Why I've Quit My Capsule Wardrobe

For such a long time, I was convinced that a capsule wardrobe would save me so much time and money. I think it does for many people. For years, I weeded my clothing down to just 25 items or so every spring, summer, fall, and winter. I felt a lot of pride looking into my bare closet. I felt like I had such control and so many options.

The thing is, I grew tried of constantly giving so much attention to my clothes. I work from home, after all, and sometimes I just stay in my lounge outfits all day. That's a luxury I know not everyone has. But in my life -- right now -- it doesn't make sense. One day, it dawned on me. What I really needed to do was to stop buying clothing altogether. That's the root issue here. After all, when I was searching to create a perfect capsule for any given season -- I'd inevitably find gaps. And I'd need to fill those gaps with almost a laser focus.

So, I've stopped doing that.

What have I done instead? Well, being pregnant twice in recent history has been tricky when it comes to clothing. I can't give a full tutorial on best practices if your body isn't constantly changing. I have several pairs of maternity jeans and shorts and flowy shirts. I've been sticking to those. I did buy a few new pieces with this last pregnancy, but they're just undershirts that I wear under things I already have. And jeans. I had to size up my jeans from previous pregnancies. No shame.

When I haven't been pregnant, I've tried collecting pieces (and now simply holding onto pieces) I can see working no matter the season and no matter my age. For me, and as most of you know, this means a lot of FLAX.


I don't have the money to spend on new FLAX or many of the second-hand linen pieces you'll see circulating eBay or Etsy. (The dress/tunic above is literally the ONLY thing I have ever bought full price and new.) In fact, I'm sort of disgusted by how high the markups are. More power to the people who are reaping the rewards -- but I find most of my linen for between $5 and $25 at various thrift stores and consignment shops locally. I don't need to spend $200+ on a piece of similar value.

End rant. Where was I? 

OK. For me, I like linen. Even in the winter months, I layer it with some cotton basics and pair with jeans. It works for me and my casual, work-from-home lifestyle. I've liked the way this style has looked since I was a teenager and went to my first Angelheart Barn Sale. It's meant to be loose-fitting. This means it accommodates my body as it changes. I'm able to wear the same sizes even when I weigh totally different weights, have different shapes, etc.

It's definitely not for everyone, which I have learned when I've polled readers on different looks on my Instagram. But I'm cool with that. I've never really dressed for what's stylish in the moment. The fact that FLAX clothing has been around as long as I have shows me that it will weather trends, even if it goes out of its current rise in popularity.

Right now I have all my clothing for all seasons in my closet. I have probably 60-70 things. I haven't counted, but I just know how much fits in there. Where I'm focusing my efforts on simplicity is getting rid of stuff that I haven't worn in a long while (mostly as I see them, not as a big organizing task) and not really buying more unless I find it on the cheap or it brings me joy. Because while I have stopped shopping mindlessly and regularly for clothing, if I find something I really like -- and it's $7? It may be worth it. So long as I don't do it all the time.

I realize this post may not be helpful to many of you. But I'm sick of trying to cultivate a perfect minimalist or capsule wardrobe. I'm sick of it being a THING online. And I was totally trying to make it a thing, too. It's exhilarating in a way, right? BUT it wasn't s.i.m.p.l.e for me in practice. (Which is the core of my new definition of simplification.) This new system is. And I find that I don't really have too much laundry of my own to contend with. I often wear the same things week after week . . . but at least this way I have more options.

I'm not a style icon.
I'm not a fashion blogger.
I just don't care THAT much.

My kids clothing, on the other hand, is another story entirely.

And I'll get to that later this week!

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My Large Thrifting Haul + Cost

So, changing gears from clearing all clutter out of my house . . . I had a very productive thrifting trip last weekend. I only visited two stores for these items. The first is the second-hand shop that's a mile from my house. The second is the children's thrift shop across town.

Total amount spent: $86, which -- admittedly -- sounds like a lot. But stay with me!

The mission: Ada's stretching to the max in her size 6 clothing lately, so I am slowly collecting sizes 7/8. Eloise needed some cold weather stuff and a few basics, since Ada and Eloise were born in different seasons.

Anyway, here's what I bought for each family member.

