Sorting and storing baby clothes

OK, I'll say it: Babies grow quickly. You already knew this, but when you have the physical piles of clothing to prove it you have an in-your-face reminder. This reminder can also become a little daunting to sort and store.

The main reason baby clothes are challenging to sort and store, in my opinion, is that no two clothing brands label their clothes the same way, and even clothes of the same size by the same brand can seem wildly different. Of course, we can't really blame the brands -- after all what does a 6-month old look like, anyway, when mine could be 14 pounds and yours could be 20 pounds? So you've got newborn, and 0-3 months, and 3 months, and 3-6 months, and 6 months, and 6-9 months, and 6-12 months, and 9-18 months. I've tried as much as possible to organize Natalie's clothing not so much by what the label says but how the clothes match up to each other. That 0-3 month footed outfit from Naartije Kids is the same size as the 6-month footed outfit from Carter's, so those items are side-by-side in the closet. If you stick to what the label tells you, there's a good chance you'll wind up forgetting about certain articles of clothing and by the time you remember them your baby will have outgrown them.

Here's my assessment of baby clothes so far:

• Clothes that fit for the greatest amount of time: short-sleeve onesies and socks -- these stretch a lot and grow with a baby. Natalie can still wear 3-month onesies but nothing else from the 3-month category.
• Clothes that fit for the least amount of time: footed onesies/sleepers -- so many babies, Natalie included, seem to outgrow the length before the weight.
• Truest-to-size brand: Carter's -- At 8 months Natalie is wearing a combination of 6 and 9 month clothing.
• Runs-on-the-small-side brand: Gap -- Natalie could wear 6-12 months at 4 months.
• Runs-on-the-big-side brand: Circo (from Target) -- Natalie can still fit into a newborn outfit at 8 months.
• Always-seems-mislabeled-regardless-of-brand item: hats -- Natalie has so many hats, most of which she's never worn because they've never fit her. Her head is relatively small, yet which, if any, hat will fit her is a crap shoot.
• Most-amazingly-good-quality-for-the-price brand: H&M, particularly the kimono-style long-sleeve onesies made from organic cotton. These fit so well and the material is so thick. 
• Most-versatile clothes: casual dresses -- turn them into tunics with jeggings when they become too short and you've got one stylin' baby girl.

When faced with a pile of baby clothes, most of which Natalie has outgrown but some of which are toddler-sized hand-me-downs or gifts, I had to devise a system. In reading online about what other people have done I had visions of a garage full of plastic bins of baby clothes divided into tons of different categories. But most people who have elaborate systems also have at least five children -- a basketball-team's brood. We did not need anything complicated.

For now we have two piles that go into two bins: girl and gender neutral. I imagine as Natalie grows we'll have fewer gender-neutral items and more girl items, but for now this seems like a good way to get started. If we have another kid or we loan out/give away clothes, we've already reduced our workload by half just knowing if the clothes are for a girl or either sex. Right now each bin contains two piles of outgrown clothes and one pile of toddler clothes, with room to spare for the 6-month summer clothes and more that will be making their way into the bins shortly.

Now that we've freed up some dresser drawer space I've tried to better organize the clothes that she can still wear now and the clothes she'll be fitting into soon. Baby clothes seem to fall into a number of categories, especially because so many tops and bottoms come together as outfits (when does this trend stop -- with teenagers?). Natalie can still rock some 3-6 month clothes, primarily onesies, but everything else is 6 months or above. I figured I'd keep all the up to 12-month clothes out in her closet and in her dresser and not in the bins so I don't make the mistake of forgetting about any clothes that could fit her in the near future.

Never fear, Natalie has more 9-12 month clothes in her closet not pictured here. Baby clothes seem to not be in short supply, but they are most certainly cute.

I did it...I organized my socks

Put this on the list of "things that I must accomplish before the baby arrives" not because it really changes my life on any level, but because I have a weird perhaps nesting-type compulsion to get this done. During my Container Store run last weekend I picked up this $7.99 32-compartment drawer organizer. I decided against buying another set of the Real Simple clear organizers I picked up for $4 at Bed Bath and Beyond for my hosiery drawer because I felt like my socks are bulkier and need to be more compartmentalized.

