Oops, forgot to add these - full disclosure

Oops, I forgot to add these to my January comings - I purchased 2 pairs of sneakers/flats from The Wishbone Collection. 

I absolutely love these and notice I am slowly shifting from casual sneakers to those that can do double duty - weekends and the business casual. 

Side note: I did let go of a pair of old Adidas Superstars I was holding on to; I took it out to wear and realized it was a lot more worn out looking, and not as comfortable as I remembered. So with my letting those go, along with my UGGs, I'm evening out so far for my shoe inventory.

From impulse, to staple piece

Even though I've improved a lot in making better wardrobe decisions, sometimes, I still make impulse purchases

Last year, I was having considerable success in downsizing my shoe count, when, I couldn't resist these shoes at Zara. 

When I bought them, it wasn't too much of an impulse - I rationalized the purchase. 

• Kitten heel - Great! Easy to get around in and dressier than flats; 
• Navy - even better, one of my chosen neutral colors; and 
• Different - I didn't own anything similar to this. 

It was a perfect purchase! Until they sat in my closet for an entire year.

I was beginning to beat myself up over having made this purchase. Despite my initial rationale, I knew deep-down I didn't need them and I knew had falsely convinced myself that I did - I just loved them too much to put them back down. 

I wore them a few times but wasn't super impressed by them, and in my closet they sat, until very recently - I think due to my recent clothing and color choices, they seem to go with everything! I've worn them regularly this last month and they're slowly making their way to the ranks of a staple piece! 

I'm so relieved, but I know that not all my impulses will turn into happy endings. It's a good reminder to myself that I may have to walk away from an impulse-looking purchase for at least a day to make sure I don't fall into that trap again.

January 2016 - comings and goings

I almost had a no-purchase month until I purchased the style of belt I had been looking for, for ages. Does that count? It's a very planned purchase and I got it at a great price... hm...

Comings - 4

• Lou & Grey Mix-up cardigan - bought for me by my parents <3 (I insisted to pay for it myself, but they insisted they buy it for me - gifts don't count ;))
• off-white skinny belt for my waist - been looking for one for a long time and the right one finally came along, with gold hardware, at an amazing price - $9 for leather, you really can't beat that. 
• Edit: Feb 3-16 - Forgot to add 2 pairs of shoes I got at the end of the month from The Wishbone Collection

Goings - 5

• White and navy striped blazer - it was starting to pill and look too worn. Also it was a bit shorter in length than I prefer, so I am on the look out for a longer version since it was a great outfit finisher.
• Pair of black mesh earrings - I just didn't wear it enough, if at all, and against my black hair, the details got lost anyway, defeating the purpose of adding any oomph to my outfits.
• Esprit black dress - I bought it because it has studs on the shoulders but I never got a chance to wear it since, and trying to fit it into my rotation now, is just not working.
• Gray Ugg Baileys - I love them and I will miss them very much, but they are too worn out now. I've lovingly said good-bye to them and thanked them. (That's also one pair of shoes gone, towards me owning 25 pairs... it's a loooong road)
• Esprit blue and white sundress - just didn't like the length of it any more;I got good use out of it but I think I wore it so much that it's a bit out of shape too and flares a bit too much for its length, for my liking.

Happy New Year! (December comings and goings)

Happy New Year to all of you!!! - I hope all of you have had a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family and are ready to start fresh with any resolutions you have.

To start off the new year, a recap of my December comings and goings =)

Goings - 5

• Doc Marten combat boots - sold them to fund my future pre-loved Speedy
• Doc Marten loafers - sold them to fund my future pre-loved Speedy
• Adidas work out top - don't like it anymore 
• Esprit dress - don't like it anymore
• Purple top - doesn't fit the same anymore

Comings - 1

• Stuart Weitzman loafers - given to me by a family friend - this DOES put me backward by one pair of shoes towards my goal, but I mean, they're Stuart Weitzman's, c'mon haha.

Christmas comes early with a pair of Stuart Weitzman's

It's funny how things work out - despite letting go of 2 pairs of shoes in a week, I was given a pair of almost, brand-spanking new, Stuart Weitzman Geek Loafers in black patent leather.



