Month One Is Over And I Am In Shock!!

I seriously can't believe it. I came in under budget for the month. This is the least I've spent on clothes in any given month in YEARS! And I don't feel a bit deprived or like I'm missing something. I'm happy with every single one of my purchases. Here they are:

Calvin Klein Black knee-length puffer: $180
Phillip Lim top: $358
Seychelles Gypsy Platforms: $95
Lucky Cut-off Denim Shorts: $60

Total Spent: $693 which is $57 under my monthly budget.

I've also learned a lot about my own style. Most importantly that I am not as preppy/classic as I thought. I like color and fun, even some edgy designs. I've also learned what I have so I don't keep buying the same basics over and over again. I'm free to spend my money on wardrobe building pieces.

Starting tomorrow I have $750 to spend and a completely readjusted attitude on shopping. Yay!!!

PS - Sucks to see that my coat is $30 off now, but I needed it so I guess I can't complain. And, on the other hand the Phillip Lim top is sold out so you really can't wait for everything to go on sale.

Fancy Schmancy

Headed for a lovely dinner at The Modern at the MOMA and wanted to dress the part, but it was also zero frickin' degrees out. Ended up in this purple satin sheath (The Limited, $90), a black cardigan (also The Limited, $60) and some black kitten heels (BCBG Generation $90).

The star of this outfit is the gold brooch necklace from Banana Republic (shocker). This was a trend last year that I was told by every magazine I could wear with a t-shirt, so I got one (about $138) but never really tried it. I think it works quite nicely here and it definitely jazzed my dress up.

Two things to note here: 1) While BR makes some bland basics, their costume jewelry for the last few years has been stellar. I love their pieces. They're inexpensive, well made and fun. 2) The Limited, a throw back to the mall shopping 80s, recently hired a new dress designer. In the last year I've purchased at least 6 fantastic dresses there and all were only $90. The rest of their clothes are still a little uninspired, but the dresses are worth a look. I always get compliments on them.

Saturday when it's too cold to think.

This was my Saturday outfit when it was 16 degrees out. I ended up at the Natural History Museum (hence the bear) trying to soak up some culture in lieu of sunshine. It was just me, and EVERY child in Manhattan, so I was beginning to wish my boots had both steel toes and spurs at one point so I could clear a few feet around me, if only to breathe.

Outfit is light wash BR skinny jeans ($89); layering tee from Target ($12); Sweater Tunic, Mossimo at Target ($25); Boots are Nine West ($99 on sale).

The number of times I wear the BR skinny jeans each month is getting embarrassing. I've needed to go jean shopping for a while, but it's a task I hate with the white hot heat of 10,000 suns so I've been putting it off. I smell a challenge coming on.

Help me out...where do you like to go jeans shopping? Do you have a no fail, best pair?

To buy or not to buy...

I really like these and they are on sale for $50. They seem like a good spring boot that would go well with skirts and even shorts if I can pull it off properly. Any thoughts on these? Comment below, yo!

Baby, it's cold outside.

I woke up this morning to snow, which was pretty until I remembered that I had planned to wear a dress today. And also had to walk my dog. Pickles is lucky she's adorable.
Well, I decided not to let cold weather get me down and just wear what I was planning on anyway. So here I am: BCBG Dress ($178) which I picked up at Macy's after reading that "art prints" were a coming trend. BCBG has embraced it and has a ton on their site. Club Monaco Cardigan makes another appearance. Great for the office. Almsot went with a navy cardigan but decided it was too matchy-matchy. Shoes are Miz Mooz, ($90ish) purple with a wood wedge heel and I love them. I just discovered this brand. They don't always hit it out of the park, but they do a lot of mid heels (which, as a New Yorker, I love) and they also choose some interesting leather colors that you don't see everywhere. The prices are also quite nice.

What you're not seeing here is what it required to wear this outfit today. Namely a mid-calf link puffer, Wool lined snow boots and a scarf and earmuffs. That pictures is far less fashionable. Those of you in cooler climates, please share your cold weather style tips in the comment section! I need them!

