• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Style
    • Summer Outfits
    • Spring Outfits
    • Winter Outfits
    • Fall Outfits
    • Ethical Brands
    • Style How To’s
    • Thrift Month
    • Trimm Challenge
  • Travel
    • French Style
  • Lifestyle
    • Reflections
  • Shop
  • Outfit Shop
  • About
  • Contact

the threads we wear

Winter 2018 Trimm Challenge Recap

01.14.19Trimm Challenge0

Ohhh hello there, it’s been a minute since I did my winter Trimm Challenge, so hi! I’m very excited to do a recap on what I pulled out for my 10 Trimms, why they aren’t working for me, what my goals are in the upcoming season, and a couple adjectives I’m throwing in to build on what my goals were for the fall.

If you need a refresh on what the challenge is, or have never read about it before, you can learn more in-depth about it here.

But for now – its an abbreviated seasonal wardrobe edit with a goal of creating clarity in your wardrobe on what to buy in the upcoming season, and most importantly what to stay away from purchasing. 

You take out 10 items, write down why they aren’t working, what to stay away from, items to look at purchasing, and then finish it off with a couple overarching adjectives to describe how you want your style to be moving forward.

And that’s it!

It’s an ode to my personal styling/capsule wardrobe wearing days, that encourages intentionality with how you build your wardrobe without the stress that sometimes comes along with minimalism.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at my #wintertrimm.

MY WINTER TRIMM

For my second Trimm Challenge, I kept it even more simple than the first, and took out my 10 items and wrote down my goals in less than 30 minutes.

I finished it so quickly because I was crunched for time, but that just goes to show you how little time you really need to set the right foot forward in your wardrobe. Right?

So here are the details…

STEP 1:

10 things I “trimmed” out of my wardrobe

  • 1 pair of blue skinny jeans
  • 1 grey basic
  • 2 plaid button downs
  • 1 chambray shirt
  • 1 loafer
  • 1 suede grey bootie
  • 1 black wool sweater
  • 1 black acrylic sweater
  • 1 black mock-neck dress

STEP 2:

THE REASONS

  • To start I passed on some blue skinny jeans that I just haven’t worn in a while. I like a good black skinny depending on the type of boot I am wearing, but for the most part, a blue skinny jean is the last choice of pant I grab for these days (even though I will occasionally still wear one).
  • The grey basic I passed on because it was restricting on my arms. I’ve learned if I’m ever pulling a lot at an item in my closet I usually end up not wearing it, so out it went.
  • The plaid button downs I let go of simply because it’s been a really long time since I’ve worn plaid or checkered button-downs, and I just don’t feel quite like me in them anymore.
  • The chambray shirt is another case of not caring for the fit so out she went…
  • The loafer was too artsy/jazzy for me, and there is just something about them that makes me feel like too safe and I don’t love that feeling.
  • The grey bootie just didn’t excite me, or really say anything about my style right now. I think I’ve kept them because they seemed comfortable enough, but they really just make me feel a little boring.
  • I also passed on 2 black sweaters because of the fit and fabric, both were itchy and I pulled a lot at the neck and base of the sweaters.
  • And last but not least the black mock-neck dress I let go of because of the style…If it was a midi dress and hugged my body a bit more or was crazy flowy, I would have loved both extremes, but there is something about it that makes me feel too conservative when I wear it.

And that’s a wrap on my thoughts. I just want to point out one common thread in all of my pass-on’s.

Ultimately they didn’t make me “feel” the way I want to feel in my clothing.

When it comes to letting go clothes, I think the most valuable thing to understand is how I want to feel when I wear something, because that is the overarching, final trump card so to speak to adding or subtracting in your closet. 

For instance, you could buy something that is in your color palette and style on paper, but when you put it on it makes you feel frumpy, or too classic, or worse it makes you feel nothing at all.

These are the things we all need to just stop buying, and I get, sometimes it takes a few wears to decide how you feel in something, but you know that feeling when you put something on and you think “oh ya” that’s what we should always aim for because there are too many choices in this world to not. Ya feel?

STEP 3:

THE DONT’S

  • Shoes that don’t really make a statement
  • Basics that I don’t care for the shape or texture of
  • Items that feel too safe
  • Skinny jeans
  • Plaids unless they are an interesting silhouette

STEP 4:

THE OVERALL GOALS

  • Experiment with your colors: all the greens, all the browns/oranges/blushes, creams/beige/whites
  • Try more monochromatic looks
  • Statement shoes/boots
  • Pants that are straight leg and have interest
  • Minimal gold jewelry
  • Vintage/modern purses

For my style goals, I found that they were still very similar to my fall challenge which made me feel confident to continue to build my wardrobe or subtract from it with those goals!

