Life Lately

I did in fact end up taking that whirlwind international business trip I mentioned. The entire trip - flight time and waiting time at the airport included - took up a little less than 48 hours in total. What an adventure! The travel-related exhaustion didn't really catch up with me until the weekend. 

Here are some of the small things that have been on my mind recently:

Money-Related Podcasts

I've been listening to a few new-to-me personal finance-oriented podcasts lately. My preference in this genre is for podcasts that talk more about the personal stories behind how different people manage their money or how they got into a particular financial situation, rather than about more technical details or how-tos. Essentially, I enjoy content like the more money-centric episodes of Death, Sex & Money. In that vein, I've been enjoying the recently debuted She Makes Money Moves by Glamour and iHeartRadio and also the This is Uncomfortable series by Marketplace. There was also a brief season of the Refinery29 Money Diaries podcast, which is also pretty good, though it's from quite a while back and was over too soon.

Out of the episodes I've been listening to in the past week or two, the most unique and fascinating one was probably this recent Death, Sex & Money episode, about someone who got into the debt collection business, found she was quite good at it, and was eventually prosecuted by the Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General. The ultimate conclusion of that prosecution was a settlement that included a lifetime ban from the industry and a multi-million fine that she can never hope to pay off. Very interesting, though the interview subject is not the most sympathetic figure, I don't think.

Ring Wearer

Prior to my recent engagement, I'd never spent much time wearing rings. I must say, it takes a little bit of getting used to. I find that it bumps against hard surfaces - mostly my desk - somewhat frequently, and then I worry about whether I might actually damage the stone. That makes me glad I never bought one of those opal rings I was thinking about a few years ago, as I probably wouldn't have taken good enough care of it. I sometimes look at used opal rings on TheRealReal, and I've seen stones that aren't looking too well. For instance, this one had a noticeable scratch!

I also found that I prefer not to wear my ring during long flights. On one of my many recent flights, my finger swelled so much that the ring got stuck! (I'd eaten a fair bit of salty food that day, and it was a red-eye flight, which makes it a bit easier to get dehydrated during.) The swelling went down after we landed, and I was able to take my ring off shortly after without resorting to any special tricks. 

Thinking About: Weighty Gold Jewelry

It's no secret that I've had a jewelry phase recently. By now, because of my sudden and intense obsession with Alighieri, which resulted in purchasing two pieces in two months, I've spent enough that it's unlikely I'll be buying anything else in that price range (or upwards of it, but that was always a given) for quite a while, unless I cut clothing expenditures significantly in coming months. Still, jewelry has long been a category I window shop and plan for, sometimes for years, without actually buying anything (mainly with that opal ring I've been thinking about since 2015), so I might as well keep up that tradition. At the very least, it doesn't hurt to look and admire, but not buy!

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Lately, I've developed an interest in what I call (for lack of better or more accurate phrasing) "weighty" gold jewelry, items that, while fairly simple in design (though with a bit of interesting or unusual detail), have a bit more substance or texture to them, a bit more weight or boldness than a lot of the smaller, super-dainty pieces that have been popular (i.e. most of Catbird's catalog), though they don't quite rise to the level of being "statement" pieces or particularly "big", at least when compared to some of the louder jewelry I've been interested in and worn in the past. This new interest of mine is mostly in earrings, bangles, and rings rather than necklaces, though I suppose the J.Crew Chain Tassel Necklace from two months back could also count.

This isn't a category I've ever really shopped for, so I don't know the market well. I would need to do lots more research to know what I actually wanted to get, and for how much. So the things I've been looking at while window shopping are completely random, from a range of wildly different price points, and may not be from the best or best value places to shop for anything in this genre.

I've never had an interest in hoop earrings before, for instance. I generally wear the same pearl studs every day, including to sleep, and only rarely switch to a pair of small dangle earrings (from Porcelain and Stone) on special occasions. In the distant past, on occasions when I wore anything bigger, I always worried that the earrings would get tangled in my hair or on my scarves, and I found them fussy. (With bigger earrings, or ones that dangle down too low, I start getting paranoid and worrying about outlandish and unlikely accidents, the earrings getting caught on something and causing injury.) Still, I've now become very taken by the idea of small, but not exactly dainty, hoops. The closest thing I've seen are the Mejuri Bold Hoops, or their Dome Hoops. In fact, I'm quite taken by the entire Mejuri Dome collection, which also includes a bangle and rings (all pictured above, with some of the other pieces named in this post).