I'll be wearing this tonight for dinner at Balthazar, one of my favorite restaurants in the world and a large factor in my decision to head east.

"My grammy never gave gifts. She was too busy getting raped by Cossacks."

When I got dressed today I felt like I was channeling a little bit of modern-day Annie Hall, thus the movie quote for today's title. If you've never seen Annie Hall, check it out. It's a classic.

So, a couple of things going on here. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but the black sweater vest (BCBG,$160ish) has sequins on it. It's been hanging in my closet for three years in the "going out" section and has only been worn maybe 3 times. It always felt too dull for a night out. So today I moved it over to day wear. (What? Sequins during the day? Crazy!) I paired it with a white button down (Banana Republic, of course, $98); skinny jeans (BR again, $89); and my Black Naturalizer boots ($150).

The scarf is the detail I added that really spruced it up. It's also BCBG, and I bought it at least 6 years ago and have worn it once. And it's wasn't cheap - $129. It was one of those things that i liked in theory, but never had the creativity to wear. The fact that I am wearing it today with a black based outfit (it's rose with chocolate dots) is a major rule break for me. Brown and black were never to be mixed before. (the German in me is very strict!). I was far too worried about something matching than whether or not it just worked.

So lesson learned. Matching is not a style foundation, it's just using the Garanimals principle to get dressed.

I've got Buyer's Rejoice!

Trying to make a play off of buyer's remorse and failing, which is my M.O. today.

These shoes came in the mail yesterday and I am so glad I decided to get them. they are even prettier than the picture and the suede is really plush and rich. The heels are HIGH but the platform makes them a bit more comfy. They look amazing with jeans - very Sandra Dee at the end of Grease. I can't wait to wear them...if only the weather would cooperate.

They're only $95 (in teal or natural) at piperlime.com, and the Seychelles site has them in orange and black, but they charge a whopping $9.50 for ground shipping.

I need to start sleeping with mean people.

Why? Because I CANNOT get out of bed in the morning. I need to roll over when the alarm goes off to face some jerk who pushes me out of bed and tells me to get my ass up. And give him 20 pushups for good measure.

What does this have to do with fashion? Well, when I wake up late like today, 15 minutes after I was supposed to leave the house, I tend to just throw on the first thing I find in the closet. Usually something I've worn a million times. Today's outfit was born of last minute panic. I've worn it before and knew it would work. In fact, I wore something almost identical just last week!) But I'm looking to challenge myself here and do something different. Waking up late doesn't give me much room to do that.

Anyhooo...Ann Taylor Sweater ($58); Banana Republic Skirt ($60); Diba Booties ($140); Gold belt (no idea).

Two good things came out of it though: 1) I got 2 random compliments on looking nice today and 2) it gave me an idea of challenge #4 which I will tackle tonight! Stay Tuned!

Also...if you know where I can get my hands on a nuclear alarm clock, holla.

Project Runway

As much as I've been into fashion and clothes, I've actually never watched this show. This season I started, hoping to get inspired to do something different with the clothes I have. I must say I like it quite a bit. About 20 minutes too much on drama, but I'm assuming that's why people like it.

Amy's design was my favorite this week. It was so pretty, even though the burlap material started out hideous. It looked soft and edgy at the same time. The judges did not pick this as the winner, but they can't always be right, can they?

PS - Heidi Klum is perfection, as Chandler would say.

Amazing Jacket

- Fashion from my iPhone


Pre-Gaga Kim and I hung out at her sister's house where I discovered this AMAZING jacket hanging up.

Turns out Keri Shunk is a fashion designer. I think she has a bright future because this jacket is gorge! Total one-of-a-kind piece that I would have stolen if the Shunk Sisters hadn't outnumberd me 3 to 1. My karate is a little rusty anyhow. Darn it.

