One Pair of Pants. Four Outfits. Under $50.
I love creating new outfits, but I don’t particularly like shopping.
More specifically, I don’t care to browse stores aimlessly with no clear objective in mind. It’s a waste of time unless I have a specific item I’m searching for.
When Mr. Bill and I travelled to Portugal this spring, I was determined to fit my entire 2-week wardrobe, and cosmetics, into a carry-on bag. It was a very small carry-on bag.
And I was successful.
But the only way I could make it work, was to follow the Sudoku Packing Method. I’m sure you have heard of it. In brief, it is three tops, three bottoms, three jackets/cover-ups and the goal is to mix and match all nine items to create a possible 27 outfits.
Shoes and accessories are kept to a minimum.
I took a pair of navy sandals and my white Sketchers slip-ons.
My Little Sudoku Packing Experiment
To optimize this method, I chose two colours, white and navy blue with yellow as an accent colour. It was a super idea, except for one little hitch. There were very few navy-blue options in my closet at the time, and what was there, was dated.
A few trips to my favourite thrift store and a gift certificate to a local store helped supplement the wardrobe sufficiently to make it to nine items. Brilliant!
And so I discovered a renewed love of navy blue.
So back to the one pair of pants.
It’s the time of year when the summer wardrobe is retired to a guest room closet and the fall/winter clothes take up residence in the main closet.
This is not a large collection of clothing, so I grouped them according to colour and it was pretty clear, the navy pants I had chosen to travel with, were too casual for the navy and cream coloured jackets I had intended to pair them with.
I had a hankering for a couple of pairs of dressier slacks to extend the tops and jackets that I already own. But as usual, I’m incredibly cheap cost conscious! When my thrifting efforts came up empty, I headed off to shop.
The $49.90 Light-bulb Moment
Can you imagine my delight when I discovered these navy pants at Reitman’s for $49.90? My size and petite in length~ what a light-bulb moment. And yes!
They fit perfectly and I felt fab!
And while I am certainly no fashionista, I like to think that for the most part, I can pull myself together in my own unique way.
My Rules for Buying Clothes
I follow these basic guidelines. And while none of these are likely new to you, they bear repeating. Here is what I consider:
- What do I already own: does it fit and do I love it? If not, it gets thrifted!
- What colours are flattering on me now, especially since I no longer colour my hair. I discovered that the classic white blouse I used to wear on the regular, when my hair was dyed, looks completely washed out on me now, with my au naturel hair: arctic white!
- Ditto for black. Dark, dreary and predictable. When you don’t know what to wear, it seems we always choose black!
- Just because the item might be the latest in fashion, does not mean it is meant for you, or me. Reitman’s has a lovely selection of barrel jeans and trousers. I did try a pair on. What was I thinking? I’m a little over 5’2″ and yes, I looked exactly like a whiskey barrel when I tried a pair on.
- The colour and fit must be spot on. The dressing room mirror has a deciding vote. If I don’t feel fabulous during the try-on ~ it is a hard no. No fab? No sale. (regardless of the deal!)
- Same goes for Second-hand steals.
It isn’t always about buying more.
I think we’re often encouraged to think about our wardrobe in terms of what we’re missing rather than examining what we already own, and think “how can I apply creativity to make this work”?
Sometimes we don’t actually need an entire outfit.
We just need one piece that works, with more than a few pieces we already own.
So when I found these navy pants at Reitman’s, I started thinking about what I already had in my closet that could work with them.
The answer turned out to be quite a lot.
That’s a very different way of shopping.
Suddenly that $49.90 pair of pants isn’t just one outfit.
It’s four.
Or five.
A Deal isn't a Deal if it isn't for You!
And the really fun and creative aspect of these pairings? Two of the jackets, the turtleneck and the shoes were thrifted ~ yup, my second-hand store finds.
Sweet.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Be Bold, Be Authentically You!
Lovingly, Donna
P.S. ~ just in case you were wondering, I wholeheartedly support shopping local and this post was not sponsored!