After all what better reasons to give gifts that give back than Mothers Day, teacher appreciation, brides-to-be, graduates, and more?!

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5. INK + ALLOY

Handmade jewelry, accessories, and small collections of garments, Ink + Alloy creates fun and beautiful pieces. It is a women owned company that pays fair wages and provides a safe working environment. You can read more about their company here.

Their pieces are perfect for the woman in your life who is colorful, creative, enjoys wearing bold statements, and likes to own things no one else does. She probably likes thrifting or crafting (or both!) and might already own a lot of accessories but always welcomes more. Here are a few of my personal recommendations to give as gifts:

Jenna Chain Link necklace (multiple colors)

Iris Large Resin Bead necklace (multiple colors)

Elaine Semi-Precious Stone & Enamel drop earrings (multiple colors)

Tennis Ball Print Scarf (other prints as well)

Seed Bead Clutch (multiple designs)

What’s cool about this brand is I believe it crosses many age barriers. My 10 year old daughter would love items from this brand. I personally own a necklace and skirt from Ink + Alloy. So it appeals to a wide range of ladies :) What catches your eye that you know a special lady in your life will love?

4. Portland Leather Goods

High quality leather bags, Portland Leather crafts bags that will be utilized for years, perhaps decades, to come. They are ethically made in Mexico and the company takes great steps to care for all individuals who assemble their products.

These bags, purses, totes, and more are sure to put a smile on the face of any women! They aim to please with their wide range of colorful leather options as well as the typical leather colors as well. If you are looking for a gift for a woman who is practical, busy, values timeless style, and rarely treats herself I highly recommend browsing Portland Leather Goods for her gift. Here are my personal recommendations:

Circle Crossbody (multiple colors)

Olivia Shoulder bag (multiple colors, I personally love the Butter Bliss color way!)

Alphabet Keychain (multiple colors/letter options)

Canvas Purse Organizer (multiple colors/sizes)

Nora Shoulder bag (multiple sizes/colors…I own this bag and I love it!)

Don’t forget to add on a leather care kit if you purchase a leather item as a gift :)

3. Sunshine Tienda

Sustainability AND style come together beautifully at Sunshine Tienda. They partner with female artisans all over the globe for their ethically crafted pieces. You know your gift receiver will be getting something super special when you order from Sunshine Tienda. Although their aesthetic channels warm weather vacation vibes, who doesn’t need some of that wherever they live on an ordinary Thursday? If you are shopping for a lady (or girl!) with a laid back attitude but she’s also good-natured, spontaneous, and fun to hang out with she is probably going to like something from Sunshine Tienda. Bonus! I’m a partner with them and can now offer my audience a discount code! Use JAIMISTEWART for 10% off your purchase! Here are my personal recs:

Navy Gingham Marina Sarong (other prints and sizes of sarongs on the site as well)

Gabriela Bucket Hat (various sizes and styles)

Navy Stripe Canvas Weekender Bag

Rainbow Tile Earrings (lots of other earring options of the site!)

Marbled Tortoise Heart Necklace (few other color options too)

One of my favorite ethical brands. I hope to visit in person one day. I will probably have a little bit of a fan girl moment when I do 🤩

2. Sardine

Now I’ll be 100% honest with you on this one- I’ve never personally tried out this brand…BUT boy oh boy do I WANT to! The designs, the craftsmandship, the commitment to small batch production…I love it all. So because I am fairly confident this is a reputable brand making high quality products that women will enjoy receiving…I’m including it in the list. Also if my husband is reading wink wink hint hint I like these sunglasses 😎 Here’s what’s specifically catching my eye:

Georgie frames with Toasted Moxie design

Millie frames with Cherry Bomb color

Aster frames with Cosmic Cowboy design

If this brand isn’t the style you’re looking for, I also recommend Pair eyewear. Yes they primarily market eyeglasses, but you can turn pretty much any frame into non-prescription sunglasses. Check them out here.

1. Sela Designs

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’re probably not surprised that Sela Designs landed the number one spot. I’ve partnered with Ashleigh for many years and I will continue to promote her mission and work through jewelry that does good and changes lives. Read more about the mission and partnerships of Sela Designs here.

Sela Designs creates jewelry with a more minimalist aesthetic with some statement pieces sprinkled in. This jewelry easily becomes the pieces your friend, mom, daughter will reach for daily. I wear something from Sela everyday and I give Sela as gifts often. If you are a new customer to Sela Designs, use my code JAIMISTEWART for 15% off your first purchase! Here are my top gifting recommendations:

The Known necklace, easily personalized and a favorite piece of mine to wear and give.

Spring Zora Beaded Earrings (other colors/styles available as well)

Anika Purple Beaded Necklace (other colors available)

Ribbon Huggie Hoops (gold or silver)

Alex Square Hoop Earrings (my most worn earrings of all time)

You really can’t go wrong with anything you gift from Sela Designs. She will be thrilled not only with the jewelry but knowing she is wearing something that brought freedom and opportunity to another woman somewhere in the world…gives me goose bumps just thinking about it!

Honorable mention

Still want more ideas or suggestions? I got you. Here’s a few honorable mentions for gifting ideas:

Gift a rental subscription to Armoire. You can read about my experience/thoughts on renting with Armoire here.

Gift ethically crafted clothing, accessories, and household items from Passion Lilie. Use my code 15OffJaimi for 15% off your purchase. Check out this recent instagram post where I styled one of their dresses!

Sustainably made and clean ingredients body products from Salt & Stone. I recently have been testing their deodorant and body mist, so far I’m impressed!

I’ve been swooning over the scarves at Tirzah Lane. And this one in particular!

And finally one of my fail-safe gifts for almost any lady in my life is a ThredUP gift card. And if you don’t like sending e-gift cards they often have them in grocery and bog box stores hallelujah.

I love to share my ethical closet recommendations on ShopMy! give me a follow and see what collections I’m creating!

Of course I do love experience based gifts as well…but that’s not always possible depending on the occasion or who the recipient is. But a gift card to a local consignment shop, boutique, coffee shop, bookstore, spa, car wash, pet care, or cleaning services are all also great ideas. Shop ethical, secondhand, local, and intentional for whatever gift you’re looking for!

Let me know what you’re gifting this spring and summer! If you need help finding something specific, I’m here to help :)

Cheers to being intentional friends! 🥂

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Maybe it’s that you’ve been influenced not to.

Somewhere along the way, “thinking about your outfit” became a bad thing.

It got labeled as shallow. Pointless. A misuse of time even.
Something we should optimize away with capsule wardrobes, outfit formulas, and “grab-and-go” basics that are interchangeable with quote unquote everything. No thought. Just put on your clothes and move on with your day. Crisis solved.

Hear me on this:
I love an easy outfit as much as the next woman. I’ve even created content around this very concept. “5 Easy Outfit Formulas for the Days You Don’t Know What to Wear” was my first ever email freebie or “funnel” back when I blogged and had an online course. I could share DOZENS of posts and videos I’ve created based on the concept of “easy” outfit ideas.

So I’m not trying to fight anyone here. I’m just as much a part of the “easy” influence as a lot of content creators. But I think I’ve been wrong to frequently push out this concept.

Yes, there are days where we actually NEED those ideas. But I’ve slowly been seeing how this isn’t always helpful. Here’s the realization I’ve come to:

I don’t think ease should be the goal.
I think it should be a tool.

Because here’s the part no one is really saying out loud:

You don’t build personal style by defaulting to what’s easiest.

Just like you don’t become a good chef or baker by always using what comes in a box. You have to learn what ingredients go together for the taste you want to achieve. Take some chances. Try new things. Hitting the easy button over and over doesn’t often create gains.

Trying, failing, trying, tweaking, risking, and being creative often moves the needle.

So this is your invitation to enter into a somewhat nuanced conversation.

Want to read a post on developing personal style? Read this!

Not Thinking = Best Practice?

We’ve been sold this idea that the best wardrobe is the one that requires the least thought. But what if that’s actually why so many of us feel… flat?

Uninspired.
Disconnected.
Like they have “nothing to wear” even when their closet is full of perfectly “practical” pieces.

Because thinking is where style actually begins.

Not overthinking.
Not spiraling.
But engaging. Researching. Experimenting. Learning.

Easy gets us into a rut that can cause us to become nose deaf. We feel like something is off but we don’t know why. We find ourselves picking up that t-shirt, dress, or pair of shoes from Target or Walmart while grocery shopping thinking it will “fix” something. Putting together yet another all-neutral outfit because it’s safe even though it’s not really what you like.

When you think through an outfit, you’re doing something deeper than just getting dressed.

You’re asking:

• What feels like me today?

• What do I need from this outfit?

• What happens if I try it this way instead?

That’s not superficial.

That’s a creative practice. It forces you to potentially step out in something that is not only more YOU but perhaps more UNLIKE everyone else. Your personal style and creativity cannot be bought or completely replicated.

On the Subject of Time…

Many of us often spend significant amounts time (and money) on curating homes and spaces but don’t think clothes deserve similar attention. Or insert any other type of interest, investment, extension of ourselves, or area of life we deem valuable to spend time on: gardening, cooking, skin care, outdoor adventures, cars, travel, kids activities. The list could go on.

When those activities above demand our time and attention, we often don’t think twice about it. But for some reason when we stand in the closet for more than a couple minutes pondering what goes with what, we label that as a waste of time. OR we assume we don’t know what in the world we are doing and I’m terrible at style so I’ll just wear what I always wear.

I’m here to tell you- I’m confident in my style, I KNOW all the “rules”…and I still spend time deciding what goes with what. AND I’m not always successful. Just like gardening. Or home decorating. Or sewing. Or insert anything else that you enjoy that requires your time that you aren’t always successful at.

Let’s stop thinking time spent deciding what to wear is a waste of time.

Read this post that is my personal realization that I was dressing like everyone else.

Easy = Best Reflection of You?

We say we want to feel more like ourselves again. But then we remove one of the most accessible, everyday ways to practice being ourselves. Getting dressed is one of the few daily rituals where you get to:

• experiment without consequence

• change your mind

• try something new

• express something internal externally

And yet we rush through it. Act like it’s something we have to get through as quickly as possible. If not it signals time suck or failure.

Or we outsource it.

To formulas, influencers, “rules” that promise to make it easier, or clothing specifically labeled and designed to “go with everything” and “make life easier”.

And I get why.

You’re busy. There are enough decisions to make all day every day.
You don’t have time to stand in your closet for 30 minutes every morning.

But there’s a difference between supporting yourself with ease and
disconnecting from yourself entirely.

Which are you choosing lately? Have you even stopped to consider if your closet is a reflection of YOU? Or is it a reflection of easy, quick decisions because you can’t be bothered by…well…yourself?

Personal Style is a Process

Because here’s the truth:

Creativity doesn’t come from being spoon-fed.
It comes from participation. It comes through thought-out decisions and a willingness to spend the time.

Trying something that might not work.
Pairing pieces you’ve never worn together before.
Stepping out of your comfort zone from time to time.

And yes sometimes that means your outfit isn’t perfect. Sometimes it feels a little “off.” Sometimes you change three times and edit your closet during the outfit changes.

But that process, that’s where your style is actually being built.

Scrolling Instagram seeing an outfit you like and instead of commenting LINK so you can replicate it, you pause and ask yourself “what about this am I attracted to? What do I already own that can give me a similar outcome?” etc. This is where the creative process begins and the dopamine surges.

It’s ok, even good, to THINK

We’ve been conditioned to believe that the goal is to “figure it out” once and then never have to think about it again.

But personal style isn’t a solved problem. It isn’t often based on formulas, comfort, and “5 easy, no-brainer outfit inspirations”.

It’s a journey. A process. An ever-evolving relationship between you and your closet.

And like any relationship, it requires attention. Curiosity. A willingness to learn, fail, try again, spend time, and view it as forward progress.

So I’m flipping the script a bit.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing to think about your outfit. And I’m going to stop creating so much content around the notion of “EASY”.

I think outfit selection is one of the most underrated forms of everyday creativity we have.

And maybe instead of asking “How can I make this easier?”,we could start asking “What could this become if I gave it a little more thought?” or “What would I wear if I didn’t care what other people thought?” or “What would happen if I tried to ENJOY this process instead of view it with disdain?”

Because I think a lot of this comes down to 2 things:

COMFORT

ENJOYMENT

I won’t expand on that in this post. I just want you to sit with it for now.

Easy isn’t Always Best

We in the United States live under this unwritten code of something like “if it takes time/makes you uncomfortable/you don’t enjoy it=bad”.

And I think this has taken deep roots into our closets.

This is often the message we send with all our “easy outfit formulas” (yes, I’m guilty of this): “Don’t spend your time there. That’s bad. You’re unproductive if you have to think about how clothes look together. All you need is these 5 shirts/3 combos/XYZ color scheme/this pair of shoes that goes with EVERYTHING…and that’s it. Stop making it hard.”

See how this drains the personality out of your outfit? What if we ALL followed this advice? I think we would end up looking like characters in Sci-Fi shows where everyone dresses the same. Parish the thought.

It is not a sign of moral high ground that you spend less time putting outfits together. Just like the opposite is also true. I am not morally superior because I spent MORE time.

There are few things I’ve become good at because I ALWAYS enjoyed it. Cooking. Running. Curating a home. Gardening. Growing friendships. Writing. Yes- even curating a closet I love. There are times putting outfits together frustrates me.

But when I take the time to make something WORK and makes me feel alive and authentically ME…chefs kiss. It’s such a great feeling. Just like when I put a room together. Or taste something delicious I put effort and time into. Or finish a race I trained months for. Time spent, effort put forth, pushing through the hard…this is part of the human experience.

Closing Thoughts & Questions

I’ll end this post with some questions for you to sit with. And as always, I welcome thoughtful discussion in the comments and look forward to hearing what you have to say!

• When was the last time you got dressed on purpose, not just out of habit?

• What would happen if you treated your closet like a creative space instead of a problem to solve?

• Where in your life have you been craving expression but defaulting to ease instead?

• What’s the worst that could happen if you spent even 10 more minutes thinking through an outfit?

• How could you take some of those “easy outfit formulas” and tweak them so they allowed your personal style to shine through?

If you’ve been feeling disconnected from your style, it might not be because you’re doing too much. It might be because you’ve stopped letting yourself engage at all. And this is what the Intentional Closet is ALL ABOUT.

Here’s my permission for you, and me, to step away from “low-effort” outfits. Even if it’s only occasionally. Inspire yourself by seeing your closet as a place with potential and an outlet for creativity ✨ Cheers to an intentional closet friends!

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Popular posts of mine you might like:

Why Ethical Fashion Feels so Hard to Afford

My Favorite Ethical Clothing Brands

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Wide Leg Jeans & Shoes

Not in a performative, all-or-nothing way. Not to prove a point. But to get honest about my closet. Forcing myself to put together new-to-me combinations and making decisions on pieces that have been sitting unworn.

What I love most about shopping breaks is the clarity that comes with them. Not immediately. Not all at once. But I guarantee it comes.

Want to know what my biggest takeaways were? You’re in the right place. If you want to see a previous post where I talk a little about my shopping break, read this.

post contains affiliate links

Direction and Purpose as Tools

When I started my 75 days of shopping my closet, I didn’t want to just walk in my closet and stare at my clothes. I decided to start with specific “themes” or “challenges” for my outfits. Having a specific direction combats decision fatigue, overwhelm, and lack of motivation.

