Apparently this year is all about re-buying favorite pieces in my closet because the originals are too loved. Last month it was a bathing suit, this month I finally re-bought an item I have been hunting for for a couple years. My beloved pair of silk pants from Sea New York. 

I originally bought these printed silk pants in March 2015 for $56 in The Outnet's Clearance Sale for my trip to Santorini that Spring. They became a staple in Summer and I wore them all the time. I kind of stopped posting them on the blog because I had featured them so often, but their last appearance was in June 2019. Then a couple years ago the fabric underneath where I sit ripped, probably from so much sitting on planes, ha ha! 

I was following a pair on Poshmark for much of that time but the seller wouldn't budge on their price so I waited. While shopping for another replacement at ThredUp I happened to find a pair for just under $30 thanks to a 50% off deal! Funnily enough I did a partnership with them way back in 2014, crazy how time flies! I also picked up a J Crew printed camisole for $7.99 and a replacement for my Who What Wear shirt dress for $11.50. I used blog revenue for all 3!

I'm still on the hunt for a replacement pair of GH Bass cargo pants that are really starting to wear out. I got them in 2017 with a gift card, but they were $21 (retail $69) so I guess I can allow myself a slight splurge on the new pair knowing how much I wear them. I found a blue pair in medium, but I want the green, and a small, but I should be okay with a medium as well.

2026 Purchases:

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. *NEW!* Sea New York patterned silk pants ($29.50, retail $100; used ad money)
2. *NEW* Who What Wear floral shirt dress ($11.99, retail $30?; used ad money)
3. *NEW!* J.Crew tropical print camisole ($7.99, retail ?; used ad money)

Basics:

1. J.Crew vintage relaxed v-neck in Evening Shadow ($9.50, retail $34.50, used ad money)
2. J.Crew broken-in t-shirt in Bellport Blue ($9.50, retail $36.50, used ad money) 

Shoes:

1. None yet

Handbags:

1. None yet

Accessories:

1. None
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. Eddie Bauer Polar Fleece-Lined Pants in Black - similar ($18, retail $90)
   
2. Eddie Bauer Tank Top  in Grey ($5, retail $25)
3. Eddie Bauer Trail Tight High Rise Legging in Grey - similar ($19.80, retail $99)
4. Michael Kors one piece swimsuit in walnut print ($32.99, retail $140)
5. Lands End Side Tie Wrap One Piece Swimsuit in Navy/Prism Pink Multi Palm ($26.99, retail $134.99, used ad money) 
6. Lands End SlenderSuit Wrap One Piece Swimsuit in Violet Rose/Navy Ombre ($44.69, retail $164.95, used ad money) 

Gifted from Brands:

• Aurate x Marilyn Monroe: Lab Grown Red Marquise Earring Threader
• Aurate Pearl Drop Necklace 
• *NEW!* Aurate Unbreakable Barely There Chain Necklace
• *NEW!* Aurate Lab Grown White Sapphire Station Necklace
• *NEW!* Forme Science Arch Booster Socks 

Spent in July: $0

Spent in 2026: $75.79

Spent in 2026 - counting ad money: $215.95

I got a few basics this month with two $10 J.Crew coupons that were floating about. I was going to get a purple tee and the blue v-neck but then I ended up getting a second blue tee to see if either would match one of my favorite tees from Everlane that I had to get rid of last year. One is also a men's tee, why do they get nicer shades sometimes? The men's color is closer to what I was going for, but still a little darker.

We also went to the last opening day for the Eddie Bauer outlet at the Westbrook Outlets by chance after a cars and coffee event we went to where everything was at least 80% off. Christian had discovered he loved their tees so we wondered if they might have some left. They did not, but he got a couple fleecey long sleeves for $30 total (this one and this one.) I ended up finding some things for myself too for camping/workouts. There were mostly just super small and very large items left on a couple racks but I managed to squeeze into a pair of fleece-lined pants, leggings and got a large tank that will be nice and loose for Summer, ha ha, all for $40.

THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

 

Clothes:

1. None yet

Basics:

1. *NEW!* J.Crew vintage relaxed v-neck in Evening Shadow ($9.50, retail $34.50, used ad money)
2. *NEW!* J.Crew broken-in t-shirt in Bellport Blue ($9.50, retail $36.50, used ad money) 

Shoes:

1. None yet

Handbags:

1. None yet

Accessories:

1. None
   

Activewear/Swimwear:

1. Eddie Bauer Polar Fleece-Lined Pants in Black - similar ($18, retail $90)
   
2. Eddie Bauer Tank Top  in Grey ($5, retail $25)
3. Eddie Bauer Trail Tight High Rise Legging in Grey - similar ($19.80, retail $99)

Gifted from Brands:

• Aurate x Marilyn Monroe: Lab Grown Red Marquise Earring Threader c/o Aurate
•  Pearl Drop Necklace c/o Aurate

Spent in April: $42.80

Spent in 2026: $42.80

Spent in 2026 - counting ad money: $61.80

This is what I wore for a morning/early afternoon of walking around Olde Mystic Village with Christian, my sister and her boyfriend. These boots are one of my favorite every day shoes. Ever since I bought them in 2014 they have been in constant rotation. So much so that I actually wore them out and bought a second pair. I still have the original and will wear those when I want comfortable shoes but they might get dirty/etc. 

