June 2022 Shopping Reflections

Now that I've announced my pregnancy, I can also start talking about maternity clothes, which have been a part of my life for a while now. It's probably different for every pregnant person, but I was getting extremely bloated by week 7 of pregnancy - in late April - so I first started shopping for maternity clothes then. It also felt like I'd gone up most of a cup size by that time (and that measurement is still growing, though more slowly now). The bloating in my stomach has never really consistently gone down until very recently, around week 13, only to be replaced by the start of an actual bump. As a result, I haven't been inclined to wear anything particularly fitted at the waist or chest for months now.    

I now have a backlog of items from before June that still need to be listed in a shopping reflections post, because up to now, I've been omitting anything I bought solely for maternity wear reasons. For obvious reasons, I wasn't going to disclose any of those until I felt ready to announce the pregnancy more widely! 

Please note that this post contains affiliate links that could result in my earning a small commission - at no extra cost to you - if you click and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!

I'll probably write a separate first trimester maternity clothing-focused shopping reflections post soon. But after that, future maternity fashion purchases will go into my regular monthly shopping posts. Spoiler alert, it's taken some time to get used to the changes in my body - and I'm sure many more changes will come that I can't fully anticipate yet - so I'm not able to be as careful or minimalist about maternity wear purchases as I've tried to learn to be with my other shopping. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $697.67)

• Heinui Cora Dress, blue gingham linen - $309.99 - My first Heinui Cora dress in cotton voile (currently available again), worn without the belt, has proven to be the perfect summer maternity dress, even if it wasn't designed for that. The Cora is generously sized throughout the body, so it should be wearable until the end of NYC's typically long summer in late September, when I'll be almost in the third trimester. (It might also remain wearable much later in pregnancy, but cotton voile wouldn't suit cold weather.) Heinui has a few linen or cotton-linen blend Coras in various plaids and checks, and I thought this blue gingham would be pretty. This material is a medium-weight linen, a bit thicker than what LinenFox uses. I like the gingham and the Cora design, but cotton voile is better for hot, humid NYC days, so I reach for my other one more often. Because the linen is also heavier and thicker than the cotton, this dress doesn't flow and lay quite as closely to the body when it's unbelted. 
• LinenFox - $234.84* - I put together a LinenFox order in May, picking items I thought would work as maternity clothing based on their detailed product measurements. But I probably underestimated how much my expanding bust and eventual bump wouldn't work well with the length of tops not specifically designed as maternity wear. 
• Harper tunic, white - This top - which I got in size S because it's quite roomy - will work for a while with my 16 week bump and current bust size, but maybe not for that many weeks after. At some point, the hem of this top will be too short to cover everything, or it could get too small all around before then. 
• Olive top, black - This one-size-only top is very wide and relaxed, but the hem is unfortunately quite short in the front, so the shape already doesn't work for my current body. This store photograph makes that really obvious, but I'd seen some Etsy review photographs that suggested differently. Alas, hopefully this top will fit me after pregnancy instead.
• Anna dress, graphite grey - This dress - which I got in size L based on product measurements - is suitable as a maternity dress, at least for now. So that's one item in this order that fully works for my intended purpose! (The LinenFox "Summer" dress I bought a few years back also works well.) The shape of the Summer probably makes a better maternity dress actually, as the Anna's waistline hits me at an odd spot now, somewhat far under my bustline (but I don't have much of a waist anymore so it looks awkward). 
• Birkenstock Arizona sandals, taupe suede, soft footbed - $152.43* - (also here and here) - It's been hard to find sandals now that my ankles and feet could expand a bit in the coming months. My old Fitflop "the Skinny" sandals are still comfortable, but Fitflop has redone the current version, the Lulu, and the sizing and feel just aren't the same anymore. I wanted to try the Mephisto Helen someone here recommended, but those are a bit narrow for me at the moment. So I've ended up with regular-width Birkenstock Arizonas, which are quite roomy. I found these reasonably comfortable out of the box, though they also felt more broken in and less stiff in the footbed after wearing them around outside for the better part of two days. My recommended size 38 based on my foot measurements - my feet were a somewhat wide women's 7.5 before the pandemic; I've felt they were starting to lean slightly bigger than that even before my pregnancy for whatever reason - is definitely the right width and length, but the straps are a little loose at the tightest setting. I may need to buy a leather hole punch to tighten the straps a bit. 

*Includes international shipping and/or sales tax. 

That's it for this fairly shopping-heavy month, though many of these were made-to-order items that were in the pipeline since May. I'm also hoping to get my first trimester shopping reflections post up in the next two weeks or so. 

And ugh, I don't really know what to say about all the bad things from our Supreme Court this term. I've always believed strongly in reproductive rights, have always been ardently pro-choice since I was old enough to understand what it meant. Pregnancy has only intensified those feelings. I just don't understand how anyone could believe in forcing this on anyone who doesn't want it, or in letting legislators interfere with decisions that should be made solely by patients and their doctors. 

