Late Jan. Winter-Wardrobe Check-In
Checking in on the closet after about two months.
Hey there! It’s 2026!
I almost said “happy” 2026, but I’m not sure that’s just right.
(As I write this, it’s January 26, 2026, we’re snowed in, things feel like a collective mess, and it’s really cold, so let’s go with “it’s 2026!”)
I have been tracking what I’ve been wearing, but on a month-by-month basis. Here is what I wore the most, what my surprises were, and what was added or (sort-of) subtracted as I moved into January 2026 (which I’ll be able to report on soon).
First - surprise! - additions. While I am aiming for something approaching a “low buy” (especially in 2026), I forgot to bump my Stitch Fix (which I do about quarterly - once a season) and really got a lot of good workhorse-potential items. Darn it. But also, yay?
I received the following five items:
MARKET & SPRUCE cream speckled boatneck cable sweater
WIT & WISDOM olive corduroy wide-leg pants
INDIGO 6 brown denim wide-leg raw-hem jeans
41 HAWTHORN Black crewneck cotton-blend sweater
MARKET & SPRUCE caput mortuum (deep rose/brown) button-up v-neck blouse
I also added in (because they suited some need) the following three items purchased prior to December 2, 2025:
&OTHER STORIES brown flat booties
Amazon “Gucci Style” dark brown slingback loafer
Red velvet China-style Mary Janes
So that is 8 additional items other than the 39 I had in my list to begin with, but I also did not wear the following 10 items at all in December:
ZARA PEARL CARDI (black) (late Nov ThredUp)
TARGET SILKY MIDI (bone) (didn’t feel like it)
GREEN ANKLE JEANS (my ankles are cold)
LACE PANT (late Nov ThredUp and too big)
GREEN FLORAL DRESS (didn’t feel like it)
PINK DRESS (didn’t feel like it)
ALPACA CARDI (I love this but every time I tried to wear it I felt sloppy)
TALL BOOTS (didn’t feel like it)
LIVERPOOL BLAZER (didn’t need much for the office)
39+8 = 47 - 10 = 36 items in December (well within capsule-striking range if not dead-on).
My top-three tops were:
1. Wood Badge grey sweatshirt (eight times, though some were partial-days or after I was done for the day for warmth)
2. RD Style Ecru Sweater (three times)
3. A multi-way tie between the brown turtleneck, the pink flannel, the taupe button-up cardigan, the grey cashmere sweater, the tan dotty neck, the green J.Crew sweater, the red yoke sweater. These were all two times each.
My top-three bottoms were:
1. Just USA Wide-leg blue jean (nine times)
2. Everlane Way-High Blue Jean (seven times)
3. Everlane Wide-leg acorn trouser (six times)
My top-three shoes were:
1. Birkenstock Boston Clogs (ten times)
2. LL Bean Boot (six times)
3. Cariuma White Sneaker (five times)
My main takeaway from this is that 36 items would probably get worn 2-3 times over a three-month period, but for one month, I couldn’t wear everything (unless that was my actual goal). Shirts are harder to rewear, which makes sense — it’s a little more obvious when you rewear those, so reaching for something intentionally different would be more instinctive, and those things also get dirty more easily (armpits, food, writing utensils, whatever). The pants and shoes were pretty clear and reflect a preference for warmth, comfort, thick socks!, and ease.
So, now it’s late January. I have worn each of the new items once. The three in heaviest rotation are the pants (both, but I like the fit of the brown jeans better than the corduroys - I don’t know if they are a skosh too high-rise and I write this as someone who loves a good high-rise or a smidgen too big/thin, so they feel a little baggy at times in the hips and seat…) and the cream sweater. I don’t wear black on top a ton, but kept the sweater because when I want a simple black sweater (often as a heavier tee-shirt), I want a black sweater. The one I got from ThredUp is…OK, but I might send it back in to sell. The puffy sleeves make me feel a bit like a linebacker and the S/M fit isn’t quite right on me.
Which is to say that I’m due for a closet clean-out again soon. I have 1-2 ThredUp bags waiting for my attention, so I should fill them soon and send them in. Maybe I’ll try to do that this week (it’s now January 27 as I am writing this post-slideshow portion of this blog entry).
While it’s not officially the end of the month, I’m comfortable starting the end-of-January round-up. What I did for January tracking was to roll over everything I wore at least twice, added in the single/no wears I was pretty sure I’d wear this month, and then added in things as they felt necessary from the overall capsule (or, as needed, from the larger wardrobe options). Here’s the thing about this past month, though. I have had a shocking number of days where I didn’t “get dressed”. Either I worked out late (it is January and all), so never changed out of my workout clothing until it was time for pajamas or a shower, or it was a snow day and I just hung out in pure loungewear all day. It is always my intent to dress for the day (some sort of day), but I haven’t accessed my wardrobe this month nearly as much as I normally would. My wear counts are artificially low. But, here’s the thing. I don’t want to get dressed just to get dressed (I mean, I do, but I’m a fundamentally practical girly), I want to wear what makes sense for my day. And sometimes that means staying in my leggings after I put them on in the morning as an incentive to work out. This also keeps my clothing from needing to be laundered as much, which makes it last longer, which is inherently eco-friendly (both in terms of washing resources and wear and tear to the clothing).
January Statistics (through 1/26/2026 - I have faith I’ll put…something on today).