I decided to play around with monochrome outfits or print mixing it became another tool for getting dressed. Or simply taking a shirt I never reach for and intentionally styling an outfit around it…suddenly my outfit has a direction and I’m not just aimlessly grabbing clothing.

Outfit and style tools aren’t simply clothes, shoes, and accessories. When we have direction, purpose, and vision those are the best tools to take into our closets.

Lesson Learned: when I feel uninspired or bored with my clothes I can lean into a specific direction and go from there.

Want to read more about print mixing? Check out this post.

Say It with Accessories

This one surprised me the most.

I didn’t feel like my wardrobe was lacking. I have plenty of pieces I love. But after a few weeks of putting together “new” outfits, I realized the difference between an outfit I liked and an outfit that felt finished almost always came down to accessories.

The outfits themselves were fine. Solid, even. But they sometimes lacked intention or just a detail or two to tie it together.

What actually made things feel fresh again wasn’t adding new clothing—it was adding:

• Glasses or sunglasses

• Statement jewelry

• Belts

Those small shifts changed everything. The same jeans and tee could feel elevated, styled, or completely different depending on the finishing touches.

Especially as we head into another summer where creating “styled” outfits feels more difficult without adding jackets, tights, or sweaters. Leaning into necklaces, earrings, belts, and sunglasses can make a big difference.

So now when I visit the thrift store I don’t head for the clothing section first…I visit the jewelry counter. The carousel stand of earrings. Displays of sunglasses. The racks of purses and belts. I’ve found some antique stores have excellent selections (and price points) of unique jewelry.

Lesson Learned: you can have a fabulous closet of clothing, but the icing on the cake is often found in the accessories. Being a detail oriented person, this is one lesson I’m glad I took the time to learn!

I recently had the privilege of partnering with Pair eyewear and was able to test my theory of glasses being a great accessory. You can view my reel about it here or shop the glasses yourself here and use my code JAIMISTEWART15 for 15% off your first pair!

Go to the Go-To’s

It’s easy to just throw on the same few things day after day. When you have an arsenal of go-to outfits, it makes it easier to mix up what you wear while still wearing what you love.

I KNOW this…but I forgot it until I was forced to mix up what I had. A go-to outfit is something you love to wear and takes little to no effort for you to put together. Here are some of my foundational go-to outfits:

-Jeans & white top

-Graphic tee + jeans + blazer (see a reel about it here)

-Denim on denim

-Sandwich Method

-Skirts or dresses with tennis shoes

-Jeans & a cute top

None of those are groundbreaking or complicated…but it’s easy to forget when you are on auto-pilot stepping into your closet each day.

I also found a renewed love of my Pinterest boards, especially my Closet Goals one. This is the board that reminds me to fully embrace wearing what I love. In a sea of neutrals, leggings, and UGG shoes it’s easy for me to shrink back on wearing what I love. But that intersects into the next lesson…

Lesson Learned: my go-to outfits are my go-tos for a reason. They are easily put together and built upon.

I’ve been holding back

I say I don’t want to stand out. And to a certain extent, that’s true. I’m an introvert who doesn’t want the spotlight, especially for the wrong reasons. And when I hear comments like “what are you so dressed up for?” or “you always look so nice and I just always wear this.”…it feels like I’m gunning for the spotlight when the opposite is true.

But I honestly love things like:

• Print mixing

• Unexpected combinations

• Outfits that feel a little more “styled” than average

• Dressing up for absolutely NO reason

• Dressing up for a reason

So not wanting to stand out but also wanting to be myself in my style- those two feelings don’t always work together very well.

Because the reality is when most people are wearing neutrals, leggings, or safe, familiar outfits… even a slightly more expressive or styled outfit can feel like a lot.

So what I’ve been doing without fully realizing it is dialing myself down.

Not completely. Just enough to blend in sort of.

And this no-shopping challenge made that really obvious.

Because when you’re not constantly bringing in something new, you’re left with a choice: wear what you already own the way you actually want to… or keep playing small & safe inside your own closet.

I don’t think this is about suddenly becoming the most expressive dresser in the room. But I do think it’s about closing the gap between what you love and what you actually wear.

Even if that means standing out a little more than you’re used to or more than you want to.

It feels vulnerable to fully express who you are with what you’re wearing. Especially when what you’re wearing is not the norm. People can make all kinds of assumptions about you without you even speaking a word to their face. About your personality, your lifestyle, your confidence, even your values. Sometimes they’ll get it right. Sometimes they won’t. But either way, you don’t get to control the narrative once you step inside the room.

And that’s what makes it uncomfortable. Because choosing to dress in a way that actually reflects you, your taste, your preferences, your point of view means being willing to be seen and possibly misunderstood. It’s easier to stay in the realm of “acceptable,” to blend in just enough to avoid questions, comments, or attention.

But there’s a quiet cost to that. Because when you consistently dilute your style to make other people more comfortable, you start to lose clarity on what you actually like. And over time, your closet becomes less of a reflection of you and more of a collection of what feels safe. Or a collection of clothes you love, but never reach for.

Lesson Learned: wear what I love to wear. Be who God made me to be. Come up with better/kind responses to comments and questions that make me inwardly cringe.

Questions

Here are some questions I asked myself during this process…maybe you’d like to take some time and ask them of yourself:

• Where am I relying on newness instead of creativity?

• What’s one formula I already wear that I could refine?

• What would I wear if I didn’t care about blending in?

• What outfits do I actually reach for—and why?

• What am I hoping a new purchase will fix?

Overall what I want to convey is a shopping break can bring so much CLARITY to your style, outfits, and closet in general. It seems counterintuitive, but if you’ve never made a shopping break a regular practice, I encourage you to try it.

Back to “reality”

Ever since my challenge ended, I have thrifted some great accessories, added my new pair of glasses, and thrifted some clothing items that filled gaps in my closet that I noticed during my challenge.

(Some gaps I noticed were gingham print, stripe/colorful pants, stripe and floral button downs, and more graphic tees.)

I also have kept on renting cases from Armoire. Although I’m a contracted content creator for them, I do love the ability to experiment with my style without adding to my closet. Plus it makes travel and special occasions so much more fun AND easy. If you want to know more about Armoire or clothing rental in general, you’ll like this post.

75 days of shopping my closet was a great lesson for me. Plus it’s always good to quiet some noise occasionally by intentionally avoiding scrolling my favorite online shops.

Have you tried shopping your closet intentionally for an extended period of time? Let me know either way! And if you have any questions, I’d love to tackle those so ask away!

Cheers to being intentional in our closets, outfits, and lives friends!

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While this is not the typical angle I take in my posts, I just wanted to flip the script for a moment. Sometimes it’s easier to see what we need to change when there’s not a list of “how to do everything correctly” in front of you. So if I wanted a closet that stressed me out, wasted my money, and still left me feeling like I had nothing to wear here’s exactly what I’d do. (Ask me how I know. Because I too friend have been there.)

If you’d like to read some of my other posts, I suggest starting with my top 3:

Where Are People Shopping?

Wide Leg Jeans & Shoes

My Favorite Ethical Clothing Brands

Assume my body is the problem not the clothes

If I wanted a closet that didn’t work for me, I would start here.

I would believe that if something doesn’t fit, feel good, or look right, the issue must be me. That my body is too much, not enough, or wrong in some subtle (or not-so-subtle) way.

I would tell myself things like:

• “This will look good once I lose a little weight.”

• “My body is just weird.”

• “Nothing ever fits me properly.”

• “I just need more clothes to make it work.”

• “I can’t wear XYZ because I’m too ______.”

I would never question the clothes themselves: how they were designed, the fabric they used, who they were designed for, or whether they were right for my own real, living, changing body in the first place.

This belief shows up especially during life transitions—when bodies change, routines shift, and our old clothes stop matching our current lives. It’s so easy in those moments, to turn inward and decide I am the issue.

I wouldn’t remind myself that I am worth having clothes that fit me no matter if this weight/season/size is temporary. I would continue to punish myself wearing things I don’t like, that don’t fit, and make me not the best version of myself day in and day out.

Once I’ve decided my body is the problem, the next step is easy.

Hold onto clothes out of guilt, shame, or sunk cost

I would keep clothes I don’t wear. Not because I love them, not because they support my life or make me feel good about myself, but because letting them go would feel like admitting failure.

I would think:

• “I spent too much money on this to get rid of it.”

• “This should work for me because it used to.”

• “It’s a good piece I just haven’t had the right occasion for it yet.”

• “I’ll wear it again once things settle down/I lose weight/I get the right job/start dating again/my kids are older...”

I would treat my closet like a reminder of past decisions or the “good old days” instead of a tool for my present life.

Some of these clothes would carry guilt, especially the expensive ones, the ethical ones, the ones I bought with the right intentions. Getting rid of them would feel wasteful, irresponsible, even if keeping them quietly makes me feel worse every time I see them.

Others would carry shame.
Proof that I changed sizes. Proof that my lifestyle shifted. Proof that the version of myself I was dressing for no longer exists.

This isn’t a personal flaw. We’re taught that being a “good” consumer means sticking it out, making it work, holding on. Especially when money, values, or identity are involved. But closets aren’t meant to house our past selves or hold proof of moral goodness. They’re meant to support the body and life you have now.

If I wanted a closet that didn’t work for me, I’d keep prioritizing past purchases over present needs and call that a responsible decision.

Keep shopping every time I feel bored, insecure, or in transition

Once my closet is already full of clothes I feel weird about, I’d make sure to keep shopping anyway. Especially in moments that have nothing to do with actually needing clothes.

I’d go to Target for sheets.
Or toothpaste.
Or one specific thing I genuinely need.

And then I’d wander.

I’d let myself be pulled toward a rack of dresses telling myself I’ll just take a quick look because I’m not buying anything. But something would catch my eye, I’d try it on quickly in a dressing room that makes everything feel like it’s working, and think, “I love it! I’ll wear this so much!”

I’d buy it not because it solves a problem in my closet, but because it offers a small hit of dopamine. A brief sense of possibility. A version of myself who has her life a little more together and shows up to the next event/dinner/party in something new and that’s an empowering feeling.

I’d take it home, hang it up wear it maybe once or twice…and there it hangs.

Not because there’s anything wrong with the dress, but because it was never chosen with my real life in mind. It doesn’t match my lifestyle, my climate, my routines, or the way I actually like to feel in my clothes. It was chosen in a moment of distraction, or boredom, or low-grade “I gotta have it” feels. And those moments pass much faster than the clothes we bring home from them.

This kind of shopping often shows up during transitions. When things feel unsettled. When our bodies, roles, or routines are shifting. Buying something, anything, can feel exciting and even hopeful. But when we use shopping to self-soothe or fill an empty space or kill time we end up with clothes that belong to a feeling and not a life.

Ignore the climate, lifestyle, and where I actually live

If I wanted a closet that didn’t work for me, I’d dress for a place and life I don’t actually live.

I’d buy pieces meant for city walks and coffee dates even if I live somewhere hot, rural, car-dependent, or deeply casual. I’d hold onto clothes that make sense in theory, or on someone else, but feel strangely out of place when I step outside my own front door.

I’d ignore the fact that clothes are contextual. They respond to weather, transportation, social norms, and unspoken dress codes. Every region has its own rhythm and visual language, and pretending otherwise can make even great clothes feel awkward or costume-y.

Climate plays its part too. Clothes designed for mild weather don’t magically become functional in extreme heat, cold, wind, or humidity. If I wanted to stay frustrated, I’d keep fighting my environment instead of dressing with it.

Lifestyle is the final layer. What your days actually require of you matters. A closet full of “going out” clothes doesn’t support a life that happens mostly at home, running errands with small kids, working from home, or in a workplace with specific expectations.

If I wanted a closet that didn’t work, I’d keep dressing for an imagined version of my life. One that exists somewhere else, under different conditions and then feel confused or frustrated when I often feel uncomfortable or out of place.

Treat ethical fashion like a moral performance

If I wanted a closet that truly didn’t work for me, I’d make my clothing choices mean something about my worth.

I’d treat ethical fashion not as a tool or a practice, but as proof. Proof that I’m thoughtful. Responsible. Doing the right thing. Even if the clothes I purchase aren’t really “me”, at least I’m doing the right thing and I can feel good about my purchase.

This turns getting dressed into a moral performance. One where the goal isn’t support or self-expression, but correctness. And correctness is a heavy thing to carry every morning.

Clothes that don’t serve my body, my life, my environment, or my personal style don’t become more ethical by staying in my closet out of obligation.

If I wanted to stay stuck, I’d keep confusing values with punishment. I’d keep believing that being a “good consumer” means never changing, never adjusting, never admitting that something didn’t work.

But ethics without compassion (especially toward yourself) will always lead to burnout. A truly supportive closet leaves room for nuance, learning, and change.

take a little breather pause here if you need. I know I do.

And now for the good news

The good news is that the opposite of all this is surprisingly simple.

When a closet doesn’t work, we’re often taught to look for the flaw in ourselves…our bodies, our discipline, our values, our confidence. But more often than not, the problem is misalignment: clothes chosen for the wrong life, the wrong place, the wrong moment, or the wrong expectations. A supportive closet isn’t built through shame, impulse, or moral pressure. It’s built through honesty. About who you are now, how you live, and what you actually need to feel at ease in your clothes. And that kind of honesty is not a failure. It’s the beginning of things finally clicking.

Read about Personal Style here

If any of these sections felt familiar, you don’t need to fix anything today. Just take notice.
Notice which clothes cause feelings of guilt when you think about not wearing them.
Notice where regret, pining, obligation, or “shoulds” show up in your closet.
Awareness alone is often the first shift and it’s enough for now.

I welcome thoughtful conversation here, especially when it’s rooted in nuance and lived experience. If you’re coming with questions, reflections, or a different perspective offered in good faith, I’m glad you’re here. If comments become defensive, dismissive, or unkind, I may choose not to engage or to protect this space by stepping away from the conversation.

As always, take what’s useful, leave the rest, and be gentle with yourself in the process. And cheers to an intentional closet!

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As part of my 75 days I’m getting dressed everyday, documenting my outfits, and trying new-to-me combinations. I’m still using Armoire because I have 3 trips during my 75 days and I have a content creation contact with them 😉 Here’s my first full week of outfits.

this post contains affiliate links

Sweater vest + tie neck blouse

I found this tie neck blouse on ThredUp in the fall and I love how it look with this sweater vest. The tennis shoes help keep it casual.

Jeans & Sweater vest from Boden, suede tennis shoes from Toms

Monochrome day 1- PINK

This past week I challenged myself to create new-to-me monochromatic outfits. I started with pink. I would have preferred different shoes but it was cold and wet outside so boots it was.

Boots are from Nisolo, top, sweater vest, pants, and purse all thrifted (top and pants were found on ThredUp)

Monochrome Day 2- RED

Playing around with red was more enjoyable than I thought it would be! If you want to view my reel with my tips for working with red, you can see that here.

Shoes are from Boden, pants from Lands End, Scarf was a gift, top & sweater vest found on ThredUp

Monochrome Day 3- BROWN

I’ve never (to my recollection) worn a brown monochrome outfit. I really liked how this one came together.