As for bracelets, I have this simple gold bangle from Coach, a Christmas gift from K's mom, and I adore it, it seems to go with everything. (There's nothing similar in stores now from Coach, the most similar thing I've seen is one of Kate Spade's simpler bangles.) I'm also quite fond of the idea of bangles with similar heft and thickness, but an edgier design, something like Meghan Markle's Shaun Leane Tusk Bracelet (which she wore here, but with diamonds, and it's definitely not at a price range that's amenable to being impulsively purchased!), or the Mejuri Dome Bangle. Rings are probably the category I have the fewest opinions about, because I never wear any (and again, I've been balking on one particular purchase in that category for years now), and so I'll probably also never actually get one. I do like the look of signet-style rings though, particularly the Alighieri False Promises Ring. (Their Wreckless Pursuit Ring is also cool!)

The widget below contains some other random, mostly costume jewelry (except for one pair of thicker gold hoops, which are fine jewelry from Saks Off Fifth) choices that also sort of fit the general look I'm thinking of. It was actually surprisingly difficult to find items that had the right look, particularly with a costume jewelry budget constraint in mind. Anyway, I don't know the jewelry market well at all, so I'd need to do considerably more research before I actually thought about buying anything, and these are not things I'm currently actively shopping for. 

Where do you shop for jewelry? What are your favorite styles of earrings or bracelets? Do you prefer silver or gold-tone metals? I personally think the look I have in mind here lends itself a bit more to gold jewelry, though I'm probably biased because I generally have a strong preference for gold-tone metals over silver or white metals on me. I guess it might be because my skin has warmer undertones!

Jewelry Collector: Porcelain and Stone, Alighieri

Dress: Grana V-Neck Silk Slip  Dress (old, updated version)

Necklace: Tiffany's Diamonds by the Yard (graduation gift) (similar $$$, similar or similar $$)

Necklace: Porcelain and Stone Buoy Necklace

Necklace: J.Crew Tassel Chain Necklace

I mentioned recently that I've gone through at least two distinct phases in recent memory, when it comes to my taste in jewelry. For quite some time, I was very much a statement necklace kind of gal. And not just any statement necklaces, but those 2011-ish colorful crystal collar or bubble necklaces that are no longer popular, and generally aren't sold anywhere these days, except for Kate Spade and J.Crew sometimes. I regularly wore them to work as recently as summer 2014 while interning, and thought they were a great way to add color to my otherwise sedate business casual outfits. But by spring 2015, even though I had just purchased a very statement-y J.Crew necklace secondhand, I'd stopped wearing those necklaces much. By the time I started working full time that fall, I'd stopped completely. 

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I'm not sure what caused the sudden change in my jewelry tastes, because I still like the statement necklaces I have, and am totally still holding on to a substantial collection, hoping there will come a time when I could wear them again, without feeling like they're hopelessly dated. I suppose I realized, somewhat abruptly, and probably later than most, that they'd become obviously dated very quickly. I must have realized that I never saw anyone wearing those statement necklaces out and about anymore, even in NYC, with all the wide range of styles one sees people wearing, so maybe that's what accounted for the change. 

After my "statement necklace phase" I stuck to dainty jewelry for a long time, most days just the pearl studs I wear daily (from Amazon) and my graduation necklace. I was occasionally inspired by something more interesting (K was kind enough to get me that Alexis Bittar bracelet for Christmas), but was generally not buying or wearing new jewelry much. Anything new I was inspired to look into (including that dainty opal ring I keep mentioning), I'd mull over for a long time, and often never actually bought, except for my Porcelain and Stone Buoy Necklace (my sister W bought me the Porcelain and Stone Navigation earrings as a combined birthday and Christmas gift).

More recently, I seem to be getting into more assertive jewelry again, mainly with that J.Crew Tassel Chain Necklace. I've also gotten into layering my necklaces a bit more, which wasn't really a thing I could do with those statement necklaces of yesteryear, when my collection was solely pieces of approximately the same length, that would definitely not go together.

