the end

As I think you all can tell by the long radio silence, I am now gearing up for my job overseas and have been letting this blog slide. Honestly, between the end of my class, an orientation in Washington DC, and trying to get rid of or store everything I own in the next two weeks, documenting what I wear just hasn't been a priority. I think that indicates that I've gotten what I wanted to get out of this particular blogging experience. So here's a look back at why I started this blog and what I feel I've learned from it.

Reason #1: I wanted to push myself to be more creative with my clothing.

Result: I think this happened. I've played around with some trends and pushed myself to wear forgotten purchases. I also acquired a LOT of belts. I think more importantly, keeping a (somewhat) regular record of what I wore for a year has helped me to define my own style; I feel like I have a better sense of what I like and what I don't. I still have hesitations and wardrobe freak-outs, of course, but overall I think I feel better about how I look on a daily basis.

Reason #2: I was inspired by reading fashion blogs, particularly those belonging to other graduate students and young professionals. In these blogs I found a community of smart, funny, compassionate women with real bodies and real budgets who manage to dress well every day. I wanted to be part of that community in some small way.

Result: I have been so grateful for the kind comments and general support of other bloggers who have checked in here, and I have definitely enjoyed my time as part of this community (the challenges were especially fun!). But I've realized that my favorite bloggers simply put a lot more time and effort into their blogs: posting daily, keeping track of their pictures, hosting giveaways, linking, creating challenges, etc. I'm just not that dedicated.

Reason #3: I wanted to keep up a friendship with C, who was moving away, by using the blog to continue chatting about clothes and style the way we did regularly when she lived here.

Result: I think this worked at first. When C had to drop out of the blog, I missed the collaboration with her, and I think posting got a lot more erratic. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that even without checking in on each other's outfits regularly, we've still got a lot to talk about.

Overall conclusion? This was a good year-long experiment for me, but it's time to move on. I'll be going back to the sort of travel/life blogging I've done on previous trips. When I've got the new blog set up, I'll post the link here.

Thank you so much to everyone who read and commented on this blog. You've been wonderful!