Do wet want some new challenges in August?
How about wearing one non-black neutral per week (whatever is a neutral for you)
How about wearing one non-black neutral per week (whatever is a neutral for you)
2025 Resolution: Shopping my own Bag and SLG Collection
- Thread starter papertiger
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You look stunning!
And are just SO talented and gifted!❤️-the most I could ever do was darn my pointe shoes!
I did study dressmaking for a year at school but couldn’t sew a French seam-you’re a natural..
Thank you! I loved that thread and I wish people were still active in it. It was so much fun to see everyone's process and get ideas from there.
I had the highest number of bags when I was posting in there and I can't believe how much I've culled over the last couple of years. I feel like I'm back where I belong now, with a bag collection that serves me. The goal is still to reduce to 6-8 bags, but I'm okay if that never happens.
That was the intention of the closet of departing bags, so it's still a success! You found some bags you weren't ready to part with, and identified others that will go later. It's exactly why we put these bags in limbo until we know the right path to take. Much better than rushing them out the door and regretting it!
Oh we're in quite a similar space here. That's really motivating for me!
I guess my journaling is limited to my posts here.
I do have a beautiful journal that was a gift from a friend, but it's so pretty I never wrote in it; which is ridiculous, of course. I'll start using it and see how it goes. Thank you for the suggestion.I wonder if you have any tips for meditating that you could share? I find moving meditation easier and I think your walks would count as that, which is probably why it's easier to be consistent.
It's the idea of being still and meditating that always feels like a struggle.
Oh, oh, you may like this. I found a bottle of perfume on clearance (Mad et Len; got it for £10 down from £140)...maybe it's a tester or discontinued. Anyway, it's quite a green scent and smells like a spa to me. Very relaxing. It also reminds me of when I lived in Thailand so maybe it has some aromatic elements from that side of the world, but I digress.
I'm thinking I'll try spraying it whenever I want to meditate (or journal) to indicate to my racing mind that now it's time to slow down. Like a Pavlovian thing, ha ha! It'll be an interesting experiment!
Since playing with perfume to retrain my senses, I've really enjoyed discovering how much they alter my mood for the better. Like you, I still have to dodge my allergies (Akro's line of fragrances nearly killed me recently
) but when I can safely find a winner, it's really fun to explore the mental images a scent brings up.Best of luck with resisting temptation for the remainder of the year. You can do it.
Wow, not only an amazing of repurposing the fabric, but 5-star looking dress, so pretty.
Thank you! The complinent make me feel so good while at the same time I see it as a fairly normal thing to do to use any random fabric to make clothes. The challenge only was would there be enough given the quite extensive rodent nibbling.YOU ARE A MAGICIAN!!!
I get what you're saying about this being louder than your usual style (I don't feel comfortable in bold prints myself), but you look wonderful in it! Just gorgeous! I hope you get the chance to wear it out a couple of times. It may surprise you and feel just right when you're out in it!
Bold it is! What did I expect... 70ies fabric turned into a 70ies dress. I must try it on with fresh eyes. On the hanger it looks harmless....
At least much more subtle than my modified "suburban housewives who shop" dress. ( Charity shop purchase to try the look.)
Even "running the mobility scooter over it" aka tire tracks couldn't reign in the neon...still I'm wearing it out. Lots of women my age wear them around here. It feels like a strange way to fit in visually.
Thank you!
Thank you! The complinent make me feel so good while at the same time I see it as a fairly normal thing to do to use any random fabric to make clothes. The challenge only was would there be enough given the quite extensive rodent nibbling.YOU ARE A MAGICIAN!!!
I get what you're saying about this being louder than your usual style (I don't feel comfortable in bold prints myself), but you look wonderful in it! Just gorgeous! I hope you get the chance to wear it out a couple of times. It may surprise you and feel just right when you're out in it!
Bold it is! What did I expect... 70ies fabric turned into a 70ies dress. I must try it on with fresh eyes. On the hanger it looks harmless....
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At least much more subtle than my modified "suburban housewives who shop" dress. ( Charity shop purchase to try the look.)
