I have had a dramatic fashion flip — several times, actually.

My junior year of high school, I never wore the same outfit twice. Nor did I wear jeans. Not even once.

I’m at the opposite extreme in Portugal. Well, nearly.

High school fashion

It was a conscious decision in high school, a challenge to myself. As a freshman and sophomore, I dressed like everyone else. Lots of jeans and polos — it was the ’80s.

I really didn’t like it, though, being part of the herd.

People thought I was weird, anyway, so what difference would it make if I didn’t dress like everyone else? By then, I didn’t care what they thought, either. Weird? OK. Whatever.

So, my junior year, I decided to never wear the same outfit twice nor jeans at all. I wore a lot of mini skirts and crop pants — now we call them capris. Sweater dresses were in fashion, and I had a few oversize ones I could wear over stirrup pants (think leggings with a band under your foot) or just tights. (I had great legs and didn’t mind showing them off.)

I mixed and matched everything I owned to create new outfits and borrowed from friends occasionally. But it was fun — a fashion accomplishment.

Fashion flip to fewer clothes

As a professional, working adult, I added lots of dress pants, tops and shoes to my wardrobe during the years. It wasn’t so much that I was keeping up with fashion, but I’d choose things I thought would work for the long run — more classic pieces. Generally, it worked. However, it also meant I kept adding to my wardrobe, and really, there were a lot of things I never wore.

When I downsized my life last year, I got rid of most of my clothes and shoes. Each time I’ve moved since then, I’ve gotten rid of more — mainly things I haven’t worn.

In another fashion flip, I have worn skirts and dresses almost exclusively in the past year. When I lost weight initially, I replaced all my dress pants, which were too big to wear. A few weeks later, the new pants were too big. I refused to buy more. Instead, I switched to my skirts and dresses for work, which were more forgiving and easier to take in. Then, I started wearing them all the time unless I was doing something that required jeans.

Dresses are easy to wear if you choose simple styles. They can be cooler than pants in hot weather, and you can wear tights or leggings under them in winter to be warmer. You look dressier or more feminine just by wearing one — but you haven’t put in any more effort to look nicer.

Portugal fashion — few choices

When it was time to pack for Portugal, it was easier to choose what to bring, because I had less to start.

Everything I’ve worn for three months fits in one small carry-on size suitcase: Six dresses, one skirt, four tops, two camis, one workout T, one workout shorts (which I haven’t worn), one regular shorts (haven’t worn), one jeans (worn twice), two cardigans, one pajama set. Three pairs of shoes, a waterproof jacket, a sun hat. It’s a nice little capsule wardrobe.

I purchased slippers, flip-flops, one pair of dressy sandals and a few pairs of tights here. Not everything is going back to the States with me, either. I already know what will be downsized.

My poor flatmates. They see me in the same things week after week. At least I try to change things up. Everything I brought is interchangeable in some fashion. I can put a long-sleeve top over a dress and create a “skirt” look. But it’s still the same things — over and over.

It’s a far cry from the year when I wore something different every day, for 180 days.

I think I prefer this fashion flip, though. I don’t need all that stuff, all those clothes.

However, it will be nice to wear some different things when I’m back to my full, albeit smaller, wardrobe.

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Be a Better Writer Tip

Using phrases in informal work

You don’t need to write complete sentences in a blog or column format.

That’s one of the reasons I think I love this kind of writing.

It can seem sloppy in the wrong context, but in a column or blog format like this, I feel like I’m just talking to my readers, like I would to a friend. We talk — or at least I do — really informally with our friends. We use slang, and we don’t always finish our sentences.

I’m learning in Portuguese, they leave off the beginnings and endings of words and phrases. “Esta” becomes “sta” in pronunciation, for example; “obrigada” becomes “brigad.” It’s probably the same way “going to” becomes “gonna” in English.

While I don’t often use phrases such as “gonna” in my blog posts, I could, in the right context. But using phrases instead of complete sentences is part of my personal style and “voice.” You’ll see them often in these posts.

If I was writing a newspaper story, an article for another publication or any sort of more professional work, I would not use phrases. Instead, I would put sentences together properly to achieve the tone and voice necessary for that particular publication.