Yes, I'm up one again in shoe count, but... who can resist? The best part is, I think they will be great to replace all the outfits I made with my Doc Marten loafers, and will be a fantastic everyday shoe since they are so incredibly comfortable!

"When one door closes, another door opens... "

"... but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us." - Alexander Graham Bell

He's right. 

It took me a long time to let go of my Cole Haans (and to be honest, ever since they have been sitting in the donations bag, I have had to hold myself back from putting them back into my collection) but this weekend, I was able to justify bringing a new pair of shoes into my collection (one-in, one-out rule!) and have found new love and a new summer wardrobe staple.

Behold - my new Franco Sarto Venezia flats!!! 

 

I bought these on Saturday on a way to a party because the sandals I was wearing at the time were really cutting into me (the fate of that one will have to be decided at a later time) and I happen to be at the mall picking up some last minute things and thought I would just check to see if they have something more comfortable for a low price. I found these beauties for a great price - $39.99 and couldn't past them up. They are so comfortable and a great shade of gray (maybe taupe?) to be a definite wardrobe staple for me. I couldn't ask for more. 

This is my first venture into Franco Sarto shoes (I've heard great things before) and definitely would want to look into this as a go-to brand (I'm very brand loyal, if you haven't noticed already).

First quarter re-cap!

I like to re-visit my goals on a regular basis to see my progress, and reflect on how I've been tackling them. As we start the second quarter of the year, below is a re-cap of my wardrobe goals that I posted earlier this year to see how I've been doing.  

My goals for 2015 are to:

• continue to downsize the number of shoes I have - I purged a lot this year but there are still some that I can let go of. Also, I won't be replacing a number of them when they wear through. I purchased 4 pairs of shoes and my mom gave me 3 pairs of near-new shoes that she can no longer wear due to spurs. I removed a pair of sneakers and runners from my wardrobe. I'm struggling to minimize or maintain the size of my shoe collection - this year, shoes seem to be my weakness  and I'm working on reeling my self-control back in, and continuing to pare down.
  
• continue to work on using the things I love and not worry about them getting ruined. This is going well! 
• build a capsule wardrobe for each month - unlike some capsule wardrobe challenges, I'm not limiting the number of items I will use but I will make sure the amount is reasonable. Decided that with the number of items I currently have in my wardrobe, this isn't practical - I found myself missing certain items. I will need to pare down more before I can attempt capsules again so that I can get more wear out of all my clothes.
• continue to shop out of my bag and wallet collection and implement a one-in, one-out rule.  Haven't bought a single bag or wallet so far - in fact, I let 2 SLGs go, didn't bring in anything new, and re-purposed a tech case into a mini-wallet.
• rotate through all my wallets throughout the year. So far, I have used 2 different wallets, and 10 different bags.
• use jewelry more to accessorize my daily outfits. I got a bit lazy, but working on this more and also let a few costume jewelry rings go.
• continue to purge, re-fine, and down-size my wardrobe. Continuing!
• budget $1,000 for wardrobe purchases (not including investment pieces that may replace current wardrobe staples). Aside from my Burberry coat (investment piece), I am $26 over my quarterly limit. 
• downsize the number of jackets and coats. Donated one jacket, bought one investment coat, and was given 2 coats. At this point in time, I don't know what I will be doing since I now have a pretty good variety of jackets and coats. I think this category will need some major re-evaluation at the end of the year.
• use the bags I weren't able to use in 2014 - if I don't use them again in 2015, consider letting them go. So far I've used 3 and they turned out to be keepers.
• have some purchase-free months. March was purchase-free!

Color capsule attempt - Black, White, Gray, and Navy

After my Tuesday post about our dreary Spring, I decided to try a new approach to my wardrobe. When I began my purge, I organized my wardrobe by colors and let go of anything that didn't look good on me. I am going to take it one step further and try to stick to a color capsule of only black, white, gray and navy (blues). 