Now, these before and after shots are not really fair because I took the before photo at night and the after photos during the day, so it's sort of like those bad plastic surgery photos where, if the person was only smiling in the original photo, the transformation would not be nearly as significant. Oh well.

Before -- pajamas and socks intermingle in the wild.

After -- even Matt admits that he would like a sock drawer organizer. (He says something along the lines of, "I don't need it, but I wouldn't be upset if you decided to do that for me." This will likely be a maternity leave mini-project.)

This is on my ever-growing list of tiny things that make my life a little easier and give me a little more order over my space on this planet.

Easy jewelry access

One thing that's true about how I get ready in the morning is that I try to do it as quickly as possible while still walking out the door appearing somewhat put together. Jewelry is a big help in the put-together look, but when my jewelry is hidden away I am less inclined to sift through it. A long time ago I shared with you my hanging necklaces display, which is one organizational strategy I've tried to make myself more inclined to wear jewelry, and it has worked. I've recently added an earring and bracelet display to the mix.

It took me a while to figure out how to better display my earrings and bracelets in a way that would work for me by not taking up too much space and not appearing cluttered while still encouraging me to access my jewelry more frequently. After checking out other organizers' ideas like the ones you'll find here I settled on the ceramic egg crates from Anthropologie for my earrings.

At $14 each, they are affordable and functional. The one downside of these is that they can more easily collect dust, but the fact that I actually wear earrings now most days outweighs that minor annoyance.

I also finally picked up this acrylic bracelet display at Jo-Ann Fabrics last weekend. It was a good investment of $7.99 (less 20 percent after a coupon -- holler!).

Reorganizing my jewelry has been a silly little task on my to-do list for months now, and I'm glad that after some earring reorganization this summer and bracelet reorganization this weekend I now have a much higher likelihood of wearing these items.

Best T-shirt ever

I realize "Best T-shirt ever" may sound like major hyperbole, and perhaps it is, but I am really pleased with this purchase:

(Ignore my one rogue curl...such is my life.)

And despite the shirt's message, I am pleased to report that -- aside from a few friends' husbands, oddly enough -- I haven't had many inappropriate people try to touch my now 28-week-pregnant belly. (I am more than happy for my girlfriends to rub my belly because it's a novelty factor if nothing else. Plus I like for them to share in my happiness, and they possess all the same body parts as me.)

I found this gem through a giveaway on the blog Pregnant Chicken. While I did not win the giveaway, I did go straight to the Etsy seller DiscoBelly (awesome name) to make this purchase. Believe it or not, this is my first ever Etsy purchase, and while I love Etsy as a concept, I am determined to stay off the site unless buying a gift or hunting for some really specific item because I can imagine it could get addictive.

Real Simple drawer organizers for the win!

No matter how organized we may be, we all have that space in our house that needs some help. More likely than not, that space is something behind closed doors, as in a closet or a junk drawer. Having conquered the junk drawer in the kitchen in April when Jen at IHeart Organizing issued her challenge, I thought I should organize my sock drawer next. You know, that sounds like a ball, right? Isn't "I'm busy organizing my sock drawer" right up there with "I'm busy washing my hair" in terms of lines girls would tell guys as code for "I really don't want to go out on a date with you"? (Back when I was on the market I was a bit more direct, known for telling one boy in particular that it was the worst date of my life and he should never call me again....I digress).

If you're needing to actually organize your sock drawer (and not simply avoid the prospects of a bad date) pick up a pack of these Real Simple Drawer Organizer Sets. I got my three-piece set at Bed Bath and Beyond for $4. The $4 I shelled out for this little helper is right up there with the $4 I spent on our new desk cord organizing system as some of the best money I've ever spent on a simple yet effective solution.

I guess it's more accurate to call this my "hosiery drawer" seeing as it really holds my old-lady knee-highs and my more stylish tights and leggings. These are really items I use during the cooler weather months, so in an effort to take stock (pun intended) for this fall/winter, I wanted a better system for seeing the goods. I've noticed for me that when items such as my necklaces are clearly visible and not piled on top of one another I'm more likely to use what I own.