For Ada:

• Matilda Jane Top NWOT ($6)
• Lands End Rocket Sweatshirt ($4)
• Johnnie b Boden boatneck ($1)
• Garnet Hill Kids fleece ($4)
• Johnnie b Boden dress ($4)
• Children's Place jeans ($3)
• Dr. Martens boots ($10)
• Minnetonka moccasins ($5)
• Hanna Andersson dress NWOT -- not pictured ($3)

TOTAL: $40

For Eloise:

• Hanna Andersson fleece ($4)
• Hanna Andersson pants ($1)
• Okie Dokie shirt ($2)
• Unlabeled wool pants ($2)
• Wool polka-dot jacket NWT ($4)
• Saint James boatneck ($2)

TOTAL: $15

Also for Eloise:

• Patagonia lightweight snowsuit/bunting ($14 -- half off, so $7)
• Stonz booties NWT ($14 -- half off, so $7)

TOTAL: $14 (and these will fit next year, too -- and the snowsuit might stretch to age 3)

For Stephen:

L.L. Bean fleece shirt NWOT ($5)

TOTAL: $5

For Ashley:

• Patagonia zip layer ($6)
• Nike Dri-Fit Fleece ($6)

TOTAL: $12

More thrifting fun:

Smart + Thrifty Tips for Buying Second-Hand Clothing
FLAX + Why I Mostly Buy Second-Hand Clothing
Introvert’s Guide to Holding a Yard Sale
Frugal Accomplishments
5 FLAX Outfits // Summer Edition
All my style-related posts

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FLAX + Why I Mostly Shop Second-Hand Clothing

Why I mostly buy second hand

I could go on for days about the reasons I like to shop at thrift stores and other reuse shops for my clothing. Some reasons are obvious. Others maybe no so much. I had many other posts on this topic on my other blog Writing Chapter Three, so maybe I’ll try to re-post them here someday soon.

Here are my top three reasons of the moment.

I buy second hand because . . .

• The clothing is far cheaper than the stuff you’ll find in retail stores. I’d say I generally spend between $4 and $20 on each piece of clothing that comes into my closet. The average price is around $10 to $15. But even that sounds a bit high. It just depends on the store and the item I’m purchasing.
• The clothing is better quality than I could otherwise afford. If I were to go to a FLAX store (my favorite brand) and buy a new piece, it would run me between $40 and $100 per item. I don’t have that kind of money hanging around. But, I can find something old + in great condition (because quality!) and give it new life for a fraction of the price.
• I feel shopping this way is more ethical. I am in no way getting on a high horse here (uh, LuLaRoe?). But I am learning and trying to do better with my buying practices. I am trying better to avoid fast fashion and its many issues, save clothing from landfills, reuse perfectly good items, etc.

Where do I buy?

Here are the places I regularly shop. By regular, I mean that I visit all my local shops about once a month in a rotation. I try to hit the days when they’re having 50 percent off sales or similar promotions.

The stores include:

• Good Will, two locations in my area
• Thrifty Shopper, two locations in my area
• Salvation Army, two locations in my area
• Trader K (if you’re local, it’s in Ithaca)
• Misc. other local thrift

I also shop second hand online:

• Ebay
• Poshmark*
• ThredUp
• Mercari

* You can earn $5 to spend when you sign up with code NYRLS!

I have a modest monthly clothing allowance set up for each family member in the budget. While I don’t always NEED new clothes, sometimes I see a piece I really like, and it’s worth the $5 to add it and maybe purge something else from my wardrobe.

The same goes for the girls. I do a mix of new and previously loved clothing for them. I find that onesies, for example, are often better bought new. They may even be cheaper on clearance. The stuff I can find on thrift for kids is usually in awesome condition. But the girls’ clothing is a topic for another day.

What do I buy?

These days, I primarily seek out FLAX clothing for myself. If you’re unfamiliar, FLAX is a line of generously cut linen duds that started in 1995 with Jeanne Engelhart in Ithaca, NY. I don’t know the whole history, but I started shopping FLAX in 1999 when I attended a barn sale with my boyfriend’s mother when I was in high school. It was my introduction to natural fibers in clothing, and I saw this way of dressing as funky and sort of strange . . . but it did inform many of my college wardrobe choices.