Check her out: Unk and Wil

More Gaga fashion

- Fashion from my iPhone


This is my friend KIm in her Alice + Olivia Mirror Dress. It's listed on the internets at $695, but I don't think you can actually find this dress anymore. She got it two years ago at Scoop NYC and has worn it many times so I think it was probably well worth it. It has a bit of a vintage feel to it and the cut is basic so I can't see it going out of style. Plus it's so fun!

Phillip Lim for Lady Gaga

- Fashion from my iPhone


Just some notes on this outfit. I tried this at first with pleather leggings which turned out to be the only black item in the world that is NOT slimming. Ended up with a denim legging jean ($60). Shoes are from Nine West and were a steal at $89. I try not to spend too much on trendy things. They go out of fashion too quickly to be worth it. I get lots of compliments on these shoes, people tend to think they are a nicer brand than Nine West.

I'm Cheap Where It Hurts

So no outfit photo yet today. I'm sitting on a commercial set, which means anything nicer than jeans and a t-shirt is uncomfortable and impractical. Loose jeans too, since we eat all day. I will have a photo later of my Lady Gaga concert outfit.

On another note, I've been asking around lately for opinions on coloring my hair at home. Right now, I'm hard pressed to find someone to do my highlights for under $200 and since I'm supposed to get them done every 6 weeks it gets really expensive. I'm sure you can also tell from my photos that I haven't been keeping up on that! I was thinking since my hair is getting mousier as the years go on, maybe it's time to move up to single process color...and maybe I could do it at home.(side note: I would never do this without the help of a friend...I need someone in the room to blame when it all goes awry.)

Now, considering that you wear your hair every day and it's often said that a good haircut can make all of the difference in the world I have to ask myself "Why would I skimp on my color yet spend $15,000 on clothes without blinking?" I obviously have my priorities screwed up. I'd feel so much better with great hair everyday, but somehow I have a hard time parting with that money.

So, do I try to home color? Does anyone have any experience with home-coloring they can share?

Or, do I just spend the money on the hair knowing that I'll (hopefully) spend way less on clothes this year?

Teeny Tiny Details

I was running ridiculously late this morning so I did not have a lot of time to think about what I was going to wear. I seriously need to get a less comfortable bed or a job that starts at noon. I prefer the latter, but doubt I'll find one. I was tempted to throw on my old uniform (skinny jeans, boots, shirt, long cardigan) but I decided not to give up so easily.

Here's where I ended up. Dragonfly sweater, Old Navy ($30); Banana Republic skirt ($60); Booties, Diba ($140). And, do you notice the teeny tiny detail that I added? If you can't figure it out, here's a hint: it's the one that makes me look fat. It's a purple leather belt from who knows when or where that's so skinny it makes me look quite the opposite. I won't be wearing this skinny of a belt again anytime soon. But I'll keep it on for the rest of the day on principle and suck my stomach in.

Question: Should I put the belt back in the closet in case it works with something else? Or donate it assuming it'll have the same affect on my midsection regardless of the outfit? I'm thinking donate.

Should I get it?

Resisted a massive sale at Ben Sherman tonight. This green dress is $65 down from $160. Tempted to go back Saturday and purchase. Any votes between now and then would be helpful.

PROS: Super cute, could be belted over jeans, great price.
CONS: Not really spring/summer appropriate. Will get 3 months of wear then head back in the closet til November.

This trend makes me yak.

Denim romper by A.P.C. Really???



- Fashion from my iPhone

Busy week

This week I'm shooting so It's going to be busy and comfort is key, but I'm going to make an effort not to be a slouch.

Today's outfit is a Banana Republic tiered silk top (?? maybe $75), BR skinny cords ($90) that I just had hemmed to the perfect length, Cole Haan Air Bacara ballet flats ($140 and so comfy I bought them in 3 colors).

Purse is from Michael Kors ($198) and I know this style has been one of their top sellers. I highly recommend it. It's lightweight, holds a ton, and the patent is indestructible. It comes in about 10 different colors, but I thought the purple was really fun and would go well with black or brown. I've already worn it enough in the last two months to justify it's price and I know I'll use it for a long time to come.

