2017 Superlatives

Another year has come and gone, which means it is time for me to look back at what I've purchased. If you'd like to look at last years' superlatives, you can click here.

The Past: Starting in 2014, I have kept an excel chart of my purchases, documenting brand, price, size, and end of year reflections on the item (how much have I worn it, alteration costs, and so on); a few insights:

1. This year, only 35% of my wardrobe was purchased secondhand, which is a bit down from last year. 
2. The single store/website that I purchased the most items from was Nordstrom Rack (16 items) and my most purchased brand was Rag & Bone (8 items). 
3. I ended up going about $100 over my budget (although I did buy a wedding dress this year, which was a one-time purchase and caused the total budget to grow above what I'd normally expect it to be).
4. I did save a whopping 81% off the retail price of my clothing (up from last year)! (For anyone wondering how I calculate that number, some clothes - like from Nordstrom Rack, still have the tags so you can see what the retail price was, and for items that are secondhand, I do a google search to try and locate the exact item, but take a guess when necessary, based on comparables). 

The Future: In looking ahead to 2018, I'd like to increase my second-hand purchases to make up at least a majority of my total overall purchases. I said that last year too, so I guess I want to try to actually achieve it this year. There are a lot of good second-hand and vintage stores in the Bay Area, some of which I already know about, but I bet there are even more, waiting to be discovered. Also, I honestly like mostly everything I bought in 2017 and there isn't anything currently that my heart desires. Usually there is a specific item, or a general category that I want to tackle, but right now I feel pretty content. My plan is to try to capitalize on that feeling and do a better job of  organizing and displaying my clothes, so that I remember what is in there. One of my favorite things about the spreadsheet is that it is always a good reminder about what is in my closet, and what (if I see it on the sheet and haven't thought about it for a whole year) should probably go.

Anyway, enough of that, let's get to the roundup:

Sweet Tee

I started the day full of heels and hope, and ended the day with neither. Just kidding, I still had hope. I've had these Coach wedges for a while and never wear them, so I tried to sell them to a consignment store, but they didn't want them. I'll give them a try at Crossroads, and then it is straight to Goodwill. I tried to wear them again today, but they are just a little too high and a little too big. Alas.

Dress | Eileen Fisher (also in green)
Shoes| J. Crew

         In better sartorial news, I have been craving the perfect t-shirt dress, and I think I very well found it. It is Eileen Fisher, and is made from a rather soft jersey. I first found a dress made out of this material at Nordstrom Rack, which I almost just bought because of the comfort factor, but it had more of a tent shape and long sleeves. It led me on a search to see what other dresses they had that were made of that material, and I absolutely love this one. I like the simplicity, the minor side leg slit, and that is a more substantial not-see-through jersey, which is great. 

Eileen Fisher, while generally a brand I find myself drawn to more and more, usually doesn't fit me very well. In this instance, I am wearing an XXS, which fits perfectly in the shoulder, and is still a proper midi length. Today I played it pretty straight - with some minimal jewelry and flats, but I have grand plans for this dress yet, including intense necklace laying, and fun with statement heels. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Style Dtour: Rome, Italy

View from balcony of the Airbnb. Pantheon in the distance.

Since I already gave you a glimpse of my travel wardrobe, this selection of photos basically just serves to highlight the majesty of the city that is Rome.

Sweater | Eileen Fisher
Coat | Rebecca Taylor
Pants | Citizens of Humanity
Purse | J. Crew Signet Bag
Shoes | J. Crew x New Balance

That being said, here is an outfit photo. The jacket that I brought has zip-off sleeves, so I decided to put them to the test (and make sure they weren't just decorative zippers) and treat the coat like a vest. These photos were taken at the MAXXI, which is a modern art museum located in the Flaminio neighborhood of Rome. I would describe it as a little experimental for my tastes, but I'm glad someone is out there doing what they are doing. Also, the building design was really fun.

Villa Borghese Gardens

The gardens at the Villa Borghese were one of my favorite parts of Rome. It is nice to get away from the city and suddenly be in an enormous, serene park full of plants, dogs, and striking water features.

Altare della Patria

Since I was on vacation, and walking a few miles a day, I did get pretty casual with it once or twice. For better or for worse, there were quite a few other tourists also rocking their sweatpants. Although, I should also admit, for every athleasured American, there was also an incredibly chic and well-put-together Italian person standing nearby. 

More MAXXI

View from St. Peter's Basilica.

Lastly, a view from St. Peter's Basilica, made all the more speical because there are so few people in it. One of the definite benefits of jetlag is getting the city to yourself for a few hours in the morning.

Have you been to Rome, and if so, what was your favorite spot? Thanks for stopping by!

Instagram + Weekend Reading

Well, I've given in and finally joined Instagram. Initially I wasn't interested, and then I liked being a female in their target demographic who was avoiding their product, and now it just seems like not a big deal either way. We'll see if it lasts, but for now, should you have any inclination, you can follow me at @styledtour, where I have posted such gems such as:

1. The outfit I wore to SF MOMA on Near Year's Day. It felt appropriate to start the year off with art, culture, beauty...and elbow patches. True story - I bought this sweater at a sample sale in NY, and it was so cheap that I assumed the patches were not real leather. I didn't realize until after I ran it through the washing machine that they are, in fact, lambskin. My bad. At least I caught it before I ran it through the dryer. 

Sweater | Elizabeth and James
Shirt | Equipment
Pants | Citizens of Humanity
Bag | Mansur Gavriel 

2. A shirt I found the last time I was home, and I brought back with me as a lounging-around top. I really want to go back to the Grand Canyon (I went when I was in elementary school) and this helps fuel that fire. 

3. Lastly, a close up of my new suede jacket, as well as a great Eileen Fisher sweater. I remember thinking that their clothing was so "mature" looking when I was younger, but recently I have been gravitating toward all of their dresses and sweaters whenever I see them. I wonder if that makes Eileen Fisher like the broccoli of clothing, and all I had to do was grow up to appreciate it a little bit more.

Jacket | BlankNYC Suede Moto
Sweater | Eileen Fisher
Tank | Lanston
Sunglasses | Ray-Ban

And now, for your weekend perusal:

1. For anyone who hasn't been following the drama between Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera, let the NYT lay it down for you.

2. Amazon is going to start making their own in-house line of athletic wear - I guess they are banking on us not having reached peak athleasure (Recode) 

3. NYE might be over, but Fashionista has a helpful look at how to clean feathers, sequins and fur; and finally

4. A look back at the Golden Globes fashion of 2007 - some of these have aged well, and some, not so much (GoFugYourself).

Happy weekend!

En-trenched

Ah, the classic trench. This one is actually navy, although it looks black in this photo. I think a trench coat is one of those closet staples that elevates an outfit. Without the trench, it is obvious I just mixed all the soft sweater-items in my closet together, but with the trench - well - it is a real outfit.  This one is Banana Republic, in their petite sizing. 

Trench | Banana Republic
Cardigan | Becky with the... Rachel Roy
Sweater | Eileen Fisher
Pants | See Thru Soul
Shoes | Rachel Comey (Mars)