Why the sudden change? I'm bored by all this rain and also find myself distracted with what I have - it's been harder the last while to put together outfits and I need to re-focus; also, my purging has really slowed down and I find I'm getting tempted to make purchases (I haven't! but I'm tempted!). Since my attempt at a capsule wardrobe didn't work out, I'm hoping this will help me stay focused but allow me to still be flexible. Also, it's a great way for me to wear more of my shoes - since I got so many new pairs lately, I've been working on creating outfits around my shoes (I have a really bad habit of starting with awesome shoes and then changing into flats the second I get a chance)

I discussed my plan with my co-worker (I shall call her N) and she suggested that I only do this for work, or I might get bored or feel restricted. I thought that was a really good point, especially since I still love color, have great pieces, and am still trying to perfect my weekend wardrobe - perhaps I can shift anything outside of the color capsule into my weekend and voila, perfected! (We'll see, haha) 

Also, she loved the color capsule idea so much, that she joined me on my challenge to wear only black white, gray, and navy for the rest of the week. Here are our outfits:

My outfits:

(Shoes: BCBG gray patent pumps; Nine West Swaymeso kitten heels; Nine West leopard pumps)

N's outfits:

I loved all of N's outfits - she looked so perfectly put together for the office and made it look so easy! For myself, I definitely love the idea but I need to actually organize my closet and think about outfits. Since it started out as a whim idea, I wasn't super prepared but we decided we loved the idea so much, that we're going to take the challenge into April - we'll be sticking to the same set of colors. Also, my husband is returning soon (yay!!!) and I will have use of my Stylebook App again (bonus yay!!!).

Did you notice my shoes though? hehe. I think if anything, although I wasn't super happy with my outfits, I AM super happy about my shoes and their rotation. 

Rave!!! - my Nine West kitten heels

I mentioned before that I purchased 3 pairs of Nine West shoes. 

Yesterday, I wore my black leather kitten heels for the first time and WOW... they are SO comfortable. I have NEVER worn a pair of shoes that seem to just mold perfectly to my feett. I wore them all day and forgot about the fact that they are even heels. I know, I know, kitten heels are more comfortable in general, but the comfort that I'm talking about with these is just too amazing for words. They felt like they were painted on to my feet! I don't normally do this, but I even went walking around the mall in them - I only ever wear flat shoes to the mall. AMAZING, that's all I can say - I highly recommend them. 

(Style name: Swaymeso)

I'm wondering if all Nine West shoes are this comfy. I own a pair of flat ankle boots, and 2 pairs of high-heeled sandals, (which for high-heeled sandals, were quite comfortable given the amount of time I was in them), but they definitely were not as comfortable as these.... I can't wait to try on the other two pairs I got since they sort of gave me the same 'foot feelings' as this one, when I was in the store. 

New shoes! 3 pairs! Oops... OR, 3 pairs of perfect shoes

On Sunday I wandered into a Nine West boutique looking for some fun, colorful, sky-high heels (because you know, sometimes you just gotta have fun!) - of course I didn't find them. 

INSTEAD, I found 3 pairs of shoes that are perfect for my wardrobe and pieces I had been keeping my eye out on for a while (so I can't complain too much)

Ever since I discovered how much I love leopard print, I have been wanting a pair of pumps - these are so comfy and were a great price! My leopard flats are slowly deteriorating at the back of the heel so these will also slowly be replacements for them. I am also treating these as the fun, colorful, sky-high heels I couldn't find because they are just as fun =)

I always have a pair of black flats for work but since my last pair it's been a while since I've found one I really like so I just gave up. I found these with a tiny heel and almond toe and thought they were a perfect alternative - one of my goals is to try to be more girly with my shoes. Usually I wear really girly shoes for a few minutes at work and then change out of them, or for special occasions only - it's not because they hurt, it's just I'm always running around and in a rush and flats are just easier. Really hoping to change this habit.

I have been on the lookout for the perfect nude pump or wedge and although these aren't nude, I think they are the perfect neutral color for spring and summer. I have seen SO many

Pinterest inspirations with a light shoe and I am so happy to be able to 'complete' the look. 

All of these are perfect wardrobe staples and I can't wait to wear them! Unfortunately, they will have to wait until I return from my trip to snowy, very snowy, Nova Scotia to see my husband and in-laws. 

Can't wait to see my husband <3

Now, I have to let go of 3 pairs of shoes from my current collection to balance things out =S