Speaking of Michael Kors. I'm loving this peasant dress for summer, but not sure I could pull it off. Any thoughts on this people?

Challenge #3: Set a spending limit...and stick to it.

Tracking my spending is what opened my eyes to this mess in the first place, so it only seems appropriate that I look at my spending and make some changes. Up until this minute, I've had no specific clothing budget. I had a monthly spending budget, but I always ended up blowing it. Probably because I never watched my spending on clothing, and when real bills came I had to pay them, thus putting me over budget.

My first step was figuring out how much I should spend on clothes. So I did a little research (or "Goog-search") and was surprised to find no real definitive answer. I read everything from 2% of your salary to 8%, but nothing over 8%. I ended up finding a great tool for budgeting at The Washington Post. Pretty handy, and it uses the top of threshold which works for me. Last year I spent 18% of my salary on clothes. I can't go all the way down to 2%. That's a recipe for failure. So 8%....

I also did some other calculations. I'm supposed to be saving 10% of my salary and I'm not doing that. So I need to factor that in. Surprisingly, even though I live in New York, I was on target for my rent! So after crunching all of the relative numbers, I came up with $750 per month to spend on clothes.

Now to me, and I'm sure to most people, that's looks like a LOT of money. It's a hugely generous budget that allows for designer purchases. I am again floored by the fact I was spending more than TWICE that on average every month and have so little to show for it. I am mad at 2009 me. She's stupid.

So far this month I'm under my budget. I've spent $540 ($360 on the Lim top, and $180 on a Calvin Klein knee length down coat). That leaves me $210 left to spend. But I don't have to spend that. I need to keep reminding myself that $750 is the maximum I can spend, not the minimum I should spend.

Although I might get those Seychelles shoes...I'd still be under budget. Hee hee!

12 days to go this month...I wonder if I'll make it.

Saturday Night Special

Catching up again today due to internet failure at home.
Saturday night was my first wearing of the Phillip Lim top and it went great. I felt confident in my look and got compliments galore. I'm not sure I've ever had that many compliments in one night, except that time I dressed up as a zombie prom queen.

This time I wore the top with a J. Crew turtleneck, BR Skinny jeans (light wash, $89) and Naturalizer boots($150. Yes, you read that right. Naturalizer. I'm not 70, but I need comfy shoes to trek around this city and they've been making cuter shoes lately. Check them out - your feet will thank you.

Later this week I'll be wearing the top in an entirely different, and somewhat age-inappropriate way, to go to the Lady Gaga show. I think I'm going to be proven right about this top. That it'll get lots of wear, lots of compliments and be worth the money spent.

PS - I bought the classic Chanel quilted purse for, wait for it.....$2500. BUT, It will never go out of style and will actually last me the rest of life so totally worth it. If I had to do it again though, I might have looked for a used one on ebay, but they are hard to find.

Imagine

This dress is for display only, not to wear, but it's still gorgeous. I want a feather dress! I'd wear it all the time. Really, I would.

- Fashion from my iPhone

Day Wear

This is pretty casual wear. Just spending the saturday running errands. Lux top from Urban Outfitters. I think it was $58. I bought it a year ago and wear it fairly often. Jeans are Hudson. Yes, same jeans as yesterday...like you don't do that. Come on. Boots are Frye Ankle Booties and are an awesome shade of green though it's hard to see here. I lived in these last winter and spring. Super comfy and the color makes them not so run of the mill. Frye boots are expensive (usually around $300) but the quality is unparalleled. You'll wear them for years.

Don't love this outfit, but don't hate it. Kinda phoned it in since I'm going out tonight and know I'll be debuting my Phillip Lim top. I hope I get lots of compliments. Not because I'm vain and I love to hear people talk about me, but so I know hte purchase was a solid on. Fingers crossed.

P.S. I'm a little vain. Sue me.

