Simple Gray

As I put together this outfit this morning I thought, "My! this is boring." But is it? I'm not sure. I don't know if classics can be boring. I saw the white and the gray together and it felt so fresh and clean I had to wear it.

Mango button up, Gap sweater, Gap jeans, Gap ankle boots (sold out, similar), Target necklace (reallllly old, similar)

In case you were wondering, this is my team's jeans week at school. We can wear jeans with non-school shirts for a week, whereas usually we can only have on jeans with school shirts on Fridays. So usually I'll be sharing workwear that doesn't involve denim, it just happened that two weeks into blogging I had this fluke. Back to normalcy next week!

Trying on a Capsule Wardrobe

Last week, my sister-in-law Aleah and I were discussing shopping and my self-proclaimed mild shopping addiction, and she showed me this beautiful blog, Unfancy. After reading about Caroline's journey towards a simple, cohesive wardrobe, I was inspired. She created a system for capsule wardrobes that I decided ((full disclosure: Aleah totally convinced me)) that I would give capsule wardrobes a try for this season. Although I'm not totally convinced that this method will work for me, I don't want to continue filling my closet with great deals that gather dust in my closet. This post on shopping has given me great perspective about how to make my purchases (including thrift store scores!) more meaningful and this post really hit home with me about how I feel about so many things in my closet . This is her simple guide to capsule wardrobes, and while I didn't follow the rules exactly, I still found her method helpful.  This is the process I went through to get to my own 37 pieces ((full disclosure: more like 39. Or 40. I want to be flexible)) which, I will mention, that I did most of this process without looking at my clothing... So... I don't recommend that.

1. I wrote down  the items I wore all the time, both to work and otherwise. These are my go-to, wear all the time in every season pieces, like my black skinny jeans and button up blouses. If I had been at home during this process, I would have pulled them out of my closet and made a pile, but between 8 hours in the classroom and 3 hours of class every night... You get the picture.
2. I wrote down the items that I love, but don't necessarily wear frequently because I don't want something to happen to them (read: glue smears, marker dots, a 3 year old's boogers, salad dressing drips). Looking at my closet, I wrote down things like the beautiful blue silk blouse I've had for 2 years and have worn 4 times, the mauve button up I bought full-price because I couldn't wait to wear it. I added those to the list because I want to wear them. I realized that most of my wardrobe was bought from clearance racks and thrift store piles, and therefore didn't cost much. Almost all of my favorites are basics that are easily replaceable and therefore if something happens to it (read: a 4 year old is so excited to see me they don't wait to wash their hands after painting to give me a hug), I can always find a great deal on another similar piece. 
3. I filled in the blanks. I used Unfancy's guide to building a capsule, I rounded out my list and included some things I didn't think about immediately- like flats (I hadn't worn any since November until yesterday) and a blazer. 
4. I created a color palette. I think ideally this step should be coupled with the planning process, like before you shop or pull together your pieces- but being away from my closet I used this more as a check to make sure the colors I put together made sense. I used this tool, then shared my palette with Aleah. We compared our color selections and we nearly had the same palette- classic colors with soft accents. 
5. I actually looked in my closet. This step should probably come second, no? At this point I made my adjustments to my list- added slacks (I forgot to include workwear, that's why my list is 39 piece instead of the usual 37) and removed some sweaters (I forgot its Texas winter- its 80 degrees today). After I adjusted my list, I adjusted my closet. I moved my other items into storage, or made piles for giving away or selling ((full disclosure: this is still happening. Sorry for the mess, E!))

I found this whole process both exciting and exhausting- I made the mistake of starting building my wardrobe the same week my university semester began... Not recommended.

Although I've only been working within my capsule for a few days, I've had one insight: Having a capsule wardrobe gives you permission to wear what you love all the time. I'm no longer guilt-tripped every time I get dressed- I can wear my all-star piece every day! That alone might keep me using a capsule wardrobe. We'll see how the next two months go!

These are the majority of my pieces- a few of them are thrifted vintage pieces I can't find equivalents of online.

Layered Stripes

The other day I came up with this shirt combo and I definitely questioned it... Until I saw it on. I don't think it looks like two different shirts, it seems to be to look very intentional. I love layering button ups in unexpected ways- theres only so many times you can put a collared shirt under a sweater! Trust me, I do that every other day. But this was a refreshing change!

Another refreshing change was the lack of extra layers for most of the day- I didn't have to wear the blazer (same as yesterday) for most of the afternoon! I actually got hot. A miracle! Sorry for anyone reading this in the northeast who isn't enjoying the piles of snow.

Mango button up, thrifted striped top (similar), Gap jeans, Gap loafers, vintage necklace (similar)

Florals and Black

Today I went with a thrifted floral top, a black blazer, and my favorite DIY project, waxed jeans. Simple with a little flavor!