Fast forward many years and many personal styles, I returned to flax after I found a piece randomly at our local Thrifty Shopper. It was a dress for $8, and I wear it all the time. After that, I started slowly chipping away at buying pieces I could find for under $15. If you hunt FLAX like I do, you know this is no easy feat. Especially now with the popularity of linen clothing, people are definitely marking things up, which I get. But they are marking them up to a grossly high premium.

For example, there’s a FLAX jumper I love on Ebay right now, and the semi-local store owner has several similar pieces. She’s charging $225 . . . for each . . . and I believe she’s earning that amount, too. More power to her, but boo to those of us frugal FLAX lovers. I’m pretty sure we shop at some of the same thrift shops, and I know the markup is ridiculous. But, I digress.

I have been limiting myself to primarily buying these linen items for a few reasons. First, many of them are from the 1990s and look fantastic despite their age. This means they will last. Second, flax is a sustainable, natural fiber. It gets better with each wash, soft and breathable. Third, I like how the clothing is cut. It’s modest, but cute. It’s flowing and flattering. It also seems both timeless and age-less. I promise I’ll dedicate a post very soon to how I style my flax clothing.

My closet

So, I am sure you want to see what pieces I own. Right now I have a total of 30 items in my closet that make up my main wardrobe. It’s mostly flax and denim pieces. This 30-count does not include pajamas, underwear, socks, and activewear. I have decided I model some of my favorite outfits for you guys later this week.

Here’s a quick snapshot if you’re curious.


In my next post, I’ll give you a run down of each item in my closet (a few are missing here -- jeans, mostly). I’ll also show you my five favorite pieces that get the most wear. And I’ll give you some tips to hunt FLAX on your own. I actually get a lot of questions about this clothing on my Instagram, so this post isn’t totally random. I hope it helps!

Related posts

Spring Weeding
Introvert’s Guide to Holding a Yard Sale
Let’s Talk LuLaRoe: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
How to Take the Stink Out of Your Workout Gear
All style-related posts

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Let's Talk LuLaRoe // Good, Bad, Ugly

Yes. I am sucked in by the whole LuLaRoe thing. I resisted it for so long. I love the cuts. I love the prints. I love the hunt, really. So, I wanted to do a post sharing some of my thoughts on this brand. Because I've got a whole lot of good, bad, and ugly things to say. Maybe you can chime in, too.

I love the clothes

I am carrying around a few extra pounds after Eloise's pregnancy and everything that came before it. This is no secret. I'm trying hard to give myself grace. And you know what? Wearing leggings and flowing dresses and tops has helped my confidence a bit. The fabrics are pretty. The clothing is well made (for the most part). Having some mix-and-match pieces makes getting dressed on little sleep a breeze.

My favorite piece is the Julia dress. And I recently found the print I had been searching for at the regular retail price.

Score!

The clothes are versatile

You really can dress up or dress down a lot of the clothing. I'm thinking the dresses and shirts more than the leggings. The pieces are really perfect for me because I work at home. Of course I want to look nice when I go out, but I don't need to go too over the top.

A lot of my friends love wearing their stuff to work too, though. Because they have some great options, like the Cassie skirt (I don't have one -- but the fabric is awesome). I would have loved having these things in my closet when I worked my last 9-to-5. I hated my work wardrobe.

Buying clothing at home is easy

Going shopping at stores for clothes these days is tough. Sure, I can leave the kids with Stephen on the weekend and head out . . . but we get so little family time as it is. When I do finally get some time on my own, I like to see friends, go for long runs, or just do other stuff besides clothes shopping. Plus, having the ability to shop in my bedroom or living room helps pass the time during all those hours of nursing, right?

Plus, when you go out to the regular stores? You're bound to have the same outfit as someone else. LuLaRoe only prints like 1,000 items in a single print. That's cool because you won't likely find yourself wearing the same thing as someone else.

The resale value is good

Sometimes you buy something you don't end up loving. But you might figure this out after the limited time when you can exchange it with the consultant. In these cases, I've had great success selling over Poshmark. My LuLaRoe clothing -- by far -- is the fastest selling stuff in my closet. I can usually get what I paid for the piece, even if it doesn't have the tag attached.

