Hiatus

The overnight disappearance of Polyvore caused me to stop sharing my personal fashion and style selections online for quite some time. I continue to hope that Ssense will revive Polyvore, or that Yahoo! will buy it back. I have no doubt that thousands of users would pay to have their portfolios restored, and pay a monthly fee to continue to use the site!

During 2020, I didn’t purchase many new clothing items. Staying at home because of the COVID-19 restrictions has put a damper on fashion and style around the world. Inspired by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (and memories of my own past Christmas celebrations), I found a red tartan knife pleated, lined 100% wool maxi skirt on eBay (like new, no evidence of ever having been worn) to add to my Christmas clothing collection, and also bought a lightweight black boiled wool jacket from Eileen Fisher that I can wear with it — and with many other casual or business outfits— when my black velvet jacket might seem too fancy. Under either jacket, I wear a black jersey tank (also from Eileen Fisher) or a black cashmere sweater sans jacket. I love EF’s boiled wool jackets, and own three others: in red, forest green, and plum. In Hawaii, I am able to wear this outfit when I attend annual parties in Waimea or Pu'uanahulu mauka. It’s quite cool in December, sometimes quite cold, at those higher elevations.

It seems that I was trying to recreate my Christmas look from 1971. That skirt is long gone!

I looked seasonally appropriate on Christmas Eve in 1971,
even though I was miserably depressed at that time.
49 years ago!

I’m determined to reconfigure and optimize my wardrobe in 2021. Intending to eliminate fast fashion and unnecessary purchases from my behaviors, I only succumbed once to fast fashion last year, buying a couple pairs of nice Danskin leggings with pockets (in black and plum) from Costco. The skirt and jacket, plus those leggings comprise my total clothing purchases last year, so I feel pretty good. But I’ve resolved to avoid any fast fashion purchases in 2021.

Taking Inventory

At home in Hawaii, I wear casual summer clothing in natural materials (rayon, linen, and cotton) routinely. I own a vast collection of “resort wear” from Jams World — seemingly every pattern from the past twenty years of their collections, along with plenty of solids. I also favor linen items from Inizio, and have many pieces by Tommy Bahama and Tori Richards. Some of my large collection of Eileen Fisher clothing works in Hawaii, but most is saved for travel. Since I take good care of my clothes, nearly everything looks new but even moderate annual purchases cause closet overflow. 

This month I will turn 69! As part of my struggle to prepare to leave an “easy” estate after my death, I will embark (a second time because of the Polyvore disappearance) to take a full inventory of my wardrobe. I will try to purge items, with a goal of eliminating 10% of my clothes and shoes.

I intend to live into my nineties, and to continue to wear clothing that I love, but I don’t want valuable and vintage pieces donated or discarded because their value is unknown. That’s my primary motivation for making a new inventory. 

Stay tuned!