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:

Try, Try and Try Again

     I sometimes read posts by people who plan out their next week of outfits ahead of time, and think that I should try it. My usual objection is that I like to get dressed "in the moment" based on how I am feeling that morning. I tell myself that I might not end up wearing my pre-planned outfits, making it a poor use of time to do the planning in the first place. On the other hand, a lot of the time I hit snooze too many times, and then am in a rush out the door, grabbing an uninspired outfit. As such, there isn't as much creativity as I'd like, and some of my work wardrobe languishes. (Presumably, while I'm gone, my clothes obviously animate and start singing, "ten years we've been rusting, needing so much more than dusting, needing exercise, a chance to use our skill...")

     Sounds like I should just give it a shot and report back. In the meantime, I thought I'd show some of my thought process from a recent weekend outfit. I have this awesome pink suede skirt, that I bought from a thrift store in 2014. It fit perfectly in the waist, but was a floor length, maxi skirt (query why someone needed a full length pink suede skirt) so I bought it and took it to a tailor. The tailor very nicely saved the cut material, and I still have the rest of the skirt. I keep vowing to do something interesting with the leather (like maybe make a little coin purse) but I guess it has now been 3 years and I haven't acted on that impulse. I still really love the skirt, but I have a hard time finding ways to wear it casually. Now that fall is finally starting in the Bay Area, I thought I'd break it out, and see if I could find it a good match.

Top | Susina

Happy Fourth of July!

Top | James Perse
Pants | AG Jeans (Made in USA)
Shoes | Asics Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66
Jacket | Rag & Bone (Made in USA)

In honor of the holiday and the time off of work, I wore blue and white and decided to pose moodily on a stoop - just as our forefathers anticipated, I'm sure. 

     Half of this outfit is secondhand (the jacket and the jeans) and the top and shoes were purchased new. The top is actually the same as the James Perse top I sung the praises of here. I rarely buy multiples of anything, but in this case, I loved that black top so much I hunted it down. It wasn't super easy, but I eventually found it online. I bought it in blue and also bought a backup black top as well. Basically, if you see me around in the next few months, there is a good chance I'll be wearing one of those shirts.

    Speaking of which, I luckily avoided a situation where I needed multiple varsity jackets. I was doing laundry too quickly and dumped this one in the washing machine (it is a wool blend and dry clean only). I caught it before it was transferred to the dryer, but even just the short trip in the washing machine caused it to shrink quite a bit. Luckily, it was a medium and oversized before, so the sleeve length is almost perfect now, but I got quite lucky. I wear this jacket all the time too, so it would have been a real blow. It is the only jacket I have that I can drape over my shoulders, like you see in fashion magazines, and doesn't just look (totally) ridiculous. 

Happy holiday, if you are in the US, and thanks for stopping by!

In the Pocket: Argent Blazer Review

Top | James Perse
Blazer | Argent (Made in USA)
Skirt | Rag & Bone Romy (Made in USA)
Shoes | Coclico (Sustainably Sourced)

     I love this outfit so much, I've already worn it twice in the span of two weeks. It feels like a very modern expression of a business casual outfit, that still expresses my personal style.

     The skirt is definitely the anchor here. It is a wool skirt (classic fabric) in a trumpet shape (classic cut), but the shorter length and thinner quality of the wool (making it seem less bulky) keep it from feeling stuffy to me. Obviously, the wrinkles aren't ideal, but I haven't had a lot of extra time for sleeping much less ironing these last few weeks. I paired the skirt with a slouchy tee shirt, rather than a blouse, to keep the look casual. This tee is also great - it is incredibly soft, which is why I have worn it already 10+ times since I got it, but still looks polished (no unfinished hems, and the scoop doesn't scoop too low). I sometimes find James Perse pieces to be overpriced for what they offer, but this one is from Nordstrom Rack, and was priced very reasonably. I've been hand-washing it and letting it dry on a drying rack, just in case the dryer somehow alters the softness, but we'll see how long this practice lasts. 

 The blazer is necessary because (i) my office is always cold so some sort of outwear is a must, (ii) it has a fun color, making my outfit a little more visually interesting, (iii) it adds polish to the aforementioned tee shirt, and most importantly (iv) it is a bad ass blazer that has pockets on the inside! Honest to goodness pockets. Multiple pockets. A pocket for your phone, with a hole for earbuds to pop through, a pocket for your pen or chapstick, a zipper pocket for a credit card or some cash, plus regular pockets on the outside which are actually large enough for an iPhone. Truly, amazing.  

It is made by Argent, a young company whose mission is to empower women through fashionable, practical, fun clothing. They are a female founded company, the clothes are made in USA, and if you happen to live in DC or SF, they have a pop-up in both cities. For reference, I am wearing the Hunter Crossover Blazer, in a size 0. This blazer fit me perfectly in the back/shoulder, right off the rack, although the arms are a smidge long. It is a cotton/poly/elastine blend that feels thick and amazing (sort of like a ponte fabric - ponte adjacent for sure), and doesn't seem to wrinkle. I haven't tried their pants yet, but there is a matching pair that go with this blazer and which I have been eyeing.

     I finished the outfit off with black flats, and boom. This outfit is in for many more wears.

What would be included in your ideal blazer? Found any good (or bad) wear-wear brands recently?