I’m currently consigning 81 items with the Green Jeans 4-day consignment sale happening in Lake Norman this week, and I thought it would be fun to talk about why I decided to pull some of the items I did.
As you guys know, I’m working on creating what I call a Parisian Wardrobe (click to read more), so I’m really trying to reduce the number of clothes in my closet.
{The full rack}
I’ve been collecting clothes for the last several years, but I haven’t been very good at letting go of things…till recently.
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Here are the examples I photographed (explanations for each are below the respective photo):
Why I bought this: I love J. Crew shorts. I’ve been wearing them since I was in high school, though I haven’t had many pairs. I tend to just get one and wear the heck out of it and then replace it. I thought this green color was pretty and fun, and though I prefer the shorter style, I thought this longer one would work.
Why this didn’t work: Unfortunately, I felt really frumpy wearing them and the fit just seemed to be off for some reason. These seemed to be higher fitting in the waist. I think I felt too comfortable with these since they’re a J. Crew classic, but I should have really thought more about the fit and look when I was trying them on.
Why I bought this: I found this J. Crew skirt when I was thrifting, so I bought it even though it was a little loose.
Why this didn’t work: I actually really liked the loose fit, but when I lost weight a couple years ago, the skirt became too loose, and I didn’t think they’d be able to take it in easily. Also, my style used to be really preppy, but I don’t gravitate towards the preppy look like I used to.
Why I bought this: I’ve always wanted a Diane VonFurstenberg dress, so when I found this one on sale, I jumped on it. I really liked the keyhole, but this is a classic example of something not being a good deal just because it’s on sale.
Why this didn’t work: Yes, DVF is awesome, but the fit was not good on me. I felt like I needed to wear spanx to wear this dress, but I don’t have spanx, and I don’t want them (too tight!). Also, the length is way too long for a shorty like me. I also didn’t like the way it made my shoulders look.
Why I bought this: I found this Theory top on sale and really liked the loose fit and material.
Why this didn’t work: But, I don’t really like sleeves on things, and I found myself passing over this during the summer and just not wearing it in the spring and summer for some reason. And, the fit seemed too loose. Hubby said it made me look pregnant, which is not a good look when you’re not actually pregnant.
Why I bought this: I bought this top when I was working in a formal business environment.
Why this didn’t work: The work environment in my industry has gone down tremendously in recent years. I haven’t worked in a formal business environment in quite some time. And I don’t wear tops like this outside of work. I grew out of this one over time.
Why I bought this: I absolutely loved this cardigan when it came out at Banana Republic. I thought it was too expensive full price, so I stalked it till it went on sale. When it finally went on sale, I only found it one size smaller than what I usually wear.
Why this didn’t work: Sometimes I can go down a size, but in this case, the strategy backfired. Though I never put this in the dryer, it somehow shrunk. Or maybe it was tight in the dressing room and I was too distracted by the sale price to notice. I wore it a couple times until it made me feel awkward.
Why I bought this: I love the utility jacket look that’s been hot the last couple years. I thought this was a great deal when I bought it on sale.
Why this didn’t work: The fit is good, but the jacket offers hardly any warmth. Mostly, though, I don’t like the little purple flower print at the end of the sleeves when I roll them up. I think the print looks girly and preppy, and like I said, that’s not my fave look any more.
Why I bought this: I really wanted a one-shoulder dress, so when I saw this one on sale, I pounced. I really loved the edgy look the side zipper added.
Why this didn’t work: Unfortunately, the side with the zipper is bunched, but the fit looks really weird on me. It’s like it bunches but doesn’t, so it just looks like something’s wrong with the dress. Not the best choice for my body. Oops. I must have missed that when I had this on in the dressing room.
Why these shoes didn’t work (from top left to bottom right):
- silver sandals – got these last minute for a holiday party. Should have shopped sooner. These are super uncomfortable, and I think I can find something better next time I need silver evening shoes.
- tan peep toes – got these online when I thought I wore a half size smaller. Should have realized how tight they were on and returned them.
- cream/gold heels – got these when the head-to-toe off-white look was in. Wore them once or twice and just stopped. They’re pretty, but kind of uncomfortable, and I find myself choosing others over these.
- silver peep toes – got these at a great price. They’re horribly uncomfortable to me.
- bronze ballet flats – got these on sale even though they were a little too big. Tried adding a heel pad. Just didn’t work and made them uncomfortable.
- turquoise mini wedges – got these on sale, but they were really uncomfortable.
- orange sandals – got these at the last Green Jeans sale. I wouldn’t mind if they come back to me, but they are pretty uncomfortable, so I couldn’t wear them far.
- white wedges – I think they make me look older, even though they are really comfortable. I found myself choosing other shoes over these.
- purple platforms – stalked these till they went on sale. Never felt confident in them, plus I was worried I’d fall from the super-high platform and hurt myself. lol
Did you see a trend there? I did. It makes me feel stupid to have made such bad shopping decisions. I’ve been working hard to think about why the items I’ve pulled didn’t work. The patterns have good lessons to keep in mind when I’m shopping for new stuff for my smaller Parisian Wardrobe.
Primary lesson learned: Just because something is on sale, it doesn’t mean it’s a good deal if it:
- doesn’t fit
- doesn’t make you feel confident
- is uncomfortable
Regardless of how good a deal you find, you’re not going to wear it and you’ll likely wear other things in place of it if it doesn’t flatter your body, make you feel fabulous, and feel great to wear.
Reader question: What lesson(s) have you learned from items you’ve purged from your closet?