THE (modified) RULES

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

MY PROGRESS 

Clothes:

1. FARM Rio Amazonian Ombre Mini Wrap Dress c/o Shopbop ($127.50, retail $170)
2. *NEW!* Burberry beaded owl sweater via eBay ($75, retail $2950 in 2012)
3. *NEW!* Stella McCartney Wild Cat Skinny Ankle Jeans via eBay ($15 after ad money, retail $735)
   

Basics:

1. J Brand 811 Mid Rise Skinny Leg Jean in Moral ($0 after $25 credit & ad money, retail $228)
2. *NEW!*  Madewell Camp Shorts in Faded Rosebud c/o Shopbop ($35, retail $50)

Shoes:

1. Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clara' Sandal c/o Shopbop ($221.25, retail $295)
2. Sperry Rio Aqua Slip-On Sneaker ($14.83 via DSW, retail $64.99)

Accessories:

1. Ray Ban 'Erika' Sunglasses in Havana c/o Shopbop (retail $163)
2. Madewell Medium Slim Saddle Bag c/o Shopbop ($118.50, retail $158)
3. *NEW!*  Shashi Princess Leia Necklace c/o Shopbop ($55)

Activewear:

1. *NEW!* SPANX Look At Me Now Seamless Leggings in Indigo Leopard c/o Shopbop ($68)

Gifted from Brands:

1. AUrate Pearl Studs in Rose Gold (retail $150)
2. AUrate Medium Chain Bracelet in Rose Gold (retail $50)

Total spent in May: $90

Total spent in 2020: $104.83

This outfit comes with a long backstory. But it's necessary to share why I had to make this purchase.  Back in February 2012 I posted photos of Burberry's Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. In that post I said:

[...] ESPECIALLY the owl print t-shirts. I don't care how much they cost but I am going to get my hands on one of those! I'm an owl obsessed freak…maybe it comes from my Harry Potter obsession but I think they are SO cute!

Spoiler alert: I ended up not getting one of the owl tees. Instead I DIYed my own version because I couldn't justify the $300+ price tag. The sweater version with the beaded owl retailed for $3000.

Even though I had my DIY version I still searched for the real version. I had alerts for "Burberry owl" set up on eBay and a couple other sites. Owl sweaters & tees came and went with me resisting purchase. A few months ago I got an eBay alert that one had been posted. I watched it knowing I probably wouldn't buy it since it had been so long.

But then quarantine happened and I got an offer from the seller to purchase it for $75. How could I resist? Luckily I was able to make the splurge because my recent Disney trip was cancelled and I had a negative balance on my credit card from the refunds.  The rest of the refund money will go back into my vacation savings account.

This isn't the exact version I had posted 8 years ago, the sweater is a little lighter and the neck isn't as high, but it is pretty darn close! You can even tell that the owl I recreated was this owl - the colors I chose were very similar. I couldn't replicate the design exactly because I couldn't find small enough beads in colors/shapes I liked.

We're getting in to warmer weather now but I really wanted to post this before it goes away until Fall. Luckily last week we had some cold days so I wore it lounging around the house.

A couple weekends ago Christian and I went out to run some errands and just as we were ready to take photos it started to snow. We snapped our pictures as quick as possible so we wouldn't freeze and then headed home to watch the rest of the "storm." It was only a few inches but I always enjoy a little bit of snow as long as it doesn't get all gross and dirty. Love how these photos turned out. The light flurries are so pretty.

It was a good thing I wore these boots since they have a rubber sole that is perfect for traction in wet conditions. I have been so bad at wearing my blazers lately so I made a point to wear one for our outing. It was between this Etro patchwork blazer and my black velvet polka dot Marc Jacobs blazer. Guess I'll be wearing the Marc Jacobs blazer next!

Blazer: Etro Patchwork Blazer (Roundabout, shop more blazers), Cashmere Sweater: Ellen Tracy (shop cashmere sweaters), High Waisted Jeans: J Brand 'Maria' High Rise in Supreme (shop more J Brand), Boots: Cordani (Roundabout, shop winter boots), Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay)

Wearing a couple of my Christmas gifts to make a colorful winter outfit.  To offset the crazy color combo underneath I topped my look off with a white/cream cardigan to make it more neutral. My brother's dog decided he wanted to join in on the outfit photo fun too. What a cutie.

Cashmere Sweater: Ellen Tracy cashmere v-neck sweater (shop cashmere sweaters), Jeans: rag & bone high rise ankle skinny jean in burgundy (shop more rag & bone),  Cardigan: Calvin Klein 'Eyelash Striped Cardigan', Ballet Flats: Chanel 'Cap Toe Ballet Flat' via eBay (shop ballet flats)

Another day, another comfy oversized sweater. I wish I had counted every time I wore this sweater because I'm pretty sure its one of the most worn items in my closet. When I first bought it I wore it at least once a week and every time I went on a plane it was my outerwear of choice because I could wear it like a blanket.  The past couple years I haven't worn it as much, because I've been trying to wear less-worn pieces in my closet, but it's still way up there in wears.

Cardigan: DKNY Oversized striped knitted cardigan (Net-a-Porter Sale), Sweater: Everlane The Fall Seed Stitch Raglan, Jeans: rag & bone (Shopbop), Boots: Audrey Brooke 'Mirie' (DSW), Sunglasses: Chanel, Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay), Necklace: Marrin Costello, Hat: Kensington Palace gift shop

Whenever Christian gets his haircut we make it a morning of fun. On this particular Saturday we were out bright and early at 8:30am for his appointment with Cassie at H Salon (she cuts my hair too, but I go a lot longer between cuts.) After he was all spiffed up we headed over to Terrain to check out their holiday displays. Terrain is one of my favorite stores, even if I can't afford to shop there. We did pick up a frosty fern for $10 and I splurged on a couple candles for $20.

After Terrain we headed to Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield for some delicious ramen! Sooo good! I would eat here all the time if I could. Their chicken ramen (Shoyu Paitan) and red oil dumplings are my favorite!

Sweater: Everlane "The Wool-Cashmere Oversized Cable Turtleneck" (shop more turtleneck sweaters), High Waisted Jeans: J Brand 'Maria' High Rise in Supreme (shop more J Brand), Boots: White Mountain lace-up boots (shop more boots), Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay), Sunglasses: Gucci aviators in tortoise