Article Archive

Below is a full listing of all of the My Wardrobe, Myself essays, from most to least recent. To easily locate my essays on a specific topic, please use the search box (top right on every page) or the “browse by category” list in the right sidebar (scroll down about halfway).

I started this blog in January 2018 (it ran under the name Full Life Reflections until July 2021), but I’ve also imported articles from my previous blogs that may be of interest to readers. All articles from 2017 and earlier were originally published elsewhere.

You may also be interested in reading some of the essays from my previous blog, Recovering Shopaholic, which I wrote from 2013 through 2017. To view the full archive for that site, click here.

• Are Black Pants “Dressy”?
• My 2024 Word of the Year Is…
• I Had a Style Epiphany This Week
• Five Returns I Made After My Last Post
• How We Shop vs. How We Dress
• My Worst Purchases of 2023
• My Best Purchases of 2023
• “State of the Wardrobe” – December 2023
• Lessons from My Summer and Fall Outfit Journal, Part Two
• Lessons from My Summer and Fall Outfit Journal, Part One
• Lessons from My Travel Wardrobe and Hypothetical Project 333 Capsule
• From Travel Wardrobe to Summer Project 333 Capsule
• Summer Style Challenges, Part Two
• Summer Style Challenges, Part One
• On Social Anxiety, Clothing, and the Opinions of Others
• Wardrobe “Bucket List” Spring Update – Part Two
• Wardrobe “Bucket List” Spring Update – Part One
• Early 2023 Closet Castoffs – and Why I Passed Them On
• Items That Did NOT Stand the Test of Time – and Why
• Wrapping Up My “Oldies but Goodies” Series
• The Oldest Items in My Closet: Part Three
• The Oldest Items in My Closet: Part Two
• The Oldest Items in My Closet: Part One
• My Wardrobe and Style “Bucket List” – Part Two
• My 2023 Wardrobe and Style “Bucket List” – Part One
• My 2023 Word of the Year Is…
• Recapping My 2022 “Lightness” Theme
• The Best of My Wardrobe, Myself 2022
• My Best and Worst Purchases of 2022
• My 2022 Wardrobe “All-Stars”
• My 2022 Wardrobe “Benchwarmers”
• November 2022 Packing for Travel Debrief
• Items That I Loved… But Ultimately Returned
• A Changing Approach to My Wardrobe Holding Zone
• Lessons Learned from My Recently Purged Items
• October Wardrobe Update: 10 Pieces I Passed On and Why
• I Don’t Care What “They’re” Wearing
• Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Successes and Failures
• A Few Wardrobe Check-ins – and Goals for the Rest of 2022
• Summer Four-By-Four Wardrobe Capsule
• A Dark Side of Buying “Multiples”
• When Your Clothes No Longer Fit You
• Trying Out the Four-by-Four Wardrobe from “The Vivienne Files”
• Too Much of a Good Thing
• Closet Reorganization: Summer Tops
• Keep or Return Decision: Athleta Puffer Vest
• A Tricky “Keep or Return” Decision
• Six Items I Recently Purged from My Closet – and Why
• My Top 55 Cool Weather Items: Some Observations
• My Top 55 Cool Weather Items
• “Less” Theme Recap – and My Word for 2022
• The Best of My Wardrobe, Myself 2021
• My Worst Purchases of 2021
• Best Purchases of 2021: Out-and-About Items
• Best Purchases of 2021: At-Home Items
• Reflections at Fifty-Five: The Mental and Emotional
• A Tale of Two Suitcases
• “Third Piece” Challenges – Part Two
• “Third Piece” Challenges – Part One
• Never Say Never… When Wardrobe “Don’ts” Become “Do’s”
• The Shift of Wardrobe “Do’s” Over Time
• Checking in on Wardrobe “Don’ts”
• Revisiting Wardrobe “Do’s” Six Years Later…
• Analyzing My 2020 Shopping Mistakes
• The Power of Twenty-Five Good Outfits
• Reflections at Fifty Five: Physical Appearance
• My Top 55 Summer Items: Observations and Lessons
• Celebrating Fifty-Five: Top Summer Items
• Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2021: Lessons Learned
• I Got Sucked Into the NAS Vortex Once Again…
• “Full Life Reflections” is Now “My Wardrobe, Myself”
• Packing for Travel Debrief – Lake Tahoe, June 2021
• Why Does Packing for Travel Have to Be So Hard?
• Addressing “On the Bubble” Shoes – Summer Edition
• Less is More in 2021: Reducing Physical Clutter
• Do You Have a False Sense of Security About Your Wardrobe?