I'm loving this new system and I think I'll be buying another set to organize my real sock drawer soon.

(In a life update from last week, after my rant about my doctor's receptionist's behavior on Friday I'm happy to report that my appointment on Friday was totally normal. Not only is everything going well, which is what matters most, but also my doctor was somewhat in disbelief that her receptionist called me to cancel my appointment since my doctor never asked her to do that and she couldn't figure out why the receptionist was behaving in such a way. My doctor does schedule appointments at 4:30 and even later, she does leave voicemails, and she sounded like she would be giving the receptionist a talking to. At least my doctor did not sanction such behavior and I can continue to have faith in her.)

Maternity clothes are a pain (a second round of pregnancy observations)

In my 15th week of pregnancy I shared with you some of my first pregnancy observations. Now that I am rounding out week 22, over half way through this pregnancy, I thought it would be fitting to share a few more observations. Plus, this work week has been worse than expected and therefore other household tasks I would write about have fallen by the wayside, with hopes that we'll take advantage of a quiet Labor Day weekend at home to tackle the remaining items on the Summer Bucket List.

Picking up where we left off...

Observation 6: People really are nicer to pregnant ladies.
Once you have a fairly obvious belly, people really will go out of their way to help out, let you cut in line even though you never asked (and really don't need to), offer their seat, etc. This all probably goes with the whole "pregnant women are delicate flowers" mentality a lot of people adopt. Although I am a fiercely independent person and I don't ask much of others, if you want to let me cut in line at the sandwich counter, I won't complain.

Observation 7: Not all pregnant women are crazy hormonal with intense food cravings, and pregnancy brain is a myth.
I'm sorry, but I think a lot of people exaggerate....well, a lot. Besides wanting to know how I am feeling (the answer: still fine) people want to know what food cravings I've been having (the answer: none) and what kind of mood swings I've been having (the answer: none, though I did want to cry at work today when I could not set up my technology cart which houses a laptop, DVD player, external speakers, document camera, LCD projector, etc., but that has nothing to do with being pregnant). I think it's easy to use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever you want or be mean to your husband just because you feel like you can. I also get really, really annoyed when I do something wrong and someone next to me says something obnoxious like, "Looks like someone has pregnancy brain!" Umm, no, my brain is exactly the same, you just caught me messing up at something like I normally would non-pregnant, but now you think you're being cute by calling this my "pregnancy brain." I view it as a bit demeaning. Rant over.

Observation 8: You will never be able to predict how others will respond to news of your pregnancy.
A good friend of mine who had a baby in January told me this piece of wisdom, and it has really stuck with me. Having struggled for a tiny bit to get pregnant, I understand what it's like to hear that yet another person you know is having a baby, and yet you're still not pregnant. I have no idea what other people are going through, so I try to be sensitive to that. Perhaps as a result, when you're pregnant some people will distance themselves from you and some people will become way closer to you than they ever were before. Even other people will react in ways you could never predict. I think it's important not to take anything personally, to realize everyone is going through something, and there's no way to predict other peoples' reactions.

Observation 9: Maternity clothes are a pain.
Ok, here's the good stuff. Way before I got pregnant, I vowed that I would buy as few pieces of maternity clothing as possible. I spent a couple years trying to buy dresses and shirts that could be worn non-pregnant as well as pregnant. In retrospect, I did a pretty decent job. The one thing I underestimated, though, was how much I would despise trying to get maternity pants. I knew this is where I would need to splurge. So, while I have purchased six maternity shirts, each of which cost me between $5 and $9 at Gap Maternity (inside the back of some Baby Gaps) and Target's maternity section, I have really busted the budget when it comes to maternity pants.

I did find success with the Belly Band (more specifically the BeBand sold at Target for $16.99). I was wearing one around week 12 to make my jeans more comfortable. I didn't even try to wear my dress pants after week 11 because they are so tailored and they would look ridiculous with the BeBand. Then somewhere around week 15 my weight shifted and I was able to button my jeans without the BeBand for several more weeks. Then I hit week 19 and knew I needed actual maternity pants, especially with the school year around the corner.