Lauren Conrad blazer (sold out, similar), thrifted floral top (similar), waxed jeans (DIY, similar), Gap ankle boots

"Fancy" Weekend Look

I love this outfit because it is deceptively fancy looking... Yet it is the most comfortable ever. A sweatshirt and comfy jeggings - perfect for the weekend.

These pants are Forever 21 legging jeans I bought... Well.... Forever ago. Probably before I was 21. About two or three years ago when the waxed/coated jean thing started I decided I would wax/coat these myself. I might convince someone to coat their jeans so I can do a tutorial, its so easy!

Loft sweatshirt (sold out, similar), DIY waxed jeggings (similar non-DIY option, on sale!), Naturalizer metallic flats (sold out, honestly could not find a similar match)

Dressing for winter in the classroom

I'm a naturally cold person. In summer, even Texas summer, anytime I'm in air conditioning for more than 10 minutes I get cold. Usually I keep a cardigan or a jacket in my car to take in with me on longer grocery shopping trips (I abandon E when we need to go retrieve milk or frozen veggies) or to restaurants. Unfortunately, that means that I look somewhat ridiculous - everyone in their sleeveless dresses and shorts and I'm huddled in a corner with a scarf and a jacket trying to cover my legs.

So you can imagine what winter is like for me. I can't step outside for a few minutes to warm up- I have to keep my warmth against the wind and the rain and the a/c all by myself. My lead teacher loves a cool classroom so I'm perpetually cold at work. It's not uncommon to see me in a long sleeved shirt and a cardigan  and maybe a scarf and her to be in short sleeves and a skirt! I marvel at her natural warmth. Last year I was cold every day, but this year I'm trying a new strategy. If you have a cold classroom and don't want to be burdened with binding blazers, cumbersome cardigans, or sloppy scarves, you can try my tips below.

1. Layer an additional long sleeved shirt under your sweater or even a button up. Considering I wear a button up almost every day, I had to think of more ways to layer other than a sweater over them. This also allows you to look as if you're at a comfortable temperature rather than wrapped in a scarf or jacket that screams give me a blanket. If you get a cozy, long-sleeved cotton shirt to layer with, make sure it has a deep enough neckline so it won't be visible if you top layer moves during the day.

2. Wear a button up or turtleneck under whatever you're wearing. Somehow both of these styles are now ok to wear- thank you to whoever made that happen because now I look like less of a loon when I wear something like this. For inspiration, check out Anh at 9to5chic. She is my layering guru.

3. Cardigans. They are the answer for almost every teacher prob when it comes to style- they add visual interest to your outfit, can cover stains if your student bumps your mug or you drip something on your shirt in the 5 minutes you have for lunch, and are a great way to add warmth without committing to the awkward trying-to-take-off-my-sweater-without-flashing-my-students tango. I wear a cardigan everyday in late spring and early fall (aka extended summer) because Texas, but I usually opt for something heavier in the winter because I don't take off my layers during the school day. I also move around the classroom so much that it's impractical most days to wear something that will flap around. Imagine a grown woman dancing the hokey-pokey with her pre-k kids with a giant cardigan making her look like a bat. Not cute. Add a big scarf to that and it's hilarious.

4. Leggings under your slacks. You might roll your eyes at this- why would a Texas teacher need this level of layering. I'll tell you- I find anything under 40° unbearably cold. So you better believe that those 4 days a year that are below 40° I have all the layers ever. All. Of. Them. The trick to this one is that you have to have tight enough leggings that they won't bunch up at your knees and they also have to be long enough to pull down at your ankles if they do get bunchy. Pro tip: if you want to confuse your better half, ask them to hold onto your leggings at your ankles while you pull on your other pants.  Their expression will be hilarious.

5. For the love of your ankles, feet, and toes- wear appropriate shoes. Last night after one of my education classes I saw far too many of my classmates darting through the freezing rain in flats. Guys. If its cold and rainy, please wear boots. Ankle boots, riding boots, rain boots- there are so many options that will leave your feet warm, dry, and not the least frost-bitten. Do not leave your house in flats when its 30° or raining. . This is not a tip- its a demand. When we come to our classroom with dripping wet feet we are not modeling good choices for our kids.

I hope that if you, too, find yourself rubbing your hands together and wishing you could teach in a puffy coat these ideas will help!

Cozy Sweater and Rainboots

Clearly I spoke too soon about spring arriving- it was freezing and rainy! I can never complain about the rain though, I only get like 5 chances to wear these boots a year. I've gotten more compliments on these rain boots than on any other part of my wardrobe. ((Full Disclosure: before I moved, I totally stole these from my mom. She has excellent taste, and I still owe her some boots.))

Gap Factory sweater (I got this on clearance for $5!), Old Navy turtleneck (I also got this for like $7, winning the sales), Mango jeans, random rainboots (thanks mom! similar)