Stripe top and shoes found on ThredUp, pants are from a brand OAT New York that I see on ThredUp all the time but I bought them at a local boutique, sweater vest is from a Spokane resell shop: Fringe & Fray

Want some more style tips? Check out these 2 popular posts:

The Intentional Closets Guide to SHOES

Wide Leg Jeans & Shoes

Monochrome Day 4- GREEN

You can see my other green outfit ideas on my instagram post. Also my honest confession that I didn’t enjoy working with green as much as I thought I would. Still reflecting on why that might be.

Scarf thrifted in London, sweater from a local thrift shop, green pants from a now-closed boutique in Spokane, Sam Edelman mules found on Poshmark

Monochrome Day 5- GRAY

Ok this isn’t TOTALLY monochrome, but I can maybe call it monochrome using shades only ;) I also wanted to use the opportunity to segway into my “theme” for this next week- wear pieces I haven’t worn in awhile. The poncho went unworn last winter, so I decided it needed to come out again.

Brooches belonged to my grandma, poncho found at Ashley’s Attic in Colorado Springs, white jeans are from Oliver Logan, purse is thrifted, Gola shoes found on ThredUp, and my black long sleeve tee under the poncho is Fair Indigo

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Not monochrome, but still an outfit

Saturday I spent a lot of the day at our 5 acre property clearing build sites ☺️ so I was wearing insulated Carhart overalls a lot of the day. But for a little while I wore this to run a couple errands.

Turtleneck from Tradlands, beanie was a Christmas gift, jeans from Oliver Logan, coat rented from Armoire, purse from Portland Leather Co.

Outfit from today B&W with a dash of red

I used two pieces here that have been rarely worn- the top and jacket. I really like how this outfit came together.

Jacket is Tommy Hilfiger from a local thrift shop, top and pants found on ThredUp, shoes from Cariuma

I’m excited to see what outfits I’ll come up with this week using pieces I don’t often reach for. I’m hoping to do a closet edit this week and I’ll be packing for a weekend getaway at the end of the week. Hoping to share a post on what will be in my suitcase :)

How did you dress intentionally this past week? If you didn’t, why not start this week? Cheers to an intentional closet!

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“This is great for the wealthy/for you. But I can’t afford this brand.”

“Regular people can’t buy clothes that cost this much.” both quotes I’m paraphrasing from years of receiving similar comments.

And a direct quote from a comment on a post of mine: “Yea unfortunately this isn’t feasible for me times are very tough I could spend 168 dollars building up a wardrobe through a couple thrifting trips. 168 dollars for a shirt nope.”

I cannot possibly address all the issues surrounding budgets, speak to all socio-economic statuses, or even touch on each and every persons style point of view and how cost will affect their specific choices. In this particular post I’m only diving into ways you can make better purchases for your closet, things to consider, and simple actions you can take.

I’ll be honest this type of content is not my favorite. I’d much rather give style tips and share outfits. That’s more fun. This type of content tends to rub the wrong way which is never my intent. But I can’t control reactions, all I can do is point you to resources and ways of thinking I’ve personally benefitted from. Because I see this is an important, nuanced conversation this post needs to happen. So let’s get after it! Might want to grab a beverage and a comfy spot 😉 *post may contain affiliate links*

A Brief Note on the Economics of Fast Fashion

I’m not an economist, nor well-versed in the world of finance. So I just take in information (specifically on fast vs fair fashion), research it, and depending on my findings and/or convictions I’ll take action. One of the most eye opening things I’ve found as far as the economic ramifications of fast fashion was in the documentary “The True Cost”.

One speaker in the documentary notes that in the past people bought far fewer shirts per year, but now “you can buy one or two shirts every week,” because prices have dropped— tying cheap prices to a disappearing middle class.
This juxtaposition helps illustrate how cheap clothing feels affordable, but is tied to broader economic insecurity.

The film shows that as clothes have gotten cheaper over time, our consumption has skyrocketed—but this “bargain” pricing has disconnected us from the true cost of production and made us poorer in other ways (environmentally, socially).
This summarization from the documentary emphasizes how fast fashion’s pricing war changes consumer perception of what is affordable.

This makes me think of social conditioning. If I believe something because that is all I’m exposed to, that’s exactly how I’ll keep responding because I’ve never been exposed to anything else/another perspective.

If we take a $5 t-shirt for example, logically it does not make sense that all parties involved in this garment CAN get paid, fairly or even at all. But we get used to this price point and after shopping at this level long enough will draw the conclusion anything above this is not a wise financial choice.

Along with this we should consider Cost Per Wear. These $5 t-shirts are produced in way that the company doesn’t lose money. So they are produced AS CHEAPLY AS POSSIBLE. Which means they are crafted without quality and longevity in mind.

I can remember many $7 Target t-shirts I’ve purchased in years past that begin to pill after ONE WEAR and lose their shape after ONE WASH. Potentially causing me to wear this t-shirt 2-3 times before allowing it to be replaced by another while it languishes in my closet until it makes its way to the donate box. (cost per wear would be calculated at ~$2-3.00) And anything above 20, 30, 40 dollars depending on the type of garment seemed like a rip off.

Just a couple of personal examples: since my “conversation” to slow & ethical fashion, I have the t-shirts I bought from Fair Indigo 5+ years ago. They still look like-new and my cost-per-wear at this point is in the PENNIES. I also have a dress and a few sweaters from Tradlands. Up front the cost seems hard to swallow. But 5 years later these pieces are standing the test of time in quality AND style.

I love this explanation of Cost Per Wear on the Tradlands website.

How do you view clothes??

We need to view our clothes/closets as INVESTMENTS. Not that many years ago closets were carefully curated and clothes were an investment. The quality and fit were regarded with importance. People bought clothes with INTENTION. Not just because it was “cheap and cute”.

Along with that, we need to consider the hands that make our clothing and how they are treated & compensated for their work. In order for that to happen, we have to be willing to pay more up front. We have to be willing to say “no” to low-dollar impulse purchases. We have to be willing to wait and make smarter and fewer purchases.

And if you look at certain items on Poshmark or in any thrift store, it’s obvious that high-quality, superbly crafted garments hold value better than cheaply, poorly made ones. The SHEIN, Target, and Old Navy pieces tend to hang out longer and sell for less money than say Pendleton and Ralph Lauren. (Not that those brands are always ethical in their practices, but often the quality still remains even in second hand options.)

If you want to read more about this, check out the following past posts:

Tips for Buying Quality Clothes

How Your Closet Can Serve You Better

So in closing this portion of my post I would ask you to ponder two things:

Have you given into the economic conditioning put forth by fast fashion brands that clothing should be less expensive?

Are you willing to consider how your closet can serve you better in the long run if you view it as an investment?

Sure I can take the $168 to a thrift shop and buy a few pieces. But I wonder how intentional I would actually be in my choices, how long they will last (depending on the choices that are before me) or even how long it will take before I become disenchanted by them. But if I truly look at my closet and what I like to wear and what would serve me well in the long run, that money might be better spent on one shirt that will stay with me and benefit the hands who made it. Not always. But it’s just a thought ☺️

Tips for buying ethical brands on a small budget

Fast fashion companies want your business, but don’t NEED it. Fair and ethical brands actually WANT and NEED your business. Because ethical brands seek to do right in various avenues of business, you can often get their products at lower prices if you are willing to wait.

Ethical brands often work on a smaller scale: production, space, products available, even workforce. So when they are getting ready to launch new collections they often have to clear out their warehouse/stockrooms. Which means they WANT and NEED to sell to you, the customer in order to be good stewards of their resources.

Many ethical brands also sell sample pieces and/or less-than-perfect pieces at much lower prices if you are willing to take the risk. (Good news, they are often quite up front about the possible damage/wear/flaws you will receive)

So my first tip: Become an active email and/or text message subscriber to your favorite ethical brands. Yes social media too, but these brands often reward email and text message subscribers with sales before they notify social channels. Here are a few of my favorite brands to subscribe to for email & text notifications for sales:

Saint + Sofia

Sela Designs

Paneros

Portland Leather Co.

Oliver Logan

M.M.LaFluer

Marine Layer

Faherty

There’s plenty more of course and you can read more extensive list of brands here and a sorter list here.

Search the online thrift racks

If you are unsure the brand is “worth” the investment or you are looking for potentially even deeper discounts my second tip is shop online thrift platforms.

Yes occasionally you’ll get lucky and find them at in-person thrift shops, but to save time search online. Finding ethical brands secondhand is a great way to shop high quality pieces at a discount.

I love searching ThredUp for Buru, Sarah Flint, ME+EM, Sezane, ABLE, and Boden. I’ve tried some brands out secondhand before deciding to buy them on their own sites and have scored some great deals too. Like new Sezane jeans for $40, new Boden shoes for $30, barely used gold sneakers from Soludos, and more!

I personally like ThredUp and Poshmark the best. I find them easiest to use filters they provide as well as save my preferences.

Other online options for finding ethical brands secondhand:

eBay (everyone knows this one by now 😉)

Mercari (like Poshmark where individuals list items)

TheRealReal (will only offer higher end brands like ME+EM, Sezane, Leoffler Randall, etc)

Vinted (also like Poshmark)

Depop (also like Poshmark)

Clothes Mentor (items listed from their brick & mortar shops around the country, women’s items only)

There are also many ethical brands that offer resell of their own pieces right from their website. Here are a few:

Eileen Fisher

Christy Dawn

Apiece Apart

DOEN

Faherty

Frank & Eileen

M.M.LaFleur

Consumers aren’t powerless, but we are mislead

My last tip is put in the work to reframe and retrain your consumer habits & thinking. Fast fashion thrives on our feelings of new, now, and cheap. And once we recognize this we can begin reframing our values and perspectives of clothes and the fashion industry as a whole.

Affording ethical fashion isn’t about perfection or privilege; it’s about slowing down, opting out of overconsumption, and deciding that our money reflects our values.

I grew up in finically conservative circles here in the United States. I can say from first hand experience there is often an underlying attitude that those who spend less money on things like clothes are wise and humble where the opposite is also true. Those who spend more are foolish and arrogant. I hope I’ve offered a different perspective in this post: sometimes doing your research, buying less but for more money is often a wise choice. Sometimes even a generous one when you consider many of these brands do good things with their resources.

When clothes are priced to be disposable, the cost doesn’t disappear—it’s simply shifted. Onto workers, communities, local economies, and the environment. Ethical fashion asks us to see affordability differently—not as the lowest price, but as a system that supports people, craftsmanship, and long-term economic health.

Feeling Defensive?

If this conversation brings up defensiveness, if you feel the urge to explain yourself, to list all the reasons ethical fashion isn’t accessible for you, or to rush to the comments to prove that you’re doing your best, I want to pause there for a moment.

That reaction doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’ve been living inside a system that taught all of us to equate affordability with survival/humility/wisdom, and consumption with adequacy/snobbishness/poor choices.

This isn’t about moral purity or passing some invisible ethical test. It’s not about shaming people who rely on fast fashion, or pretending that access and high-tax brackets don’t exist. It’s about questioning the story we’ve been sold: that cheap clothes are the only option, that higher-quality garments are indulgent, and that wanting better automatically makes us unrealistic or out of touch.

You don’t have to justify your choices here. You don’t have to buy differently tomorrow. The invitation is simply to notice where the discomfort comes from, and to ask who benefits from us believing we have no alternatives.

Because the moment we stop defending fast fashion’s version of “affordable,” we create space for a wardrobe, and an economy, built on longevity, care, and choice.

If this resonated, consider sharing it with someone who’s been told ethical fashion is “out of reach.” Follow and support ethical brands whose pricing reflects real labor and real materials. And if you want to keep unpacking what intentional, closet-first style can look like I’ve linked more posts below.

I welcome thoughtful, curious conversation here, and I’m always open to respectful disagreement. What I’m not interested in is self-justification, defensiveness, or unkindness directed at others. If a comment comes from a place of hostility rather than reflection, I may choose not to engage or to remove it altogether. This space is meant for nuance, care, and growth. Thanks ☺️

Cheers to intentional buying, dressing, and closets!

My very popular post: Where Are People Shopping?

My thoughts on clothing rentals, read this post.

How I do a closet edit

How to use Pinterest to serve your closet better

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Scrolling social media these days you are bound to see hooks like “5 things you have in your closet that are outdated”, “Ankle boots are out, what to wear instead”, “stop wearing XYZ and wear XYZ instead”…and anything of the like honestly drives me a little nuts.

Not only is this type of content fueling our over-stuffed closets and over-consumption mindsets, but it’s frankly a little lazy. Something not in the current “trend” circulation is automatically labeled as “outdated”. Instead of taking the time to figure out how to repurpose, restyle, or rewear these pieces in different ways we claim it’s “out” and move on.

While I COULD go down the road of “this also points to the problem of fast fashion and how we quickly become disenchanted with our clothes”, I’m going to come at this from a different perspective.

BUT if you are interested in reading more about fast fashion, how to find quality clothes, etc. Here are a few posts I’ve written in the past on those subjects:

Tips for Buying Quality Clothes

Another post I wrote on the topic of “Outdated” clothes…

Project Intentional Closet

Consider how easy/difficult something is to style and rewear

There have been elements within the fashion world over the years that can be difficult to style. When those elements or pieces become circulating less and less those items tend to be the first ones that get labeled “outdated”.

First example: lots going on or very niche/specific elements

Think about styles you’ve gravitated towards in the past 5 or so years and then quickly felt turned off by it. There’s usually something about those pieces that is drastic.

Oversized. Cold shoulder. Statement sleeves/shoulders/cuffs. Micro. Hi-low. Excessive rouching, Chunky. Bedazzled. Mesh. Studded. Neon. Exposed zippers. The list continues.

None of those elements are BAD. They just tend to ride trend cycles more than other elements that typically stand the test of time. Unfortunately many of these types of garments tend to be one-hit wonders, aka wear it once and cast it off. (We can talk more about that in a moment)

What does often stand the test of time?

Primary colors. Leather. Silk. Cotton. Button downs. Low profile. Lace. Denim. A well-placed ruffle. Simple but impactful details. Timeless prints like plaid, stripes, polka dots. Classic silhouettes. Tailored pieces. No cut-outs.

When you are working with clean cuts, classic silhouettes, and garments that don’t have “a lot going on”, they tend to stand the test of time and overall are easier to style. If a dress has cold shoulders and ruffles and a loud print and a high-low hemline…I almost guarantee you will feel bored or even overwhelmed with it quickly. These types of pieces are seldom versatile (hard to layer/carry through multiple seasons) and can be tricky to balance proportion within the look. Not to mention it is often made of PLASTIC.

Investment or One & Done?

Unfortunately a lot of clothes these days aren’t created to last. They aren’t investments like they used to be.

With a huge majority of clothing being made out of plastic, even the best care of your clothes still results in runs, tears, odors, puckering, broken zippers, lost buttons, and snags. Unfortunately many of these cheap, unsustainable fabrics and notions are irreparable. And even if you can attempt to fix it, how many of us would honestly spend our precious hours trying to fix a garment that cost $30, 20, 15 or less? It’s too tempting to just cast it aside and try again with something else.

But if you spend $40+ on something made from cotton, wool, silk, etc…I assume you would be more willing to spend some time trying to repair the garment. We don’t view our clothes as investments and the clothing filling the stores proves it.