Here I am last week at week 21, still sporting the BeBand over some non-maternity shorts. If you're wondering when my belly really, really popped, the answer would be between weeks 20 and 21 (for pictorial evidence, check me out here at week 20).

After many fruitless stalkings of eBay for designer maternity jeans, I realized that no one selling second-hand maternity clothes online appears to have a body in my proportions, so I bit the bullet and bought investment maternity jeans. You might recall that a couple years ago I got hooked on Citizens of Humanity jeans. They are ridiculously expensive, but they fit me perfectly and make me feel good, so they are so worth it. When deciding whether or not to make this seemingly ridiculous maternity purchase (of Citizens of Humanity Dita Petite Maternity Boot Cut jeans from Destination Maternity), I applied the following logic: I will wear these at least three times, if not more, per week (and probably will for a while postpartum, too), and I want something that makes me feel like I look good as I get bigger and bigger. Sold. Even Matt was on board, sort of. I've only had these jeans a few weeks, but I've worn them at least a dozen times, and every time I wear them someone remarks that they do not look like maternity jeans. Mission accomplished!

Here I am today at 22 weeks, sporting my maternity jeans (which I realize are not terribly visible) and a cheap-o shirt from Gap Maternity.

Dress pants have proven to be much more challenging. Thanks to a birthday gift card, I've been scoping out the Loft maternity offerings for a while now. The problem, though, if you look closely at the Loft maternity website, is that literally all of the non-jean pants that Loft carries are online exclusives, meaning you're buying something when you have no clue how it will fit, especially now as your body is changing. This has resulted in some frustrated trying-on sessions at home, where Matt was kind enough to tell me that I did not look good in certain pants (and I genuinely appreciate that kind of honesty). Then you have to return the items by mail only because Loft stores will not accept maternity purchases. The good news is that I found pants I like in the right size. The bad news is that I have to get them tailored and spend more money. Oh well.

My maternity clothes observations boil down to this: dresses and shirts are a piece of cake; pants are a pain in the butt.

What are your favorite places to find maternity pants that actually flatter your body?

Jeans victory, clock defeat

First, the bad news. 
A year ago I blogged about a wonderful new alarm clock I ordered from Hong Kong. This little green gadget is nearly perfect. But there's one small engineering defect that has officially made me groan at least five times in the past year and most recently on Friday morning.

The problem rests in the back of the clock.

If you look closely, (besides seeing dust) you'll notice that the on/off button is right next to the reset button. Every morning after I finally make my way out of bed I turn off the clock. If I didn't turn off the clock, it would defeat its entire purpose as a green product. But about once every two months or so I lose my edge and accidentally press the wrong button, which is inevitably the reset button. This is especially annoying because once I press the reset button there's no going back, and this clock takes a solid five minutes to program because it contains so many pieces of data. Definitely flawed engineering!

Now, on a happier note...
As we were packing for Mexico a week and a half ago I noticed that my beloved Citizens of Humanity Dita Petite Bootcut jeans had a massive hole in the crotch/butt region. Not only did I blog about these jeans days after I bought them, but I also saved the receipt in my long-term receipt file so I knew I bought them in mid-March 2010. I bought the jeans at Nordstrom, so I had a good feeling this would work out well in the end (pun intended).

Today I experienced the joys of Nordstrom customer service. I simply brought my jeans and receipt to the check out counter, explained that I bought the jeans less than a year ago and expected them to withstand less than a year of wear and tear. The girl said she would gladly take them back if I had my receipt. While she was issuing my refund, she said that sometimes the jeans simply don't hold up if they're washed and dried too often. Looking back, I only washed those jeans a handful of times because I really only wore them once a week max and basically never wore them over the summer, my prime time for casual dresses, skirts and shorts.

Overall, I appreciated the no-questions-asked approach to taking back my expensive purchase that in my mind was obviously defective (I may have a big butt, but it is not that big). I did try on a slightly different pair of Citizens petite jeans and they fit perfectly, so today I basically broke even. Bottom line (pun intended again): I love Citizens jeans because they fit me perfectly, and I hope this pair will out last the previous one.

Two more feel-good Sunday thoughts:
1) In today's 60-degree weather I was thrilled to see buds prominently visible on trees. That just makes me happy.