Even "running the mobility scooter over it" aka tire tracks couldn't reign in the neon...still I'm wearing it out. Lots of women my age wear them around here. It feels like a strange way to fit in visually.
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Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
To be honest I envy you for knowing how to and having the patience to darn your pointe shoes properly and usually do avoid French seams - they are the natural enemy of quick alterations....
You are amazing. I wish I had your talent.
The clutch is so fun. I wish they would make more things like this again. You outfit looks amazing and comfy at the same time. That is my kind of outfit.We all need to feel safe and enough, and I’m glad that you are prioritizing mental health and self care. On the closet side, I’m excited about your capsule collections, and I feel that bog standard leather goods from years ago could be really well made compared to today’s craft
Brands that are lesser known today but great quality: Carlos falchi (a gift from a dear friend) and ghurka
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ETA: also Suarez, a family owned company in NY. A convertible clutch with a fabulous suede interior.
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Your progress has been fantastic!! I'm so impressed on how you were able to take the initiative on so many things, as it can be very challenging for many when there are life altering events.Mid-year check in! Where has the time gone?
Edit:
Wow, that turned out to be a long post!
Sorry. I'll add in some spoilers so that my post doesn't take up the whole page. Don't worry about reading my rambling, I won't mind if people just skip it. I'm mostly just keeping myself accountable.
The bag closet:
I had a lot of movement and have lost track of ins and outs for the year but, after making a big donation to a women's shelter a couple of days ago, the total number of bags in my collection is currently 13.
I'm so grateful my friend helped me arrange getting the donations across borders. It was more complex than usual but we got it done.
Looking at my bag collection as a whole, I went from having mostly handmade pieces when I joined tpf, to an equal mix of contemporary and handmade during the pandemic years. Now my collection is basically a mix of contemporary and premier brands (the latter ones generously gifted to me by my friend a few months ago), most of which are vintage (or pretty close).
The evolution of my bag closet is a pretty good reflection of how much my lifestyle has changed. Now that I'm not moving so often, my collection has become less handmade, quirky and unique, and more standard and functional.
I hope I'll be lucky enough to go back to my nomadic ways and collect unique bits from small artisans in other countries, but until then, I'm really focused on enjoying what I currently own. I'm very lucky to have what I do and I want to use and love each piece.
I've learned a lot about my bag preferences with all the changes, and above all, have confirmed that I do better with a smaller collection than a vast one. I'm too easily overwhelmed by stuff and it's good that I know this about myself so that I don't give in to impulsive shopping when I'm stressed, as I so often did when I was younger.
The remainder of the closet:
In other categories in my closet, I've managed to hit some of my goals.
I've reduced my silver jewellery a bit by including some pieces in my last lot of donations, but those pieces had been ones I'd enjoyed for a long time so I was ready to pass them on. In the end, the stuff I gave away was all Etsy handmade stuff (before it became a drop-shipping hub), and I hung on to the bits from my travels which are sentimental and still my style.
I've also started to wear some of my old 'office' shoes casually, which was one of the goals I'd made for myself at the start of the year.
With clothing, I'm styling the older bits I have in new ways and am finding it to be a lot of fun.
On a related note, today's project is going to force me to reflect further on clothing I own. The storage unit I was using is too large for the amount of stuff I have and a smaller one finally opened up, so I'm moving my stuff over.
I'm taking the opportunity to go through all the pieces and repack them properly, with fresh acid-free paper and silica packets inside.
Frankly, I don't have a crazy amount of clothing right now, but it's still enough that it may take me another 2-4 years to use it all. That's just because, like my bags, I get overwhelmed if I have too much hanging in my closet at once. So I am still creating capsules of around 15 pieces that I mix and match, then wear until they're completely worn out before retiring them and pulling out a new capsule from the storage unit.
It's a system that works for me but it is crazy that I'm wearing clothing I bought when I was 20 years younger. I really didn't have a grasp then of how long each piece would last with me and ended up with so much more than I needed.