STEP 5:

THE OVERALL STYLE FEELING

  • Romantic meets Modern
  • Street style (a little sporty, a little unexpected, a little funky)
  • I want to feel a touch more of feminity and fun like I said in my fall wardrobe, but I also am drawn to street style, I love a little bit of edge, a touch of something unexpected, and dressing up just a plain ol’ tee with some edgy boots or statement coat and calling it a day. I think there is space in my own personal style for all of these things.

The trick is blending two or three of these styles at a time to come up with many outfits that feel more signature to me.

Summing it all up, much of my goals have been carried through from my Fall Trimm, but this time I feel the ever-growing desire to not play things safe.

Maybe it’s the new year, but I’d say more than likely it’s been this new version of myself that has been emerging over the past 8 months, and I’m seeing it come out in my clothing choices and interests more and more (big surprise).

So tell me, do you think about how you want to feel in your clothing? Or reflect on why you buy/wear the things you do? And how have your internal changes affected material things that you are drawn to? Do you ever see the connection?

So much love,

Mary Beth

0

Related

Previous Post: « 4 easy ways to look pulled together + comfortable in this busy season
Next Post: One way to recycle your clothes and keep them out of landfills »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Deborah L. Matheny

    01.16.19 at 6:33 pm

    Hey there! The takeaway from your recent challenge post for me was being more aware of how much “the threads I wear” affect how I feel about myself. No, clothes don’t dictate my mood. However, they have the potential of improving my mood every time I give care to my clothing choices.
    You’re funny! You bring lightness to a heavy subject. A breath of fresh air really. Looking forward to your next post.

    Reply
    • marybethrouth

      03.06.19 at 2:53 am

      Thanks so much sweet Momma! I’m so glad the challenge encouraged you, and that you were able to focus on the feeling behind it all. And thank you for commenting and bringing light and encouragement to me as well! You da best!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hello & Welcome!

THE THREADS WE WEAR is a personal style blog all about spreading love and compassion through pursuing style with balance and intentionality! I hope you follow along and join in on the conversation.

Subscribe

Enter your email & never miss a post.

visit the SHOP

Topics

Footer

LET’S BE FRIENDS :)

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

marybethrouth

 293    1202


  • Happy Friday friends✌. Sharing a little #ootd from yesterday because these are my absolute fav jeans right now. These are my everyday’rs for sure. Linking in my stories and on my LTK today. Hope you soak up this beautiful weekend with all your favorite people and things.✨ #outfitinspo #outfitoftheday #fashionblogger #everydaymadewell #liketkit #LTKstyletip #LTKFind @shop.ltk https://liketk.it/3Zftj
  • New hairs ‍♀️‍♀️‍♀️ by the best in the biz @hair.byjesss
  • A little selfie from our Paris apartment, wearing my favorite outfit from the trip. The shorts were my hero piece that I ended up wearing many times✨! I’ll link them in my stories because they are that good, and on sale through the LTK app this weekend. #paris #parisianstyle #ootd #fashionblogger #liketkit #LTKsalealert #LTKxAF #LTKtravel @shop.ltk https://liketk.it/3WWqq
  • Happy Friday friends, wanted to share some fashion inspiration I gleaned from our trip to Paris as we head into the weekend✨. It’s been a long time coming to be sharing on my blog once again, but I am so happy to be back, and so thankful to have had this past season of my life to dedicate fully to personal growth and wellness☺️. . Today I’ve got 8 items that I saw every Parisian gal wearing while in Paris and some styling tips on them all. Link in profile and hope you enjoy✨ #outfitoftheday #paris #parisianstyle #fashionblogger #packingforparis #liketkit
  • Merry Merry Christmas from us to you . . carolinejoyphotography
  • WELP ITS OFFICIAL!!! WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! It’s truly a miracle to me that this is our reality with all that we have been through this year with my health and uprooting our lives. But what I know to be true is that life is full of surprises, and I like to think it’s God’s greatest delight to bring the good out of the difficult, to surprise us with more than we could have imagined even if all we put forward was faith that he could or would.☺️ . We have wanted a home to call our own FOR YEARS,
  • This is 30 Thankful to be alive. Thankful for the people in my life. Thankful for all the highs and all the lows. Thankful for all that I learned in the years of the 2 0’s and for all that lies ahead.
  • Quality over quantity is what I’ve cared most about when it comes to my jewelry through the years✨. I love the idea of passing an adored piece to my future daughter. My most recent @mejuri piece is just that. Peep their sale through the weekend if your in a season of sentimentally. #mejuri . . . . . #mejuripartner #gold #goldjewelry #qualityoverquantity #heirlooms #minimalistjewelry #minimalstyle
Copyright © 2023 ⸱ the threads we wear ⸱ Design by Love Riot ♡