Sometimes I've made even slightly more . . . but that leads into something I don't like, so keep reading.

I hate the buying process

OK. I like the idea of supporting individual women who want to make money selling clothing. But honestly? Who can go to a pop-up at a moment's notice at like 3PM on a Wednesday? And in some of the larger groups, it's pure ridiculousness. While I didn't want Halloween leggings, I did go into a group to browse them one day. By the time the shop had opened . . . ALL of the leggings were sold. We're talking in like 30 seconds flat. It was weird. It got me scratching my head.

I have also gone to one in-home pop-up at a consultant's house. It, too, was weird. The women were all very sweetly and gently pushing by one another to grab what they wanted. Like black Friday at your favorite store when you're trying not to be too obviously obsessed with what you want to the point of clawing someone's eyeballs out. Sorry to get so graphic, but I swear!

Also: People bought so much clothing. I can only imagine how much these consultants are making!

People are insane with this stuff

I mention Halloween leggings. It was pure mania. I went on Ebay to see what they were selling for and NO JOKE they were in the hundreds of dollars range. For a pair of leggings. With skulls or witches on them. One pair sold for $450. C'mon, people! There is a certain pair of leggings that I would just die for (medallions), but the cheapest I've seen then listed on Ebay is like $120.

For a freaking pair of buttery soft leggings.

I will admit I got roped into finding my unicorns on Ebay and paying a premium of $60. I don't won't do that anymore. Nope. The minute I sent in my payment I felt like an oaf. Unless it's retail or only very marginally above, I just wait for regular sales and pay retail price.

Some of the styling suggestions are just plain awful

If you ever Google "how to style X piece of LuLaRoe," you'll inevitably land on some YouTube tutorials. Some of the suggestions are awesome. Like pulling up a Julia to make a long shirt. Tying a Carly in the front for some flair, etc. But then there's the whole "buy an Irma a million sizes too big and slip it off your shoulders and tie it for a fun dress" and "tie the sleeves and sides on your way too gigantic perfect tee you just had to have because it was in your print" some other crap that is just fugly.

I think some of the suggestions might even be attempts to get women to buy sizes way up or whatever just so they will, yup, buy something if there isn't a piece if their true size. Just my theory.

Because . . .

I think I have a slight addiction

And I don't share this lightly. I do think there's an aspect of buying LuLaRoe that can be addicting -- in a bad way. So many women are trying to get certain prints. It's like a race and, of course, you want to win. You always want to win. At least that's how I feel sometimes. I don't need any more clothing right now. But when I see a sale group go "OPEN" on Facebook or hear about a local pop-up, I immediately want to go.

And when I look at all the videos and other things, I am starting to feel like it's more than just sharing the love of the clothing. The whole culture around this clothing is made to suck you in and make you want to buy more, more, more. It's smart from a business perspective, but I am trying to ignore these tactics and their impact on my own shopping tendencies.

Thankfully, there are alternatives

I've shared the Viv Collection leggings on here before. I think they are a good option for adding to the leggings collection without spending an arm and a, uh, leg. I reach for my Viv leggings as often as I reach for my LuLaRoe. I may even get more compliments with the cheaper brand -- especially the volcanic rose (below) and the paisley.

They even make flow-y shirts and pencil skirts!



So, those are my thoughts on LuLaRoe.

I'm sure I'll hop on someday to share how I style the pieces I do have. For now, I'm going to try to resist buying any more. Though, I did agree a while ago to do an online pop-up in December! I may even do a small de-stash on Poshmark (which -- BTW -- if you'd like to sign up -- you can use my code NYRLS to get $5!)

Do you Roe? What are your thoughts on the clothing and the company in general? I have stayed away from most MLM stuff until now, but I definitely went all in with this one. Hmmm.

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Spring Weeding

These capsule wardrobe things are all the rage, aren’t they? I don’t consider myself terribly stylish. I try, and I’ve shared a few of my attempts at being fashionable in the past. My grandmother (mother’s mother) is the most stylish person in the entire family. There have been several occasions when we’ll show up at a gathering wearing the same item from the GAP or something. It’s crazy. And it usually looks better on her.