2) A-la my friend Lindsay's experience, I also planted an amaryllis bulb this winter (my first one ever thanks to a gift from my friend Zoe) and it is in full double-flowering bloom. Such a nice treat after about six weeks of TLC.

Hope everyone's gearing up for a good week!

Reader tip: New year closet organization

Today's post is actually something my friend Dawn told me about many months ago, but with the start of the new year, now seems an appropriate time to share it with you.

Dawn's mom, another super-organized lady, uses this trick in her closets: When she has worn an item, she turns around the item's hanger in the closet. By the end of the season, if a hanger indicates that a clothing item hasn't been worn, she sends the item straight to Goodwill.

This is a great idea! For those of you who are maybe a little more sentimental about your clothing, you can try this modification: if you haven't worn an item in a year, you should put it in the donate pile.

I haven't tried this trick myself because I'm a pretty ruthless closet purger, and I transfer clothes to our guest room dresser (the staging grounds for our big purging pile) on an almost monthly basis. This is, of course, mostly to clear up space to justify making more clothing purchases.

If you're not as ruthless as me, why not take all your closet hangers, organize them facing the same direction, and if by the end of the year you haven't worn something, show you love it by setting it free.

Have you tried Dawn's mom's strategy? Do you have another strategy for keeping your closet clean? If you missed it, you can check out my master closet organization system here.

Europe shoes!

On the last day of school on Thursday Matt and I did a little shopping. Emphasis on a little. Most shockingly, Matt wanted to go shopping, especially because he needed some items for our European vacation. I wanted some closed-toed shoes I could wear while sightseeing and not look like a total dork.

I found some affordable shoes at DSW. These are Privos, which are made by Clarks.

These have good ventilation -- let's be real, there is no way I'll be wearing socks at any point this summer, unless I go to the gym, and that will also likely be rare, given my track record. They also have good traction -- not that I'll be hiking anything serious, but I won't be falling down any ancient roads, either. And they have Velcro! Man, I haven't had Velcro since I was five. Most importantly, though, the shades of gray mean they won't show dirt too much during our three-week trip, and they will go with more outfits.

I'm breaking these in by wearing them on long dog walks. I'm also getting some Moleskin, at Matt's recommendation, especially because my left foot is slightly shorter than my right foot, so that foot tends to get more blisters.

I'll still be bringing flip flops and nicer shoes to wear when we're doing less strenuous tourist activities, like grabbing food in between siestas, but these will be good for staring at the Sistine Chapel and exploring La Alhambra.

Holes in the soles of his shoes

She's a rich girl
She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes

He's a poor boy
Empty as a pocket
Empty as a pocket with nothing to lose

~"Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" by Paul Simon

I am not rich, but all my shoes have complete soles. My husband's shoes, though, do not. A month ago something funny happened...

Look for it...

Let's zoom in...

 

Matt's tolerance for this is exceptionally high. Mine, not so much. Of course, if he can stand a hole in his flip flops, so can I, but I could not deal with this if these were mine. We even took a rare trip to the mall over the weekend -- which I believe was mostly a way for Matt to play with an iPad -- and he even humored me and walked into a clothing store or two, but we didn't buy anything...

He's got holes in the soles of his shoes...

I love World Market jewelry!

It's a dreary day here in the D.C.-metro area, so let's liven things up with something fun: jewelry!

Over the weekend, amidst small home improvements and errands, I stopped in at World Market. Now, I was looking for a small rug for the basement, but I walked out with some fantastic, inexpensive jewelry. A few weeks ago when I took you inside my master closet, I said that World Market is a great place to buy chunky, inexpensive jewelry, but I did not back that statement up with evidence (tsk tsk, English teacher). Well, here's the evidence!

Exhibit A: Earrings

Here are the brushed, faux-gold ones I bought for $4.99

Exhibit B: Bracelet

Here is the wide cuff bracelet I bought for $9.99

Saturday night when we were out at dinner the hostess asked me if my bracelet was jade, and I proceeded to tell her, "No, it's a totally cheap World Market bracelet." She had never heard of World Market, but she seemed converted, so hopefully she'll enjoy some inexpensive jewelry, too!