This post is mostly intended as a way to talk about two very different women artist-led jewelry brands I'm currently loving, and looking to shop from, both of which I've mentioned before. In large part because I expect my proportions and clothing size to change fairly dramatically in the foreseeable, though not immediate, future, it's not a good time to shop for clothes. I seem to have replaced my usual interest in clothing with a suddenly powerful interest in acquiring more jewelry to build my collection.

via

Porcelain and Stone, designed by Kimberly Huestis in the Boston area, is a longtime favorite. Her jewelry, which is mostly made of porcelain and often glazed to look like marble or natural stone with gold accents, often has a classic, nautical, and somewhat preppy vibe. She does a good mix of larger, more statement-making pieces (like the large Uni sea urchin pendant in progress on the right of the photo) and smaller, more subtle pieces like my buoy necklace (which comes in a few other color combinations and shapes).

She sells a bigger collection on her website, and is also starting to work with turquoise. She also regularly posts an even wider collection of her work on Instagram, and seems to sell at a lot of craft fairs and small shops nationwide. I've been thinking of adding another piece or two of her work to my growing collection of her pieces, probably starting with the small Uni necklace that's in progress in the upper left corner of the photo.

via an interview with the designer

Aligheri, designed by Rosh Mahtani in London, is a new discovery, and one I mentioned a few weeks ago. I'd never heard of the brand before seeing it mentioned on r/femalefashionadvice, and was drawn in immediately by the imperfect, organic, and antique-inspired designs she makes. (She uses the lost-wax casting method, and makes most of her pieces in brass that's gold-plated.)

I rarely fall so hard and fast for items from a brand that's entirely new to me, particularly items that are on the expensive side of my general price range for the category (the prices are understandable and fair, given that the jewelry is made by a small, independent brand and artist). Because it's a smaller brand that's based abroad, specific Alighieri items are a bit difficult to find here. Net-a-Porter is one of very few few larger US-based retailers that stock them. There are also some large international retailers that ship to the US for reasonable prices and stock Alighieri, such as SSense, Matches Fashion, or Luisaviaroma. And one can buy direct from the brand too, but that could take more time for them to make it to order, and does come with higher shipping costs. (It's also important to factor in the exchange rate. With that in mind, some of the retailers, particularly Luisaviaroma, charge more for certain specific items than the brand itself does.)

Spoiler alert for this month's shopping post, I ended up buying an Alighieri necklace after constantly browsing the brand's items online for a few weeks. I'm completely in love with it, enough that I'm still browsing constantly for a possible second purchase, even though it's quite extravagant of me!

Some of my favorite pieces that are available from the online retailers that ship to the US are pictured in the widget below, though I'm much more likely to pick something that's only available on Alighieri's website at the moment. My favorite of these is the ancient amulet-looking Deceptive North Star necklace (it's cheaper to buy direct than from Luisaviaroma), the antique gold coin-looking Other Side of the World necklace, or the Surreal gold hoops that are a Net-a-Porter exclusive.  In actual practice, most of her earrings are probably too heavy and large for me (I'm not used to large, dangly earrings and my earlobes get irritated easily) but her earring designs are also gorgeous.

The brand encourages layering, as seen from the above photos. From browsing their selection online, the length of most of her necklaces is ~16 to 19 inches. The Alighieri necklace I bought (~18 to 19 inches) hangs at around the same height as other necklaces I own (which are adjustable in the range of ~16 to 20 inches), which means that all the pendants hang right in the same narrow zone between my collarbones and the top of my chest, and tend to cover each other up, rather than look good together. I suspect that they customize the necklace lengths for photoshoots sometimes, and even then, it often looks like the pendants are hanging closely together that they might bump into each other frequently during the day, possibly get tangled, and not be entirely practical to wear together. Either way, most of my collection (the buoy necklace and the Mejuri zodiac necklace) is too different in style to look harmonious with my new Alighieri necklace. So I guess layering jewelry properly, particularly necklaces, is a bit difficult for me so far, with the items I have.

What style of jewelry do you favor? Do you have any favorite jewelry brands or designers? Do you have any favorite combinations of necklaces or other jewelry to layer together? 

