Sweater Weather

I'll actually be visiting Florida for the next couple of days and, not wishing to complicate my packing any further, I will not be attempting to dress for the alphabet while on this trip, so, we interrupt this Fashion Challenge for an update on the state of my wardrobe.

Last Saturday, the temperature plummeted from a balmy 71° at around 1pm to 40-something and windy within an hour or two. It was the most miserable and drastic temperature shift I've ever experienced, made even more depressing by the fact that the forecast for the foreseeable future was cold, cold, cold! [Sometimes I wonder if this is a fashion blog or a weather blog!]

On the plus side, that meant I was finally able to bring my winter wardrobe out of hiding...and what a wardrobe it is! Over the summer and fall, my friend who frequently bequeaths me her old unwanted clothing really outdid herself with the number of sweaters...and this time, her sister got in the action too! Of course, I've done my own part in creating this glorious excess—three of the tops pictured below were purchased by Yours Truly. But regardless of the source, what this means is that I am starting the winter off on the right foot with 27 brand-new-to-me winter tops (not including the few that didn't suit me, which I am reserving for crafts projects or possible sale or donation)—that's enough to wear a new sweater every day for almost a month!

Not wanting to be pegged as a hoarder, I decided this was a great opportunity to rid myself of some of my older and less-loved winter wear. I picked out 10 sweaters and shirts to get the boot, for a net gain of only 17.

But that's not all. All during the spring, summer, and early fall, I was making a strong effort to stock up on winter-appropriate dresses. I ended up with 7 of these, plus a handful of skirts from various people and stores. I notice my new dress collection skews heavily towards dark red, which should be interesting, since I'm usually more of a bright-cool-color type of girl.

I have also added 4 pairs of new boots this fall (the brown pair featured in my Earth Tones outfit is one of them, but 2 of them remain unworn) but I'm too lazy to photograph them, and in any case, they are all just different varieties of dark neutral—in a couple of cases just slightly different replacements for pairs I already have.

So the final tally: 29 new garments and 2 new pairs of shoes ready to be worn, which might just be a new personal record (I never thought that would happen in winter!) To be fair, I didn't have anything to post for my seasonal switch last winter, so I guess I'm just catching up.