Exhibit C: Necklace

Here is the long, faux-gold necklace I bought for $9.99

One note: I am fortunate not to have sensitive skin, so this kind of inexpensive jewelry does not irritate my skin. I know that's not true of everyone, and some ladies may not be able to make do with these purchases.

Another note: If you go to the World Market website, you won't be able to find these items. Instead, you'll find more expensive jewelry, most of which is not carried in stores (and frankly, most of which looks a little cheesy for my tastes).

I realize that these purchases are, by definition, impulse buys, but I don't make impulse buys often (shocker!) because I'm such a planner. I got all this jewelry for around $25, whereas I know I can easily pay $25 or more for one piece of chunky jewelry at a regular clothing store. So, with these thoughts in mind, I justify this purchase. Plus, I am trying to restrain myself when it comes to buying clothes. Accessories are a great way to make old outfits look new, right? Right!

Speaking of not buying clothes, here's something I fell in love with this weekend that I kept myself from buying. You can find it here from The Limited for $98 (again, I showed restraint). Maybe one of you can buy it for yourself (or send me a coupon, if you have one!).

Inside my closet day 8: the last hurrah

So, there are some things I didn't get to mention this week about my favorite clothing items, so I thought I should add one last clothing mash-up to tie everything together (as we wait for "Glee" to finally return...)

First, to follow the journalistic inverted pyramid, I will give you the best stuff. That is this...

Best clothing tip I have ever received: Get professionally fitted for a bra at Nordstrom.

Without getting into intimate detail, let me just say that for all the ladies in the house, this should be at the top of your wardrobe priority list. My friend Megan, a quite fashionable lady, shared this tip with me two years ago, and my world has never been the same. Just yesterday I got a Facebook message from a friend sharing the fact that she too just got fitted at Nordstrom and it has similarly rocked her world. If you go, might I suggest checking out strapless styles made by Le Mystere. Yes, like most essential clothing purchases -- and I realize I use the word "essential" in a highly American sense -- they are expensive, but like any expensive clothing item I have ever purchased (all of which I believe I have posted on this blog this week) they are long-lasting and well worth it. And, if you don't want to shell out $80 for a bra, get fitted at Nordstrom and then try to find similar styles at a cheaper place, such as at Loehmann's, which carries some of the same items.

Now, on to other items that didn't make it into my earlier clothing posts:

Blazers

Just this morning my friend Katy, who is also a teacher and blogger and book club buddy (the primary ways in which we are different are: 1) she has one more child than me, and I have one more dog than her and 2) she gets her pants in long and I get mine in short), asked me when I am going to write about how much I love blazers. Here goes: I love blazers, particularly ones from H&M and Ann Taylor Loft. I tend to buy them on sale for super cheap and wear them with dress pants to look majorly professional, or with jeans to look quasi-professional. Here's a current best-of:

This red, fitted corduroy one from H&M that I bought this fall

This tan, less-fitted one from H&M that I bought five years ago

This black and white, smock-like one from H&M that I bought three years ago

This black cropped one from Ann Taylor Loft that I bought this fall (I love the way it flares out at the bottom)

This pink one from Ann Taylor Loft that I bought five years ago

This white chino one from JCrew that I bought four years ago

There is a great shopping story behind this purchase. I bought my wedding dress from JCrew. It cost $599 full price, so I opened a store credit card (the only time I've done such a thing in my entire life) because the 10 percent discount off $599 was too good to pass up. Then I found (or rather, Matt's parents found) my dress in my exact size at a JCrew outlet at the beach the very same day my wedding dress arrived in the mail. The beach outlet dress had never been touched, had no defects and it only cost $259. So, I returned the JCrew dress to the store later that day and kept the outlet dress and saved over $300. Then around Christmas time JCrew sent me a $100 gift card because I had charged at least $500 to my JCrew card within a certain length of time. In my mind, this made my wedding dress cost $159. JCrew messed up, but I am not complaining.

And here's that cheap wedding dress that never saw the tailor (a true Stephanie-style purchase)...