Casual Friday

It's Friday and I decided to try a casual/preppy look. Not loving it, but don't hate it. This is an outfit that a month ago I might have thought was really snazzy (yes, I talk like an old lady), but today, not so much. Surely I can be more imaginative than this! This is good though, I'm finding out what I like and don't like and that will keep me from buying more stuff I'll never wear. Plus I used to think these jeans were super flattering, but now I think they make my butt look big. Having pictures is a really valuable tool. Too bad I have 2 pairs of these.

I love this tweedy jacket though. ($80, Urban Outfitters) particularly with the turtle mother of pearl broach that was my late-grandmothers. Jeans are Hudson ($176), T-shirt is Ann Taylor ($?), and boots are Miz Mooz ($155).

The purse is an embarrassing story. It's LV and it's called "The Manhattan" and it cost a LOT ($1550 if I remember correctly) . I bought it when I decided to move here but have hardly ever carried it. I have to use it more - it's such a nice bag. And I spent a small fortune on it. Could have gotten a black market baby for $1550. And everyone knows babies are the hottest accessory.

No you didn't!

Looks like Banana Republic got the memo about head to toe denim.

Yeech!


- Fashion from my iPhone

Is it May yet?

I am just dreaming of spring and killing some time but these Seychelles Gypsy Platforms are really cute. Only $95 on Piperlime (one of the best shopping sites IMO), I could see these with jeans, skirts, leggings and even a pair of brown or purple tights in the fall.

I'm loving color more than ever. These may fit in my budget this month...or next!

Getting better.

Not to toot my own horn..but beep beep! I like this outfit! Even got a couple of unsolicited compliments. My dress today is all about stylish fun. If you zoom in on the print, you'll see little black stallions. I found it at a tiny boutique on 23rd called Yamak and have only worn it twice, but think I will wear it more often. It's from a label I've never heard of and can't find online called "Pine Tree Revolution". ($75 on sale from $150)

The cardigan is just from the Limited ($50) but it's a nice basic. The shoes were the turning point for me. I was going to go with plain black, but at the last minute I grabbed a colorful pair. They have stripes on them, which normally I would never mix with a different pattern, but they totally work. (Alfani, from Macy's $120 - 3 years ago)

So nothing designer on, but I feel like a million bucks. And I'm learning that one little change can make a big difference. All this stuff has exisisted in my closet for months...this shouldn't be the first time I'm wearing this outfit.

The only thing I'd do different? Wear lipstick for this photo so I don't look so washed out. I'm ridiculously pale. I'm the opposite of Snooki.

Not today.

In light of the tragedy in Haiti, I will not spend the day worrying about what I'm wearing. Instead I'll be grateful and donate to the Red cross to help this country in so much need. Please do the same if you can afford to.


You can also text "haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 instantly to the Red Cross.

Hello Gorgeous!!

This Tiled Teardrop Clutch by Tory Burch is stunning but, even on sale at $225, it's still a little more than I want to spend on an occasional bag.

Oh, but it's ever so pretty.

Progress!

Today I had a little bit of a fashion breakthrough. This morning I started with the black draped skirt and the tights, and was planning on adding a white button down, a green tweed jacket and boots. I put that whole look on and was totally underwhelmed. The jacket cut funny with the draped skirt and looked boxy and shapeless. My outfit was scoring a dull 3.5 on the awesome scale but I was also running late for work. (20 seconds MacGruber!)

I knew I needed to try something different (hello, point of blog!). So what would I never wear with a fancy draped skirt? A t- shirt. And surprise, it worked! I threw on a bunch of bracelets which I thought might up the edgy-anty and some purple suede (and studded) t-strap pumps. I was really happy with the end result. I felt much hipper than I did five minutes before and proud of myself for trying something. I like today's outfit far better than yesterday's. This feels very much like what I want my style to be.


Skirt is Reiss ($230), T-shirt City DNKY ($35 on sale), Pumps BCBG Girls ($168 on Sale)

Eh, It's Monday

What do you people want from me? It's in the 20s and it's Monday.