Want to read more about buying quality clothing? You might like this post!

It’s not “outdated”…it’s something else

These types of hodge podge pieces are often guilty of the one and done. And why is that? As we discussed above they are difficult to style through the seasons, often are made of plastic and poorly constructed…but I would like to offer a third reason: because these types of clothes lack versatility, they are too memorable.

Consider a classic cotton, a-line floral dress. It can often be layered with turtlenecks, cardigans, boots, tights and such in the winter. It can be dressed up with pumps/wedges or dressed down with white tennis shoes. It washes well and because you can rewear it different ways it doesn’t feel memorable.

But now let’s compare that with a hot pink floral dress with ruffles, drop shoulders, rouching, hi-low hem, and blouson sleeves that is 100% polyester. Not only is this dress most likely poor quality, it will be quite difficult to style beyond exactly how I described it. The shoulders and sleeves make it difficult to layer. The hemline looks odd with various types of footwear. And the color might not suit all seasons or occasions. Not to mention all the rouching is created with elastic and we know how uncomfortable that can become after a few hours or even after a wash or two. It hits different if you know what I mean.

When you buy a garment that has low versatility and high probability of being remembered, most of us will talk ourselves out of rewearing it multiple times. “I wore this dress to the last wedding/baby shower/picnic/graduation/party…I can’t wear it again.” Sound familiar? Guilty. We feel bored and/or frustrated with it. I know for myself those types of garments are often ill-fitting. I find myself tugging, resituating, and pulling on the item. That alone will cause me to never want to wear it again.

So we have the trifecta: hard to style/rewear, uncomfortable, and memorable. To me this is a recipe for disaster…or at least will be guilty of wearing very few times.

Style is Subjective

I’m a strong believer in wearing what you love. If you truly love wearing a hi-low hem dress with cut-out shoulders then by all means rock it!

But if you find yourself purchasing a lot of one-and-done types of pieces, or you have a closet full of items like that and feeling frustrated, you might want to practice a buying freeze and consider what your personal style really is. A clothes buying freeze is a great way to set-up boundaries within your closet. My favorite one is I won’t let something stay in my closet if I can’t wear it at minimum 3 different ways/with 3 other pieces from my closet.

The “Trend Cycle”

Sometimes pieces feel “outdated” because they are simply not riding the current trend cycle. Which means: we aren’t seeing a lot of it so it feels not current. So repeat after me:

Just because it’s not CURRENT doesn’t mean it’s OUTDATED.

Two things that are far more important than somethings place on the trend cycle: FIT and QUALITY.

I have a pair of 100% leather ankle boots that fit well. They are not currently riding the cycle of trends (we are into. boots with a taller shaft at the moment). But I’m not ditching my ankle boots. I invested in them and I know I can still style them in spite of many influencers calling ankle boots “outdated”.

The same can be said for many things: blazers, jeans, skirts, etc. If it fits you well and the quality is standing the test of time I would venture to say you will not have trouble pulling it off.

Style Level Novice?

If you don’t consider one of your strengths to be style or putting together outfits, I would caution you to stay away from pieces that have a lot going on and are difficult to style various ways.

You may love that pair of wide leg pants with a loud print…but if you love them just because of how the store styled them on the mannequin or model online, I would urge you to think twice before adding to cart. If you can’t automatically picture yourself wearing them with at least 3 other items from your current closet I would say those pants might become a one and done item for you.

When you have pieces that are difficult for you personally to style you have two options: learn how to style it (rework it, spend time pairing it with various items in your closet, hire a stylist, etc) or pass it along. I would also take some notes (in a notebook, on your phone, etc) about specifically why you have a hard time styling that particular piece. Learn from your mistakes and move forward.

If you are struggling how to style something in your closet and aren’t ready to let it go try searching that particular item on Pinterest. For example “leopard print pants outfits”, or “midi dress styling ideas”. If that doesn’t help, I’d love to help you! Send me a direct message and let’s chat!

Styling is a Muscle

You can cultivate style skills or you can let them atrophy.

I’m going to say something that might sound a little harsh, but if you want to have an intentional closet that serves you well, sometimes I have to say unpopular things: Constantly buying clothes for events/vacations/parties or buying up one and done pieces on Amazon or while you’re browsing Target because it was on clearance or looked cute is actually hurting your style.

You aren’t pausing to picture how this fits in your closet for the long haul. You are picturing yourself at the resort. The party. At the wedding. What about when those moments are over? Then how will you wear it? What about when that print or silhouette isn’t trending anymore? Then how will you wear it?

If you don’t even want to consider those scenarios or questions, be honest with yourself. But when you are just buying something for one event/trip/because it’s cute, you’re not exercising any style muscle. You are riding the waves of trends and letting the mannequins, ads, and email blasts tell you what you should wear. Style is personal. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.

If you want some posts where I go over some style basics- check out any post with a “101” in the title…like this one!

I’m Cheering you On!

My next post I hope to dive into some of my personal history with style, especially how I used to buy one off, cheap pieces and thought I had good style 🙃 Remember I’m learning too. Our aim with an intentional closet is never perfection. We learn. We grow. We take small steps towards our personal style and intentional closet curation. I never want you to feel overwhelmed or judged. We are all navigating this overconsumption, overstimulation together and none of us will do it perfectly. Cheering you on friend. To intentional closets 🥂

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It literally has never occurred to me to create a post centered on shoes. Until I read the following on an outfit I shared on the Armoire community page:

Ummm hello. GREAT idea. Not only have I had a deep love of shoes since I could WALK, I believe they are foundational to versatility of outfits, create different looks with minimal effort, and an easy way to reflect your personal style. Think of all the great styles of shoes out there. The options are limitless when it comes to expressing yourself through your clothes with shoes alone.

Confession: I probably own too many shoes. But I actually DO wear them. And you might not agree but here’s why I own so many shoes-

I think shoes are one of the easiest ways to completely change the look and feel of an outfit.

But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s SEE the proof. *this post contains affiliate links*

Before I dive into how I accomplish using shoes to style outfits, you can always check out this pinboard where I’ve pinned a few guides and articles on pairing shoes with pants, skirts, etc.

These guides mostly focus on what shoes pair well as far as balance, proportion, and silhouette. All great things to consider. But, as far as I have read on these guides, they often fail to address color, texture, print, and using shoes as a tool for elevating the style of the outfit. That’s what I’m focusing on here.

In my opinion, you can choose the “right” shoe, but it might still fall flat as far as showcasing your personal style or making the outfit have an eye-catching element that shoes provide so well. I think your shoes have the unique opportunity to give an outfit a visual element that is unexpected, in a good way.

A Small Disclaimer

As always, I’m here to encourage you to lean into your personal style and at the same time dress how it suits your lifestyle.

I’d love to wear high heels more often and own a bunch of cool pairs. But in reality I don’t wear them much so it makes no sense for me to buy handfuls of high heeled shoes.

And while I do love a standout shoe there are some shoes that, to me, are way out there and not for me.

So if you’re here looking for shoe/outfit inspiration like the above, sorry. I’m just not your girl.

But if you are here looking for inspiration on wearing standout sneakers, ballet flats, and not listening to influencers who claim shoes like riding boots are “out”…welcome! You’ve come to the right place.

The Power of a Well-Chosen Shoe

I don’t often take a stance of “don’t wear XYZ”. But I’m going to tiptoe on that line today. Maybe instead of hearing “don’t wear this” hear it this way: wear what you want, of course. BUT there might be a better option for you to consider. Just like my stance with leggings and sweats. Wear them if you want as your daily ensemble, but you may find your attitude and self-perception improve if you select other items of clothing.

Leggings and sweats have their place: the gym, your couch, the hiking trail. Just like certain shoes also have their place. Shoes that are designed for running, working out, walking, and hiking aren’t often the best shoes to pair with your jeans & t-shirts. Here’s an example:

I understand why many women gravitate towards the trainer/athletic type of shoe. If you are on your feet all day they are comfortable. But they tend to look DISJOINTED from the rest of the outfit. I’m all for relaxed and causal outfits, but athletic shoes can cause your outfit to lack structure and can feel on the “thrown together” side.

If you need/want a comfortable sneaker, opt for one that has a sleeker sole and overall shape. Thankfully in this time and place we have great options out there for barefoot shoes, wider toe boxes, and comfortable soles that all have a stylized look to their design. Here’s one more example:

If you wear athletic shoes with your daily jeans & tees, I promise I’m not attacking you. But if you find yourself thinking thoughts along the lines of “my outfits feel lackluster”, “I don’t know how to dress myself”, “I’ve lost my style”, or even the dreaded “I feel frumpy” and other negative thoughts…I want to encourage you to look at your shoes. It’s a very small place to start but has a HUGE impact on your style and outfits in general.

Here’s a few places I suggest shopping for stylish but COMFORTABLE shoes that aren’t for the gym: (all ethical and/or sustainable options btw 😉)

Groundies

Nothing New

Sauvs

Veja

Soludos

Vivo Barefoot

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How to Choose a Shoe

So you put on a killer outfit, now you want to finish off the look with the right pair of shoes that either stand out or make the outfit feel cohesive. My first question to you is: what vibe are you going for today? Shoes do so much to set the tone and attitude of the outfit. Here’s our basic guideline: take a base outfit, then decide on the shoe (this is not the only way to accomplish building an outfit, but it’s the one we are using today ☺️)

Of course there could be endless options and styles we can select but I don’t want to overwhelm you 😉 I’ll list out specific shoes I wear in each outfit, but here’s a collection of statement shoes I’ve sourced in my ShopMy shelves you can also look at.

Here’s some more specific breakdowns:

Mary Janes, Ballet flats, Smoking flats, and loafers (not the chunky sole style) would all aid in making the outfit feel feminine. This pant can feel edgy, but given the right shoe, it feels more chic and even slightly Persian influenced.

These Mary Janes are from Nisolo. Other brands I like that make feminine & chic shoes: Birdies, Flabelus, Boden, Sarah Flint, and you can check out ThredUp. Pants are rented from Armoire, tops are thrifted.

Thanks to Adidas, colorful suede sneakers are having a moment. And I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon. They are an easy way to make your outfit feel cool, down to earth, but still styled. My Pink Pumas I found on ThredUp (just like most of my colorful suede sneakers), but I also like ones from Boden, Gola, Saint & Sofia

Boots and leopard print feels very urban and edgy. But even if my pants had no print, many types of boots would work with this style of pant. These boots are from Nisolo but I also recommend Thursday Boot Co, Boden, & ThredUp.

Is there a better pairing than a dress and knee high boots? Probably, but for right now let’s just say this is the best pairing :) The vest and the boots help keep the dress from becoming overwhelming. These boots are from Thursday Boot Co and other options are Nisolo, Sarah Flint, and Leoffler Randall. My dress is rented from Armoire and the vest is from Sanctuary.

And finally, have FUN with your shoes! Get shoes that have animal print, snakeskin, stripes, polka dots, plaid…whatever pattern you like and just WEAR them. I get compliments on these shoes every time I wear them. They are thrifted (ThredUp) and definitely one of my favorite second hand finds. They take an ordinary outfit and make it fun. They add an extra punch to a fun outfit. So get out there and thrift yourself some super cool, unique shoes!

Want to read more about print mixing? You’ll like this post.

Last tips

Don’t make it hard. If you are unsure what works, I have plenty of inspiration saved on Pinterest, you can look at my Armoire style profile, recommendations on my ShopMy shelves, or past posts here on Substack.

Let me know in the comments if this post was helpful, inspiring, confusing…anything! Would you want something expanded on in a later post? I welcome your constructive feedback ☺️

Shoes are just another tool for building an Intentional Closet. Cheers to shoes! Thanks for reading, Jaimi Stewart

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Maybe you are frustrated by packing for travel or maybe you find it fun…or possibly somewhere in between. No matter where you land, I hope this post helps you further in your steps towards an intentional closet. *this post contains affiliate links*

Going back to July…

My husband was out of the country for more than half the month of July for a work project. (He was in another hemisphere actually! 🙃) It felt like forever and quick all at the same time. But being 7ish hours apart was tough on us. So while he was away, I took the opportunity to plan us a getaway after he returned. With arrangements made to have the kids off to the grandparents in SE Washington, I decided our weekend away would be in some of the wine country of southern Washington.

“Why Washington and not California?” you ask… Well let me enlighten you 🤓 If you are a wine enthusiast and you’ve not had Washington wine you are missing out! Highly recommend trying PNW wine whenever you get the chance. The growing climate is very similar to that of France (much of Washington and Oregon share the same latitudes of famous wine regions in France.) but the one advantage we have here in the Northwest is irrigation. Some say that’s cheating, but that’s a matter of opinion. Anyways, enough of my wine nerd showing…the point is that Washington and Oregon have excellent wine while Napa and Sonoma often get the spotlight. Washington wine is often less expensive as well as the towns where the wineries and tasting rooms are located. The accommodations I booked were quite reasonable as well as prices at restaurants and shopping. Can’t always say the same for Cali 😉

I’m sharing recommendations for several specific places we. stayed, dined, and visited…just in case you find yourself in the same area, save this post so you can remember to try a few places.

First stop: Prosser

After we dropped off the kids, we made our way to our first wine destination located near the Yakima river, Horse Heaven Hills, and Red Mountain in SE Washington: Desert Wind Winery. The accommodations were incredible which also included a free bottle of wine in our room.

We had dinner here (highly recommend!), walked around downtown Prosser for a little while, and then returned to our accommodations at the winery. We stayed in the Sacagawea Suite and it was wonderful.

Here’s what I wore to dinner the first night:

Rented dress from Armoire, thrifted bag, Cariuma shoes, Sela Designs Jewelry. Aside from a couple active wear outfits, I only packed pieces I rented from Armoire for this getaway. Makes packing (and unpacking!) so easy. You can read more about using Armoire for travel here.

I loved this purple lace dress! I seriously considered adding it to my closet. Here’s another way I styled it:

The next day we left Prosser and made our way to Walla Walla, Washington. (Yes, it’s a real place in case you thought it was made up just for Bugs Bunny to say on Saturday morning.)

For most of the day I wore this beautiful cotton sundress I rented from Armoire:

It really was so perfect for a day of travel, wine tasting, coffee stops, and second hand shopping.

We left Prosser and took the long way to Walla Walla via Pendleton, Or. If you’ve never been to Pendleton, make your way there! Great little shops, western/rodeo vibes, and of course no visit to the town of Pendleton is complete without a stop at the Pendleton Woolen Mill HQ shop. I didn't get any pictures of the Pendleton Woolen Mill shop, but I did pick this beauty of a cardigan up while I was there.

After Pendleton, we headed on to Walla Walla stopping at a couple wineries and shops before checking into our next overnight stay.

After some shopping and wine tasting, we checked into Eritage Resort. This was hands down our favorite place to stay out of the two. We stayed in a Lake View Patio suite and found the room to be very comfortable with great amenities. The resort was also well-equipped with a pool, bikes, paddle boards, kayaks, and a restaurant with complimentary breakfast.

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Here’s another outfit I wore when we went back into Walla Walla for dinner:

(My skirt above being from ThredUp reminds me, have you checked out the new look of ThredUp? I’m loving what I’m seeing! If it’s been a minute since you’ve browsed their site, today is a great day for that! You can even take pictures, Pins, and outfits you see online and use them to search for similar items! Love that feature.)

