Category: Fashion

Over the past few months, I’ve been taking a much closer look at my closet – what I wear regularly, what I LIKE to wear regularly, and what can move on to a new home. While most of my decisions are based on what items are (or are not) working for me, I do have to acknowledge that some of the choices came down to cash.

We are still dealing with an avalanche of hospital/surgery bills from Jack’s broken arm, so that gave me a little monetary kick-in-the-behind to decide whether I liked the item more… or the money I could potentially earn.

Let’s take a look at a few items I’ve let go recently:

Rough + Tumble Bags: Vintage Hoop Hobo and Cross Body Wallet

No, I didn’t sell any of my vintage Coach bags (yet); however, I did thin the herd a little when it comes to my Rough & Tumble purses. While I love, love, loved my larger green bag… it was one of the most expensive ones that I owned. Also, I have two other similar sized R+T bags that I tend to reach for more often – switching between them throughout the year. So, this one went to a new home.

As for the smaller green crossbody bag, I tend to reach for my little black Coach Watson when I need something small and hands-free. Since they both served basically the same purpose, I decided that the R+T version could go.

Total earned: $665

Two NotPERFECT Linen Skirts: Striped Marseille and Toast OIA

I love my linen skirts, but to be honest I love some of them more than others. I’ve had this striped version since last year and have worn it a few times, but when I compared it to other skirts in my closet… it just was never my ‘first pick’. As for the toast OIA version, I found that the color was similar enough to another skirt that I own that it ‘met the same need’.

Would I have let them both go if we didn’t have a bunch of bills? Maybe not. However, for both of these skirts I enjoyed the potential cash more than I really needed them in my closet.

Total earned: $170

Poshmark Purge

In addition to my ‘name brand’ items, I also put a bunch of stuff in my Poshmark closet on super sale and accepted low-ball offers just to get some stuff out of the house. Since June, I’ve sold: an Anthropologie dress, Sam Edelman sandals, a J.Jill skirt, Boden cardigan, Athleta skirt, 2 Eileen Fisher dresses, 2 James Perse t-shirts, Athleta leggings, Kate Spade skirt, Eileen Fisher tank top and a Flax linen skirt.

Total earned: $280 before fees.

So that is 17 items that have left my house over the past few months. And honestly, I don’t miss ANY of them. They were no longer sparking joy. They were no longer needed. And now someone else has the opportunity to enjoy something new to them. Also, that is over $1,000 that went towards hospital bills. So, I’m calling that a win-win!

If you’ve been thinking about trying Poshmark for your own closet purge, you can use my special invite code to open an account: POCKETFULOFJOUL Then, if you see something you want to buy, you will get $10 off your first purchase. If you want to check out my Poshmark closet, you can find it here: https://poshmark.com/closet/pocketfulofjoul. Feel free to make an offer on something if you love it!

Note: This is a referral code. If you choose to use it, you will receive $10 upon joining Poshmark and I will receive $10 after your first order is delivered at no cost to you.

A couple months ago, I started a new series based on some feedback on my PocketfulofJoules Instagram account. A very sweet Instagram friend sent me a DM saying how much they enjoy seeing different ways to style the same items over and over again as inspiration for their own looks. (Psst…you can find a bunch of these saved under the “OOTD Breakdown” highlight on Instagram). So, I thought it would be fun to start highlighting some remixes here on the blog.

You can find my previous posts here:

• My Style: Remix with a “Fancy” Tulle Skirt
• My Style: Remix with a Solid-Colored Linen Skirt

For today’s highlight, I’m going to focus on remixing a simple solid colored t-shirt.

You can pretty much buy these LITERALLY everywhere – including high-end brands, low-end brands and the thrift stores. I prefer a v-neck cut and my current favorites are the Madewell Whisper Cotton V-Neck Tee or the Universal Thread Short Sleeve V-Neck T-Shirt. For both of them, I like to wear a size XL so that it is a little roomier in the bust and I don’t have to worry about any shrinkage when I wash and dry them a million times.

Source: Madewell.com (left) and Target.com (right)

And believe me, I do wash and dry them a million times. Solid t-shirts are an absolute MUST HAVE staple in my closet.

I have them in a variety of colors, but black is the most important when mixing and matching with my wardrobe, so I own multiples. I also have: dark green, plum, pink and a few shades of blue and gray. I wear them all year long in my casual life – with jeans, joggers, leggings and denim shorts. However, for this post we will be focusing on how they make a great layer for building an office casual outfit.

Here are just a few ways I’ve styled my black t-shirts for work:

Here are a few ways I’ve styled my other solid colored t-shirts:

I hope you like this new series and please let me know if you have a particular item you want me to highlight for you!

Maryland weather is doing what Maryland weather does… one week it’s in the high 90’s and the next we have a beautiful week in the mid 70’s. This month also had lots of fun events, such as a sister’s weekend in DC, an outdoor park birthday party, a family photo session, a week in Ocean City and a friend’s bridal shower. So, it’s no surprise that the month flew by!

Let’s take a look at my August looks:

Same dress, two ways. I purchased this black eyelet dress this month from Nordstrom Rack because it was on super clearance, I had a $10 off voucher that was going to expire, and I love how it fits me. I wore it to work first, and paired it with a beaded mustard-colored cardigan, brown belt and silver sandals. Then, I re-styled it for a weekend dinner in DC with my sisters — same belt, black sandals and a mustard colored purse. I can’t wait until the weather is a bit colder and I can pair it with boots and a denim jacket!

Here are two work looks from the month and… I think I hate them both. At the time, I was digging the floral embroidery paired with the striped skirt, but now it’s just not doing it for me at all. I’ve styled the thrifted striped skirt twice so far and both times it’s just giving me ‘meh’. I’m going to give it one more try and then decide if it’s hitting the chopping block!

Sames goes with the color combo with the blue top and rust-colored skirt. As much as I want to love that blue top, I just don’t love wearing it. I’m going to add it to my Poshmark closet so hopefully someone else can enjoy it soon.

Here are three very different looks that were worn this month. I’ve had that beaded dress for years, but I don’t think I’ve worn it since 2019! I pulled it out of the closet for my friend’s bridal shower and it was a perfect mix of comfortable, dressy and cool for some extra hot weather! For the middle outfit, I styled a handmade linen skirt with a simple t-shirt for some errands and loved it. And the last outfit is proof that sometimes I just wear shorts and a t-shirt.

Here are three work outfits I liked this month. The blue brushstroke skirt was on the chopping block, since I haven’t worn it in years… but I decided that it’s a keeper. I really liked it paired with a simple t-shirt and embroidered cardigan for work. As for the second outfit — this is the third time I’ve styled this secondhand floral Johnny Was top and it really does go with everything! The wrap dress was an easy way to look professional when I would have rather stayed in bed.

New vs. Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 11 items that I purchased retail and 16 items I purchased secondhand! Of those 11 retail items, 5 were purchased more than 5 years ago.