I was recently introduced to PowerStep insoles and learned that, because of my high arches, I may need supination insoles for high arches to make walking more comfortable and reduce the amount of wear on the outer soles of my shoes. I bought a couple pairs of supination insoles to try out and see if they help me walk better and stop me from putting extra pressure on the heel of my foot. I chose the "PowerStep Bridge Adaptable Arch Supporting Insoles with Energize Foam" and then the "SlenderFit 3/4 Insoles" to wear with "fashion" shoes.

I always enjoy walking around the shopping center, there's new things to see every time! We perused a few shops but my favorites are always the kitchen related stores. Christian and I had a ball tasting olive oils at Extra Virgin and honey at Sticky Situations. We ended up splurging and buying 4 different honeys - orange blossom (our favorite,) rosemary and blackberry honey plus tangy citrus honey mustard. We couldn't leave without eating so we grabbed some donuts from Deviant Donuts and pizza at Mango's Wood Fired Pizza.

Back to the supination insoles - I took a photo of both pairs of boots side by side and you can definitely tell by looking at the older pair that I walk on the outside of my feet. I'm excited to see how long these boots last now that I have insoles to correct my step.  Unfortunately, the larger insoles I bought didn't fit into the boots as intended so I used the SlenderFit instead. Those easily fit in a lot of my thinner width shoes so I'll be swapping them between pairs as I need. The Energize Foam supination insoles will now live in my favorite Winter boots that were my Grandmother's. I've been meaning to get insoles for them for a while so that was a happy accident!

Outfit Details

Coat: Burberry Brit Wool Minstead Duffle Coat In Military Red (Marijane Boutique) 

Sweater: Banjo + Matilda Trinket Embellished Stripe Sweater (The Outnet)

Velvet Jeans: J.Crew 

Boots: Vince Camuto 'Davilla' (Marshalls)

Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)

Hat: Ricefield Collective (no longer open)

*This post was made in partnership with Responsival.  Thank you for supporting brands I feature*

Who doesn't love a good festive sweater?! I've had this one from J Crew for quite a few years and always love breaking it out. Usually I wait until after Thanksgiving but I went to the New England Christmas Festival the first weekend of this month and wanted to dress on theme! A lady at the show even commented on my perfect coordination, ha ha. 

Unfortunately, the event was a little lackluster for me overall. Since it's only 1 weekend they don't really decorate the venue all that much. It also was a lot of non-Christmas items and if I'm going to a Christmas Festival I want it to be pretty much all holiday themed and maybe some fun giftable food items. I bought a cute snowman and Christmas tree ornament but not sure if it was really worth the $15 admission fee, but that could just be me. Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, PA (my photos) was much more fun, but also a lot further away, ha ha.

Llama Jewel Sweater: J.Crew

Jeans: rag & bone high rise ankle skinny jean in burgundy

Boots: Marc by Marc Jacobs Buckle Boot in burgundy (Coco's on the Green) 

Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay) 

Here's one of the looks I mentioned in my last outfit post that I wore while visiting my sister and didn't get photos of. I did change the shoes from the previous time I wore this since we weren't expecting snow. This is what I wore for our early Valentine's lunch. Christian and I aren't big celebrators of the holiday but we do like to go out to a nicer than usual weekend meal. Last year we got takeout because we were still unvaccinated but this year we went out to one of our favorite places (mine since I was little) The Chowder Pot! We were the first ones there when they opened and by the time we left there were only 3 other tables in our section. We were the youngest there, haha! Gotta love eating at 11am with the old people. 

P.S. Ignore the black ring on my other hand. Christian doesn't like to wear his wedding ring when he drives so I put it on to avoid it being misplaced. Totally forgot to take it off for photos, ha ha!

Long Cardigan: J.Crew (Roundabout Resale)

Sweater: Marc by Marc Jacobs "Pyo" Striped Sweater (Saks Off Fifth)

Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop)

Boots: Marc by Marc Jacobs Burgundy Buckle Boot (Coco's on the Green) 

Sunglasses: Gucci aviators (bought in Rome)

Italian leather bag (bought in Venice)

As I've said a couple times in passing, haircuts were the first thing on our list after being fully vaccinated! We had our second shots at the end of April and scheduled our haircuts for the first Saturday after it took full effect. I haven't had a haircut since before our honeymoon in 2019...YIKES! Normally I go once a year and by the time the year mark rolls around I'm getting frustrated with the length of my hair. Waiting the nine extra months was a little crazy but since I wasn't going out anywhere why risk getting a haircut until it was safe to do so.

Christian goes more often than me, obviously, but I think his last cut was September 2020. We masked up and went to our usual salon. It was so nice having someone else wash my hair for a change and I left feeling a few pounds lighter! 

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A post shared by Megan | Closet Fashionista (@closet_fashion)

After my fresh cut I had to take outfit photos. Why waste styled hair, right? 

Cardigan: Max Studio 

Tee: J.Crew 

Pants: G.H. Bass c/o Clinton Crossing 

Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clara' Sandal c/o Shopbop 

Necklace: AURATE X KERRY Lioness Pendant c/o

Bag; Bought in Venice