Sunday, March 15, 2015

Drew Barrymore and I are doing better at the wardrobe thing thank you very much.....


I have a total crush on Drew Barrymore.  Having watched her wild years and then recovery and then search for happiness, I have always rooted for her, because she wears her heart on her sleeve and is so open-hearted.

A couple of months back I was surprised to see Drew on the cover of More Magazine:




Then it hit me: Drew had turned 40!  If Drew is 40 I must be in my fifties.  Oh my...

I don't know if any of you have tried her flower cosmetics, but I have tried a few things and been quite impressed.



My favourites?

I think Flamingo Flower would be perfect for spring...

And I love this cream eye shadow:

Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadow
Wild geranium


The packaging is very pretty and the quality is excellent.

But I digressed.  What made me think of Drew this weekend was an article she wrote for Refinery29 about her recent closet purge.

Drew Barrymore Put Her Closet On A Diet — Here's What Happened
I like the look of this closet...

Yes, it seems just like we mere mortals, even lovely Drew struggles with what to wear as she gets older and struggles with post-baby weight.

In other words: she is human!

For those of us who are aging (and who isn't!) or whom have lost or gained weight, the closet can become a conundrum.

You may recall my purge back in November/December and my folding obsession.

Well I am happy to report success.  With the exception of a few lighter weight items that couldn't cut the freezing winter we had here, my purge meant that I wore everything.    I had let go of things that were too big or too small; I had let go of things that I might wear if I was living a different sort of life, and I concentrated on only keeping things that fit well and that I loved.

It made a huge difference actually. 

What I learned was when it was all out and there wasn't a ton, it was easier to get dressed - I didn't stand for hours trying to figure out what to wear. 

I learned that my style is NOT minimalist, though it is quite simple. 

I learned that I do not wear dresses in the winter, although I could benefit from a pretty one next fall.

I learned that most of my shoes are simply works of art in the winter, working from home.  It turns out I live in my Minnetonka slippers.

I learned that there are a few colours I adore:

  • Navy
  • any other shade of blue
  • a jewelled pink
  • white
  • cream
  • black
Building my wardrobe around those colours (with a few exception) is making my life easy indeed.

And if I had my own closet (I share with Barry), I could easily have all four seasons in one place.  Easily.  I could not have done that a year ago.  And I sure couldn't have done it three years ago!

And while I am nowhere near getting out spring clothing (we are having yet ANOTHER blizzard today), I did take a couple of hours to go through the upcoming season's clothing and shoes and threw some things out, donated some things, gave some things to my best bud, and got some bags ready for consignment.  It also helped me realize what I actually needed for the season, which isn't much actually.  My plan now is to always purchase two or three "nice" things a season and augment with other less pricey places like Joe Fresh or J Crew. 

My favourite part of Drew's article was this:

Sixth: Expect depression and/or identity crises.
My closet seemed to be clean. But, no longer eclectic or wild enough. It actually seemed like I had no clothes. It got too sparse! I was sad. Had I gone too far? I was missing my old funky self and felt like I had become some conservative, boring woman — but not even in a cool, J.Crew way. I was more like, I don’t know…just not me.

But, then something happened. There was such a noticeable lack of chaos that I could actually start playing clothes Jenga in my mind before I reached the closet. This was different. Normally, the inner dialogue was defeatist and avoiding. Now, I was looking forward to a minimalist curation that didn't overwhelm me. Holy crap! This closet diet is working!



I could so relate.  I kind of missed my pencil skirt and suit days and all the funky stuff.  But I have the pictures, and I have moved on to simple and comfortable and chic.

J Crew Wendy!


I am definitely now in the camp of loving a smaller wardrobe.  And while I choked at giving away some of the more expensive of my things, I do concur with old Marie from the KonMari method that it is a good thing to send out all that good energy and make someone else happy!


So Yay Drew and Wendy!  And next post, I want to talk about Drew's husband...

xoxo wendy


 

21 comments:

  1. I think she's great, and I love that magazine, I had never heard of it but picked up two copies in my month's sojourn in the US. It's Mother's day here, it's bright and dry no complaints.

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    1. I forget Mother's Day is april in the U.k. Hope mum enjoyed herself!

