Paring Down: Case Study #1

Cowl neck sweater - LOFT (remixed)
Long-sleeved tee - LOFT
Sweater Skirt - Moth/Anthro (Ebayed)
Leggings - Phylo (MILed)
Boots - Capelli via Marshalls (remixed)
Scarf - Gap (gifted)

The hardest thing about paring down is getting rid of some pieces I absolutely love. Some of them are because they no longer fit and some of them are because I have either never really worn them, no longer wear them, or wince when I put them on. In an effort to figure out what is salvagable and what is not, I'm going to be wearing hard-to-part with pieces over the next few weeks to see how it goes. This was a test case.

First of all, I hate this sweater. I love the color and the neck, but it's really too long and too wide for me on the part that exaggerates my pearness. Widening me also makes me look shorter and that's already getting to me this time of year as winter boots keep me down. I have kept it because I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement. I also am attached to it as loungewear--it looks great with clogs and yoga pants for running errands on a Saturday when I'm also going to the gym. For now, it'll stay.

But I love the skirt. I remember lusting over it at the store and then I purchased it for cheap on eBay. But I've only worn it once and that was yesterday. I have had difficulty styling it--I do not own red or yellow, and the purple/garnet tops I own do not go with the shape of the skirt. Brown and black make it look blah. A red shirt and a long gray clingy cardi would look great, but I currently own neither. They would not be bad wardrobe additions, but there are things that I need more: boots, shoes, trouser jeans, and a blazer. But here is the reason I'm going to part with this beloved piece: I was uncomfortable in this outfit all day and it was the bottom as much as the top. The length of the skirt and how it sits on my waist isn't flattering. I need at least 3 more inches of height and a different wardrobe for the top. As I mentioned in my Friend Friday dialogue with LHdM, if I regret an ensemble I'm self-conscious and off my game. Therefore, I'm saying au revoir to the skirt--but with a kiss on each cheek.

What pieces did you hold on to the longest even when you knew it was time to let go? (Wow, that sounds like a dead relationship).

Addendum: I am resolved. The skirt has got to go. I tried:

But its still how the skirt sits on my waist and lays against my bum.

And the suggestions about a black top worked the best (if you ignore the flash on my chest):

...but when I paired it with a gray cardi it made me look frumpy and wider again. I realize I loved the idea of the skirt in the world of the forms, but when I put it on my body (twice removed from the Platonic ideal--not thrice, that is what you are seeing in the photograph, a representation) I do not like it.