing, the impossibility of finding one that doesn't gape at the bust, or if it doesn't gape, that doesn't need major alterations.  And to be honest, they just aren't my style.  I am raising the white flag of surrender and moving on!

I am underground as my button-up is gaping

I now own 10 summer skirts.  Last summer I owned 22.  I did not need 22 and I often felt silly as people would say "you never wear the same thing twice"  Well they were kind of right; once I rotated through them all I pretty much didn't as our summers are so short.  As well, a couple of these skirts are the kind I wouldn't have been able to wear to the office - these will get much more air time this summer. 

I have only kept things that are completely flattering in my closet.  A few things have been packed away for another, skinnier day, but I am limiting that timeframe to 8 months - if they don't fit by then, well, off they go! 

I have found some gaps as you know.  I realized I did not have a short dressy outercoat that would also go well with jeans and voila: the calvin klein one-size-too-big blazer did the trick. 

I also realized that I did not have a spring jacket for walking the dog and running errands that was not dressy (as an aside my spring jacket wardrobe consists of: my icon trench, my short navy blazer, my jean jacket, a north face jacket in white for rainy, sporty days).  I considered ordering the Downton from J Crew, but I was afraid of the sizing and the need to return.  Two weeks ago, I was in our local mall and popped into H&M with my daughter.  I picked up a fatigue jacket for $40.  It is perfect as a completely casual jacket and for the price, could not be beat.

You can see I am back in the bathroom.  The coat fits well and here I have paired it with my blue minnies, a jcrew floral tshirt and my navy Joe Fresh tshirt purchased last summer.  This really is becoming my uniform and in a week or two the sneakers will often be replaced by ballet flats under sandal weather.
A close-up shows that above one of the pocket flaps there is a detachable sequin strip:

So I am pleased with my $40 jacket and it looks as good quality as the $100 one that my son purchased at J Crew last summer!

So how about you?  Is your style evolving this summer and if so, how?  Are you purging any old things?  I am suprised by how much I still have, but am being brutal about fit; I only want things I love and are comfortable, clothing-wise and this is causing me to rethink it all!  Over the coming days, I will be culling some more and trying to put together a good colour story or two.

On a completely positive note amidst all of the darkness of this week's news, when I came home last night, I could hear a robin trilling in the tree above my head.  I stood outside for a good 10 minutes listening and I felt that spring had finally come and at least for that moment, all was peaceful in Wendy-land.

Have a wonderful day and stay safe out there!