Spring Cleaning

The weather here is still stuck in the 40's, but I am SICK of my winter clothes. Tonight I was inspired  to switch out the heavier winter clothes and organize my closet. After I took out the clean winter clothes and heaviest sweaters, leaving the transitional sweaters and pants, I switched in the spring clothes and arranged everything according to jackets, pants, skirts, dress (yes, one), and tops. I don't buy any suits for work that aren't good for at least 3 seasons, so they remain in my closet year round.

Now that I am 20 months post-WLS, I have replaced most of my wardrobe with smaller sizes and it has been a major expense but a lot of fun. I am two sizes smaller than I was last spring so I still have some clothing to buy. I have been on a mission to wear more skirts and dresses. I may have lost a lot of weight, but I still have a lumpy, bumpy figure. It used to be hourglass but now it is "pear", having almost completely lost my bust.  My legs are my least attractive feature, but be that as it may, I am enjoying wearing dresses and skirts for the first time in 15 years. The trick is to find skirts that are a-line, or have a fitted waist and boxy pleats, or are full, and hit  below the knee.

This black and white skirt is very polished and is perfect for court with a jacket, but I will wait until it goes on sale.

The safari skirt is slimming and is nice  for days in the office,  but  even in petite I need to have it hemmed.

This one fits very well and I can dress it up enough to wear to court by pairing it with a black, cropped jacket and black patent leather pumps. Something about it though reminds me of a skirt The Empress had years ago so I am kinda stuck on it being matronly.....

 

I just can't find many dresses with short sleeves. I absolutely cannot wear sleeveless - the weight is gone, but the skin hangs on~  I almost succumbed to ordering a few sleeveless dresses and pairing them with cardigans, but it gets really hot in the courthouses in the summer and I refuse to be sitting in sweat with a stupid sweater on that I can't remove without taking out someone's eye with my batwings.

However, I really  liked this print in a retro sort of way online, and with a sale plus dividend coupons, I bought it for half price and decided I would get a short sleeve cotton cardigan to wear over it. As soon as it was delivered, however, I   I knew I was too short to carry it off. My first clue should have been when I saw Michele Obama wearing it in a magazine - the woman has a gorgeous, tall figure. After trying it on, I discovered that shirtwaist dresses with full skirts make me look like more like Aunt Bee than Donna Reed, so back it goes.

I love this dress, but even on sale, it's too expensive.  And looking at it more, I think it's way too I Am Sixteen Going On Seventeen for me.

It wasn't until I started writing this post that I realized that I purchased three "safari" type items of clothing. Besides this dress and the skirt abobe, I also bought a short sleeved safari-style chocolate brown jacket. Good grief, am I channeling my inner bush woman? I will now have to obsess over why I have a thing for this style, but frankly it just is the type of warm weather style that is fitted enough to look polished for the office but casual enough to be cool.  I actually brought the dress back to return it as it was too long even in a petite, but the salesgirl convinced me to have it hemmed since it came with a really cute belt.  Hey, belts are a novelty to me!

I ran across this stylist's blog and absolutely love her posts on body type dressing.  I clicked through on some of her suggestions and ended up ordering both of these blouses which were at least half price. This one is going to require a cami, but it has good sleeves!

This one is so romantic. I love the blue sash, but that cleavage is calling for a cami.

I love this pale green floaty blouse and think I would look very Jane Austen in Cornwall,  but I can't do cap sleeves.

I don't need more than 1 or 2 jackets for summer, but this one is a dream. It's a gorgeous color,  structured enough to be professional, and has short sleeves for the real dog days of summer when getting dressed for court is a chore. Wish I had seen it earlier tonight when I ordered the two blouses.

I lurve this jacket. Last year, I couldn't find many short sleeved jackets and when you are walking to and from court in the 90 degree heat in the Bronx, you don't want to be wearing a long sleeved, lined suit jacket.  I'm keeping an eye on it until it goes on sale.

This is a cute summer jacket and may go with the turquoise print skirt, but there's the sleeve issue again....

Mr. Pom keeps hovering because he sees me on clothing sites.  When he says not to buy anything, I know he doesn't mean clothes for work which I really need and are on sale....and that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

In the meantime, I'll keep checking for sale prices . . .