Since the overturning of Roe, my mind often strays to things that are hardly the point, hardly the worst of the countless implications. When the draft opinion leaked, I mentioned how I was reminded of an older article about someone who needed to travel from NYC for a termination for medical reasons abortion at 32 weeks. New York and Connecticut - my most likely future home states during my reproductive years - abortion laws are essentially identical. Abortion is freely permitted until "viability", commonly thought to be 24 weeks (but occasionally 26 depending on the provider). 

After viability, there is a health or life of the pregnant person exception in both states, which I believe - in practice - generally means abortions are not typically available after that time due to lack of a consistent, universally acknowledged way to interpret or apply that standard to all possible facts, see e.g. this TikTok from a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician in Texas. In other words, that type of exception is likely not exceptionally meaningful in practice, if it might require a doctor or hospital to consult an attorney to determine whether the case squarely falls into the legal exception. (I don't think life-saving care for pregnant persons that may harm a fetus is generally denied in NY or CT past viability, but I wasn't really able to find information about peoples' lived experiences with that.) 

As an attorney, albeit not one who has ever worked on medical issues, I have a general understanding of how lawyers advise clients in general. I can speculate about how lawyers approach advising hospitals or providers on health or life of the mother exceptions and other exceptions in their home state's abortion laws (and other state's abortion laws as well, to the extent other states try to penalize out-of-their-state conduct). In practice, attorneys and their clients are often fairly risk-averse when interpreting laws that could result in civil or criminal liability under certain circumstances. 

Just some of my fragmented thoughts in these times, touching on some of the broad implications of Roe's overturning and other preexisting issues affecting access to care...  

May 2022 Shopping Reflections

Getting this month's shopping reflections post up a bit early because I'm pretty sure my shopping for May is already set. Of course I'll end up feeling a little silly if I turn out to be incorrect about that! (If so, additional items will be listed in next month's shopping reflections post.) 

I was supposed to be extremely busy all month, but several attorneys on one of my cases have gotten COVID - most likely from separate events and not from each other - since my recent business trip to Palo Alto, which has ended up delaying our discovery schedule by several weeks. I continue to be well, none of my colleagues at my office have turned out to be sick right around a time when I've interacted with them. Everyone from the case is also reasonably well, all attorneys were fully vaccinated and most likely boosted so nobody is sick enough to require hospitalization, though it sounds like symptoms can take a very long time to fully go away. 

Please note that this post contains affiliate links that could result in my earning a small commission - at no extra cost to you - if you click and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!

This month's shopping was all quite impulsive. I was at Madewell returning something when I saw both items and became interested.  I bought the necklace in-store on the spot and then the tote bag online a few days later. Well, technically I can argue the necklace wasn't that impulsive, since I've been thinking about getting either a costume jewelry or fine jewelry version of a gold herringbone chain necklace for slightly over a year now. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $186.52 $239.00) 

• Madewell Herringbone Chain Necklace, gold - $34.00 - (on sale online) - I was returning something when I saw that this necklace in stock, and I finally bought it on a bit of a whim. I've thought about buying a gold herringbone chain necklace for over a year, but I've always held off because I wasn't sure what length would suit me best, plus I'm also not sure if the fine jewelry version might be a bit fragile for frequent wear, particularly if layered with other necklaces. This particular necklace is adjustable to approximately 15.5'', 16.5'', and 17.5''. I've enjoyed wearing it, though I don't think any of the length options are especially suitable for layering with my current main necklaces: a 16'' Tiffany's Diamonds by the Yard pendant (similar here, here, and here) and that Mociun sapphire solitaire (which is supposed to also be 16'', but looks more like 18'' because of the heavier pendant). One thing that might be obvious in hindsight: Those other two necklaces tangle much less when I layer them both with the Madewell one, maybe because it's a heavier chain than the other two.
• Madewell Medium Transport Tote, Woven Leather, brown - $153.52 $205.00* - (also here, get 25% off online at Madewell with code "LONGWEEKEND" until May 30) - This bag is definitely a bit more of an impulse purchase, though I do find my standard, non-woven leather Madewell Medium Transport Tote in brown (worn here, also available here and on sale here) to be extremely practical and functional. This is an almost-identical bag, except for the woven leather body. When I saw the bag in person, it seemed like the woven leather would be a fun texture for summer, something fairly different from the other handbags in my current collection. I've only used this two or three times so far, but the woven leather seems quite durable, reasonably in line with the non-woven leather Transport Totes. I ordered this for full price when there was a promotional 15% cash back rate from Madewell on Ebates/Rakuten - for a total of $28.20 cash back - though I'm actually going to inquire with Madewell about whether I can get a price adjustment for the current 25% off discount code, since it became available less than seven days after my order was shipped. We'll see what happens! (If they honor the price adjustment, then that should reduce my Rakuten cash back amount accordingly, and I'll also adjust the price I listed in this post. EDIT: They honored the price adjustment, so yay, I saved a bit more, and my cash back amount will be reduced once Madewell updates the refund amount.) 

