VV Boutique Style: Out With The Old

This time last year, I was at California Adventure Park in a tank top and skirt, soaking up the last couple days of SoCal sun... This year, I'm in good ol' Alberta with all the pretty snow in my cozy home with a cup of coffee and all my blessings thinking back over 2014 and looking forward to 2015.

Sometimes a good cup of coffee is enough.

This isn't going to be a typical fashion blogger post about what to wear for New Year's Eve (my wild party will be sledding and home fireworks with good friends, good food and good drinks), and it's not going to be about style resolutions (though I've had fun with those in the past). Instead, my focus this week has been on lightening up and making way for new beginnings! First, I took on the Monday Style Prompt: wear something I haven't worn yet, and purge 14 pieces from my wardrobe. I have a queue in my closet of thrifted pieces waiting to be worn and blogged and the oldest piece is a vintage dress I bought last April during a VV dress sale...

http://photos-b.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t51.2885-15/1209678_642405492499649_2025163531_n.jpg

Posing with imaginary cocktails FTW

I bought this dress for $4.80 because of the colours! Beautiful contemporary colours... but alas the style is just a little too vintage so I tried to modernize it and finally wear it...

Chambray $4.20 and Faryl Robin pumps $13.30 VV Boutique

And yep, my hair is wet. I'm on holidays, don't judge.

Sweater $5 and Miz Mooz slingbacks $7.70 VV Boutique

I didn't mind these looks but I didn't love them either and in the end I concluded that the pretty colours were not enough to keep this dress in my closet.

So out it went with the other 13 pieces I culled.

I'm in a purging mood yet found it surprisingly hard to let 14 pieces go. More on that tomorrow, so stay tuned! However, I had no difficulty helping my next gen friend Chantel purge her closet!

The result of my handiwork.

You may remember Chantel's glorious closet... well, Chantel recently moved and that closet is gone, girl. Out with the old... In its place, a much smaller closet and a much smaller room along with a completely different role - Chantel is in grad school to become an Occupational Therapist. Yay Chantel, you will be an AWESOME OT (takes one to know one, wink wink). This means that Chantel has different wardrobe needs - typical student attire (except sweat pants, you're better than that) and professional pieces for clinical placements. She already culled many pieces but was, er, lacking organization.

This is the only before picture I managed to get...because I couldn't stand looking at the rest of it.

Suffice it to say that the entire room was piled with haphazard bins of ???

The first thing I did was

then I set to work.

Here's how we tackled her closet.

anything that didn't fit went
anything she hasn't worn went
anything that looked worn went

Bag of donations is larger than it appears.

Next I moved her wardrobe so Chantel could access her closet...

Before - filled with office supplies and such. Insert straight faced smiley.

After - filled with folded tees, leggings and sweaters.

Chantel prefers to hang these garments but Baby, there ain't no room.

Next I moved her mirror beside the closet...

It's safe to take the cardboard off the mirror now, Chantel.

Her dresser holds undergarments, pants and skirts (can't hang, no room),

and notice the accessories nicely accessible on top.

Next I reorganized the hanging garments into colours - ROYGBV then neutrals - and used bins up top to hold workout gear, belts, scarves and such. She kept only dresses she's wearing right now in this closet and is storing summer and special dresses in the spare room closet.

When you have Kate Spade bags, you might as well display them.

Since the room is small, Chantel doesn't have much choice about using her bedside space for organization.

Pretty baskets everywhere for all her ~~shit~~ valuables.

Everyday items atop her wardrobe and a reminder of her heart for adventure!

Mini lights add a little inviting ambiance!

Chantel is happy she can finally sit on her bed.

We all know that decluttering and organizing feels good so I hope that you too took the Monday Style Prompt and lightened your load by 14 (or more) pieces! Some may be good pieces, but letting go makes way for newer better things!

In honour of the day, here's a look back at some VV Boutique Style highlights of 2014!