Anyway, clothing. I tried weeding through my wardrobe in the past, but then we moved to our new house and I got my very own closet. Not just a closet, like, a DOUBLE. It’s huge, and I felt like I needed to have all my stuff out to fill it up. Plus, it’s hard right now, guys. I’ve been shifting between several sizes in the last couple years. Even until yesterday, I had some maternity pieces in my wardrobe because it seems like the minute I got the positive sign, stuff didn’t feel comfortable. Then there was that row of my old, old favorite jeans that just taunted me. I could barely pull most of them the full way up.

Laundry is a whole other issue wrapped up in this mess. So, finally I got sick of mounds of clothing I needed to either wash or fold, and I said ENOUGH! To me, this whole capsule thing isn’t necessarily for style. Yes, it should make getting dressed in the morning slightly easier. Most of the clothes I kept (out of like 80 pieces total) were in the blue/grey/black/white range. I kept a few colorful pieces for when I’m feeling spirited. Otherwise, the rest went into storage (because I’ve already considerably pared down my clothing through donation and even ThredUp).

Here’s what I’m keeping:

• 3 pairs of jeans
• 1 pair of pants
• 1 pair leggings
• 2 skirts
• 4 dresses
• 7 sleeveless shirts
• 7 short-sleeved shirts
• 4 long-sleeved shirts
• Jean shirt
• 2 light sweaters

I haven’t ironed out the final details yet (see what I did there?), but I’d like to keep it all below 35 items. I also have 3 pairs of shoes/boots and 3 pairs of sandals. I’ll probably want to add shorts when the weather gets warmer. I’m not big on accessories, but I might find a few -- a belt, scarf, etc. We’ll see. But I’m hoping most to eliminate the mountains of laundry and to simplify my overall dressing routine. And getting all the too-small and maternity clothes out of the closet was just good for my soul.

I’ll be back sometime in the near-ish future to share a few outfits from my closet. I’ll also update you on if this method is working for me. My immediate feeling is it’s going to be awesome. Oh, and (totally disjointed in my thoughts today!) I also have exercise clothing and lounge-wear that don’t count. I cut all that stuff in half too. Feels good!

Do you do the whole capsule wardrobe thing? 

What’s your experience?

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What I Wore: Cold Weather Running

Ada and I bundled up early this morning to head to our polling place about a half mile away from home. It was only 27 degrees, so we wore sweaters, knee socks, and then I strapped Ada into the Beco carrier and silly snuggly Peekaru vest.

The walk was chilly, but well worth the purpose.

Did you vote yet today? Or did you take advantage or early voting? I keep seeing photos of people waiting in very, VERY long lines. Kudos to you! We got right in and cast our paper ballot (it was my first time not using a super old fashioned machine). Should be interesting to watch the results this evening.

And by "interesting" I mean nauseating because I have absolutely no idea how the country can be so 50/50 split. Really?!

WHAT I WORE RUNNING

The chilly temps this weekend had me thinking of writing another cold weather running post, specifically related to dressing to stay comfortable. So, I thought I'd take a before/after photo from my long run on Sunday.

Temperature: 39 degrees
Precipitation: Spitting rain/snow and windy!
Distance & Duration: 8 miles in a bit over an hour


When it comes to winter weather, I don't always stick with athletic gear specifically. Here's a list of what I'm wearing from the bottom up. See if you can spot the not.

• Nike Free Run + 3 w/o socks (I never run with socks unless it's like below 10 degrees F.)
• Under Armour Cold Gear tights (I've had these for 9 years!)
• Lululemon tank and jacket. (I can't find either one on their website because they are super old from the days when I worked full time and could afford such luxuries.)
• Puffer Vest is from Gap. (OK. That's the not. I don't know why I started wearing this vest to run in, but it's lightweight, warm, and if it gets too warm, it folds into a little pocket pouch.)

About a mile into my run, I rolled up my tights to mid-calf. Another mile, I stopped to stretch and rolled up my sleeves. Depending on the wind direction, I had the hood on/off and the vest/hoodie neck zipped up/down.