Our weekend was winding down. So grateful to get this time together after spending those long couple of weeks apart in July.

As we headed back up to North Idaho we made a few stops along the way.

Before going back home, we stopped for dinner on the South Hill of Spokane, Wa at Luna. It was incredible. Great service, delicious food, definitely recommend!

End of Story

Well that wraps up our Washington Wine Country weekend. It was fun to revisit some places we hadn't been in over 10 years and check out some new places as well. And spending one on one time was very much what we needed after Nathan’s work project in July.

Renting from Armoire made packing (and unpacking) so easy. I loved having pieces that felt appropriate for the venues we visited and being able to send them back when I’m done is another great feeling. If you are curious about trying Armoire for yourself, use my code and get an amazing discount on your first case. If you want to look at my rented pieces and styling, you can look at my style profile here.

When was the last time you took a trip with your guy AND had outfits to wear you were excited about? If you can’t remember, maybe it’s about time to book something!

Cheers to an intentional closet!

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One such follower sent me a picture of a royal blue maxi skirt. She said she loves it but just needs some ideas for how to wear it. And I’m excited to help! She lamented to me that she too often falls back on a stripe shirt and sandals with this skirt. That sounds like a great foundation, so we will run with that as well as suggest some others :)

While I don’t know what she has in her closet, I used what is in my closet as a point of reference while trying to be generic and paint with broad strokes so to speak.

I decided to share my style ideas here so I can go into greater detail :)

I love that casual styling can take different forms. From edgy to chic, to minimalistic, to sporty to slightly elevated. A maxi skirt can do all those things depending on the styling. Obviously shoes and accessories will be what drives the vibe of the outfit.

A stripe tee, ballet flats, and a neck scarf read French-girl chic while a band tee, tennis shoes, and pearl necklace are more edgy. I also love to offset a feminine look with some masculine pieces like a structured leather jacket or a wool blazer.

A long sleeve button down with a vest layered over the top is a great way to style this skirt in a timeless way. If you are concerned that it will look too “old fashioned”, add some fun modern elements like print mules, colorful jewelry, or a ballet flat/Mary Janes.

This combo can also work well for cold weather if you wear boots or even a sweater under the vest.

Maxi skirts are great for winter. You can wear thick tights or leggings underneath easily and the proportions work great for adding sweaters/layers on the top. A sweater vest over a turtleneck or button down adds a structured layer that feels a little more elevated than just a shirt on its own.

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If you want to add some print mixing or bright, bold colors, a solid maxi skirt is a great base piece to work with! Adding elements like prints, bold colors, statement jewelry, and fun shoes gives you the opportunity to add some personal touches to your outfits.

Maybe you don’t have any pieces like the above suggestions or it’s difficult to use those types of inspirations in your closet. Here’s another way I like to build outfits: use the color wheel!

Simply select what type of color palette you are going for, and choose pieces from your closet accordingly.

If you want further help or ideas for color wheel styling or other styling tips check out these past posts of mine:

Outfit building 101 using a color wheel

Print mixing 101

Wearing vs. Styling

Having a few strategies to build outfits helps you have different avenues to fall back on when you have days where you find yourself scratching your head for how to wear a piece.

So definitely take these ideas and apply them to other pieces in your closet ;)

What would you like me to style next? Feel free to send me a private message with a picture of a specific piece and I’d love to offer suggestions! Any other ideas for how you would style a royal blue maxi skirt? Let us know in the comments!

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Thanks for reading! Cheers to being intentional with our closets!

Perhaps you’re guilty of saying some or all of the above statements. If that’s true and you are still holding to those thoughts, I’m here to push you a little bit out of your comfort zone…because that’s what I do :) After all, jeans are some of the most versatile, hard working pieces in our closets and there are SO MANY options now, why limit yourself?

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Different Denim Styles for Different Silhouettes

I’ll address a few styles I hear the most complaints about.

Skinny Jeans: Regardless of what Gen Z says or feels, skinny jeans will ALWAYS have a place in fashion. When women ask me about skinny jeans (and that’s one question I’m asked the most) I always tell them to look at what individuals in the Royal Family are wearing. And I’m not just talking about the House of Windsor or the Wales’s…I mean any European Royal. You will see them wearing some version of a skinny pant paired with riding boots.

Yes there are some fashionistas who can pull off a barrel or straight leg jean with riding boots…but I guarantee the majority of us “average” folks are not attempting that look. If you want to wear riding boots with pants, skinny jeans need to be in your closet.

Wide leg Jeans: This jean has such a roller coaster of style possibilities- polished, grunge, hammer loops, JNCO styles, nautical, trouser style, dad jeans…you can go from dressed up wide leg jean to skater boi wide leg jean depending on the styling.

I often hear from women “they don’t look good on me” and there’s a lament of that they look sloppy. Yes wide leg jeans can go sloppy very quickly. But, as with all jeans, the key is in the fit and the styling. Wide leg jeans have this excellent capability to create length. I know some of you don’t need that, but us short legged girlies appreciate all the illusions of length we can get! If you haven’t tried a wide leg jean in awhile, I highly encourage you to give it a go!

Barrel Jeans: Newer on the scene, I too was hesitant to try this style. But now that I found a silhouette I like, and that isn’t too severe, I’m a fan. Yes it took some learning and style experimentation but after playing around with pairings this style has quickly found a home in my closet.

This type of jean has the ability to create cool, polished outfits with minimal effort. A graphic tee and blazer do wonders with a barrel jean. It can also feel a little western without adding a cowboy boot. Paired with a button down, a scarf, and some Mules or Clogs and you have the Wild West vibes going without feeling costumey.

Washes and Colors

After styles and silhouettes, there is a variety of colors and washes of jeans. I often hear from women they have a dark wash pair of jean and a medium wash or some similar combination. Basically a limited amount of washes. I’m not here to promote over-consumption…but I am here to get you to think about how you can be intentional with your clothes. Having a variety of washes or colors of denim can serve you well.

I think it is widely known that a darker wash is appropriate for dressing up while the lighter the shade feels more on the casual side. This may not always be true, but it’s a good guideline to go by. For example, a white jean is often just as easy to dress up as a dark wash jean. I think it is always good to consider where you are going, what is happening, who will be there and that information dictate your jean styling.

I love owning various washes and colors of denim. You can create all kinds of outfits when you open yourself up to jean possibilities.

The Examples

If you’ve been on my Substack a minute you know I have a favorite denim brand- Olive Logan. They manufacture their pieces ethically, conserve natural resources, and treat their customers well. These are excellent building blocks for brand and not only that, the jeans are the best I’ve ever put on my body. Comfortable from day 1 there is no break in period. They also offer a variety of styles, washes, and sizes. The material used is primarily cotton (some styles have a percentage or two of lycra, but otherwise high quality cotton is the primary resource used for their jeans) which is exactly what you want when investing in a pair of jeans!

Over the past year I’ve had the honor of partnering with Oliver Logan for content creation and I’ve intentionally selected jeans that are outside my style comfort zone…you know for science ;) So without further delay here are the jeans and a few examples of how I styled them:

White Jeans

If you don’t feel like wearing dark jeans to the office, out to dinner, or to church…try reaching for white jeans! These are a slightly off-white color, which I love.

I get comments all the time from women that they cannot wear white because they will stain it. I’m here to tell you when you invest in denim of high quality like Oliver Logan, and you treat the stains correctly, they will typically lift with ease. True story: I spilled coffee all over these exact jeans at church. I rinsed under cold water, used vinegar, baking soda, and stain spray and the stain is completely gone. (When you have more synthetic fibers in fabrics, stains are more difficult to get out.)

Prominent Pockets

These jeans from Oliver Logan remind me of a pair of jeans I had in jr high and I loved them so much. Sometimes something as subtle as pockets make all the difference for trying something new. And never underestimate the styling options that a cargo pant can offer.

Wide Leg

If you like wearing trousers, you’ll like wearing wide leg jeans! This particular pair is cuffed, but there are many other options for wide leg jeans that don’t include a cuff. I like them both ways so I don’t think you can go wrong either way.

If you want more styling tips for wide leg jeans, check out this post!

Barrel Jean

I admit I was hesitant to jump on the barrel jean train, but I’m so glad I did! I like these specifically because they have a slight barrel shape to them. You can get a pair that is more pronounced if you are feeling extra-risky, but I suggest starting low profile.

Wide Leg, Stitching Detail, New Wash- All the Things :)

This is my most recent risky choice. I absolutely love the stitching detail. It feels a little motocross to me. But the wide leg and different wash color gives it a little something extra. I’m really excited to wear them this fall and winter! If you like the wash but not the stitching detail, I highly recommend this pair instead!

My Goal: Encourage you to try new things!

One added bonus about Oliver Logan, if you do decide to be a little daring with your choice, but regret it after trying it on, returns are easy. So why not just give a few new styles a try and see what you think?

All too often our response is, “what if I hate it?!” But I say flip the script, what if you LOVE it?! What if you could find a new favorite style and have more than one favorite type of jean? You might not know what you’re missing!

If this encourages you to step outside your denim comfort zone, even just a little bit, please share this post and let me know in the comments!

If you try Oliver Logan and you find its not for you, here are a few other brands I recommend trying out for jeans:

Saint & Sophia

Buffalo

Able

DL1961

Cheers to be intentional with our closets friends!

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My knowledge and use of clothing rental goes way back almost a decade. I still remember the first garment I rented- a dress for my husband’s company Christmas party held at a restaurant at Union Station in Kansas City.

I remember two things about it: I absolutely LOVED wearing it. And I was so glad it was not mine. I didn’t feel guilty about wearing something that felt impractical or that I would feel I had to wear again but wouldn’t want to because it’s such a memorable dress.

From there I rented dresses for more company Christmas parties, operas, and galas.

The total cost of these dresses is well into the thousands…if purchased full price at the store/from the designers website. Now I would never spend that kind of money on a dress. The cost per wear would not make sense for my lifestyle. But having the opportunity to wear the dresses and knowing many other women have the same opportunity…that makes sense!

Some people don’t care about dressing for the occasion or venue and it’s that’s you- you do you. But I think we all at some time or another have felt the need to look a certain part, honor someone with our attire, or make sure our “vibe” matched the venue or occasion. For example if you are invited to a black tie wedding, or a garden party at a royal/political residence you will feel at least obligated to make an effort.

I know many of us don’t have proper attire for those kinds of events in our closets ready to go. In those cases, I think renting (or borrowing from a friend) clothes is the most ethical option. Men have rented tuxedos for DECADES…why not the same options for women?

Most women do own at least one black dress (or something similar) that they could make work for a formal/semi-formal event. But after awhile I think we all start feeling something along the lines of “I’m tired of wearing this same thing to every event.” Those are real and valid feelings and I don’t think we should feel guilty about it.

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What about more than special occasion wear?

It’s a nuanced conversation, and I know some in the ethical fashion space do not agree with me and that’s ok. But here is my main thought on it:

Clothes will continue to be made and bought whether we like it or not. That is just reality.

We live our lives in clothes and there are times when what we own in our closets doesn’t suit the venue/occasion/no longer fits right...or you are just bored with it. Those are all REAL circumstances and feelings. And the last one is not always a bad thing. I don’t think we should shame people for feeling bored with their closets. Of course the answer is not a shopping spree, but to track down the root cause of the boredom. We won’t get into that today…but if you’ve felt bored with your closet in the past or presently, you are NOT alone and there is no shame in it.

I for one believe when those times come it is better for me to RENT instead of purchase.

But what about clothing rental subscriptions? Where does that fit in the ethical fashion space?

Let me start by saying I can only speak from my personal experience. And I’m not going to provide commentary on stats, business models, what various companies are available for renting, and all that…I’m only discussing my perspective on the ethics of renting clothes as an individual. I’ve personally used two rental services: Rent the Runway (for previous special occasions) and I currently use Armoire. Both offer a variety of brands. Some are ethically made, some are not.

I got started using Armoire back in November when our family visited Hawaii. I did not want to buy tropical vacation clothing because I knew the cost per wear wouldn’t make sense even if I thrifted the pieces. (We here in North Idaho don’t wear hibiscus print too often 😉) I loved wearing those pieces on our vacation. It made packing so simple and I made ZERO regrettable purchases for our trip. You can see styles I saved to my Hawaii collection HERE.

After this experience I decided to try their services for a couple more months just for something exciting to look forward to in the dreary winter months. I also had a semi-formal event coming up in December I needed a dress for. Needless to say I found renting clothes to be eye-opening and helpful to me.

Renting from Armoire has helped me personally not add items to my closet/impulsively shop for:

• Two vacations (Hawaii & the UK)

• Special events

• Formal wear

• Winter coats

• “Style risk” pieces

• In between size times

It has also helped me unlock some creativity in my styling that I was under-utilizing. I can experiment with color, silhouette, prints, and layers without the guilt of buying something I’m not sure I will like to wear. It’s truly been a clarifying experience. So even if you don’t plan to use Armoire long-term but you know you want to make more of an effort with your style, I highly recommend this exercise.

Some Nuanced Thoughts

Sometimes I don’t think people in the sustainable/ethical fashion scene want to discuss the fact that we get bored, our personal style can/does shift, we go through location & job changes, seasons of life ebb & flow, our bodies flux (even if you never have children, it will happen)....there are plenty of reasons why we feel the emotional “need” to shop for new clothes.

Rather than ignoring those thoughts/moments or telling women the best option is having a capsule/minimal wardrobes to quote unquote help them, why not rent for awhile and see if it helps you through those times? Maybe it will be helpful, maybe not. But at least you aren’t running to Amazon, Target, or H&M and clicking add to cart to find out. (Or just wearing items from your closet that isn’t serving you well and feeling frumpy but not knowing how to change it. Clothes have the power to motivate us or bring us down.)

I am 100% for self-control and recognizing the difference between wants, needs, and desires.

But on the other hand I’m also not going to be legalistic. I personally love style, and clothes and I know I’m not alone in that. It is quite frankly all too easy for me to add pieces to my closet frequently...whether it is gifted to me by a brand or not.

I fully acknowledge that our culture has an issue with over-consuming and it often is shown in our closets.

If you are like me and trying to reign in your closet, but still love clothes and new things, experimenting with prints/colors/styles, I think renting is a more ethical option than purchasing.

In All Humility…

The only experiences I can come at this are my own. I can’t speak to the service & ethics of other rental companies, or even women with a vastly different type of lifestyle and family structure than the one I know and experience. So the following may or may not be helpful to you :) But here are some of MY personal experiences that relate to renting from Armoire:

I LOVED borrowing clothes from my cousin and friends growing up and I know the same is true for many of my millennial friends. It was exhilarating in a way! One time a friend was perusing my closet and said “I feel like I’m shopping for free!” While Armoire isn’t free, I do believe it comes without those buyers remorse feelings.

I’ve gone through the postpartum phase twice and I wish I had the option to rent clothes while my body changed shape. (Armoire also rents maternity clothes...THAT would have been amazing too!) I think Rent the Runway also added maternity, but I don’t know for sure.

Last summer and fall were stressful and hard on my body. I gained some weight and used Armoire to supplement my closet while I began a new dietary regimen, figured out my health issues, and began a workout plan. It helped me so much to not feel like I needed to buy clothes while I worked on my health.

