Stress shopping

The last few months have been quite stressful and I have been feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and worry. I won't get into it, but I will get into 'stress shopping' - I found myself doing that a lot. In addition to the 4 pairs of shoes I purchased, I completely forgot to add the 2 pairs of pants, skirt, and dress that I bought, to my February count. Oops. Seriously, I just forgot until this morning. 

I noticed that when I'm in a good state of mind, the idea of shopping does not even occur to me. I'm pre-occupied with being productive and motivated that shopping is the last thing on my mind. When I'm upset, I have realized that I start to feel an urge to purchase things, and if I'm not careful, it can spiral out of control. Knowing this, I do stick to more affordable pieces and places during this time and I always keep the tags on and ride it out. Once I feel better, I re-evaluate what I purchased and make returns if necessary. (although right now I have a very big urge to go nuts at Louis Vuitton - but I won't, I know better than that).

Right now, the silver lining is, since I know my style a lot better than I did, I've made some good purchases even during this time. I know, not an excuse to buy, or keep, but at least it's not a total loss. All the items I've so far purchased, I have worn and love. The pants I bought, love love love - again, from the GAP (I'm really in love with the GAP right now) - I bought their Always Skinny corduroys in black and a pair of their boyfriend jeans. No hemming required for either! Hurray! I've worn them so many times since I got them that their cost per wear is almost down to nothing (it helps that they weren't even $15 each - see, how could I pass them up??). I made two purchases at H&M for date nights when my husband returns and since he loves them, I will be keeping them; I don't have any 'date night' clothing, so these are nice additions to my wardrobe and I can always use them for other occasions, with the right accessories. 

Although I stressed shop, I picked up some great pieces and I DO NOT intend to bring this habit into March. March, I vow, will be a purchase-free month!!!

An amazing find for me - GAP boyfriend shirts

I love dress shirts - I think they look amazing on people! 

Unfortunately, they were an article of clothing that I found difficult to buy - they would either be too tight across the chest, or fit my chest and then be too big around my shoulders and back, or just over-all too tight or too large. And then there's always the gape between the buttons - so many gaps!

Last year I was shopping at the GAP (I love their sales and grab my trendier items from there (trendier for me, not necessarily trendy haha); and their sales are amazing) and came across a dress shirt and I thought, why not - by this time, I had decided that I wasn't going to wear dress shirts any more but I figured I've already been disappointed this many times that once more isn't going to make a difference. 

I tried, and fell in love - GAP's boyfriend fit shirts fit me to a T and since my discovery, have added 5 of them to my wardrobe, including the much raved about 'chambray shirt,' and wear them constantly. I also really love this pink plaid one - it looks great with so many things!

And the gaps? Depending on the material, there are none! For the thinner ones, there's only 1! Which I just tape up using double-sided tape =) 

February's comings and goings

What came in:

• 4 pairs of new shoes from Nine West and Townshoes (ugh, on the last day I came across these pony-hair black wedges for a steal - just couldn't pass them up =S). I am NOT doing well in the shoe department.

What went out:

• 1 black cardigan/bolero
• 1 card holder - I finally was able to sell my teal Cole Haan cardholder. I will miss this piece as it was a great color but it did add some bulk to my bags; the 2 remaining cardholders work better for me as they are the slim kind.
• wristband - don't ask haha
• 1 scarf - another scarf gone! I hummed and haahed about this one because it was a great mix of blues but I've only worn it twice since I bought it 5 years ago.
• capsule wardrobe - This year I thought I would try implementing a capsule wardrobe, and I decided to do it by month. January went well; February started out well; upon my return from my trip, I gave up. I gave up because I missed wearing a lot of my clothing and I don't think I'm at a point in my wardrobe count where I won't be distracted by other items I want to wear. I think, until I am able to pare down more, where more of my favourite clothing is in constant cycle, a capsule wardrobe won't work yet. I will revisit the capsule wardrobe again, but for now, it's another wardrobe lesson learned =)

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. 

Sold! Cole Haan business card holder

I'm pleased to share that I have let go of my Cole Haan business card holder. I love this item but it's thicker than I would like and I'm working on carrying less stuff, and bulk. 

I miss her as I really love the color, but I think it's for the better. Her new owner seems to really love her so I'm happy =)