This time of year is tough because 40 degrees FEELS really cold when you get outside. But once you get your body moving, it isn't so bad. At the Runner's World Half Marathon, for example, starting temperature was in the mid 40s, but I ran with a sleeveless shirt the whole time.

And I kept dumping water over my head at aid stations!


It was perfect (not so much with the glasses, but I'm working on getting my contacts to feel good again). Or. I guess what I'm saying is that what you wear as the temps plummet is highly individual, but also contingent on some factors.

• Distance or duration of the run. I can deal with over-dressing if it's short, but longer runs require more layers and options.
• Effort expended. A race tends to get you feeling warmer than normal, no?
• Weather variables. 40 degrees with rain and wind is way different than 40 degrees with sunny skies. 

In all, it's good to dress in layers -- which I will write more about in my next post on this topic -- and plan to loop by your house to adjust above a mile in, if possible. Keeping pace on the pavement versus treadmill will keep you in better shape for spring races.

If you'd like to learn more about dressing for success and training in the cold months, check out these other posts!

Run Outdoors This Winter!
How to Train in the Cold Months
How to Suit Up to Set Out
Seasonal De-Motivation

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Thursday Style

I enjoy my outfit today. It's much girlier than I usually dress, but it still feels like me. I can't help thinking about how I used to wear my Under Armor running tights as leggings in college. It wasn't for style as much as it was for comfort. Ithaca is COLD.

Now, there are so many different textures/colors. You younger ladies are lucky!

Dress: Old Navy (on sale! one of my last purchases before the no-new clothing challenge)
Cardigan and necklace: J. Crew (on sale!)
Leggings: The Gap (again -- on sale!)
Belt: Kohl's
Shoes: Target
That's all from me today. Tomorrow I'm posting my Blogtastic "Open Mic" entry. And good news! You all still have time to participate. Just check out Steff's great example -- though you don't need to sing. I'm recording tonight . . . and I'll be posting a list where you can add your link to the fun tomorrow.

<3

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Fleece and Luon -- No More!

I've been watching a lot of What Not To Wear lately. What it's shown me is that I've really let myself go -- style-wise, at least. I mean, I think we all remember when I wrote about wearing sweatpants to work last month.

Business casual at its most, well, casual.

Comfortable? HECK YES! Appropriate? Uhm. Not at all. But -- hey -- it was the day before Christmas. I'll go easy on myself just this once. Also, with all those before and after work trips to PT, wearing clothes that fit for both activities has been helpful.

Some things I've learned from Stacy and Clinton:

• Style is about way more than looks. It's more about how you feel.
• Dressing for your specific body type is key. And involves trying things on.
• Color and prints aren't bad. They are your friends.
• A little makeup and a good haircut go a long way.
• Looking good doesn't have to be difficult or expensive.

It's not that I don't know how to dress myself. I've just become lazy. And too adamant about being 100% comfortable at all times. This is where I started wearing more and more Lululemon to work. And the minute I get home, I pour my tired self into a t-shirt and flannel PJ pants. I'm sure Stephen just loves that.


I laugh at these photos because looking at myself posing in outfits -- it's just ridiculous. But I love style blogs so much and find absolutely nothing silly about those ladies. I want to BE them. So, it got me thinking.

We all know I'm into challenges . . .

This month (mid-January through mid-February), I'm going to post regularly about my style. The good, bad, and ugly. I'll ask for suggestions. Help. Hopefully this activity will get me to gussy myself up more. Maybe remix some of my clothes in fun, new ways.

As a start, here's today's outfit:


Also -- I'm going to embark on this adventure with the goal of not buying any new clothes. (Yes. I know, dear friend Jesslynn. But yesterday was the LAST shopping day! I promise) Maybe a couple accessories (mostly belts). Otherwise, zero impact on my wallet. Here we go!

Where do you land when it comes to style? Is it important? And what are your favorite style blogs? You can find mine in our Good Reads section on the site. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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How To: Take the Stink Out of Your Workout Gear

What's behind this door? It's our third bedroom -- so, the laundry room, of course! Now, some of my favorite clothing items are in my fitness wardrobe (like my new Lululemon ensemble and my running skirt). On a daily basis, items are drenched with gallons of my putrid sweat. (I hope most of you have finished lunch by now.) I'm not embarrassed to say I sweat like a hog. In fact, I take pride in this fact -- it means I workout hard and that my body is efficient with cooling itself.