• Choosing Less: Information Overload Update
• Addressing “On the Bubble” Shoes – Not Summer Edition
• Applying “The Rule of Ten” to My Shoe Collection
• Less is More in 2021: Addressing Information Overload
• What I Don’t Wear Anymore – Part Three (What I Like to Wear NOW)
• What I Don’t Wear Anymore – Part Two
• What I Don’t Wear Anymore – Part One
• Cardigan Downsizing Debrief – Part Two
• Cardigan Downsizing Debrief – Part One
• Pandemic – One Year In…
• If One is Good, Five isn’t Necessarily Better
• Selling Clothing Online – Six Month Update
• Sit in the Chair!
• Less is More in 2021: Part Two
• Less is More in 2021: Part One
• Reflections on My 2020 “Enough” Theme
• 2020 Wardrobe Goals – End of the Year Update
• Selling Clothing Items Online – December Update
• 20 for 2020 “Life Goals” – November Update
• Seven Months – and No End in Sight
• Online Clothing Sales Update – What I’ve Sold and What I’ve Learned
• On Clothes, Mistakes, and eBay
• Checking in on my Enough Theme for 2020
• Personal Style in 2020 and Beyond
• Reflections on the “Infinite Present,” Confidence, and Personal Style
• Following Up on My Holding Zone – and More Closet Purges
• May 2020 Wardrobe Update – Part Two
• May 2020 “State of the Wardrobe” Update
• “20 for 2020” – May Update and Changes
• Staying Sane in Difficult Times
• “Enough” in a Time of Chaos
• Closet “Oldies But Goodies”
• 2020 Wardrobe, Shopping, and Style Goals
• Reflections on My Last Capsule Wardrobe Challenge and My 2019 Wardrobe Goals
• Why Not Try a “20 for 2020” List?
• The Best of Full Life Reflections 2019
• I Have Enough and I AM Enough
• Wrapping Up My 2019 “Freedom” Theme
• The “Just One Thing” Approach
• Wardrobe “Half Project” November Update
• Thoughts as the Decade Fades
• On Connection, Technology, and Freedom
• Wardrobe “Half Project” September Update and Ideal Wardrobe Size Comparisons
• Revisiting the Wardrobe Size Question
• My Wardrobe “Half Project” – July Update
• The Importance of Solitude
• “Half Project” June Update
• 2019 “Freedom” Theme – June Update
• What Isn’t Included in My “Half Project” – and What Is…
• Could You Pare Down Your Wardrobe to Half Its Size?
• The Importance of Novelty for Happiness and Fulfillment
• Essentials for Happiness and Peace, Part Three
• Essentials for Happiness and Peace, Part Two
• Gray Hair Transition – Changing the Narrative (and More Tips on the Process)
• Why I’m No Longer Tracking What I Wear – and What I’m Doing Instead
• Fall Capsule Challenge Recap and Wardrobe Goals for 2019
• Debriefing the Year of “Essential” – and What’s Next for 2019
• The Best of Full Life Reflections 2018
• On Wardrobe, Shopping, and Happiness
• Insights from My Fall Essential Wardrobe Challenge
• Essentials for Happiness and Peace, Part One
• Essential Wardrobe Fall Challenge
• Lessons from My Late 2018 Closet KonMari
• Answering the “Gray Hair Tag” Questions
• The “Plate Exercise” and NAS Shopping Update
• Applying the “Goldilocks Principle” to Your Wardrobe
• Musings on Wardrobe Size and “Closet Churn”
• Applying the “Goldilocks Principle” to Your Life
• Daily Routines and Productivity Tips
• Shopping Check-in and Revisiting Sales Strategies
• Don’t Put Your Life on Hold
• Are You a Moderator or an Abstainer?
• When Connection Becomes Too Much of a Good Thing
• Spring “Essential Wardrobe” Challenge Recap
• Forgiveness, Part Two: How to Forgive
• On Forgiveness: The Three Types and When They Apply
• Gray Hair Transition – Don’t Do What I Did!
• Battling Negative Body Image: Tips from Friends, Part Two
• Working Toward an Essential Wardrobe – An April Challenge
• Can We Transform Our Broken Relationships?
• The Things That Isolate Us
• Body Image Rehab: My Past Blog, Continued Challenges, and Advice from Friends
• To Be More Productive, Aim for Efficacy over Efficiency
• What is a Full Life? – Revisited
• Essential Information Part Two: Digital Detox
• The Power of Small Steps
• Lessons from a Power Failure
• What Information is Essential?