*Indicates that price includes sales tax. 

I've also put in for some made-to-order purchases this month, but those are not expected to ship until mid-June at the absolute earliest. Specifically, I've ordered two new tops and a dress from LinenFox, and another Cora dress from Heinui, this time in a slightly more subdued blue gingham linen. I'm hoping that should round out most of my summer clothing purchases for this year, though I can't quite guarantee that. 

I hope that all of you are well! Hopefully you've also been able to mostly avoid any known COVID exposures. 

July 2021 Shopping Reflections

If you caught my Instagram stories last Thursday, then you may be able to guess that I also made an additional major purchase last week, which isn't listed in this post. After I fully paid off my law school student loans earlier this month, I made an appointment to stop by Mociun in Brooklyn. All their sapphire ring designs were absolutely gorgeous in person, and I ultimately chose one as a gift to myself, to celebrate the hard-won personal milestone of finally paying off my student loans. 

It didn't seem quite right to include that particular purchase in this month's shopping reflections post, as it's very much a one-time only, special occasion kind of thing. Price-wise, it's also an extreme outlier compared to any other single month - or heck, even any other single full year - of total spending since 2015, when I first started tracking my wardrobe purchases on this blog. I'll probably do a separate, dedicated post about it soon. And when it comes time to do my year-end shopping reflections post for 2021, I'll probably start counting jewelry separately from other categories in that analysis. 

Please note that this post contains affiliate links that could result in my earning a small commission - at no extra cost to you - if you click and make a purchase. Thank you for your support! 

As for the rest of this month's shopping for my closet, two out of three items were summer dresses I actually ordered back in June, but they were not made to order and delivered to me until this month. The third item is the secondhand Balenciaga City I first became interested in not long ago. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $1057.22) 

• LinenFox Slip Dress, sea green - $104.07* - The price on this was originally $87.56 with standard shipping, but then I added expedited shipping. If I remember correctly from my past LinenFox orders, standard shipping can take two to three weeks. I was actually shocked by how much faster expedited shipping was, it barely took two or three business days for my package to get here from Lithuania! Anyway, if I'm interested in new summer clothes from LinenFox next year, I probably need to remember to order earlier than June because their expected production time can be as long as four to six weeks during the summer. I customized this dress by asking them to shorten it by four inches, which was definitely the right choice as I'm significantly shorter than their models. I quite like this dress and the color I picked, but I may need to sew up the straps so they're a bit shorter and the dress would look a little less low-cut on me. One other quibble I have with this design is that there's no slit at the bottom of the skirt, I think adding one would be helpful to allow the legs to move more freely. As always, the detailed product measurements LinenFox provides for each size of every item are extremely helpful for selecting the correct size. 
• Heinui Noe Dress, green birds print - $310.79 - No product link because Heinui took orders for this through Instagram DM! I had this one customized by asking them to add three extra inches because I worried that - with the brisk wind one often encounters in NYC - the very flouncy, voluminous, and short-ish skirt could easily get blown upwards and cause a wardrobe malfunction. (There was no extra charge.) This print is really cute. The fabric is a medium-weight cotton-linen blend that's heavier than Elizabeth Suzann medium-weight linen, but because this dress is so flowy, I find I'm still been able to wear it comfortably on fairly hot and humid days (up to, say, ~85 degrees Fahrenheit). Heinui often works with lighter, floatier fabrics that are more summer-friendly, but because this dress is quite short and voluminous, the designer said they intentionally chose a heavier fabric to prevent the skirt from blowing upwards accidentally. This silhouette - with the skirt flowing generously out and down from a rather high point on the waist - can take on a bit of what I rather ungracefully refer to as the "boob tent" effect on my more busty frame. (I used to think these kinds of silhouette were solidly outside my style comfort zone - they emphasize the part of my body I'm most self-conscious about - but over the years, I've learned it doesn't actually bother me. If the dress is comfortable and pretty, I'll still enjoy wearing it.) I still really like this dress and find it very fun to wear, but I also worry that other people could think it looks... a little like a maternity dress on me. 
• Balenciaga City, black lambskin, secondhand - $642.36* - (search for similar items linked) - As I mentioned two weeks ago, I'd already ordered and returned this bag with gold hardware, so by the time I ordered this one, I was already sure I'd like this design and that it'd be functional for me. I find this bag to be a perfect size, it can carry everything I typically bring to work - which currently includes an additional A5-sized notebook; a swap for a larger pen case; and my Kindle, on top of everything pictured in that post - and then some. Though like the Coach Rogue, the City also can't comfortably accommodate a letter-sized notepad or binder. The somewhat short-ish shoulder strap is just the right length to allow the bag to sit comfortably and securely on my shoulder without flopping around and getting in the way while I'm walking. Now that I've taken this bag on a few outings, I confess part of me sort of wishes I kept the gold hardware version instead, even if it would have been ~$100 more expensive. (I originally thought the higher contrast gold-tone hardware would be a bit too "loud" for my tastes, given that my handbags tend to have simple designs with minimal visible hardware.) I find this combination of more subtle aged brass "classic" hardware and black leather causes the bag to really blend in to the background for me when I'm using it - I don't think to admire the bag in my reflection in shop windows when I pass by - so maybe I'd have appreciated the brighter, more eye-catching gold hardware after all. Between my previous return and this order, I'm very satisfied with my Fashionphile shopping experience. Everything's been smooth, and in particular, they process returns quickly. 