I have thirty-five (35) items in my list for January, again, probably because I have a better sense of what works in/from my original December 2 selections, added in up to eight items that might serve me better overall (or might fill a one-time gap - stay tuned) and of those, I still only wore about 3/4 of the wardrobe (27 of the 35). I only purchased one item of clothing in January - a secondhand tee for $5 (workout, lounge - not part of wardrobe) from the thrift store that says “Surrounded by Tiny Humans”. I had no choice, really.
Let’s Break Down the Wears…
Except there’s not really enough for top three/bottom three for the three major categories, so let’s just do a top five and list the eight items I haven’t worn… (*again, there are four days left in the month including whatever I put on today, but the message has been received, nonetheless, you know?)
Top Five January Items
1. Birkenstock Boston Clog - I barely wore anything else and ran out of room to track this (>14 wears). I was at 16 wears (out of 26 days) by 1/26/26.
2. Just USA wide-leg blue jean - They fit easily over leggings for warmth, go with everything, and I don’t mind the mid-rise when my waistband is covered. I still wish they were high rise. When I find an appropriate replacement, I’ll likely pack these away. (Other than the rise, I love them; and while I can’t really imagine giving up high-rise in my late-40s and beyond, never say never.) (tied for second with seven wears)
3. Indigo 6 wide-leg brown jean - I would wear these most days if people wouldn’t notice, so I basically alternate them with the blue ones and my Birks. (tied for second with seven wears).
4. Wood Badge Sweatshirt - This guy is a workhorse when it’s cold or I need something cozy. It helps, given the workout/lounge-heavy month, that this is the one lounge-y item in my working wardrobe and so would get counted when other sweatshirts and loungewear do not. Tied for fourth: five wears.
5. LL Bean “Bean” Boot - Another workhorse - these lost to the Bostons when the ground was clear, but the Bean Boots surged in popularity when it snowed. Obviously.
Honorable mentions (three or more wears): 41 Hawthorne gray cashmere sweater, Thursday Boot Co black booties, Wit & Wisdom olive corduroys.
So, in heavy rotation, and considering I was able to wear l/s tee layers that didn’t count toward my wardrobe, I really got by with 8 items…though only two of those are tops/layers… so maybe not totally practical. Still - think it’s worth noting.
Things I Haven’t Worn in January
1. J.Crew green sweater (I’m surprised, but I think it’s the dark/dark or hunter/olive combo that’s making this less useful in winter)
2. Talbots Red Yoke Sweater (that was worn a lot because of the holidays - not so surprised, but wonder if I’ll wear it for Valentine’s Day?)
3. M&S Caput Blouse (I wore this on an unseasonably-mild Christmas Day, and it’s been pretty cold in January, so this doesn’t surprise me)
4. MOTF cream silk blouse (this one is great for work and dressy events, but I’m cold and I didn’t feel like it or dress much for work).
5. PS Rust bodysuit (not sure why I haven’t worn this more…I think I would benefit from a good cardigan options).
6. Savannah wool-check blazer (I didn’t dress for work).
7. Nisolo Tan ankle booties (didn’t really wear dressy shoes and when I did I wore black TBC boots)
8. Multipocket denim overalls (surprised by this one - I specifically added this in December because I missed the option as a “toss over leggings and a top” tool).
Moving into February.
My list for February has 33 items for tracking and four open spots, which seems like it should be ample, even if I start dressing myself more regularly. I started, again, with the workhorses, and then rounded out as it felt appropriate, guessing about weather and events.
1. Grey cashmere sweater
2. Tan alpaca turtleneck sweater
3. Green J Crew sweater (I really think I should be wearing this more)
4. M&S cream fleck sweater
5. HSC Brown merino turtleneck sweater
6. Teal Michigan sweatshirt (moving into rotation as I’ve reached for a it a few times this month)
7. Wood Badge sweatshirt
8. M&S black sweater
9. Savannah blazer (I do think I’ll have a mediation or two on video)
10. MOTF ecru silk blouse (a good option)
11. M&S caput blouse (a good V-Day color?)
12. Flannel pink check
13. Flannel gray solid
14. PS Rust Bodysuit
15. Taupe alpaca cardigan (I’m struggling with this but it’s warm and cozy, and I love the color)
16. Overalls (just in case)
17. JUSA blue wide-leg jeans (duh)
18. I6 brown wide-leg jeans (duh)
19. W&W olive corduroy wide-leg jeans
20. Everlane Acorn wide-leg pants
21. Liverpool black wide-leg pants
22. Levi black wedgie jean
23. Boston Clog Birks
24. TBC Black bootie
25. Nisolo Tan bootie
26. LL Bean boots
27. Cariuma white sneaker
28. Asics Novoblast (my workout sneaker)
29. COAT - lands end puffer
30. COAT - J crew boucle wool coat
31. ACCESSORY - Kate Spade cognac purse
32. ACCESSORY - Coach black purse
33. ACCESSORY - PDX leather crossbody
34. OPEN
35. OPEN
36. OPEN
37. OPEN
This is based, again, on my regular wears in Dec/Jan and predictions for February. We’ll start tracking it on Sunday! I’ll report back. Until then, stay warm, and enjoy the snow.
Image Source: winter sledding c. 1905 via “St. Louis Pictures from the Past” on Facebook, January 2026, shared by Mike DeBrock
