Happy February? Thank goodness for the shortest month of the year. I'm ready for it to start staying lighter later and get a teeeeny bit warmer.  I don't mind the cold too much (unless its biting cold) because I get to layer up in sweaters and vests but I do hate how dark it always is. Makes me not want to get dressed!  This was worn on a "warmer" day last week, aka not in the single digits or teens. I did wear a coat on top of all this but I survived for the photos!

Wearing one of my new January purchases in this look, a top I got for $7.65 - it was $0 after a gift card. The bag is a gift my brother got me while he was in Thailand. I have a bit of an owl obsession and you can never have too many bags! I had my computer, slippers, camera and the rest of my regular purse stuff in here and it all fit fine! (I took out the computer for the photos so my arm wouldn't die)

Vest: French Connection faux-fur vest (Marshall's), Turtleneck: J.Crew ribbed flare-sleeve turtleneck, Jeans: J Brand Maria skinny jeans in Blueberry (The RealReal), Boots: Cordani - similar (Roundabout Resale), Sunglasses: Chanel, Belt: unknown, Hat: Kensington Palace gift shop, Bag: from Thailand (gift from my brother)

A new year means a fresh Wardrobe Update!  My goal this year is to only add quality items to my wardrobe and not overspend. Last year I made good progress in not shopping but I still added some pieces I haven't worn much. Granted they were Disney tees so they're really only for vacations - and I used gift cards to buy them - but still.


This month I added 2 of the same item to my closet. One was the exact same pair of shoes I already own. Why did I buy them? It's my favorite pair of sandals and I know I will wear them to death so now I have a backup pair in the same colors that I won't wear until the first pair dies. I also got the same shoes in black for when I'm feeling a bit more classic. I used advertising money from 2018 on them so I don't feel bad in the slightest.

I made a pretty large J.Crew purchase this month as well during their 70% off sale sale. I've had just over $40 left on a gift card for over a year and I finally made use of it. I bought two sweaters for my husband and got myself 2 turtlenecks and a pair of velvet jeans. All for under the price of my gift card!

I also bought something that's been on my wish list since I saw it on Instagram in August. You know I'm all about the statement piece and this one is extra soft - yay cashmere! At one point it had sold out so I was pretty sad. But then one came back in my size but was still full price so I patiently waited. Eventually it went on sale plus Autumn Cashmere was offering 20% off sale prices. It was a splurge but I used the remainder of my advertising and Christmas money to buy it. It was also my big purchase in lieu of getting something in Net-a-Porter's End of Season Sale.

Hopefully I can get back to my my "don't shop as much" mantra through the rest of 2019.


THE (modified) RULES

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

MY PROGRESS 

Clothes:

1. *NEW!* Autumn Cashmere Landscape Intarsia Cashmere Crew ($240, retail $440, used Christmas + ad money)
   

Basics:

1. *NEW!* J.Crew Tissue Turtleneck ($5, retail $30, used gift card)
2. *NEW!* J.Crew Ribbed flare-sleeve turtleneck ($8, retail $45, used gift card)
3. *NEW!* J.Crew Midrise skinny jean in velvet ($10, retail $80, used gift card)

Shoes:

1. *NEW!* Lanvin Studded Suede 'City' Sandals ($60 via The RealReal, $790 retail, used ad money) 
2. *NEW!* Lanvin Black Studded Leather 'City' Sandals ($60 via The RealReal, $790 retail, used ad money) 

Accessories:

1.  None Yet

Gifted from Brands:

1. None Yet
   

Total spent in January: $0

Total spent in 2019: $0

It's been a while since my last favorite things post but this one is a long time coming! Let's go all the way back to February 2016 and this post. I shared a beautiful pair of sandals I was lusting over fully aware of the fact that I would never be able to afford them. Fast forward to July 2017 when I was shopping the Net-a-Porter End of Season Sale. There they were....in the sale but still over $400. Then they sold out. Cue disappointment. Then, in the last week of the sale, magically my size came back in stock and the shoes were down to $395 with an extra 20% off making them $316. All rational thought went out of my head and I bought them!

Boy am I glad! They became my most worn shoe that Summer and are so comfortable. I stopped wearing them as much this year because I was afraid of ruining them too early. That's the problem with loving something too much, eventually you begin to get scared of losing it and what will happen. Yes, I know they're only shoes, but I love them all the same.



