Wardrobe Rebuild 007 | Clothes for living

What I bought recently for everyday moments and a special one.

Oct 14, 2024

Welcome back to Wardrobe Rebuild, a series documenting my adventures in filling gaps and adding joy to my closet… after the pandemic, after having a baby, forever exploring personal style.

Since my update in June about my first clothing purchase of the year, I’ve added six new pieces (plus some socks and a pair of sneakers). I didn’t exactly set out to buy a bunch of things over the summer but that’s just how it goes sometimes… my shopping ebbs and flows with the tides of a simple, occasionally eventful life.

The Quince silk midi is probably the most “experimental” I’ve gone in the last year, and naturally it’s been the least worn. But just the color alone makes me excited to wear it again. #DressingByColor!

So here’s what happened…

Buying more AYR: a rugby polo1 and a neutral ribbed tank.

After a good experience with the AYR linen shorts, I decided to jump in again during the brand’s Memorial Day-ish sale. Well, to be completely honest, I got sucked back in because Instagram served me an ad that showed the on-sale navy-striped rugby polo. I’ve been into looser, slightly heavier short sleeves for summer because they’re easygoing yet can be outfit makers (see also: this Gap tee). I thought this one fit the bill and it did.
The rugby polo, worn over the ribbed tank.
Confession about the tank: I was definitely motivated to add it to hit free shipping, but at a sale price of $25 it felt like a reasonable purchase to add a basic that I didn’t have. The fit is a bit long/narrow on me, so not perfect. But it’s been useful as a base layer and it’s so incredibly soft, underscoring again the quality of AYR stuff.

Trying clothes from Quince for the first time: one linen dress and one silk one.

The one big clothing hunt I was on over the summer was a dress for my daughter’s one-year birthday celebration. I envisioned a looser, beige-y (or pale pink, green, or even yellow), non-spaghetti strap, cotton or linen dress for under $200 and it was really freakin’ hard to find. “Normal” isn’t so normal I guess. I finally settled on a linen short dress from Quince. It seemed similar to the comfy t-shirt dresses I love (with pockets!) but a tad less casual thanks to pleated detailing and pearlescent buttons.
Silk for dressing up, linen for dressing down — the length on both dresses are pretty good for 5’0 me.
I also took this opportunity to try one of their silk pieces. The silk midi skirt had been on my radar for some time but I ended up going for the dress version because in my personal experience, a simple dress can be easier to wear than a skirt because you can just layer it under or over stuff, instead of wondering about the perfect top to match. The dress version also had a “Grey Lilac” colorway that I was especially drawn to so that sealed the deal.
When the dresses actually came, I unfortunately found the linen one a bit too casual and mellow for the occasion. There was no time (or desire) to find another dress, so I decided to make something work with the silk dress instead (destiny!). I put on a cream, dressier crop top from Kaarem over the Quince piece, and it kind of worked out! Meanwhile, the linen dress turned out to be a nice don’t-have-to-think-about-it option for daycare drop-offs, grocery shopping, park walks, and everything in between.
Starting a lil’ running routine with starter Nikes (and Adidas socks, oops).

In the interest of getting started with running right away, I decided to not overthink this purchase and just went with some well-rated basic Nikes in a color I liked (mint green). I needed some new athletic socks to go with it so I just found whatever seemed about right on the Costco website while making an order of formula and diapers. I’ve been running at night (before showering, on hair-washing days), so no one will see that I’m mixing checks and stripes ;) Anyway, both the shoes and socks are doing their job! This was a good reminder that not every purchase needs to be thoroughly researched and comparison shopped and enthusiastically recommended.

Switching up my denim jacket game with an oversized Levi’s.

I’ve had a trusty Gap denim jacket for 10 years. Since having a baby, I’ve noticed it fitting tighter throughout. But I was in the mood for something looser and more easygoing. Something I can comfortably layer over things, stuff baby this-and-thats in the inner pockets, etc. Then one day I saw Extra Petite link out to the ‘90s Trucker style from Levi’s and thought it was just what I’ve been looking for. I got it during a 30% off sale and it’s been perfect!
The perfect jacket for mom-ing :)
Ordering Old Navy for the whole family, including a long sleeve for me.

Baby got pants for fall and the parents each got a simple long sleeve. Mine is this navy/slate blue one that I just had a feeling would end up being extremely useful and I was right. It’s a thinner and slightly shorter fit than anything I have, so it’s been coming out a lot during the transition season — worn on its own or under the Levi’s jacket.