For the record - Seven Jeans ($198), BR sweater ($120), Target layering Tee and Enzo Angiolini Equestrian Boots ($225).

On another note, Heard on the Today Show that a hot trend for 2010 is "head-to-toe denim". I, for one, will not ever be rocking the Texas Tuxedo no matter who says it's okay to do so. Last year they told me acid wash denim was back in and I didn't fall for that one either. Try again, fashion industry!

Challenge #2: Throwing money away.

What you are looking at here is about $1500 down the drain. This weekend I went through my closet and pulled out every item that I've NEVER worn. Some of that stuff has been in my closet for over a year too.

Here are the totals:
5 pairs of shoes
9 pairs of pants
3 shirts
2 sweaters
12 dresses
and 1 $350 hat

It's definitely between $1500 and $2000 worth of clothes just sitting there and taking up space.

Let's imagine what I could do for $2000. A week in Puerto Rico at an all inclusive resort. 6 months of on-on-one pilates and yoga instruction. 2.5 badass karoake parties with my friends at Sing Sing WITH an open bar. 3 trips to dallas to see my friends and their munchkins. Half a Cartier diamond pave trinity ring! Arrrrgggghhhhh! I want any of those things 10 times more than I want the unworn crap in my closet!!! I am angry at me. Are you??

So...why is this happening? You'd think the minute I bought something I'd be dying to wear it. But I'm one of those people who buys for "just in case" and "someday", and in the case of the 9 pairs "I'm planning on losing 5 pounds".

So, new rule. If I buy an item and don't wear it within 2 weeks - it gets returned.

I also plan to wear as much of this stuff as possible (as weather and the size of my ass permit) over the next month. If not they'll be prime candidates for my January closet purge.

Good God I hope I'm learning my lesson here!

Playing Catch Up

Having to play a bit of catch up as my internet was down over the weekend. This outfit was for a Saturday of errand running. It's 23 degrees out and no one was going to see me so it was hard to motivate to do better than this. But still, I tried to not be sloppy, put on jewelry and make up, etc. The cardigan is from Club Monaco and was $150 but I wear it a lot - probably too much. But it looks cute over dresses and belted too, and it's a great length. Totally worth the price and the material has worn really well. No pilling! Jeans, BR Skinny Jeans, Tshirt is plain Ann Taylor ($35) and Uggs are...well, Uggs. They were $180 and worth every penny when it's cold out. Even if they make me look like a yeti hunter.

My eyes are closed in this photo. Maybe I'm dreaming of a better wardrobe?? Or this?

Mourning Edition

Today I'm in black. All black. My Texas Longhorns lost the BCS Championship and I'm showing my disappointment in a fashionable way.

Today's dress is a "Never Worn" item. I bought it about 2 and a half years (BCBG $350) and it's hung in my closet for so long that there was a hole at the seam in the neck from the weight of the material pulling it down. Or a moth. I fixed it with some Hollywood tape for today and will get it repaired eventually. The dress came with a black sash in the same sweater material, but I decided to add a little color with a patent ombre belt with a gold buckle (also BCBG, $30 on major sale).

Why have I never worn this dress? It's so cute. And sophisticated possibly? I know I certainly don't feel as frumpy as I did yesterday so this is a better outfit for sure. But it's not necessarily unique or one of a kind. But that's ok - I don't have to be fashion forward everyday. Just fashionable is just fine.

Side Note: Hollywood Fashion Tape - a clear double stick tape - is amazing. It should b e in everyone's closet. I've used it to do everything from holding strapless dresses in place to fixing a leather tear in my boots. It's a must have and you can find it in various sizes and shapes on their site.

The antidote to Blurgh!!

After some internet searching I found the Phillip Lim top in my size and ON SALE ($320 down from $550). Of course I had to get it. This is exactly the kind of thing I should be getting. It's a standout and I can wear it with everything from jeans to skirts to dressy velvet pants. And yes, I own a pair of dressy velvet pants.