What I don't take pride in, however, are my housekeeping skills. And one major component of housekeeping is laundry.


Until recently, I didn't care much about throwing my regular workout gear and my "normal" clothes into the wash together. Wash, spin, and dry . . . it's all good. But Stephen has become increasingly picky about his running items -- not wanting me to dry them, etc. -- and it's made me become so, too. So we decided to come up with some tips and tricks for washing your most active -- and likely most expensive -- clothing

First, take a look at these labels from randomly selected items in our laundry basket:




What do they all have in common? Not a spec of natural fiber among them. Yup -- here we have nylon, polyester, Lycra, and more spandex than can be found in Richard Simmons' short-shorts. These special materials call for special handling, but don't go out and buy that fancy sports-only detergent just yet.

Now check out the cleaning instructions that I found most common among all pieces of clothing:



So, we're OK to machine wash -- cold. Like colors (and fabrics, I'm assuming). No ironing. No fabric softeners. Tumble dry on low. Or even line dry. It's all so confusing. And for a while, we tried to treat pieces individually -- meet their specific needs. As a person who absolutely hates doing laundry, I said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Here's a one-size-fits-all approach to laundering your workout gear. We find these methods work on pretty much every item -- keeping each performance-ready and stink-free.

• Set your washer to the warm/cold setting. This way, you can get the benefit of the warm water's scrubbing power . . . without the fading effects of hot water. We have also used only the cold water setting, but sometimes we find our clothes aren't as fresh as we'd like. So, water temperature matters.
• Also set your washer to the heavy duty setting. This way, you get a better clean without setting your timer longer -- thereby wasting less water in the process. You need that heavy duty power versus a regular or gentle cycle to power through the smelly sweat-soaked garments.
• Consider buying a cold-wash detergent. This way, it's specifically formulated for cold washing temperatures. Otherwise, we've had good results using our generic liquid and powder detergents. Our favorite right now is Method Laundry Detergent in "free + clear," though it's a bit pricey. Overall, we like using unscented detergents because when you're hot and sweaty, that perfume-y smell tends to overwhelm.
• Hit the kitchen. If your clothes are extra stinky, consider adding some scoops (1/2 cup to a full cup, depending on load size) of baking soda. I've also read that vinegar can help, though I've never tried it. But the method is to fill a spray bottle with vinegar (just regular, nothing fancy), and spot treat your items. So, say, spray some on the underarms of your shirts.
• Steer clear of the dryer. That's right: don't dry your clothes. We don't dry any of our workout stuff because, for example, some of these man-made materials may melt or lose their elasticity under hot heat. In fact, at times I've smelled a slightly melt-y smell after drying something by mistake. So, save some energy and just lie them out flat or hang them up. We have some ropes in our basement specifically installed for this purpose.
• If you must use a dryer, don't use fabric sheets. They can coat your clothing in their scent and softening "stuff" -- effectively taking away the benefits your fancy clothes have with sweat-wicking power, etc.

Overall, good exercise clothes are expensive, but they offer many benefits including moisture-wicking abilities, extra stretch, lightweight-warmth,  cool-ness, etc. You need to care for them correctly to ensure these awesome powers stay, well, powerful. But if you treat 'em right, they'll return the favor again and again. And if you have any tips to share that we didn't cover, please leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

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Fit Style: Skirting the Issue

I saw my first running skirt at a Women's Distance Festival 5K I ran back in the summer of 2006. There was a whole clan of women wearing them -- all different lengths and colors, fabrics and fits. And I must admit that, at first, I thought they looked silly. Not only that, those skirts couldn't be comfortable or efficient. Chafing for the sake of fashion definitely isn't for me. Those women, I mused, must care more about how they look than how they perform.

And when each and every one of those women kicked my butt that day, I started to think differently.

A year or so later, I found myself flipping through racks of shorts and other bottoms at our local running shop. And as I do with all new trends, I decided to indulge my curiosity. To run fashionably. To run and let everyone know that I'm, well, a girl.