*Indicates that this price includes tax and/or shipping. 

And that's it for this month! I'm maybe a bit surprised I haven't been interested in actually ordering anything I mentioned in my "miscellaneous shopping" post in early July. Those J.Crew hammered metal bangles have since gone on sale, but I haven't been inspired to get them. As for my sandals, I think it's looking like I can safely wait until next summer to replace them. (Thank you to Hadilly for recommending the Mephisto Helen sandal, as I think they definitely seem like they will have a sleeker and more attractive look on me than the Birkenstock Gizeh I was thinking about or the Fitflop Lulu style I currently wear!) 

August 2020 Shopping Reflections

I can never quite figure out whether it makes more sense to report made-to-order purchases in the month where I place the order, or in the month where I receive it. For the most part this year, I've been doing the former. I suppose this is partially because I've made a personal commitment to avoid troubling people with return shipments as much as possible while the COVID situation remains serious. If I make an order these days, I'm pretty certain about keeping the item, or at least, about finding a new home for it on the secondary market if I've made an error in judgment about whether something will suit me.

This month's purchase has, in a way, been on my radar for a long time. I've had a photo of this dress pinned to my spring and summer personal style inspiration board on Pinterest since quite a while ago, but I didn't know the designer at the time. I never really looked up whether the dress would be within reach for me price-wise, and I never knew whether the item was from a long-ago season or whether it was currently available. 

Separately, I noticed that a few people I follow, namely Erica and Elaine, had purchased Heinui dresses in the past few months. And even then, after I started following the designer on Instagram, I didn't initially realize this was the designer and brand that made the exuberant blue and white printed dress I'd seen on Pinterest. It took a while for me to put two and two together, as the designer's website wasn't selling any dresses in this specific print when I first started following her. 

Fast forward to a few days ago, and the designer posted on Instagram stories that she had just enough fabric left to make a handful more of these "Cora" dresses in this exact print. But because she lives in a different time zone, those dresses were all sold out by the time I saw the posts. I was disappointed, but hopeful that maybe she'd re-release the dress again sometime. Then later that day, she decided to take more pre-orders for the dress in this print, and so I jumped right on it. In other words, this kind of does count as an impulsive purchase, as it really only took less than an hour for me to make a decision after the designer opened up new pre-orders for this dress. She's hoping to make and ship the dresses by the end of September, so it'll be a while before I receive this order. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $327.11) 

Heinui Cora Dress, blue girls and koi print - $327.11 - So this dress design is definitely one of those that probably billows down and out from the widest point of the bust, something I used to be really nervous about when it comes to selecting clothes for myself. (It's a bit crude, but I feel like the best way to describe how this general silhouette can look is by saying that it could cause a "boob tent" effect.) I'm a fairly busty hourglass, measuring approximately 37''-28''-38'' on my 5'3'' frame before we embarked on the current staying-at-home-to-avoid-COVID lifestyle, and I generally prefer to deemphasize my chest measurement a bit with how I dress. But over the years, I've bought enough of these potential "boob tent" dresses that it seems clear I've shaken off my apprehension about wearing such silhouettes. I probably don't need to fuss so much about such designs anymore, as I clearly seem to be comfortable wearing them in most instances! Though I think this Heinui dress is a more intentionally oversized look and a lighter, floatier material than any of my other dresses that flow down and out from the widest point of the bust, so it might still take some getting used to. I really love the print and how exuberant it is.

And that's it for this month's shopping! Now that I have quite a few more fountain pens and inks than I did this time last month - enough that I'm not too far from owning so many pens that I can't really actively use my entire collection at once - my brain seems to be slightly more inclined to thinking about shopping for my closet again. I do remain focused on trying not to shop too much, though, so I'll try to keep those shopping impulses to reasonable limits.