This eats up close to half of my new monthly clothing budget (more on that later) but so versatile and unique I think it's worth it. It's on sale at Barney's if you're interested.

In the words of Liz Lemmon: Blurgh!

Today's outfit did NOT make me happy. I put it on this morning and was overwhelmed with a feeling of blah. I had to add the LV bag just to get myself out the door. (It's 100% true that a good bag can make a world of difference - I never regret spending money on those.) I picked this outfit out last night and was running late this morning so I was kinda stuck with it, but in the end I'm glad. I learned a little lesson today: my taste in clothes has changed.

There was a time when I would describe my look (or at least the look I was going for) as "classic". I would have cited Calvin Klein and Donna Karen as my fave designers. And I've spent years amassing plain basics in ordinary colors in my wardrobe. I can't even guess how many black sweater I have. And now, when I look in my closet and feel like I have nothing to wear, it's probably because everything is basically the same. Now what I'm drawn to are clothes that look unique and one-of-a kind. My outfit today could be probably duplicated in most closets in America. Nothing personal America, but that's not a good thing in my opinion.

For the record - Banana blouse and cords, Zara sweater, Boots ?, Coach bracelet and LV bag. It's a first wearing of the brown cords and navy cardigan.

This year - I'm going to only add pieces that I LOVE. I clearly have all the foundations of a basic wardrobe to mix and match with, so now I'm going to have some fun. Clothes that make me smile and make people to ask "where did you get that!" that's my goal. And I plan to spend A LOT less doing it. Onward!

Sale at Trina Turk - Not to be missed!

Everything I've purchased from Trina Turk stays in my closet and gets a lot of wear. If you're looking for cool pieces at a reasonable price, this sale is a good place to start.

www.trinaturk.com

Dreamy!

I can't afford these ($565) but if you can, snap them up. Turquoise glitter is so fresh. Christian Laboutin...of course. At Barney's.

Damn You Phillip Lim!

After falling in love with that Phillip Lim top and not being able to find it anywhere, my closet looked pretty boring this morning. It's stacked with neutral basics - no wonder I'm bored with my wardrobe. Today I broke down and pulled out the BR skinny jeans - it's just too cold. The top Is by 12th St Cynthia Vincent, and I got it on sale at Barney's a couple of years ago for $100 and I do wear it quite a bit. Still seems fashionable to me, so I think it's worth it if it lasts a few seasons.

I brought my purse into the photo because I think it's a good example of what I'm trying to do here. It's a Kate Spade, and was $500, but I got it on sale at 20% off. Finding a good black purse has been like a unicorn hunt for me. I've spent money on several less expensive ones, and just not loved the quality of the leather. This one, I fell in love with and I have used it a ton already. I feel like it will last a few seasons and is worth the cost since I don't need to buy another black purse until this wears out or gets stolen.

Phillip Lim

So I stopped by Phillip Lim today and found the most gorgeous top version of Kim's dress - in Navy which would suit me better. But they only had a size ZERO (ha!) and it's nowhere online. Guess it's popular. Saved myself $550, but this could have been my first designer purchase that I would have really been in love with. I already had 6 outfits to wear it with picked out in my head.

1 of 63

Since I have 63 dresses, I decided to wear one today. This purple sweater dress (BCBG $250.)has been in my closet for a couple of years and gets repeat wear. It's hard to accessorize it much. It's so bulky it kind of is what it is. But i went with gray tights and boots vs. the more expected black. I'm going to try and go the whole week without wearing my Banana Republic Skinny Jeans ($89) which are currently the most worn item in my closet. It's been hard so far (2 days!) because it's 20 degrees out. Speaking of - can anyone design a puffer that's warm AND stylish, or are those two terms mutually exclusive? I'm craving a floor length fur but can't afford one or send so many little fuzzies to the slaughter house.