I wore the skirt for the first time one sticky August evening on my quick 4-miler around the neighborhood. I hated every minute of it. The back was riding up my glutes, fully exposing my jiggly butt (or so I thought). The front flap was flapping in the breeze, fully exposing my thick thighs. The little short-shorts underneath felt weird.

Then some jerk in a truck beeped at me and called me honey, or something like that, and I headed home nearly in tears.

I threw that skirt in my running clothes drawer and never wore it again. That is, until this past weekend. As I've grown a bit older, I've become much more comfortable with my body. As a lanky teenager and even skinnier college coed, I never realized how tiny I actually was. I've indeed gained (healthy) weight in the years since. It's been difficult for me, but through my successes as a self-made athlete, I've overcome the hurdles of image distortion. Well, not totally . . . wouldn't it be nice if it was that easy? Truth is: I'll probably always struggle from time to time. However, I can feel a marked difference in my self perception now versus then.


What I discovered this weekend is that the running skirt isn't for fashion as much as it's for celebrating the female form -- however curvy or straight or etc. that form may be -- while on the run. (That is, self-celebration. It isn't for those crude truck drivers of the world who belch out crass comments and are oh-so gross.) And, for that, I have fallen in love with the style.

I had Stephen run behind me to let me know if my little black number was riding up too high. If you could see my butt. If I looked inappropriate in any way. He claims he was completely honest and that, no -- I looked fine. "Great," even. My favorite workout bottoms are still my Lululemon Empower Crops, but taking the skirt out for a run every now and again is fun. It's something I plan to do even if only for the sake of feeling good about myself.

Do you run in a skirt and/or dress? If you'd like to try, here are just a few great places to pick one up. My skirt is from Nike, and it's relatively first-generation. I see a lot of great styles out there now -- enough to make me want to take another out for a test run.

• Lululemon
• Nike
• Skirt Sports
• Running Skirts

And if you haven't already -- go check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Fit Style: Lululemon

I have a new obsession. It's with my workout clothing. For the longest time, I'd shop around the area trying to find comfortable, pretty running and yoga tops, bottoms, and etc. But I never sniffed out anything that impressed me particularly much. And then I found Lululemon -- a Canadian-based company specializing in gorgeous, high-performance workout clothing and gear.



I could go on for days about how much I love this company. From their outreach and community efforts (promoting healthy living through exercise and self-love at any size), to their blog and twitter-ing (their staff responds to tweets in a snap -- it's awesome!). They're just nice people. And they even give the "gift of yoga" to patrons at their showrooms and storefronts. But what it all boils down to is this: their clothes rock my world.


Let's check out my loot for a moment, shall we? As you see above, I received my packages last night when I returned home from work -- but those bags you see in the photos. I didn't order them. My order came INSIDE these pretty, reusable bags . . . and that impressed me from the very start. And that's just the packaging!

What exactly did I order?

• Run Empower Crop II (in black)
• Cool Racerback (in passion)
• Define Jacket (in coal/heathered coal wee stripe)

You may be thinking: "That's a lot of $$$ on workout gear!" And you're probably right. But I've been freelancing a bit, so I decided I deserved a treat. Not only that, in all the money I waste on running and yoga clothes that I dislike, I'm going to save because a few, excellent-quality pieces from Lululemon will last me years. It's like my Under-Armor cold weather running tights. I've had the same pair since I was a sophomore in college -- and that was, well, over 8 years ago (woah). They're going strong.


Back to Lululemon. Last night, I took my stuff for a test run (and stretch) -- running a quick 5.6 mile run in about 46 minutes. The temps were in the mid-70s, which is pretty warm for these parts (no, not my parts, Upstate NY). I was most impressed by the feel of the running crops. They're lightweight, and it almost feels like you're wearing nothing at all. And, then again, they're holding everything in the right place (I'm well-endowed in the glutes-region, and my jiggle was at bay). Another favorite: I absolutely love how long the racerback tank is. I have a long torso, an no naked belly was showing. Nice.


I had to christen them my doing my favorite yoga pose: Natarajasana. I'm hooked. So, if you haven't already, go check out Lululemon. You'll be happy you did! I can't wait to find a store somewhere near me so I can check out the rest of their stock.


ALSO check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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