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  2. PS - I don't wear dresses or skirts in winter either and all of my fancy shoes are museum shoes, taken out but twice a year, haven't even worn my Christmas present shoes from two Christmases ago.

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  3. It is easier getting dressed with fewer options...definitely in a more minimalist camp here but not the 10 item wardrobe. Isn't it interesting that as we age we tend to rid ourselves of excess baggage? I wonder if this is a process that helps prepare us for our inevitable demise? Not that I am in any hurry to slip off the planet but it seems that priorities have changed...less is better.
    I read that issue of More cover to cover and have watched Drew over the years with great interest...she does seem like a genuine authentic and honest woman....someone that you could be friends with.
    i hope that pink sequinned number is still in your closet!!!

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    1. Oh I love that pink sequin skirt! I'll probably be wearing it when I'm 90!

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  4. I think Drew is darling...but she's 40! Wow that is a bit of a wake up call. I wear skirts in the winter with tights and flat riding boots. Of course my winter is nothing like yours! I strive for casual, elegant, comfortable clothes that are easy to wear and care for, but don't look sloppy. What about her husband??

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    1. I think I'd like your definition of winter - we had a foot of snow yesterday!

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  5. Oh, no, not another blizzard!

    I started working on weeding things out of my closet. Decision One: closet needs better light.

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  6. I don't wear dresses or skirts in Winter either, and I've been busy purging a bit of stuff too with the upcoming change in season. It can be hard letting go of an old favourite that now looks… old. But I am doing it!
    Drew's husband is in the latest Architectural Digest… well, him and his home office/ closet/ bathroom. He's a very stylish man I have to say! Hope the snow thaws soon - it's the never-ending Winter!! xx

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    1. Oh I know! That's what I'm blogging about tomorrow! Love Will!

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  7. Drew is so cute, I've always liked her. I don't know if I'll ever get down to a small wardrobe. I keep getting rid of things but I still have too much left. It's hard to know what I want the remaining contents to look like when I'm done- I'm not sure my style is that defined. Maybe that's my problem?

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    1. Cate - I am so with you! And the shopping thoughtfully - I don't have a lot of money for clothes anymore - I really would like to NOT make as many mistakes!

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  8. Thank you for another great post, Wendy!

    Drew has such a universal lovable quality. She is the definition of adorable, and isn't afraid to show that she is not perfect.

    I have been doing a lot of closet decluttering too, and am finding that it is an ongoing process (over a year now!). I've done my first cut purges -- clothes that I will definitely not wear again -- over the first year, and into this year, am getting rid of things that yes, I would wear it, but if I got to choose, I'd choose something else. I just picked up Marie Kondo's "The Life Changing Magic of Cleaning Up". I just started it, but opening to any random page finds some gem. For example: "selection criteria: does it spark joy?" That is a very good one, IMO, especially for the first cut. I am finding the second cuts much harder because I have lots of clothes that I do love, but would be better off without... Wish me luck!

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    1. I know! I keep almost getting rid of my peacock blazer. And then it gets a reprieve. I am sadly unimaginative when it comes to clothes, at least in comparison to my writing mind!

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  9. Wendy a great post and thanks to you I got that book.It really does work especially the folding things and now I have time I am going to do the big purge. I love about your closet and Drew's. You are right that less you have the more creative you can be. I also like the idea of sending out that energy to make someone else happy! x Kim

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    1. The purge I am dreading is our crawl space. But it is coming soon - whenever the bloody snow leaves!

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  10. I meant to comment last time but I did look up the folding method when you posted about it. I love it and have not only been able to get things to fit in my drawers and see them, I also was able to get rid of a lot too. I moved on to my closet and came out with 3 66-Qt containers of clothes. I need to do a second purge because I know there are more things that need to go. I've been working from home forever and it finally clicked that I'll never need any of those office clothes I've been holding on to. Even when I do go in the office I wear something business casual.

    Drew's article was great. I know they are noticed/photographed more so they may feel like they cannot wear the same thing twice. It is nice to see celebs have the same closet struggles we do.

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    1. Audrey - I was the same way. My goal is to have only one tub of off-season clothes, which should be very easy now, as my tshirts are all together in one drawer thanks to the folding!

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  11. Amazing blog and very interesting stuff you got here! I definitely learned a lot from reading through some of your earlier posts as well and decided to drop a comment on this one!

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