Between the fact that pretty much everything I own was 80% off (those were the best warehouse sales, lol), and the fact that I haven't needed to buy anything more than a handful of essentials since those days, it has managed to save me a lot of money. But I can't lie and say that was the goal- I just had too much and found a way to work my way through it all instead of constantly adding more.
Good thing my taste and size hasn't changed in all those years!
Social life:
As I was taking note of how my bag closet changed, I noticed that my friendships have also changed over the past few years. When I first joined tpf, I had just completed 2 years of physiotherapy to learn to walk and chew again after my accident. I was adapting to my new face and trying to change careers to work around that. At the time, I had a lot of people who were actively hurting me over the changes in my appearance and this toxicity only worsened as time passed.
That lack of support combined with my growing health issues over the next few years really wrecked my self-esteem. Then the pandemic happened and I lost so many people I loved, and ended friendships with people who hated that I survived covid somehow. It was a dark time. I bought a bunch of bags, I think to self-soothe. I only noticed in hindsight and wish I hadn't turned to retail therapy because it didn't heal anything. So, a lesson learned there.
Thankfully now I'm surrounded by better friends, many of whom are fellow tpf'ers. We may be virtual friends but your impact is very real! You've made me feel safe and 'enough', which is so precious to me. I often reflect on how fortunate I am to have such amazing role models here, so thank you to each and every one of you who has ever read my long rambling posts, or taken the time to offer a kind word and a bit of advice when I was lost and scared. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay this community for all that you have given me.
Mental health:
I need to focus on my mental health, which took a couple of hits along the way as mum and I are still navigating life with our respective health problems.
Thankfully, I'm doing much better after we identified my medication was the cause of so much of my confusion and depression, then switched it out for different meds.
I still have more work to do though, especially with the current state of the world which has me really panicked. So for this next month, I'm going to try to meditate daily. I've set this goal before but never managed to stick to it. I'm hoping that if I'm consistent, it will help ease my general anxiety.
I've also been continuing with my smaller habits to make my life simple and calm, like cooking with only 4 ingredients or less.
I also still have a daily tea/coffee ritual where I take 20 minutes to enjoy my hot drinks in silence, sitting somewhere where I can get fresh air and sun. It's been one of the best small changes I've ever made.
I'd like to come up with other small daily self-care habits that don't eat up a huge chunk of time. I tried my hand at art but it wasn't relaxing because all I could focus on was how bad I am at it!
I'd love to return to exercise but don't have clearance from my doctors to do so. I'm hoping that I'll be well enough in another month or two to start some proper cardio, at least. I really miss working out and feel it would help my mind and body so much if I could do just a little bit.
So, how's everyone else doing with regards to their closet goals and their personal ones? Will you be making any changes for the second half of the year?
Reflecting back on it. I started posting on the forum in 2021 though a reader right before the start of the pandemic.
I have definitely shopped less than before, perhaps the pandemic made it a turning point since 2020 was the year I literally bought nothing. I definitely did a lot of stress shopping pre-pandemic. I was making great strides in my career but it also caused a lot of stress. No regrets on my purchases overall. They had their uses and made my smile the days I wore them. But I could have made better choices of course lol. I purchase a little less each year, but I feel like I love each of my purchases even more.
I would like to spend more time with family. There have been quite a few unfortunate life changing events at work (in relations to co-workers or co-worker's friends and families) in the past year and as much as I love the American hustle, I get a reality check whenever something crazy happens. Even my medical director kind of looked at me last year and said I needed to take some time off (which I did). I spent wonderful time with family in Asia, and attended my cousin's wedding. Maybe a staycation or local trip somewhere in the US with my husband in the fall.
Gosh, you remind me of my own garden. It's definitely been neglected this year. Because of my trip to Asia, I didn't really do much work in the spring and didn't plant anything new. Most of the garden beds are empty. And our lemon tree is exploding with lemons and needs a trim. (though I guess it's good to let the soil rest once a while?)Thank you, hope all's going well with you.
You sound like you are on the right road and progressing very well.
