Data Confessions

I'd originally planned on updating you all on what was actually left in my closet after the "great moving purge of 2013" but as I found my mind wandering in class Monday (don't judge, it was accounting), I realized that before I delve back into analyzing my closet, I needed to take a step back and talk about some of the things I've been doing wrong.

Mistake Number 1: Conflating my rating system
Remember the five point rating scale that I came up with at the beginning of this project? Well, it turns out, that I mighta-kinda-sorta made a mistake in coming up with those categories (that's what I get for trying to be all fancy).

It took me a while to realize that numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5 were all based on an emotion--how I feel about my clothes.  But number 4 "Wardrobe Staple" was a description of an item's function.  What did this mean for my project?  Well . . . other than making me feeling slightly stupid, it made "4" a meaningless rating.  It quickly became a catch-all for any item that I felt was slightly higher than a "3" but not quite amazing enough to warrant a "5".  BUT (and this is where it started causing more problems), I was also using it to it to categorize things that were legitimate wardrobe staples--like my favorite white t-shirts.

You can see the issue . .  . not only did the category not fit within my scale, but it was also being used as a measure for two different things.  Rookie Data Mistake 101

So, what's the solution?  honestly, I'm not sure yet.  I'm thinking about just getting rid of the "4" category all together.  I'm not sure it really adds anything and it's kind of become a way for me to be indecisive about my clothes, which leads to my next point.

Mistake Number 2: Not being completely honest with myself about what I do and do not wear

As I realized when I started packing my clothes up in D.C., there were a lot of items in my wardrobe that I hadn't really been honest with myself about when I initially rated them.  I think a lot of conversations in my head went like this: "If I rate these pants as a 4, then I don't really have to think about getting rid of them . . . 4, it is!"

As I've mentioned in the past, I get waaaay to emotionally attached to my stuff and I need to be a little more brutal.  Either I look good in something or I don't. Either I wear it or I hide it in my closet pretending I'll use it someday.

Mistake Number 3: Not spending enough time refining my "model" closet

I haven't really spent much time refining the original model that I came up with back in February. Probably because it's the hardest part of my project (or, in my opinion any data project) and I have a tendency to put off difficult things. (Note, I also do this with other things I find unpleasant/difficult, like going to the dentist or calling Ikea)

One reason it's been difficult is that my entire lifestyle has changed over the last few months.  But, the other, bigger reason is that it really means defining what an ideal closet/wardrobe looks like for me.  And, it requires determining not just what I need in terms of my lifestyle, but also my personal style (which, being me, somehow also involves some soul searching).

But, figuring out what this model is (or at least the next iteration of it) is really critical.  Data analytics 101: without a good model, you have no idea what you're measuring.

So look for some posts on this over the next few weeks (and give me a hard time about it if I don't live up to that!)

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Thank you for sticking with me through my data analytics naval-gazing soul searching.  Hopefully, I can use this to develop some better metrics for figuring out what I need in time for some fall/winter shopping . . .

Monday Funday

Brunch at Esperanto,  Huevos Loisada,
Drinks in the LES,  Tacos at the Chelsea Market)

Where do I start with this weekend? Do I start with the fact that I got to go to the Sally LaPointe fashion show in the Meatpacking district? (thanks again Abbey and Jason for the ticket!)  Or that some of my best friends from DC were in town (shenanigans ensued!)? Or the fact that I was going on day 6 of a severe cold and had no voice for the entire weekend?

Maybe we should just skip all that and you can trust me that it was a fabulous time (well aside from the not really talking part).  Week 2 of school is starting, but check back later in the week for some posts on my closet and some thoughts on what I'm looking to add to my wardrobe this fall!

Bag Review: Michael Kors North/South Tote

Drumroll please . . . introducing the official school bag!  The Michael Kors large North/South Tote in Saffiano Leather.  (and the angels rejoiced, as did Mr. C who was tired of me agonizing over bags)

Michael Kors North/South Tote

Let me start by saying that this was NOT the bag I was planning on getting.  Feeling a little desperate after so many misses, I actually decided that finding the perfect bag that was roomy, stylish, and practical was about as likely as finding a unicorn.  I wanted to just make a decision and stop obsessing thinking about it.  So, I decided to bite the bullet and just get the Rebecca Minkoff M.A.B. tote.  It was a little plain, but at 16 inches wide and 6 inches deep, it was by far the biggest bag I'd found.

Minkoff M.A.B. Tote

So, the decision had been made.  The bag was sitting in my Nordstrom online shopping cart.  I could stop trolling the internet late at night looking at purses, and yet, somehow I kept putting off pulling the trigger.  I was happy with my decision but I just wasn't excited about it.  I wanted that rush that I'd felt when I fell for the Tory Burch boots.