Purse: local designer

This inexpensive and cute find is from Elizabeth Designs. Elizabeth has a table at Eastern Market in downtown D.C. on Saturdays and Sundays (assuming she's still working there...I have not been since the fall). You can also check out her awesome Etsy page. She makes these handmade purses in lots of sizes and so many cute patterns that it took me about 20 minutes to choose my pattern.

Best...

• Place to buy ankle athletic socks -- Costco (like you, I am also shocked, but this is true)
• Place to buy chunky, inexpensive jewelry -- World Market (or Cost Plus if you live on the west coast)
• Place to buy chunky, sometimes-splurge-worthy jewelry -- Banana Republic
• Place to buy shoes of all varieties -- DSW
• Place to buy leggings, tights or pantyhose -- Target (try the Assets by Sara Blakely variety if you want tights that will last; try the Xhilration leggings)
• Place to buy bathing suits -- JCrew (I love the way they fit and the material is thick enough to last for several summers)

Now, share your best-of's, please! What are your absolute favorite clothing purchases, and where are they from?

Next up...things get back to normal here, and we'll talk about something less-glamorous: broom and mop organization.

Inside my closet day 7: Dress pants

By now you may have noticed that when it comes to stores, some clothes and a good deal of products, I am all about brand loyalty. Perhaps this is because I am a decisive person, and when I find what I want, I stick to it. Or perhaps this is the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy stemming from my mother's choice of name for me -- according to her, at least, she chose "Stephanie" because it means "loyalty" (though this definition is as of yet confirmed, as most online sources claim it means "crown"). Then again, thanks to Matt I have been happily buying lots of Wegmans (aka generic) brand pantry staples the last few years, so who knows. Either way, I am loyal. Enter...

Favorite clothing item #7: The Editor Pant from Express

How does loyalty come into play here? The fact that I have owned eight pairs of these pants, five of which are in my current rotation.

These pants are great because:
1) They come in a good variety of colors and materials.
2) They hold up well over time (my oldest current pair is from seven years ago).
3) They have a fairly classic look, so as they hold up physically over time, the look should hold up reasonably well, too.
4) They are affordable for work clothes. These pants range in price from $49.50 to $79.50 full price, and there are occasionally specials.

What's annoying about these pants?
Some of these pants come in short sizes, but on me the short size is too short, especially given the fact that I often wear heels to work. Maybe the problem here is the fact that at 5'4" I am right on the line between petite and regular sizes. Then there's the issue, much like with designer jeans, that the regular-length pants appear to be made for giants, thus requiring some decent amounts of tailoring. Still, these pants are worth it.

Oh, and these are some of the few items I own that I actually get dry cleaned. 

My current Editor Pants are:
The Luxury Stretch Editor Pant in light gray melange (a particular pant it seems  many people I know own and wear regularly, and which is currently on sale for $48.65)

And these four patterns that I cannot find anymore on the Express Web site:

• Brown plaid

• Black plaid, wide waistband

• Black and white wool (not surprising that they're not selling these right now!)

• White...which looks just the way you think it would.

My three oldest Editor Pant purchases are no longer with us. One black pair I wore until it practically disintegrated, and two pairs of Editor Pant jeans (not exactly dressy work pants, but maybe casual Friday pants) became a little too tight and I simultaneously got tired of them, so it worked out that the people of Goodwill gladly accepted them. But these pants each saw well over eight years of use.

Next up...one final look inside my closet week post to tie it all together...a cornucopia of leftover clothing items awaits us! And, the best piece of wardrobe advice that I ever received.

Inside my closet day 6: Brown flip flops

Even if you don't know me personally, I bet you might have an idea where this post is going. If you're like me, you were the last to jump on this bandwagon, but you realized that the bandwagon did, in fact, live up to the hype. While not at all original, my...

Favorite clothing item #6: Rainbow Sandals Tan Leather Single Arch Narrow Strap flip flops

Yes, everyone has these, to the point that the locally famous "Arlington Rap" dedicates several verses to everyone in Northern Virginia who wears brown flip flops, and our friend here has a blog titled "Brown Flip Flops." When you're kind of preppy and your friends are kind of preppy, it happens. But, like I said, these live up to the hype.