For quite a while I've been searching eBay and online consignment stores to find another pair at a good price to replace these when they die.  Most of the time when I found them they weren't my size, the right colors, or were more expensive than what I paid. Then I found a really pretty black version on The RealReal for $75 with 20% of and almost bought them. But in the back of my mind I was thinking "They're great, but they're not my colors" so I didn't buy them. Then someone else did and I had non-buyers remorse.

Cue to a week later and I was searching on The RealReal again and there they were, the Lanvin studded suede City sandals in my colors, and a half size bigger than mine. They were $75 with 20% off so they would only be $60. I added them to my cart and then decided to see if they had any others. I saw the black ones were back in stock so I added those to my cart too! Two pairs of my beloved sandals for $120 and Christmas gift money in my wallet - SOLD!

My originals on the left, new pairs on the right

The black ones had some strings hanging off the ankle strap that wasn't shown on the site so I asked for some money back and got a $15 credit to the site. Not great considering shipping is $12, but oh well. I just had to cut the strings off and they're perfect.

Here are some of my favorite outfits with the sandals! They've been worn 18 times on the blog but FARRRR more in reality.  As you can see, they go with absolutely everything. Here's to many more years of wear with these and the new black ones!

Shop them for yourself below:

How To Wear a Crop Top in Autumn

In A New York Minute

Clinton Crossing Spring Preview Event

The Walking Test

The Six Patterned Saint Laurent Blouse

The Trinket Embellished Sweater

Hot Chocolate Break

Green Zebra Print + Studded Suede Sandals

Down by the Sea Wall

Return of the Lanvin Studded Suede Sandals

Mixed Greens

The Cords are Back in Town

Deep V

Short Skirts and Suede Sandals

Ball at the Wall

Studded Suede Sandals

I wore this over the weekend to go shopping and out to lunch with my brother. I behaved and didn't buy anything, woo! It was still a little chilly but I wanted to add a bit of brightness to my outfit so I wore my bright green sweater under a cape for some Spring layering. I also wore these brighter blue skinny jeans instead of my darker washes. Not totally Spring, but we're getting there!

Cashmere Cape: b chyll (Roundabout), Sweater: French Connection c/o Marshalls, Jeans: J Brand 'Maria' high rise skinny in Blueberry (The Real Real), Loafer: Burberry Prorsum (Net-a-Porter, another pair), Sunglasses: Gucci, Eyeglasses chain: Tinksky (Amazon)

Another almost complete recreation for this throwback. The tee and heels have left my closet so I substituted my new light pink Everlane tee for the brighter (not really me) pink tee and some brown Prada sandals. Originally I was going to wear my black Dolce & Gabanna mary janes to recreate the look closer but, since I actually have brown heels now, I decided to match the pants.

Tee: Everlane, Sweater: Ami Dans La Rue (Shopbop), Jeans: Jolt (Marshalls), Belt: from Jason Wu for Target dress, Caged Sandals: Prada (The RealReal), Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Ozzie Square Baby Aiden' (Shopbop)



The Original:

This is the most luxurious and soft tee I've ever worn. If I am lucky enough to find another one for a similar price ($20 rather than $135) I will DEFINITELY be scooping it up!  I do love The Outnet for all the steals and deals! Speaking of deals, everything I'm wearing in this outfit is designer, and I paid full price for NOTHING. The bag and loafers were still a splurge, but both will last for quite a while so cost per wear will go down. However, the jeans were free after a gift card.

I pride myself on not paying full price for my clothes. How do I do it? I wait for sales and shop at stores like eBay, Roundabout, Marshalls and The Outnet. I even make sure to wait for sales at these types of stores to get even better deals! 90% of the time I'm successful, but there are times when I can't wait for something to go on sale.

Tee: Vince (The Outnet), Jeans: J Brand (The RealReal), Animal Print Loafers: Burberry Prorsum (Net-a-Porter), Necklace: Indulgems (Gilt)

This dress is one of my favorite buys from Roundabout but I think it's only been on the blog once or twice! For shame! The story of how this dress entered my closet is quite long. Here's the readers digest version: June 2011 it is featured in a Closet-Worthy post. In May 2014 I spotted the dress in one of Roundabout's New York locations but left it since it was still $500. In August of 2014 the dress made it's way to my local Roundabout in Wesport and was part of their Summer blowout sale so I spent $136 on a dress that retailed for $1,995. And it was brand new with tags. SCORE!

I wore this for the first of our two Easter celebrations. My family splits the holiday so we aren't rushing to two houses in one day. I wore this to celebrate with my dad's side of the family.

Dress: Jason Wu 'Okal Print Dress' (Roundabout), Sandals: Prada (The Real Real), Necklace: Marrin Costello