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.

Never say never - Dooney & Bourke

Last year I discovered that I love bags by Dooney & Bourke - this surprised me because it was one of the brands that I really did not like and couldn't understand its appeal. I thought them to be too plain or too ugly, especially the much loved fold-over satchel. 

Being part of a fantastic online community of people who love and celebrate bags, I was exposed to a lot more styles and colors by D&B and became more curious. Coincidentally, the Hudson's Bay began to carry their bags and I was able to test them out in real life and I found that the leather on the popular florentine satchel was amazing; the stitching and detailing for a bag at that price-point was more than worth it - the braided zipper pulls, the green suede lining, heavy stitching, and the interior organization - amazing.

While I finally understood the hype over the bags, I wasn't sure if the style was going to be suitable for me because, while I love the satchel style, I wasn't sure if I could do the fold-over part as it requires a little bit more maneuvering to get to my things. Also, since the zip doesn't break apart, I was worried that it would add more of a hurdle for me. 

Despite these hesitations, when I went to the outlets, and finally saw alllll the colors, sizes, and styles that they offer - I fell in love. The bag-loving part of me wanted to get every single florentine satchel there was, but I was refraining from going overboard. 

I oddly, decided to go with a small orange florentine. Orange wasn't on my radar but something about it really caught my eye and I figured, go big, or go home. She's one of my favourite bags in my collection and while she's too small to bring to work, I try to take her out as much as possible =)

Never say never - animal print

When I was a little girl, I thought anything in an animal print was horrible and old lady-like but as I got older, I became more curious but wasn’t sure how to pull it all together. After browsing Pinterest for outfit ideas, I decided to take the plunge and purchased these cute flats. These instantly gave my outfits a spark! And I’ve never looked back - animal prints give my basic outfits a bit of edge and I don’t even have to try.

For those interested, these are by Cole Haan, purchased 2 years ago.