I’ve experienced a few shifts in lifestyle, season of life, location, and style...I wish I could have used rental clothes to help me through those times instead of making impulsive purchases in my insecure times.

Style, clothes, fashion, and putting together outfits is 100% a hobby of mine. A creative outlet if you will. Renting clothes allows me to experiment, have fun, and work my creative muscles without adding pieces to my closet.

Renting some “risky” style choices has helped me realize I was wrong about not wearing purple, orange, and red. I’m much more open to them now and don’t avoid pieces using those colors. I would never have bought orange pants and then styled them…but renting them and testing the waters was not only eye-opening but a helpful creative exercise!

While those are my own personal experiences, I can see how renting clothes could be helpful to other women in various seasons and stages of life. Empty nesters/recently retired. Transitioning from working outside the home to working from home/staying home with kids. Moved to a different climate and need to figure out how your personal style fits in your new surroundings before you make purchases.

I can also see some careers or situations benefitting from renting as well:

• Public speakers

• Realtors

• Those who work in the fitness industry but need “non-work out attire” but don’t have time/desire to shop for it or feel it’s not worth buying new clothes because they wear work-out clothes more often.

• TV personalities

• Teachers

• Women in C-Suites who don’t want to own a bunch of “corporate attire”

• Those who live in small spaces with limited closet space

• Interns or new to a corperate career with limited budget and time

• Event planners

• Recently returned to an in-person situation after WFH for 4+ years and feel a little stuck style-wise

To wrap up the ethical part of this discussion, I think there is plenty of room for improvement all the time. I also KNOW none of us will do ethical fashion PERFECTLY. Or any kind of ethical/non-toxic/clean/healthy/positive lifestyle changes we aspire to. No one can ever do it all. There is lots of grace and lots of making little decisions that add up to lots good things.

I think there are so many avenues towards curating a more intentional closet and we each have different convictions about what we should or should not buy/wear/support. Let’s do our research, follow our convictions, and recognize we might not land on 100% agreement on everything.

But when we all work together to BUY LESS, wear what we own, wear the clothes that are already out there, shop second hand, champion ethically made clothing, mend & maintain the clothes we have...we make huge strides towards conquering over-consumption.

Reasons I partner with Armoire, specifically

Armoire is a little different than the other rental companies out there, in my opinion. First off it is a women-owned small business based in Seattle. They often prioritize offering garments that are produced by women-owned brands. Here are a few other reasons:

Great customer service- as with most services I’ve had a few things wrong a couple times (a dress never arrived, a piece arrived damaged, package was late in arriving) and every time they have made it right from adding extra pieces to my case at no extra cost, unlocking a case swap early, to tracking down packages for me. They are the only rental brand (that I know of!) that offers unlimited plans and you can keep your pieces until your new ones arrive. I personally love the porch pick-up option too. Fedex picks up my returns right from my front door. Armoire also often send coupons, add on perks, and more “just because”! They truly care about our satisfaction.

Variety- Rent the Runway offers a lot of high-end brands/pieces and not a lot of what I would consider to be what I would wear in my daily life. Armoire on the other hand has a great mix of luxury/high-end pieces with high-quality “average” type of clothing. It still feels special and different, but not out of place for how I live my life here in north Idaho! From jeans to gowns, to sundresses, to gorgeous tops, to coats and blazers…there’s something for everyone.

Community- you can share how you style Armoire pieces with the community. I’ve received some great inspiration from these ladies and I believe I’ve given some as well! It’s a lovely community and you can really sense the pride in what they offer at Armoire. The team at Armoire WANT these clothes to be worn and serve the average women well.

Vintage- Armoire offers a collection of vintage pieces 😍 not only does that serve more style aesthetics, but it’s so neat that these pieces can continue on being worn and loved.

Upcycled- Armoire offers a curated collection of upcycled pieces. Maybe the skirt of a dress is damaged so it is turned into a shirt and still available for use. Maybe a stain won’t come out of a shirt so they add embellishment to cover it up. Check out the collection here! Now that’s what I call ethical and wise!

Brands- they offer some of my favorite ethical brands! Faherty, Oliver Logan, Boden, Sanctuary, Veronica Beard…and of course some that aren’t but I love wearing them! Kate Spade, Astr the Label, Lilla P, Hutch, Calvin Klein, etc.

It’s pretty obvious Armoire is my favorite renting option so I know I’m a little biased ;) But my hope is always to get you think a little and maybe share with you something you didn’t know before. Perhaps we don’t agree and that’s ok. I appreciate you making it this far into my post in spite of it. I welcome thoughtful, respectful dialog if you do have any opposing views.

If you have any questions about Armoire, I’m happy to answer any! You can check out many of my rented looks here. And you can use my coupon code jaimis for a discount on your first case rental! If you’ve thought about giving it a try, maybe today is the day! Thanks for reading! Cheers to intentional closets!

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Jean Chat

I’m not sure what generation you consider yourself to belong to, I consider myself an elder-millennial as I was born in 1985. I grew up with parents born smack in the middle of the baby-boomer generation and my older brother is either a late GenX or also an elder-millennial. I have kids that are elder-Gen Alpha. I truly believe generation (and those living close to you) have a major influence on your style choices.

Why am I beginning this post this way? Because one of the staples of building this particular outfit is JEANS. And for some reason each generation seems to have their specific style of jean they are drawn to and feel quite…passionate about (baby-boomer: flares/bootcut, GenX: tapered leg, Millennial: skinny jean, GenZ: debatable but I think they might prefer sweats and not jeans at all. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts) So I’ll just say this: get out of your comfort zone, and give other styles a try. Having ONE type of style of jean in your closet is doing you ZERO favors. Outfits will be completely different based on the style of jeans you choose.

I think trying different styles of jeans is also helpful for flexing your styling “muscles” and creativity. When you experiment with different silhouettes, it forces you to look at things from another angle, testing out various tops, jackets, shoes, etc. Just like trying new foods is good for your taste buds and expanding your palette…trying new styles of clothes just might broaden style horizon!

So that is my humble request: if you only have a couple styles of jeans in your closet, give a few others a try! You might like them, you might not. It never hurts to test out other styles. The jeans I’m using for this post are a new style from Oliver Logan. I’m a huge fan of their denim and their commitment not only to classic styles, but also some more “trendy” options. I think there is space for classic silhouettes as well as some that are more on the trendy side. So these jeans I’m wearing might not be your style and that’s ok. Sub-in the style you like best!

Back to the subject at hand

Let’s begin with our foundation:

When you begin with a simple foundation, it’s easier to build upon that. Instead of trying to compose an outfit standing in your closet by grabbing random pieces, start simple with a white t-shirt and jeans and go from there.

Jeans are the Sherman mid-rise from Oliver Logan. T-shirt is an organic cotton tee from Fair Indigo.

This post about using the Rule of Thirds might interest you!

For the sake of this post, we are just going with a blazer as our third piece. But of course use what you have if you don’t own a blazer! ThredUp has PLENTY you can buy second hand or you can try some out by renting from Armoire. My blazer is thrifted from a consignment shop in Colorado Springs. My shoes are from Saola.

In case you grew up pre-2000s, let me clarify something about shoes, accessories, and outfit building in general: you do not have to match things! (Belt & purse are thrifted from local shops)

Decades ago many people thought it was best to match shoes, belts, and bags. Wearing what I am above (black belt, white shoes) would have been a fashion faux pas. Thankfully we don’t stick to the rigid rules anymore!

Sure some belts, shoes, and bags would look better than others, but if you want your belt to be bright pink, your shoes are black, and your purse is orange…DO IT. My personal opinion is that I want my finishing touches to either TIE IN or STAND OUT well. Black & white ties in. Bold colors or prints would stand out. I personally choose one or the other.

Just like the rule from decades ago that you couldn’t mix colors/leathers in accessories, there was a “rule” long ago you couldn’t mix metallics. This too is no longer something you need to worry about. Gold, silver, rose gold, bronze, gunmetal…wear it all in one outfit. Tastefully of course ;) and I’m so glad this is no longer a problem because my purse has silver hardware and my belt & jewelry have gold…trying to avoid mixing those would make my brain hurt!

Have some fun with your outfit building once you get comfortable and gain confidence! Mix prints, add in some edgy pieces if your outfit is overly feminine, or throw in some feminine pieces with a basic/neutral outfit. (Scarf is thrifted Madewell, Mary Janes are Nisolo, and jewelry is Sela Designs)

Here’s another idea using the white t-shirt & jeans…

Experiment with making your outfits you! I bet you have so many options in your closet waiting to be used on the white tee & jeans foundation! (Blazer & purse are thrifted, necklace was my grandmas, shoes are from Able.)

I don’t want to deny the fact that every one lives differently with various jobs, roles, places to go, and even different cultures and regions. Those types of things can certainly play a role in your outfit building. So when it comes to outfit building:

Your outfit can and will convey things to yourself as well as other people. Dressing for the day/life you do live but also WANT to have makes a huge difference on your outlook.

I hope this was helpful! Next time you are standing in your closet not knowing what to wear or how to put something together, fall back on this! It’s a great strategy for those days you feel uninspired or just not knowing what to wear and you can feel intentional in your outfit with minimal effort or thought!

Cheers to getting dressed intentionally!

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I rented some fun pieces, bought only a few items, edited a couple things from my closet, and continued to get dressed everyday. How are you doing so far this year on dressing intentionally? Always good to do a little check-in!

Is it spring where you are? Summer is my favorite season. I love the sun, being outside, and attending events like farmers markets, outdoor concerts, and the ease of the days. Along with my goal to dress intentionally every day (not in activewear unless we ARE being active) I am going to experiment with elevating my summer outfits a bit. I don’t want to just automatically reach for a t-short and shorts. I want to wear more dresses, skirts, and elevated shorts outfits. I’m not going to get crazy here though. Even if I reach for a short sleeve button down over a t-shirt with my shorts, I think that automatically makes it more elevated.

So if you are subscribed on Substack, you’re automatically along for the ride :)

*This post contains affiliate links*

My Indyx Calendar

There’s only one day missing a flatly AND selfie, that was a family hike day ☺️ Overall I had a lot of fun with outfits this month! I even had some professional headshots done in April for my personal styling business. Choosing my outfit was a great exercise for me to go through for myself. I wanted to be stylish but approachable, and a mix of professional and casual. Love how they turned out!

Here are a few of my favorite outfits from April:

New Additions

I added 5 pieces to my closet in April. The shoes were gifted to me (stay tuned after my UK trip to see how well them hold up to LOTS of walking!)

As I said above I bought the dress from an Armoire case, the blue button down I purchased at a local vintage shop, and some sad news about the two other tops I added.

If you’ve followed me on Instagram for any length of time you know one of my favorite ethical brands to support is ByTavi. Well they are shutting down the sewing center and focusing more on their culinary school. So everything on the Bytavi site is at closeout prices and you will no longer be able to buy their pieces after next month :( While this saddens me, I understand it’s for the best. So If you’ve had your eye on anything from Bytavi, I suggest getting it sooner than later!

Other things

🆕I recently discovered this footwear brand. So intriguing how they create their shoes! I also recently discovered this brand and as far as I can tell, they are creating clothes with good ethics and standards. I’ve also added it and other new-to-me brands on this post.

🇬🇧I’m heading off to the UK in just a few short weeks! EEEKKK! So excited! You can look at things I’ve pinned here. I’m also creating a list of items to look for at thrift shops. Silk scarves, loafers, tailored pieces, and wool items are all on my list!

👀I really enjoy reading this substack and I equally enjoy seeing Princess Kate rewearing outfits as well. Her outfit on VE Day has been worn before. Such a stark contrast from the over-extravagance we saw at the Met Gala a couple days later. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good high fashion moment and exaggerated looks…but sometimes it gets a little ridiculous. And the Met Gala serves up over the top ridiculous looks every year. But still, I enjoy reading the commentary and seeing how little things from those costumes can influence what we ordinary people wear.

💝If you’re looking for a last minute Mothers Day gift Here are some suggestions for e-gift cards: Armoire (give mom the gift of style without adding anything to her closet!), Sela Designs (jewelry that does good: all profits go to charity to fight human trafficking, generational poverty, and to causes that support orphans & widows.) Oliver Logan (your mom told me she wants new, ethically made jeans that are COMFY. I got you 😉).

🤍Can’t stop thinking about this fit…or lots of outfits I’ve seen on Pinterest lately using white skirts & dresses.

💐Closing out this post with some beautiful flowers: wildflowers I picked where we are (Lord-willing!) building a house, and a bouquet of tulips from our local farmers market last weekend.

Cheers to all the intentional outfits we will build this month of May! And Happy Mothers Day to all you fellow moms out there 🫶🏽

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For example: if you know the proper exercises to get toned arms it almost feels silly to you to create a lot of content around “how to get toned arms”. It is second nature to you. Or you feel like you talk about it a lot already so why beat a dead horse? BUT there are PLENTY of us out here on the internet and social media that would LOVE for you to share your tips for how to get toned arms! This is why I pay a trainer. I need her expertise, guidance, and accountability.

This is often how I feel about style, outfits, and topics surrounding that. I know how to put an outfit together. It comes naturally to me so I never think to go back to foundational basics like “how to build an outfit”. When in reality, it’s just like the scenario above. There really are plenty of people online who could actually use the information I can offer. I had a lightbulb moment about this the other day…

On threads I saw a post along the lines of “how do I put outfits together?!” and it dawned on me…there are women who do not feel confident in this area. It feels daunting, overwhelming, tiring, or useless to them for a variety of reasons. Because I truly feel compassion for women who struggle with this, I want to offer my guidance.

No One Way

There is not ONE WAY to put together an outfit. In fact my brain is almost dizzy with ideas and formulas I can give you for putting together killer outfits and hopefully I can do it in a way that is slightly fresh and new. Yes you can Google “how to build an outfit” and get plenty of results. But I’m me and I do things a little differently and I think I can put my own spin on it.

So if I write up a post all about the outfit building foundation of a white tee + jeans and you find yourself being kind of like “meh”, that’s ok! Maybe another strategy will pique your interest.

My genuine desire is for you to wake up in the morning feeling excited and empowered to select your outfit of the day. My heart breaks for the women who dread shopping, picking out outfits, or feeling they are in a “slump” when it comes to their style.

If you are new around here, I do have other posts on some basics and foundations of style you might find helpful!

Rule of Thirds

Wearing vs Styling

Project Intentional Closet

I’ve Been There

Even I was not and am still not immune to seasons where I feel lost, confused, and underwhelmed with my closet. So buckle up…here’s the vulnerable part of the post.

While I’ve always loved style and have always had (according to my mom) a certain panache for putting together outfits, I’ve had periods of my life where I was like 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️. I felt lost and uninspired to put together outfits. I was trapped in a cycle of buying random pieces of clothes from any store (especially if it was on sale or super cheap) and could not for the life of me figure out how to make my closet feel cohesive. I don’t even think I knew how to express how I felt. I just felt BLAH about my clothes and IN my clothes.

And to be honest, most of those times centered around life transition. Graduating high school. Getting married (which was right after high school so both collided at once and looking back I was like, “am I a college kid, a young married, a young adult?” I really didn’t know how to dress for a minute.) then becoming a mom (to unexpected twins no less), to moving across the country, to becoming a mom AGAIN to twins (again unexpectedly) and on and on the life transitions go…I can now look back at pictures during those life pivots and see my style was STRUGGLING. And I often turned to shopping. Expecting some cardigan, shirt, or dress to make me feel better. I had zero concept of personal style and just bought what “everyone” was wearing. These types of situations only made me feel more frustrated.