Also, note to self, get a haircut or a gig as an extra on Big Love, pronto!

Challenge #1: Inventory.

I've decided that this blog needs to be more than a diary - I need to challenge myself to figure out where I'm going wrong if I ever hope to go right. And that first challenge is to actually admit what I have in my closet so this weekend I did a full count. I've posted pictures below, but everything is so crammed in I don't even think I knew what I had...this is staggering, get ready.


63 Dresses
26 Skirts
20 Pullover Sweaters
18 Belts
26 Pairs of Tights
5 Leggings
6 Winter Coats
6 Fall Coats
12 Jackets
4 Hoodies
15 Camis
112 Tops/Tees
20 Cardigans
18 Pairs of Pants
5 Pairs of Cords
11 Pairs of Jeans
5 Pairs of Shorts
26 Purses
12 Pairs of Boots/Booties
24 Pairs of Heels
9 Pairs of Flats
3 Pairs of Tennis Shoes

Wow.

And that's not even everything I own. That doesn't count my scarves, t shirts, jewelry, and other random stuff including a $350 hat that I've NEVER WORN. I'm grossed out and kind of embarrassed and really want to throw half of it away. It's not even possible for me to wear all of this in a year. I'm not sure how I got here. I need to be on an episode of "Horders: The Closet Files".

And one more time with this time I'm going to use a simple formula, which won't be quite accurate, but it'll get the point across. Let's say I bought all of htis in the last year, and we already know what I've spent on clothes. That's $15K on 442 items of clothing. (442 oh my god that is scary) That means I spent an average of $33.19 per item.

HOW can anyone have style on $33 clothes? Granted, not everything cost $33 but if I had a half the stuff in my closet I could spend twice as much on the item. Or, as a word problem, don't buy 5 pairs of Banana Republic Cords and get a fantastic dress you can wear 5 ways instead.

442 things in my closet? I am not over this yet.

This Is What I'm Talking About!

This morning getting dressed was a little agonizing. I wanted to wear something I've never worn so I picked an Old Navy olive cord mini ($24). I thought about just doing black sweater/black tights, but I mixed it up a little with a Trina Turk Blouse ($198) that I LOVE, but somehow never wear. It resulted in the outfit you see here - not too bad. Only took me 30 minutes of digging through my closet to pick it out.


When I get to work I see my friend Kim. She is wearing a spectacular dress with a cardigan and tights. I love it. And I KNOW for a fact no one else in the building is wearing anything similar. So she is owning her look today and I am jealous. So I quiz her - it's a Philip Lim dress and was about $500. This is a lot as far as I'm concerned until I realize I've been spending around 3 x that on clothes a month and don't have anything that spectacular in my closet. I could buy this dress, and still have plenty left over for shopping (or saving). Kim seems to know what I'm trying to figure out.

I'm making a note to stop by Philip Lim in SOHO tomorrow night on my way home from yoga. Can't hurt to look.

UPDATE: Dress turns out to be $675. EEK! Not sure I could go there.

Math is tricky...

On my way back from Pilates today I stopped by Kate Spade. It's on the way home, I SWEAR. I love Kate Spade. Her stuff is so fun and colorful, I wish I could dress like that all the time. I looked at several things I loved and then did the math. I COULD dress like this all the time. At the rate I'm spending money, I could buy 3 amazing things from Kate Spade every month instead of 20 so-so things from everywhere else. I always cringe at higher prices....but if they are more wearable and bring me more joy, then I probably won't feel the need to buy so much other stuff.



Case in point, I went to Lululemon today and used a Christmas Gift Certificate (thanks Mom) to get some yoga clothes. At first glance $98 for yoga pants seems crazy. But then you factor in the fact that they are reversable (2 designs in one) and they last about 4-5 years....the price actually turns out to be pretty low ($25 per pant, per year vs buying 2 pairs of pants at $25 each for 4 years = $200). I make a few purchases and feel good, vowing to put my faded Old Navy yoga pants into the "donate" pile.