Worn this past weekend for some antique shopping, a trip to IKEA and then lunch at Texas Roadhouse followed by Sonic for deep fried Oreos. There was a lot of walking through aisles, good thing because we needed to work off all the food we ate! I had a coupon for a free appetizer at Texas Roadhouse, we were seduced by a cactus blossom! (aka bloomin' onion) So we made this our pseudo Valentine's date, even though my parents joined us, since we don't really care to celebrate.  I wore pink for the occasion.

Velvet Blazer: Gap, Striped Sweater: Banana Republic,  Jeans: J Brand 'Mid Rise Photo Ready Super Skinny Jean' (Gilt), Sneakers c/o NikeiD, Merces Petite Bag c/o Orox Leather Co.

We had some really nice Spring-like weather last week so I took the opportunity to wear light layers with this tissue turtleneck and cashmere cape. I kept the cozy factor going with velvet jeans.

Cashmere Cape: b chyll (Roundabout Resale),Tissue Turtleneck: J.Crew, Velvet Jeans: J.Crew, Ballet Flats: Chanel 'Cap Toe Ballet Flat' (eBay), Necklace: House of Harlow 1960 'Five Station Blackened Arrowhead'

Say hello to my new favorite sweater!  You may have already heard the story about this Autumn Cashmere landscape sweater from my January Wardrobe Update but for those that didn't I'll share again! It all starts with an Instagram photo in August. You know I'm all about the statement piece and this one is extra soft & comfy - bonus! At one point it had sold out so I was pretty sad and had non-buyers remorse. 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 still a splurge but I used the remainder of my advertising and Christmas money to buy it.

It's such a fun piece and has a lot of the colors that my wardrobe is built on. I already have a few more looks I want to wear. I don't have a photographer during the week anymore so my photo taking is now strictly on the weekends unless I want to use my tripod outside in the freezing cold (I don't.)  Once it warms up a bit I may be able to take them during the week again but for now we'll be a little light on posts unless we do a big chunk on the weekends.

Sweater: Autumn Cashmere Landscape Intarsia Sweater, Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop), Boots: Miu Miu (Roundabout), Bag: Etienne Aigner (thrifted)

I just realized something funny about this outfit as I was getting the photos ready. This zipped cardigan is Burberry and the fox sweater is by some brand I had never even heard of. In Fall 2012 Burberry did a collection where they had a really cute sketched fox sweater that I am STILL looking for on resale sites. I guess this fox sweater is my dress for less version.

Cardigan: Burberry Brit (net-a-porter sale), Fox Sweater: Vertical Design (Marshalls), Jeans: Current/Elliott (The Outnet), Boots: Chloe (Roundabout Resale), Sunglasses: Chanel

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

Since I've been slacking on outfit posts lately, I decided to bring back one of my old blog features - Closet Worthy - where I feature things I would love to add to my closet. Today I'm putting my tiny spotlight on Sofia Zakia. If you have read through my wedding posts, you will know that my wedding band and engagement ring are both by Sofia Zakia.  The engagement ring is a customized version of her Wandering Star ring and my band is the Altair ring that fits into it.



Sofia Ajram (Zakia is a name she created for her label) hand-makes all her jewelry in a Montreal studio. I believe she recently hired a few other people to help out but when we bought my rings it was just her. Sofia is very committed to using ethically sourced materials for all her pieces from diamonds to opals and other gemstones. Last year she won The Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Accessories at the Canada Arts & Fashion Awards.

What I love about her pieces is that they have a mystical element to them which makes them unique.  She uses unique sources for her inspiration such as Sailor Moon, Zelda, UFOs, Tarot and more. What's funny about this is I'm obsessed with Sailor Moon and my husband loves Zelda. I guess we were meant to find each other and then Sofia!

Below are some of her other pieces I want to add to my jewelry collection.

Serena Earrings
Most of you will know I don't change out my earrings often so for me to want a pair of earrings they have to be GOOD. As I mentioned above I'm a huge Sailor Moon fan and this earring is inspired by Serena's earrings when she transforms into Sailor Moon. They're so playful and pretty and I love that only Sailor Moon fans will realize they're a geeky reference.


Rainbow Stardust Ring
This is a band version of my engagement ring and it's so much fun! There is a plain diamond version but if I'm going to spend a lot of money on another ring by Sofia I want it to be bold! She also made a sapphire version at one point so I'm sure you could customize this to use and color(s) you want!




Those first two are pieces I will hopefully save up for in the future. Here are some more gorgeous pieces I would be happy to own as well!


* Images from SofiaZakia.com and Catbird
** I was not paid for this post, I just really enjoy Sofia's work

Worn to run a bunch of errands last week. It was a very chilly day so Christian and I decided to take photos inside to spare our bodies from more freezing temperatures.

How perfect is the color of this sweater with my chevron faux fur vest? It's like they were made to be worn together. So funny how I always manage to have a color that matches it so well - example 1, example 2, example 3. I guess that's what happens when your wardrobe contains mostly the same colors.

I've had these boots since college and they're one of my favorite eBay finds! I was just looking for brown heeled boots and saw these for $7 and got them. Didn't think I would love them as much as I do and I almost got rid of them a couple years after I bought them because I hadn't worn them a lot. So glad I didn't! I actually found a pair on eBay if you want them too!

Cashmere Sweater: Ellen Tracy (Marshalls),  Chevron Vest: Romeo & Juliet Couture 'Colorblock Faux-Fur Vest' (gift from Lydia), High Waisted Jeans: J Brand 'Maria' High Rise in Supreme (Gilt Groupe), Boots: White Mountain lace-up boots (eBay), Necklace c/o oNecklace, Bag: Louis Vuitton Epi Leather Sac D'Epaule (HauteTrader), S