Thursday, April 19, 2012

Seeking Utility

In This Outfit: 
Dress: Dear Creatures (super sale from ModCloth)
Belt: AA ($16)
Shoes c/o Lulu's (restocked!)
Tights: UO ($4 super old)
Necklace: Vintage
Bracelets: Vintage/ Thrifted

It's Thursday. My taxes are done, I'm working from home, the sun is shining! After two plus weeks of what seemed like insanity- but was really just an f-ed up schedule and tax time- life is getting back to normal. As much as I'd like to think I'm the spontaneous type, I'm not. I need balance, I need warning when some kind of something is going to mess up my expectations for my day or week. For times like this- when I'm low on sleep and short on patience, I turn to the basics in my wardrobe to get me through. And what few basics I seem to have! With the majority of my closet being thrifted or vintage or some kind of mix, it's a clash of pattern and color, but, there are the few pieces like this dress that make life easy in times of stress and sleeping past all my alarms.

Stressful days and busy weekends are what I had in mind when I clicked 'purchase' on this dress. It's one color, a classic silhouette, and is some kind of mix between blue, black, and grey (in my brain, I tell myself that it can be all three depending on the accessories- don't tell me otherwise). The last time I wore it, I was in Texas and needed a quick outfit, and it worked.

Utility is what I look for in the new items I purchase for myself. As a general rule (though, not always), if I can't envision three different ways to style something, I typically won't follow through. I don't always apply this when thrifting, but do keep it in mind, it's a good way to ensure maximum wear out of the things I purchase, and cuts down on the 'completely ridiculous' that I can so easily fall prey to.

I'm curious: do you have any shopping rules?