Fast forward to the weekend before school started (yes, I was that unexcited about it, which should have been a clue).  Mr. C and I were taking a much needed break from arguing with Ikea to walk around Soho and we decided to pop into the Michael Kors store.  I explained to the sales clerk what I was looking for and she brought out a tote that was very similar in size and style to the Minkoff M.A.B..  Ok, so good so far, I could get an idea of whether or not the bag would work for me.  It was roomy, check. Pretty, check. So good, so far . . . until I looked up and saw myself in the mirror.

Turns out, if you're under 5'3", gigantic bags look kind of ridiculous next to you.  I'm pretty sure I could have stood in that bag and Mr. C could have just carried me to class everyday.  It kind of makes sense though, right? Carrying something that's about a quarter of your height should look a bit disproportionate.  Soooooo, back to square one . . . and that's when I saw the North/South tote.  I'd actually looked at this bag waaay back in June, but had thought it would be too small for school.  But, once I saw it in person, I realized that it's actually quite roomy.  It's 13 inches high and 5.5 inches deep but because it's a taller bag (14 inches high), it actually fits a lot more than some of the others that I was looking at. In addition, the strap at the top unbuckles, giving you more room on the sides. Here's how it looks on a typical school day:

The shoulder strap is one of my favorite features. Also, it's hard to see in the photos, but the leather has a cross-hatch texture (apparently that's what makes it "saffiano") and is a lot sturdier and easier to clean than typical leather.  Case in point, one of my first days, I spilled a glass of wine on it was worried there'd be some slight discoloration, but everything wiped off with a damp cloth. (I've also realized I should drink white wine at nice functions . . . )

My one issue with the bag is that it is a little heavy, even before I put my laptop and books in it, it's already 3.5 pounds.  But that's also forcing me to be a little more judicious with what I bring to school instead of toting around a bunch of stuff that I don't need.  I may get a backpack for more casual days when I'm carting around more items than usual . . . but I'm still undecided on that. 

So there you have it! A bag that I can take to school and that would also work well in the professional world! 

(P.S. here's my review of the bags that didn't  work out)

MBA Update! (hint: I'm alive)

After a slight hiatus while moving to New York and going through orientation, I'm finally trying to get back to my normal posting schedule.  Also, in case you missed last week's posts, you can catch up on: A note from my closet diaries and some thoughts on J.Crew's Fall Lookbook.  Thanks for being patient and still reading while I went through this move!

MBA orientation is officially over and the reality of classes, homework, and a student budget is slowly setting in.  (ok, I'm not sure the student budget part has really hit me yet) To be honest, the last couple of weeks are a complete blur.  I was having trouble putting how I felt into complete sentences so I decided to just show you:

Infographics

You'll notice exhausted is in there multiple times . . . I met people, sat in talks (Some really inspiring and fun.  Some much less so), went to social events, met more people, promptly forgot their names, almost fell asleep in lectures and so on and so on.  It was fun, tiring, overwhelming, and inspiring all at once and I'm still trying to figure it all out.  All I know is that I'm pretty excited to spend two years in this city, surrounded by some pretty awesome people, and getting to learn a ton and, hopefully still having time to blog and work on this project.  'Cause let's face it,  it's much more fun to think and talk about clothes ;)

On that note, I have some exciting news!!! I DID find a school bag (ok, maybe that's only exciting for me).  Check back later in the week to see what I decided on and my reviews.  

J.Crew's Fall Lookbook

When the August J. Crew catalogue arrived in my mailbox the other day, I almost tossed it out.  Did I really need to thumb through page after page of oddly clashing prints or neon mono-chromatic?  Did I really need to feel bad about the fact that I don't have effortlessly wavy hair or the perfect coral lipstick?  But, I felt virtuous because I'd listened to the Economist  that day and decided that at the very least, I could enjoy a good laugh at the fact J.Crew was selling $500 skirts.   Imagine my surprise, then, when I opened the pages and saw this:

What!?!? looks from J.Crew that were actually accessible again?!?!? The end of the world must be near.  I mean, not a fan of that weird shapeless dress  in the center, and the leather shorts, but overall, these looks were all things that I'd love to wear.  I love the mix of tomboyish and feminine that you see throughout.   And, can we talk about all of the gorgeous jewel tones and the restrained prints? The last row might be my favorite.  How adorable is that skirt?  And the sweater with the peter pan collar? To. Die For.   I even briefly considered trying to pull off a baseball cap, until I remembered that it would give me terrible hat hair.   

I had to get 3/4 of the way through the catalogue before I came across something like this:

This is more like the J.Crew I've come to know and hate.  I'm so confused . . . is this their  take on "what to wear on laundry day" look?  'Cause that's the only way to justify that skirt and that shirt together.  Did they just run out of fabric? Why is she carrying her ginormous purse like a clutch? And would someone really spend $178 on that shirt?!?!?  To my surprise, when I tried to find that shirt on J.Crew's website, it's listed as longer available.  I'm hoping it's because they realized their mistake and pulled it from the shelves rather than because it's sold out . . . 