While I don’t have a lot of “proof” of those times in my life, here’s a few examples:

I vividly remember wearing this outfit. It was 2010, I was 3 months postpartum with my first set of twins, it was Christmas Eve and I had NO IDEA what to wear. I hated this outfit but because I intuitively knew it didn’t “work” but had no idea why or how to fix it and I felt so stalled, I just went with it. Everything I’m wearing was from pre-kids and I just wanted to feel like myself but didn’t know what to do.

This was about a year and a half later. Feeling a little more like myself but still grasping at random pieces to save me and make me feel stylish.

I was only 26 in this picture and I often felt an inner tension of “I’m dressing too old/I’m dressing too young.” Not that there’s anything wrong with old or young folks wearing what the other typically wears…but let’s be honest, there are certain pieces and certain brands that cater more towards a type of age demographic.

For example: I remember the pink dress and green cardigan were from Loft. Prior to marriage I had never even stepped foot in that store. I felt weird shopping there in my early & mid-20s. But after I turned 21, I no longer felt I could shop at American Eagle or Aeropostle (which were the quintessential brands for a millennial teen & young adult.) While I’m not here to get into a nuanced discussion about age & outfits (maybe another post) I know we all have felt at one time or another the weird limbo of “aging out” of a certain style/brand and then not knowing what to do.

After my second set of twins were born, I got better at recognizing what I liked to wear best. Yes I was still shopping fast fashion and not making intentional choices as far as what I put into my closet (quality, fabrics, fit, etc) but I tried to LIKE what I wore.

Enter the leggings. Tunics and leggings gained a lot of traction in the fast fashion world in about 2015. While I can’t say I was ever a HUGE fan of leggings, I wore them because “everyone was”. I never really found them that comfortable…but I convinced myself to wear them anyways.

So here’s the real vulnerable part of my post: when I wore athleisure as my daily clothing I thought it made me look cool, active & sporty. Here’s a picture I found of one such outfit:

But here’s the conclusion I’ve come to since I’ve given up dressing like the above (unless I’m running, going to the gym, hiking, etc): I would rather look put together, approachable, and well-styled then active or sporty. Because ultimately when I dressed that way and WASN’T exercising, I felt the exact OPPOSITE.

Lessons Learned

Through those times of life transition I’ve learned a lot about myself: what my struggles are, what brings them on, how I cope when I’m in an unhealthy spot, and what I should do instead. I know my mental health and general attitude towards my tasks & life suffer when I rely on sweats, leggings, and athleisure to make up my daily outfits. The simple act of putting on a dress, or jeans & a t-shirt is truly life-giving to me and perks me up.

I’ve learned to listen to myself better. If I am feeling stuck or uninspired with my clothes I need to pause and ask myself, “why is that?” And my feelings of “just go buy a new XYZ” are simply a symptom of my discontent, not a solution.

I’ve also learned to put outfits together in an intentional and practical way. I save my athleisure clothes for exercise and outdoor activity and purpose to put on the clothes in my closet everyday. It often comes down to the mindset of “when you look good, you feel good.” Some view that as superficial. I prefer to view it as a fact of life. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to feel good about how you look, what you wear, and how that affects you internally.

Pushback

One of the most common comments I get when I talk about this topic is something along the lines of “I’ll start dressing better when I (fill in the blank).” Most of the time it has something to do with losing weight. I get it. We tell ourselves it is a bad investment to dress well when we plan on making a change, whether it’s drastic or not.

But I want you to think about something: are you in a sense punishing yourself? Do you think you are not worthy of feeling good everyday? If your kid outgrew a shoe size and you took him to get new shoes and he said “mom that’s a waste of money. Just get me shoes when I’m done growing.” You would say that’s nonsense. You are in a sense doing the same thing to yourself. Just because your shape may change (and no matter what we do, it does change!) doesn’t mean you are doing yourself a favor by denying yourself clothes that FIT and you LIKE to wear.

One other point I will make: I think outfit mindset is a lot like fitness/activity mindset. Getting a workout or healthier eating program started is not easy. But once you get going and start showing up and being consistent you can FEEL your mindset shift. You WANT to be active. You WANT to show up. You want to FEEL GOOD and avoid the things that make you feel tired/sluggish and just bad about yourself. This is true with outfits. When you start putting things together, getting dressed, and being intentional with your clothing choices, you want to KEEP GOING. It might take some work up front…but keep showing up. It will pay off.

Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good

All this to say: I want to help. In a practical, and basic way I want to give you the tools to put together outfits for your daily life. Whether you stay at home with littles, leave the home everyday for an 8-5 job, or you have a schedule that changes constantly and you have to pivot to different places all the time I truly believe that putting on an outfit you like will serve you well. And in turn you will serve others well. Perhaps we can even say “when you look good, you feel good, and do good.” Intention begets intention.

Maybe you are saying, “but Jaimi, I really DO feel the best when I wear leggings or a matching sweatsuit.” Potentially there are some of us out there who that IS true for. But I’m a pretty average person. I know many times when I think or feel something, it’s usually true of the general population. So if I feel less of myself and constantly battling negative thoughts about what I’m wearing when I rely on leggings…I know I am not alone in those feelings and thoughts. To you I say: I invite you to preform an experiment. Get dressed in outfits that do not use leggings or sweats for 1 week and see if you feel differently. Use my outfit building tips to help you! And if after one week you absolutely hated getting dressed in non-legging attire, feel free to tell me I’m wrong. But don’t tell me I’m wrong until you take me up on the one week challenge first 😉

I would love to hear from you on this subject! Do you need some practical outfit building tips? What is your current go-to outfit? Do you identify with periods in your life where you felt lost stylistically? Are you taking me up on my 1 week challenge? :)

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Cheers to getting dressed intentionally friends! 🥂

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You can be a minimalist, maximalist, or somewhere in the middle and I still believe this seasonal practice can aid in simplifying your outfit selection process. You don’t even need a lot of extra storage space for this to be effective.

If you are one of those individuals who says “nah. Where I live we can potentially get 4 seasons in a 48 hour period in the summer.” I will push back a little…because that’s what I’m here for.

Unless you live someplace like Yukon, Canada, remote Alaska, or a cabin in high elevation, you get a pass. Keep your snow pants, ski coats, and base layer clothes at the ready! And of course those of you who live in Hawaii or someplace where the temperature never really fluctuates, you also get a pass from swapping out clothes 😉

To the rest of you I say…are you REALLY going to wear your thick knit fisherman sweater this summer? And your fleece lined boots? Or your turtlenecks? Even when we lived in Colorado and it DID snow a couple times during the summer, I never put on my coat. It just wasn’t the same cold as it was in January. And the next day it was warm again.

Sure keeping out some sweaters, cardigans, rain jackets, or beanies and leggings for camping and such is a smart idea. But some of those true winter items might be taking up space in your daily line of sight and causing you some decision fatigue. I’ll explain below :)

*this post may contain affiliate links*

What is the Point?

Great question, glad you asked :) While most of us have wardrobes that consist of the majority of items being ones that can be worn year-round, there are most likely some pieces that can be set aside for a few months of the year. (At the end of the post, I’ll talk about what I DO leave in my closet that might be considered “cold weather” appropriate.)

Reason One: Decision Fatigue

When we are faced with decisions to make the more options we have the more paralyzing the decisions become. When you give yourself options that aren’t even viable options, your brain can still become overstimulated. Even though it’s 90* outside I know a cable knit sweater isn’t what I’m going to reach for. But it’s still sitting on my closet shelf or in the drawer and it is taking up space in the place where I make decisions on what to wear everyday. Some people can tune this out, most of us can’t.

Reason Two: Prime Real Estate

For the sake of time, and this post, I’m just going to assume you are an average person with an average size closet (aka not a massive space the size of a small boutique). Which means the space in your closet, dresser, garment rack, etc is precious square footage. You have limited space, time, budget, and energy to spend and waste on items taking up room that don’t need to be there.mYes swapping out items takes time. But I guarantee it’s less time than it takes for you to push aside coats, sweaters, and fleece lined boots each day for 4+ months. Put what you KNOW you will wear these next few months in their prime real estate location, and place the not-needed-now items out of sight.

Reason Three: Dopamine Hit

Dopamine hit discussions are kind of on the rise right now. It’s scientifically proven we get dopamine boosts when we purchase new clothes…which is one reason why so many of us have more clothes than we need. I digress. When you pull clothes out for the season change and you haven’t seen them in 4+ months, it’s almost like buying new clothes. Your desire to wear these pieces is rekindled and it can be somewhat exhilarating to put them away in your closet while you imagine yourself wearing these pieces again.

Or maybe you recognize these pieces don’t fit (for a variety of reasons), they were irresponsible impulse purchases you can’t make work, or some of the items just don’t fit in with your lifestyle or season of life anymore. Editing out the items that will no longer serve you can ALSO be an attitude boost. Letting go of items you no longer need lifts a burden off you in ways I won’t get in to here.

Even if you only put away 3 sweaters, a coat, and a dress I think this exercise is worth your time…now and later.

And if we are talking about when the weather shifts the other direction, I guarantee you I WILL NOT wear my shorts in December. T-shirts, dresses, tank tops yes. So I need those shorts out of my way for my sanity and peace of mind. I’ve tried leaving items in my closet through opposite seasons and it drove me nuts.

If those 3 reasons aren’t enough to convince you…I guess this post might not be for you 😆 Because I’m going to continue on as if you are convinced and now need to know the basic framework for the process.

Think it’s time for a full on closet clean out? You might like this post…

Step One: Pull Out Items

This might sound obvious, but it’s a great step and should not be missed. Pull out items you KNOW you won’t wear during warmer months. I live in a part of the United States where it does get chilly in the evenings, so if that is you as well, I don’t recommend putting away ALL cold weather items. Here is what I typically put away:

• turtlenecks

• thick knits/cable knit sweaters & cardigans

• coats, winter scarves, and thick knit beanies

• Sweaters & tops that have a more “winter vibe” to them because of: the print (think Faire Isle sweaters, deep color tartan print), weight or texture of the fabric, type of fabric wool ponchos, and longer cardigans to name a few.

• Suede & leather (or faux) bottoms, jackets, and shirts

• Leggings & tights

• Long sleeve & sweater dresses

• boots (snow boots, pull on Chelsea boots, riding boots, etc)

• and I put away some long sleeve tees, especially if they read more wintery colors (evergreen, scarlet red, etc)

As for colors, this is not to say deep tones don’t have their place in summer time (for example, red is frequently worn in July here in the US) but some pieces in darker tones read “winter” if not styled correctly. So if you DO leave some of those pieces available in your closet, have a plan for how you could wear them in order to read more summer-time.

Step Two: Storage

Don’t make this complicated or expensive. I would also say if this process takes a long time due to the sheer volume of pieces you have to go through, it might be time to let some things go. Ideally this should only take 20 minutes to maybe 2 hours tops. Especially if you live in locations that have both TRUE winters and TRUE summers. You will inevitably have more winter items to put away than someone who lives where the weather gets chilly but not frigid.

First, I will start with a scenario where you do have a little extra storage space at your disposal. This means you might have a garage shelf space, under your bed, a guest room with some space in the closet, or some shelf where a lidded bin or zip up tote can fit easily.

My personal storage situation: while we currently do not have a lot of space in our home (we rent for now), I use an under the bed bin for my off season pieces. I also store my winter shoes/boots in the back corner of my closet under my long hang dresses.

I really like these organizing options for storing off-season clothes:

Zip-up storage totes- clear plastic

Heavy duty zip-up totes (great for moving btw!)

Under bed storage

These garment bags can be great if you are utilizing extra space in a closet elsewhere in the home.

Some people like vacuum seal bags. I personally don’t, but it can be a great option if you have to store your clothes somewhere there could potentially be bugs or water damage (basements and garages anyone?).

But let’s say the only clothes storage you have available IS your closet. You can still swap out items seasonally, it just takes little shuffling around.

Grab your winter clothes, pull them out and put them elsewhere for a moment (the bed, a garment rack, dining room table, etc). Now you will gather all your warm weather items and pull them to the front of the closet/your dresser/cubbies/shelves aka the Prime Real Estate section. Categorize and organize however it makes most sense to you. Then you will grab those cold weather pieces and put them back but in the “harder to reach” areas of your clothes storage system.

Now you have a closet with the most needed items will be easier to access all spring and summer long. Yay!

A Peek in my Closet

Because I have limited space and storage in this home, I left more in my closet than I typically do. I think I’ll survive because I took out the heaviest winter items and pushed some things to the back that I know I won’t need.

So I hope this helps you visualize a seasonal closet swap doesn’t have to be clearing out every long sleeve item or all your jeans (unless you want to) or preforming an entire closet clean out (unless you need to 😉). It can include removing some of those heavier items in order to reduce the amount of “visual noise” in your space.

Intentional closets are about more than the outfits you wear or the clothes you buy. It’s about how you care for the clothes, and making sure you are maintaining a healthy relationship with your clothes. Sometimes removing the clothes you don’t need for a minute is a smart move!

Thanks for reading, sharing, commenting…all of it! Cheers to your intentional closet friends!

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When I’m browsing clothes online or in-person you can bet one of the first categories I head for/click on is “dresses”.

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Whether you have a panache for dresses like me or you tolerate them, I have some summer styling tips, as well as some recommendations if you are looking for a new spring/summer dress.

Often dressing for cold weather can feel easier. At least when you consider “styling” an outfit; which would mean adding intentionally chosen pieces to make the outfit feel complete. You can read this post for more on styling vs wearing.

In fall & winter you can add boots, scarves, sweaters, jackets, coats, tights, vests, belts, hats, and more without any trouble. It seems once the thermometer gets above a certain temperature, styling is quickly abandoned. BUT! You can add little touches of styling to outfits even when the temperatures soar. Here are some ideas:

Neck Scarfs: can actually help keep you cool depending on the fabric you choose.

Belts: adding a belt around a dress helps create a beautiful silhouette achieving the rule of thirds.

Hats: lightweight hats and ones that add shade are ideal!

Statement sandals: forego the rubber flip flops or Birkenstocks when you want to add a little something extra to a summer outfit.

Fun bags: a pop of color or some fun element of your bag/purse can elevate your outfit.

Lightweight vests: think linen, light cotton, or denim vests to add some structure to your dress outfit.

Not included in my picture but worth mentioning: colorful or fun tennis shoes. I recently shared a reel about some summery print tennis shoes from Cariuma you can watch here. But tennis shoes like that with dresses are a winning combo!

If you are looking to level up your dress outfits for summer, use these kinds of pieces to add a little something extra without adding weight i.e. heat & sweat 😅

Some personal examples

Here are some outfit ideas I came up with in my Indyx closet using pieces I currently have waiting to be styled for warm days. (Use my code jaimistewart if you want to try Indyx for yourself.)

Dress Recommendations

A comment I hear lately is along the lines that we are wanting to find more natural fibers/fabric clothing but coming up short. We are growing tired of the cheap, chemical filled synthetic pieces that often feel easier to find than clothing made of natural materials. So I took it upon myself to find spring and summer dresses that are high quality, ethically or sustainably made, and are made with natural fibers. Not to mention stylish and chic of course!

