Everything I like is from 2008

(Although this was originally sold in 2012, it is one of my most recent purchases)

My shopping wish list has been looking pretty sparse lately. Granted, I don't have a lot of free time in which to browse aimlessly online or in store. Without a local Saks (where I'd try on new arrivals to see what size I'd need and stalk until sale time) and without much luring me to the brick and mortar Anthropologie locations nearby, I am basically relegated to searching for "the ones that got away." Practically this means I occasionally browse ebay, outnet, and yoox with little success. It's good for my bank account at least. But wardrobe-wise I'm feeling a little ... stale for lack of better word.

It seems like most of the pieces that are my favorites came out between 2008 and 2011 and I've worn them again and again and again. During that time frame, it felt as though Kate Spade, Marc by Marc Jacobs, See by Chloé, and Anthropologie had limitless dresses and coats and bags that were so "me." Maybe what is "me" is now dated? Maybe I'm not finding much that appeals to me because I am older? Maybe it's because I'm a mom now and have less time to follow trends? Maybe it's because many of my favorite blogs are now defunct or radio silent? I'm sure that the seasons have something to do with it, since I typically find less to covet from spring lines.

No matter the reason, I have a stack of languishing gift cards to prove that nothing is drawing me to shop of late. Even when I find something I like, the details are wrong. For example, it seems like every recent Kate Spade shirt dress has been sleeveless. Sleeveless is not my favorite look, especially coupled with a button front. Something about it feels very 90s and it's not for me. There was one Marc by Marc dress that caught my eye but upon further inspection it has a deal-breaking (for me) high/low hemline.

I first tried on the dress in the photo during my trip to San Diego in April 2012 (reviewed here). I tracked it down in early December 2013 and it's my most recent wardrobe purchase. The wait between trying it on and buying it off ebay allowed me to be certain it was something I actually wanted. But part of that want became amplified due to lack of alternative wants. I wonder if this is my new normal? Or if it's just the cycling of trends that currently contradicts my personal taste in clothes? At any rate, the cold coupled with my closet monotony make me less inclined than usual to snap photos of what I've worn. So apologies for the sporadic posting... Hopefully a burst of creativity will strike me and I'll at least become less blasé about changing how I've worn what I've already worn a bunch.

Salecasting: A Quick Trip to NYC Lets Me See Before Buying!

I flew out to NYC on Monday, very early in the morning to accompany Chris's mom to an appointment. Although we were there for just 36 hours, we took advantage of our centrally located midtown hotel and packed in a lot of shopping! We had a wonderful view and were a stone's throw from Bryant Park.

The broader selection of in-season, full priced merchandise, typical of larger cities, can be an asset to a patient, savvy shopper. If you are willing to plan ahead you can save yourself the uncertainty of shopping online.

Although I knew I didn't want to pay full price for anything I was eying since the fall/winter stock launched, my intent to browse, assess fabrics/quality in person, and determine fit will facilitate informed online deal-hunting in the future! Since this isn't a great time of year for sales (we had JUST missed Bloomingdale's Friends and Family promotion) it made more sense to try things on broadly, including full priced merchadise that I typically avoid due to my budget. Tomorrow I'll post the dressing room photo hits and misses from Nanette Lepore, Tibi, DVF, and Marc by Marc Jacobs.

Old clothes feel new again but new clothes are still tempting!

One of the things most frustrating about not shopping is not that you are stuck assembling outfits from an already overflowing closet. That is actually the fun part of the challenge! But what is most difficult is that in the process of sharpening your instinct for innovation, in viewing each garment as a component in an outfit full of possibilities, you come to see those possibilities everywhere. That skill doesn't suddenly shut down once your closet is out of your eyesight. Instead, you become better equipped to imagine the many ways you could style a garment, if it was already at your disposal. This opens the path to rationalization: "But if it will fit in so well, maybe I DO need it?"

I've gone to three weddings this summer, all of which had different crowds (minus my date, Chris) so I wore the same outfit to all three. I also wore a version of this ensemble last year to two other weddings!

After weeks spent shopping your own closet, you've become intimately acquainted with what you already have, so picturing any additional possibilities yielded when you pair that beloved navy cardigan, your favorite drapey scarf, and the contrasting leather bag with a new piece becomes automated. You can't really shut down the part of your brain that authored creative ways to make old things feel new again. Practicing that process infiltrates how you see new new items, also. Suddenly new things start to again strike you as necessary luxuries rather than adding to your already superfluous excess.

These recent outfits feature pieces I pulled from the back of my closet, except for the skirt on the far right (which was an impulse purchase at f21 while shopping with my sister).
The dresses are all at least a year (the middle two are closer to three years old). The top is four years old. The shoes are all a year old.

It becomes even more complicated when the boundaries of your ban become blurred. "This $20 skirt doesn't count! It was only $20." Or, "I have to buy these undergarments. They're on sale and foundation pieces don't count." Or, "Outnet is having a flash sale and I've never seen 3.1 Phillip Lim dresses selling for this cheap!" The comforting thing about a complete shopping ban is that there are no gray areas. You just don't buy it, no matter the circumstance. Slowly, over time I began allowing the space for gray areas. I'll discuss how my ban fell to the wayside in my next post.