I heard complaints that these flip flops are expensive. The official Rainbow Sandals Web site sells them for $42.50, which is identical to the price I got from another retailer on Amazon when I made the purchase. I don't know...I live in these flip flops during the summer, so kind of like expensive jeans (or expensive slippers) these seem reasonable.

I heard these flip flops are really uncomfortable, at least at first, but I did not have that experience ever. In fact, I think these are the only flip flops that have never given me a blister.

I heard these flip flops conform to your feet. Yes, that was true, as you can see from my obvious toe marks imprinted on the soles.

I heard these flip flops hold up well for years, and so far that has been true. They also come with a warranty: "We will repair your Sandals against manufacturing defects, which includes delamination, the strap pulling out, or stitching coming apart, before either the top or bottom wears through anywhere into the next layer." Have any of you had to take them up on this? If so, how did it go?

I heard these flip flops can get wet and be just fine, and while I believe that is true, I also don't really like the feeling of walking around in wet flip flops, nor do I want my flip flops to become darker than they already are. So, I try not to get them wet, and I wear cheap rubber flip flops at the beach and at the pool.

The true test of these flip flops? The fact that Matt owns a pair (except his are the wide-strap variety). That's right, Matt -- the guy who will make fun of you (and roll his eyes) if you spend too much on a single clothing item broke his own rule with these. That, my friend, is true flip flop love. It was meant to be.

Next up...work pants!

Inside my closet day 5: Perfect tank top

Because I missed a clothing post yesterday, I'll do two today!

Favorite item #5: Old Navy Long Layering Tanks

These 100% cotton tank tops are a great wardrobe staple. They hit me at the hip, as advertised, and they are form fitting, but they will stretch out a good amount while you wear them. They are also very affordable, currently costing $7.99 each. Old Navy often runs specials on this item, and every year there are different colors available. For me they run true to Old Navy sizes, because in my experience Old Navy clothes run pretty big, so I buy these in extra small.

Three years ago I bought this tank top in three basic colors -- white, gray and navy blue -- to wear when working out. I really wore the white one out because I also realized it was a great item to wear under shirts, but then I bought the White House Black Market white cami and never turned back. My only complaint with this item is that the hem of the white one came undone and the entire shirt quickly unraveled (after two years of wear). But that's the only problem I've had with any of them.

In the summer of 2008 as Matt and I were preparing for our cross country trip, I stocked up on this item in more colors because I knew it would be an inexpensive and comfortable shirt to wear while hiking through national parks (during the hottest part of the summer). I know some people prefer dry-wick shirts when they'll be sweating, but I'm not a huge sweater, so a more expensive item seemed unnecessary. These shirts are also perfect for packing because they are quite small when all rolled up.

Now I almost exclusively wear these shirts for working out, but I also like the fact that if I am going to the gym and running errands, I can still look semi-presentable in these cute tanks. One piece of advice: wash these on the gentle cycle. The material is somewhat thin, so treat carefully to make them last.

And now, a view of our cross country trip through the eyes of these tank tops!

In Colorado, getting ready to tackle Gray's Peak. Or actually, in my case, semi-tackle Gray's Peak, because I faced my one and only case of altitude sickness on this hike and didn't make it all the way up. I blame it on being from the east coast.

In Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

In Arches National Park, Utah.

In Canyonlands National Park, Utah.

In Sequoia National Park, California. (I'm super tiny! See if you can spot the tank top!)

In Sedona, Arizona, during a stop on the Pink Jeep Tour. (See, there's the white tank top, a few months before it officially died.)

In the Grand Canyon! (Arizona)

In Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico.

And if you're ever thinking about taking a cross country trip and you want any of our advice, let me know. Matt and I drove over 8,000 miles in one month, taking the northern route out west and the southern route back east, visiting Chicago; Denver; Moab, Utah (Arches); Yosemite; Sequoia; L.A.; Sedona, Arizona; Grand Canyon; Santa Fe; with a few other small stops along the way. We stayed in inexpensive hotels or with friends, mostly visited parks, and ate some awesome food. We also listened to at least a dozen books on CD while driving, a perfect way to pass the time.

Next up...brown flip flops!