Let's go back to a happy place before our retinas are permanently damaged.

Ahhhh, sigh of relief . . . 

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On that note, the blog Capital Hill Style linked to this Forbes article a few weeks ago.  Apparently, the author's wife sent a pretty thorough email complaint of J.Crew's style to the company and . . . the CEO Mickey Drexler called her to discuss her concerns . . . Kind of cool and kind of crazy. 

*all images from J.Crew's August Lookbook

Closet Diaries: The Move

You'd think that after starting this project and gong through another move just a few months ago that my closet would already be pretty lean and stripped down. Yeah . . .  that's what I thought too.  But somewhere in between packing my kitchen aid mixer the night before our move and staring at the wall of clothes in my walk-in closet, I suddenly realized that a) I have a lot more clothes than I realized and b) my new york place didn't have any closets.  I mean, I kinda remembered seeing some free-standing ikea-like wardrobes, but there was no closet space to speak of.  Major Panic Sequence/Meltdown Initiated.

After a bottle of some wine to calm my nerves, I faced the cold hard truth.  Despite all the talk about only buying/keeping clothes that I feel great in, I had somehow managed to talk myself into keeping a lot of items that I really didn't wear or need.  I mean, did that denim pencil skirt that I only wore on casual fridays really deserve a "4" on my rating scale?  Or, did I maybe bump it up from a "3" to a "4" because I wasn't ready to part with it yet?  And that dress that seemed so cute on the hanger but was a major stain magnet, was I really ever going to wear it again?  No. So why had I held onto it?

Short answer? Call it frugality or stubbornness (or addiction) but it's hard (for me) to toss out clothes. These are some of the most common ways that I rationalize keeping something.

Guilt--"I spent good money on this and it's barely worn." Isn't it wasteful to donate it? You can see my Calvinist upbringing in some of this. 

The "Just-in-Case" or "I'll need that someday" syndrome--"I should save this ratty pair of jeans in case I ever decide to paint a house one day"  This usually follows my feelings of guilt.  As I've mentioned in the past, it's easy to pretend that you'll find a use for something, someday . . . but if it's been more than a year and that someday hasn't come? Most likely it's time for that item to go.

Selective Memory--Ummm, I'm kind of forgetful sometimes and I don't remember why I stopped wearing those jean short shorts (hint: I'm 28 and it's no longer appropriate) or why I never wear that top (hint: it's polyester and I sweat "glow" when I wear it).  Sometimes you don't wear clothes because they fall to the back of your closet and sometimes it's because they really aren't that great in real life.

Nostalgia--Second to guilt, this is the worst and let me give you a hint, this is how it goes: "I can't get rid of that dress, it's the one I wore on my first day of college (seven years ago)"  I'm sorry sister, no one wants to see you in something from 2003.

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Please tell me I'm not the only one making these types of excuses? So, what's a girl to do?  Admittedly, deciding to go through your clothes in the midst of an extremely stressful move while uprooting your life and quitting your job, is probably not the best idea.  It went kind of like this:

Stage 1: Furious purging--analytics, shamalytics--there was no time to think through my decisions and I just had to go with my gut.*

Stage 2:  Second guessing self--maybe I really do need that denim pencil skirt.  Initiate internal back and forth.  Take 4 items out of the purging pile.  Put 3 back.  (Hint: The denim pencil skirt didn't make it to NY)

Stage 3: Exhaustion. And the realization that I still hadn't gone through a quarter of my closet.  At this point Mr. C intervened and pointed out that I should a) probably get some sleep and b) I could always do this once I was settled in NY.

Stage 4: Realize Mr. C is right (as usual) and cram the rest of my items into some suitcases and hope for the best

Stage 5: Upon getting to New York, realize that in my packing frenzy I only packed one of my pointy-toed black flats and forgot my colander.  On the plus side all my clothes fit in my closet.

*Going with my gut in this situation was actually pretty effective because it forced me to make snap decisions.  On the downside, I didn't really have time to donate or consign these items so they're still sitting in our DC apartment. 

Moving to New York (in pictures)

On Saturday, this happened (Mr C and I both loaded the entire u-haul and our marriage survived):

and this

and some of this:

Then we got to our apartment and thanks to some awesome u-haul movers got all of our stuff up 5 flights of stairs in record time (I say that like they actually let me help move boxes.  They took one look at my tiny guns and let me watch the truck).  Right now, our place kind of still looks like this: 

But I'm hoping within the week, it will look more like this.

(West Elm)

who am I kidding? In three weeks, my decor is probably going to consist of strewn about clothes, school books, and Chinese takeout . . .