a recap & my thrifting mantra

When I selected the 30 pieces, I planned as such that each skirt would be worn three times. From there I chose tops that coordinates with the skirts. Deliberately picked in the spirit of spring/summer remix, the floral Old Navy dress is the least worn piece. Below is the recap and the breakdown of how many times each items are worn.

The breakdown:
Dresses:
1. Calvin Klein dress – 2x
2. Adrienne Vittadini dress – 2x
3. JCrew dress – 2x
4. Jaeger dress – 2x
5. Old Navy dress – 1x

Skirts:
6. Ann Taylor polka dots- 3x [chambray, NL, H&M]
7. DKNY seersucker – 3x [NM, KenCole, BR]
8. Ralph Lauren embroidered white- 3x [H&M, NL, Tahari jacket]
9. Burberry denim – 3x [BR, NL, Ken Cole]
10 H&M pencil – 3x [chambray, MK, DVF]
11. BCBG tan pleated – 3x [Gap, NM, MK]
12. Pendleton red- 3x [Gap, H&M, DVF]

Tops:
13. Gap purple button-down – 2x
14. Kenneth Cole blue grey prints- 2x
15. Tahari pink jacket – 2x
16. DVF animal prints- 3x
17. H&M white checks – 3x
18. Michael Kors apple green- 2x
19. Nicole Miller orange button down- 2x
20. Banana Republic tee- 2x
21. Nanette Lepore tee- 3x
22. Chambray H&M- 2x

Shoes:
23. Tahari dark brown heels – 5x
24. BCBG brown heels – 4x
25. Steve Madden wedges – 4x
26. Cole Haan pumps – 4x
27. Colin Stuart heels – 2x
28. Ralph Lauren slingbacks – 2x
29. Anne Klein sandals – 6x
30. Coach sandals – 3x

My three favorite picks are the June 21st, July 6th and July 9th outfits because of the colors and silhouette.

Three lessons learned from this challenge, which would be my thrifting mantra:

1. Solid color pieces and classic prints (example like polka dots & checks) are easy to coordinates.
2. I am redefining my style, I used to love floral prints. I’ve ditched some skirts and dresses and from now on I will only wear floral prints as accents pieces such as accessories.
3. As far as brand names, I set my standards high. …Well, actually I do a lot of things high.

I am reminded of a line in William Hazlitt’s essay The Indian Jugglers:

It is skill surmounting difficulty, and beauty triumphing over skill.