I keep telling myself, the world has always been crazy, I just didn't take much notice.
I am happy I have recycled and donated lots of things so far this year. I've moved furniture and paintings around too. I am surprised it doesn't look like I've done much.
Once I fixed the garden shed and the kitchen sink, the wooden bench in our lavender garden broke (my cat's favourite place to sleep) and a badger pulled the fence apart.
I am mentally working on mending the bench, but I'll need space to turn it upside-down, and since the bees are so enjoying the bushes, I'd have to drag it to the patio - so I'd have to ask for help - which I am not very good at. I also need to mend the fence. I am aware they need doing - I just haven't practically done anything (except bought wood and wood glue).
Closet wise, I have been going under a little transformation. I am really enjoying using long lost finds in terms of RTW and bags. I have also been less into new designer/fashion. It isn't because I think luxury has lost its way, but more because what I have already is what they are all trying to sell me again.
I looked under my day-bed in the office and found so many designer (mostly Gucci) shoes practically unworn. That will be my half-year resolution. Rotate shoes more than just 2 pairs of DMs!
I've also gone a bit more trans-seasonal. I'm not feeling in a floral or light/bright colour bag mood, preferring interesting but probably more serious looking vintage/new/old bags. I have my red Gucci Aphrodite in rotation, everything else seems to be navy, brown, tan or silver.
I mended my Small BV navy Roma (with a drop of WD40). It had been unstable. I feel pleased I actually mended something, now it's in my Summer rotation as a medium handbag which looks great smart-casual (the official Med Roma is put away for an Autumn/Winter bag for work).
Put on my mental list to do a big clean up in the winter. I do some minor trimming and weeding here and there, but the garden is looking a bit sad...
I'm in total awe of @880 ' s art of styling. Making casual clothes look so polished is something I will never master. It's either dressed up or sloppy for me..
Regarding tips for meditating, finding guided meditation on YouTube was a game changer for me. Start with the short time frames and build up to longer time periods if you feel like it. I often use 7-minute guided meditations by Yoga with Adrienne (morning meditation) and Bernadette Logue and follow along.
Setting up a specific time for meditation helps to stay consistent. First thing in the morning or before bedtime are good times. You could even sit down and do a 7-minute meditation before your coffee break. These are just examples but just pick a time when you can practice regularly. When I sit down to meditate, I focus primarily on breath control or pranayama. For me, the essence of meditation is being still and focusing on the breath. Exhalation is as important as inhalation, especially a long and complete exhalation.
I am unfamiliar with moving meditation. If being still and meditating feels like a struggle to you, then perhaps don't force it. You could focus on other things like journaling which might bring you more benefits at the present moment. It took me a long time to begin meditation and even now I am not as consistent as I would like to be.
I love green scents, especially floral greens. Fragrances definitely have mood enhancing benefits. Some of my iris-centric fragrances have that zen-like quality. Sorry to hear about the allergies and please do take care when testing new fragrances. I just use a dab or two when it's a new fragrance until I'm sure it's right for me.Oh, oh, you may like this. I found a bottle of perfume on clearance (Mad et Len; got it for £10 down from £140)...maybe it's a tester or discontinued. Anyway, it's quite a green scent and smells like a spa to me. Very relaxing. It also reminds me of when I lived in Thailand so maybe it has some aromatic elements from that side of the world, but I digress.
I'm thinking I'll try spraying it whenever I want to meditate (or journal) to indicate to my racing mind that now it's time to slow down. Like a Pavlovian thing, ha ha! It'll be an interesting experiment!
Since playing with perfume to retrain my senses, I've really enjoyed discovering how much they alter my mood for the better. Like you, I still have to dodge my allergies (Akro's line of fragrances nearly killed me recently
... yesterday, on the second to last day of the month I bought a handbag with matching shoes. Both items had been on my wishlist on Vinted for a while. Yesterday the prices were reduced and after the seller granted me another discount I pulled the trigger. Now to wait for my purchases two turn up. I hope I won't regret them!