Stuff Audrey Says: My No-Brainer Wardrobe (a la The Tiny Twig)

I have been thinking a lot about de-cluttering my life. I get so caught up in stuff stuff stuff and eventually realize I'm tiptoeing around all of it, trying to find a new place for this or that so it won't be on my floor. But let's be real, everything ends up on my floor.

Last year I read an e-book by Hayley Morgan (also known as The Tiny Twig) called The No-Brainer Wardrobe. She did a 31-Day Series on her blog about getting your wardrobe to a capsule wardrobe that is, for the most part, interchangeable so that you don't spend a lot of time and energy trying on clothes in the mirror, criticizing yourself, throwing said clothes on the floor, and otherwise feeling exhausted before you even walk out the door.

I do this every. single. day.

So after reading her 31-Day series and her e-book, I was inspired to take a real look at what I had in my closet and what I needed in my closet. I came up with what I think would look like my ideal "capsule wardrobe" and then played around for a little while to see how many different, funky outfits I could come up with using only those pieces.

Sure beats my jeans-and-tee-shirt-with-TOMS look that I have going on these days.

Here is what I came up with. The star indicates that I need to find a piece like this, which I have vowed to do only via Swapdom or Goodwill or friends who are cleaning out their closets. Otherwise, these are already things I have in my closet (or more authentically, on my floor.)

I picked this particular work dress because I already own it. It's comfortable, it's neutral, it has pockets, and the neckline is high enough that I don't feel exposed at work.

That white shirt is from Target. I own it. It's modest and fancy enough for work but can also be dressed down. I also have it in pink...

I bought TOMS like these this weekend for under $30 at Nordstrom Rack and felt like a shopping genius.

I own this exact weekend bag. I got it from Target, and it's truly one of the best purchases I ever made-- it's versatile, durable, and it goes with brown and black thanks to the brown leather handle. Win!

And these are all the outfits I made with these beauties:

Am I missing anything? Is there anything you couldn't live without in your capsule wardrobe that I totally forgot?

But seriously, go read The No-Brainer Wardrobe. Hayley has not asked me nor paid me to endorse her book, and she probably won't ever read this post, but I loved it and it really got the gears turning. I'm finally in a place where I can implement it (and need to implement it, as I'm downsizing apartments here soon) and I'm glad she wrote it.

Pieces can be found here:

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

My No-Brainer Wardrobe (a la The Tiny Twig)