Wardrobe First Purchase

Okay I made my first purchase.  Here is what I bought:

Wardrobe First Purchase by hotmama2u79 featuring gap pants

GAP long sleeve t shirt
$9.99 - gap.com

GAP t shirt
$15 - gap.com

Gap pants
$20 - gap.com

Gap pants
$40 - gap.com

GAP pencil skirt
$50 - gap.com










Kind of boring right?  Well, I know but that is why they call them BASICS.  Now, I know Modern Retro Woman is going to be teed-off, but I HAD to take advantage of the killer deal Gap was running.  Plus, Dr. Julie-Ann's help I'm sure these will be great foundation pieces to build a killer wardrobe on.  I chose these basics carefully, because I like vintage styles I picked vintage classic  silhouettes the wide leg trouser from the 40s and early 50s, the pencil skirt and cropped trousers very easily can become vintage inspired pieces.  The tees, well I needed some basic tees and both would look great with jeans or full and A-line skirts.  So, what do you think did I do well?  For $103 I think I did fantastic!


BUDGET TIP:  Keep in mind the items that you want BEFORE you shop the sale and clearance aisle, never just browse the rack because that is how you end up buying unnecessary items.  They seem like a good deal that you can't pass up and then they end up sitting in your closet and wasting money.  I knew I wanted to buy each of these items (even if they were just generalized ideas) so when I hit the sale section and saw that that my size was available I snatched them up, plus I took advantage of Free Shipping (by waiting a few extra days for ground) and used their store wide sale to combine my savings.  The cropped leg trouser I got for $14 marked down from $60.00.




Love,
Brandi

One Step Away from Nudest

A few weeks ago, I was utterly, completely and totally frustrated.  Not only was I frustrated, I felt defeated.  I had had an especially heart wrenching moment where I caught a glimps of myself and realized I had gone to hell.  At some point I lost myself, and the woman before me was not the woman I recognized.  I had become that styreotype that I promised myself I would never become: The Frumpy Stay At Home Mom.  I was one step away from mom jeans and running shoes.  I had caught my reflection in the huge unforgiving window of the local bookstore; children clinging to me, me screaming at them in a shrill unfeminine voice, slumped shoulders, messy hair, not a stitch of makeup.  What happened?

That night day I thought long and hard about what got me to this point.  There was a long list, a really long list, but the point of the matter was that I just stopped caring about myself.  I was giving and giving and the tap was dry to give to myself.

I decided right then and there to change things.  This epiphany came at a perfect time.  I had just recently joined  a very neat little challenge with a woman and blogger who I admire, Modern Retro Woman to only own beautiful clothes.  This was a New Years Challenge to ourselves.  Dr. Julie-Ann is a fab vintage lover and retro living woman.  She is also compassionate, perceptive and smart as a whip.  You can learn more of the virtual retreat here.

In a fit of passion I literally tossed every article of clothing that I owned that I hated, pretty much my entire wardrobe.  Over the years my body has gone through all types of morphing.  Two babies and 30 lbs later I still was hanging onto clothing that deep down I knew I would never get back into.  And, because of time constraints (rarely getting out of the house on my own) most of my clothes shopping was grabbed from the clearance rack squeezed between the toilet paper and the diaper aisle at the nearest major mega mart.

Unfortunately, hasty and rash passionate moments left me with a very limited wardrobe and a very empty closet.

This is exactly what I own:

3 dresses
1 pair of wide leg jeans
2 cardigans
some underthings
2 jackets
2 coats

So, as you can imagine I haven't been out of the house much.

In the short time that I have discussing this on my Facebook page Vintage Living I have learned a lot, especially by Ms Glam at The Glamorous Housewife.   I'm very excited to share the experience of building a smart wardrobe with you.


Love,
Brandi