So without further ado, here is my spring & summer dress recommendations for 2025!

(A small caveat: there are 2 dresses in this collection that are made with a synthetic blend. But they are made by a trustworthy brand and I would believe they use better construction techniques than a typical synthetic blend piece.)

If you do have need for spring or summer dresses, I hope you find something you can add to your closet that will last for many summers!

If you want to read more about how to identify quality clothes, read this post.

If you are not a fan of dresses, I’d love to know why! Maybe there’s something we dialog about and I can help you find something you will love to wear.

Thanks for reading and wanting to be more intentional with your clothes, closets, and purchases. Happy spring!

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At the end of the month we took a trip to the Oregon coast to celebrate my dad turning 70. It was a quick but enjoyable trip.

I fully intended on taking outfit pics on the coast…but I only managed to get one:

And my husband and I had to get a pick picture at the US Stonehenge…so we can do a proper side by side comparison after we visit the authentic Stonehenge NEXT MONTH! Aaahhh! I can’t wait!

Before I dive into March’s outfits and such, if you have any recommendations or advice for us and our first visit to the UK next month, send them my way! We are renting a car and will be seeing as much as possible! I’d especially appreciate any style advice for end of May dressing in England & Scotland. TIA!

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Another month of intentional outfits

Love seeing all that color on my outfit tracking in Indyx 😍 I had fun with color, layering, and print mixing in March. (This year my goal is to always get dressed everyday in REAL clothes. No leaving the house in sweats/leggings. You can read more about that choice in this post.) You can read more about Indyx in my past posts, but if you’re curious about using it yourself, use my code hellojaimistewart when you sign up for a discount!

Favorite Outfits

Tried some new-to-me outfit combos, as always. And I also mixed in some rented pieces as well. But here’s a few of my favs from last month:

I experimented with citron/electric lemon. It all started with the v-neck sweater I rented from Armoire (the middle outfit) and I decided this is a color I want to add to my closet. So I began looking for it on ThredUp and in thrift stores. I found this blazer in a local thrift shop at the end of the month and brought her home! It’s the perfect color and style of blazer.

Jeans are Oliver Logan, leopard print jeans are rented, and pretty much everything else is thrifted.

More fun with styling…I’m also having fun using other types of pants besides jeans. I found these pink twill pants on ThredUp. They are Joie brand and so comfy but they really elevate an outfit as well. I’m really liking using brown with color- red, pink, blue, etc. This rust brown blazer is perfect for pairing with color.

Blazer is Carly Jean, leopard print top is rented, jeans are Oliver Logan, everything else is thrifted.

A few more new outfits. While I do love the outfit on the left and how it came together, most of it is rented. The middle outfit is all my own and I’m such a fan of the menswear inspired look. The outfit on the right I like because the blue is so stunning paired with the white jeans.

Plaid trench, pink vest, and leopard top are rented, khaki trousers are Thredup and black MaryJane’s are Nisolo. Middle and right outfits, all of it is thrifted except the jeans are Oliver Logan.

What I added

I thrifted, had a few items gifted to me for content, and made some last purchases from a brand I love that is saying “farewell”.

The Veja shoes and purses I found at a local thrift shop. I said in a previous post I’m going to push myself to add some purple to my closet…and this small purse was my first step! The Cariuma shoes were gifted to me and I’m loving them! I plan to write a post about them, but until then you can check out my reel if you’d like.

The pink pants I thrifted from Thredup and both pairs of the Oliver Logan jeans were gifted to me. Stay tuned for styling tips with the cuffed jeans!

The two tops on the top- the yellow sweater I found at a small boutique in Seaside, Or during our visit at the end of March. I’ve been looking for a butter yellow top and this is 100% cotton and just perfectly fit what I was picturing. The white peasant blouse is from Carly Jean, also 100% cotton and loving the feminine look it gives any outfit. I already discussed the blazer above ;)

That brings me to the last 3 pieces, 2 tops and a dress all purchased from ByTavi. This brand has been one of my favorites since I began my fair fashion journey about 7 years ago…and they are closing their doors this summer. Bittersweet for sure but I know it’s for the best. So glad they are taking care of their seamstresses and going about the process in a thoughtful, methodical way. But if you have your eye on anything from Bytavi, I suggest buying it sooner than later.

Other Things from March

I’m so glad brooches are “back”…I’ve been adding some to blazers lately. I inherited a few from my grandma when she passed away in 2018 and they are precious to me. And I must say she had fabulous style.

I added some pins to my jeans outfit, accessories, color combos, and skirts Pinterest boards.

Last month I said one of my goals for March was to get out my sewing machine and hem two pairs of pants and take in a skirt. I’m happy to report back I DID IT! And I was successful! Love it when that happens!

Highly recommend following these brands/checking them out on the internet: Mae New York, Fleks Footwear, and Line Markvardsen.

Wrap it up

One thing I’m on the hunt for is ethically made, non-toxic workout clothes. I’ve contacted a brand asking about their manufacturing process but have yet to hear back from them. If any of you, dear readers, have any leads please share them!

I have a few other partnerships on the horizon as well as I’m trying to figure out how to best launch my personal styling business. I had headshots taken last week so now I need to get some backend items like intake forms and such figured out! Exciting and daunting all at the same time!

And lastly- please share any thrift stores I need to visit during my trip to the UK at the end of May. And coffee. And gluten free pastries :)

Thanks for reading! I have a few more posts lined up to hit your inboxes soon. But if there’s ever anything specific you want me to tackle in a post, please let me know! I’m here to help!

Cheers to being intentional with our outfits as we do this thing called life!

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Take home decor for instance: if you have a design on your rug, different one on your throw pillows, paintings or wallpaper on the walls, print on curtains, and some sort of design on throw blankets…you’re mixing prints.

Glance around a place of business, a coffee shop for example: the tile on the front of the counter, the live edge wooden counter top, the stained concrete floor, the damask print armchair, the plaid loveseat, the plants on the shelf. All prints and textures cohesively working together to make the space inviting.

Look at nature: grass (straight lines), a shrub (different lines/more round than grass), and a bed of flowers (floral!) all exist in the same space and we allow it all to happily coexist without a thought that this is a form of print mixing.

All around us are layers of visual interest, various shapes, colors, and gradients commingling in harmony. What about our outfits?

It seems when it comes to mixing prints with our clothes, we quickly become apprehensive. It’s too loud, too much, or we don’t know if it “looks good”. Sure our bodies are smaller areas than gardens, shops, and living spaces and that makes us feel self-conscious. I get it. You don’t want to execute it wrong and look as though you got dressed in the dark. So let’s apply some tips and method to this fun way of getting dressed.

*this post contains affiliate links*

Start Small & Easy

If you are just dipping your toe into print mixing, start small & simple. Don’t go for hard to mix prints like stripes with stripes, or two kinds of animal prints.

What you want to look for is contrast in size and shape. Think stripes & florals, polka dots & plaid, big flowers & thin stripes (and vice versa) soft and hard so to speak.

Start small but mixing prints in one small area and one large area. (shoes & a shirt, scarf & pants, purse & jacket)

Or mix prints in two small areas within an outfit. (earrings & shoes, belt & purse, hat & t-shirt) This will feel less noticeable and easier to work with as you start.

Both of the above outfits are mixing prints in a very subtle fashion (graphic tee & print skirt, print neck scarf & stripe tee). You might not even pass me on the street and think to yourself “she mixed prints” because it’s so minimal. Mixing prints does not have to be crazy or bold.

Coordinate Colors

Let’s say you are ready for a more bold print mixing ensemble. The easiest way to accomplish this: Look at the colors within the prints you want to mix. What do you have in your closet right now that has similar colors? (Notice I said similar, not exact. This is not an exact science so don’t get too legalistic here 😉)

Even though it’s tough to see, the small floral print in the skirt on the right does have red in it.

While we are mainly focusing on color in this tip, just take a quick notice of the sizes of the florals. Two different sizes and this still works. I might not go with too thin of a stripe with the thin floral print skirt…but we will talk about that later.

(Many Items I’ve shared so far have come from ThredUp, Nisolo (shoes), Cariuma (shoes), and ByTavi, and Tradlands)

Coordinate with Opposites

As I briefly mentioned above, contrasting shapes can be one of the easiest prints to mix. Stripes + florals, Geometric + watercolor motifs, Leopard print + stripes, Plaid + floral…often you want to find a print with a hard line (stripe, plaid, geometric) and pair it with a softer lines (floral, circular shapes, soft/fluid prints).

Again the size of the prints can have an effect on the look. If you pair two small prints together, it can be difficult to look at (think thin lines, and small polka dots together…that can be hard on the eyes.) Similarly two large prints together can overwhelm an outfit especially if you are on the petite side. If you are ever concerned the outfit is not heading the direction you want, take a mirror selfie. This gives you a more accurate representation of what the public sees when they look your way.

(Items come from ThredUp, ByTavi, Birdies (shoes), and Able…as well as local thrift shops)

I’ve been using a lot of skirts in my examples…what can I say, there are some fabulous print skirts out there! But here’s a few examples of mixing prints/shapes with non-skirt outfits…

Don’t be afraid to mix prints on top and leave the bottom solid. And don’t shy away from print pants! Start easy with some seersucker pants. I think stripes are one of the easiest prints to start with no matter what type of clothing you are working with.

(More ThredUp, Birdies, Sanctuary, and Oliver Logan…the best denim out there!)

Tone It Down

Sometimes the prints feel like too much…or perhaps the outfit just needs another element to tie it together. This is where you can use other pieces (specifically solid ones) to tone down and tie in.

The solid doesn’t have to be a neutral, but if you want to properly tie in, use a coordinating color from a print in the outfit, or a complementary color from the color wheel. (You can read more about using a color wheel in this post.)

(Some pieces are rented from Armoire, thrifted from ThredUp, from Mandrn (my trusty crossbody bag!), and more fabulous denim from Oliver Logan 🤍)

Texture Counts

Now some might not agree with me, but texture can definitely count as a print. Think of all the textures you can use in an outfit: lace, leather, weaving, stitching, buttons, metal, fringe, fur, jewels…on the list goes. But because it adds visual weight to the outfit, I think it can count as print mixing.

Here’s something cool: because the “print” is so minimal on the vest, it’s very easy to layer in a third print to this outfit without it being overwhelming. Especially because the shoe will balance out the visual weight of the top. Plus it all ties together well color wise.

(Everything is thrifted from ThredUp & local thrift shops!)

Last words

One other important tip when mixing prints, keep other elements solid & simple. No one wants to look like their closet threw up on them. Especially if you consider yourself a novice styler or you are just experimenting with print mixing, keep the other parts of your outfit quiet. That’s doesn’t mean everything has to be a neutral, you can use color if appropriate. But I would hold back on lots of jewelry and other accessories when mixing prints.

If you would like to read even more about print mixing, I’ve pinned a few helpful resources in my Style Tips & Tricks Board for your reading pleasure.

I hope you feel equal measures of encouragement and challenge. Encouragement that YOU CAN DO THIS! It’s not as hard or intimidating as you may think. Challenge that you can be creative in your closet, mix it up, and try something new…potentially scary! If you found this post insightful, helpful, or thought-provoking I would so appreciate your shares!

I’d love to hear your comments as well. What are your go-to print combinations? Please share advice you’ve heard in the past about mixing prints (helpful or not), concerns, or questions!

Cheers to being intentional in our outfit building!

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I think an important part of discovering your personal style and feeling put together means taking some risks and challenging yourself when it comes to your outfits. If you feel you are in a style rut or just generally unhappy with how your outfits are coming together, let’s change that! I personally felt so “blah” when I looked at my closet a year ago. Nothing felt exciting, fun, or truly me. So I got to work learning, challenging myself, and adding more color in my closet because that was a key element that was missing.

There are certain colors I’m quite confident in styling- blue, green, brown…no problem. But orange, yellow, and purple are intimidating to me. Especially if it’s a garment and not just an accessory. But if it’s intimidating that means it’s time to learn and push myself. I decided to tackle orange first. So here we go!

(Renting from Armoire allows me to experiment without making regrettable clothing purchases, so that’s fun! Check it out for yourself!) *this post contains affiliate links*

This card in my color tool most closely resembled the tone of the pants so I started here. Analogous colors were reds, other tones of orange and golds. Complementary to orange is blue and split complementary is blue/blue green. Triadic is green and deep purple/violet. I started with analogous because that felt easiest.

Analogous

I started small by simply adding a gold color scarf to my outfit and kept everything else very neutral:

But I wanted to try to go a little further and see what it would look like if I went with the reds side of the analogous colors:

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this outfit. And now I am fully convinced there’s so much science to this color wheel thing! Ready to dive in further? Because if you are used to dressing in neutrals (like me!) some of this might make you want to hide. But stick with me and just keep an open mind!

Complementary

Blues are complementary to orange. I think most of us know this but rarely put it into practice in our outfits. I started easy with a blue stripe shirt:

Another winner in my opinion! Here’s a little tip I’ve learned while doing this exercise: if adding two colors together in an outfit feels like a lot to you, try adding additional color with a print or accessory. This will feel less intimidating. The last two outfits used stripes. This feels easier than just adding bold solid colors.

Which brings me to my next outfit…because that’s exactly what I did :)

Now if you live in Denver Broncos country this will feel normal (or any sports team with orange & blue as their colors) but for the rest of us who either don’t care or live elsewhere, this feels out of the box…but so interest that it WORKS. (Those sports teams know what they’re doing choosing colors I’ll say that much!) I never would have tried this combination without the color wheel.

This particular combo may not be your particular style and might make you cringe…but I highly encourage you to just try new pairings. It might not be this bold, it might be on a smaller scale, but trying new things and learning is never a waste of time.

Split Complementary

This is similar to complementary but we bring in more tones surrounding the orange or the blue. I decided to stick with the blues/greens side for this example:

Think some pink or blue accessories would work so well here. I felt adding in red might read a little “holiday” with the greens so I stayed away from that. But the subtle touches of green really works here.

Triadic

This feels most intimidating to me for some reason. Mostly because it’s combining two colors I’m “scared” of: orange and purple. I also own ZERO purple things in my closet. So I used what I had available: a multicolor stripe shirt:

It has the orange and the green and the blue stripe in the shirt has some purple undertones…especially when paired with these pants. While I’m still unsure about adding much purple to my closet, I do see how a soft lilac color would look good with these pants. So even though I can’t execute the look, I can see the possibility and don’t balk at the thought.

You can see short form of this content on my instagram 🧡

So there we have it, my first ever color wheel experiment was a success! I challenged myself, learned a lot, and am excited to try this exercise again with more scary colors! Haha!

Just in case you want sources for the above outfits, I’ll add links for what I can…much of what I wore is thrifted. You can always take screenshots of the above outfits and do an image search in ThredUP using my outfits. They will scan the picture and search similar items in their inventory. If you are a first time ThredUp customer, use this link for a coupon code!

Orange Pants

Lake Life Sweater

Everything else is thrifted ;)

I’d love to know your thoughts about this exercise! Are you inspired to give it a try? If so, please consider sharing this post with your friends! Your comments, shares, and saves mean so much to me! Cheers to being intentional with our closets, purchases, and outfits!

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