• Striving for Peace and Recognizing What’s Essential
• It’s Not Too Late to Debrief 2017 – and 7 Ways to Do It
• Welcome to Full Life Reflections!
• Recapping Balance and Striving for Peace
• The End Game of Project 333 and Capsule Wardrobes
• Gray Hair Transition – Rounding the Seven Month Mark
• Photography Interlude – Pacific Beach
• Photography Interlude – Lake Tahoe & Half Moon Bay
• Photography Interlude: Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach
• Hello 50! and August 2016 Balance Goal Update
• Gray Hair Transition – Three Months and Counting…
• Photography Interlude – Point Loma Fishing Harbor
• Photography Interlude – La Playa
• Two Months to 50: Gray Hair Transition & Balance Goal Update
• Going Gray & Getting Out of “Hair Prison” Follow-Up
• On the Precipice of 50: Gray Hair, Vanity, and Breaking Free
• KonMari in the Bathroom: Paring Down Cosmetics and Toiletries
• Photography Interlude – Shelter Island
• Photography Interlude – Beach Birds
• Off to a Good Start with My 2016 Balance Theme
• Finding Balance in the Closet and All Areas of Life
• My Love / Hate Relationship with Caffeine
• Being Deliberate in the Home Stretch of 2015
• Photography Interlude – Ocean Beach Sunset
• Photography Interlude – San Diego Area Piers
• Photography Interlude – Lake Tahoe
• Photography Interlude – Torrey Pines
• Photography Interlude – Imperial Beach
• Am I Living a Deliberate Life?
• On Loneliness – Some Thoughts and Images
• Cultivating New Hobbies – My First One to Share
• Downsizing a Large Music Collection the “KonMari” Way
• On Tidying, Books, and What Sparks Joy
• Being Deliberate with Our Wardrobes and in Our Lives
• The End of Year “UN-Bucket List”
• We Don’t Have to Try So Hard
• “Full Life Project” Update – August 2014
• Dealing with FOMO and Information Overload
• Full Life Goal Update – April 2014
• What Else Do You Overbuy Besides Clothes?
• The 2014 “Full Life Project”
• The Joy of No
• Time Management – or Life Management?
• Fear and the Opinions of Others
• Friends, Shopping, and Telling the Truth
• Turning the Page – Birthday Reflections
• What Is “A Full Life”?
• Resolutions Done Right
• Holidays and Appreciation
• Celebrity Body Image Role Models
• The Perils of Indecision
• Body Image Role Models
• Portia de Rossi – “Unbearable Lightness”
• Our Secret Addictions
• Searching For Balance
• Sins of the Past
• Viva Christina Hendricks!
• Don’t Be a Debbie Downer!
• Does Slimness Trump Romance in Happiness?
• Critical Thoughts and Anger
• A Letter to My Body
• Don’t Worry!
• On Success and the Tonight Show
• Hollow Victory
• Clothing Size Obsession
• It’s the Little Things…
• The Decision
• Shopping and Body Perspective
• Stuck in an Image Rut?
• The Frustration Rabbit Hole
• What a Pain in the Neck!
• I Hate My…
• Staying Present
• Weight and Mood
• Self-Criticism and Body Image
• Serenity, Courage, Wisdom…
• How is YOUR Body Image?
• Fear… Only a Thought
• Fashion Isn’t Frivolous
• Six Months Already?
• Body Gratitude
• Reflections at Midlife
• Just What IS Plus-Sized?
• Revisiting Loss & Letting Go
• Lack of Connection
• It’s All Relative
• Body Love Goals
• My Week of Silence
• Messages From Pain
• Releasing Health Issues
• Body Confidence
• Enough Already!
• Clothing Woes
• Self-Acceptance
• No Bikinis For Me…
• The Tyranny of the “Shoulds”
• To Weigh or Not to Weigh…
• “I Should…”
• Illness as Avoidance
• Hope, Inspiration, and “The Biggest Loser”
• Facing Our Fears
• Body Love, Self-Love
• It’s Always Something!
• Missing Tile Syndrome
• Uncovering Our Hidden Beliefs
• Compulsive Behaviors
• Perspective and Appreciation
• Overspending
• Handling Discouragement
• “Deservability”
• Principles of Louise Hay – Part 4
• Principles of Louise Hay – Part 3
• The Practice of Gratitude
• Principles of Louise Hay – Part 2
• Principles of Louise Hay – Part 1