Updated "Wish List"

Although it's far from the only way, or even the most common way, my purchases come about, my ideal approach to shopping, the one most likely to result in well-loved favorites, and that cuts down significantly on the likelihood of ending up with a rarely or never-worn mistake, is to start from a running "wish list" of specific things I think about for quite some time. I'll carefully search for what I think is the exact right item to fill each niche, and after identifying it, I'll often also wait even longer for the right sale, or for an eBay listing to come up at the right price. Now that it's been nearly six months since I last wrote about my wish list, I thought it'd make sense to write an update.

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As is typical for me, not everything on my list made it into my closet, and some dropped off my list entirely. I bought skinny jeans (the Gap Mid-Rise True Skinny Jeans in 360 Stretch) and opted against the Mansur Gavriel large tote in favor of the very different-looking Coach Rogue (similar). I never really ended up shopping for a formal dress because I have extremely exacting, almost impossible criteria for that. Among other things, I wanted something colorful (not black or navy) and in the right print (not ugly, of course, and not too much white as it's main purpose was for attending weddings as a guest). It also needed to be more interesting than what I already had, good for petites, and be something I could be wear with a bra. All those criteria are surprisingly difficult to accommodate all at once, in one dress, plus I'm also very picky about how things fit. I literally tried on one Ted Baker dress that, in hindsight, may not have actually fit most of my criteria at all. It definitely did not work, and that was that. I've since lost interest in shopping for a formal dress, in large part because K and I don't actually have any more weddings to attend in the near future. 

There are also other items I've mentioned being in the market for in recent months, but that never quite made it on to my actual list. I was totally supposed to be shopping for more tees for summer, and received some great recommendations, but alas, I think it may be something that will fit me very differently a year from now, so now's not the right time. I get so much wear out of my summer dresses that it could make sense to buy more (at the moment I like the simple "Monaco" tunic-style dress from NotPerfectLinen), but for the most part, summer dresses are weekend-only items for me. They generally skew too casual for my office. Even though my summer dresses generally show their wear far quicker than my other items, I still have an adequate backlog of ones still in fairly good shape. At the moment, I'm really loving my original Grana v-neck silk slip dress (sadly sold out in most colors, and I can't tell if they lowered the neckline on the new one, which would be bad for me) even though it's not a design one would expect to work well on a bustier figure. I love the Grana dress enough that I'd wear it all weekend, every weekend if I could, so I really don't need another summer dress. 

My current "wish list" is as follows:

• Dainty Opal Ring: This has been on my list for years, and honestly, it's looking like it will never happen because I just can't bring myself to spend "fine jewelry" prices, even when some of the possible choices are quite modestly priced and less expensive than shoes or clothes I'm willing to buy more impulsively. (This small bezel-set opal ring from Polamai on Etsy that I keep flagging as an option, for instance.) Plus, as some of you were kind enough to point out, opal might not be a great choice for a daily wear ring, as it's a more fragile stone. Like last time, I still like the look of the ultra-dainty Wwake multi-stone opal rings, particularly the ones in the organic triangle shapes, but I think in actual practice, if I could convince myself to take the plunge, I'm still more likely to end up wanting one of the Jennie Kwon "Reese" ones. (P.S. did you know Kwon used to be a corporate lawyer? And a professional violinist? I didn't know that last time. What a diverse set of talents!) 
• Leather Cover for Bullet Journal: So this totally isn't fashion, but it would, in practice, accessorize something that I use almost every day. As I mentioned in April, the cover of my Leuchtturm notebook has gotten a bit worn, and I'm tempted to buy a leather cover for it now that I'm pretty sure my bullet journal habit is here to stay. If I take the plunge, I've decided on the one from Uncommon Elephant on Etsy (a woman-owned business based in the US). The one pictured above is from Olkeysn Prannyk, also on Etsy. 
• Heavy Turtleneck or Mock Neck Sweater: This is a totally unseasonable item , but between the sweater I bought on Taobao in January (and that I loved wearing the rest of winter), this week of outfits post on Cup of Jo (Nicole pulls off her sweaters so well!), and Mansur Gavriel's long since sold-out, luxe-looking turtlenecks, I'm still really loving the idea of relaxed-fit, thick and cozy sweaters, particularly with a turtleneck, mock neck, or funnel neck. I originally thought that, as a bustier person, I couldn't pull off such necklines, but I actually found that I like them, so long as the body of the sweater has a more relaxed fit. Anyways, from window-shopping extensively for this type of sweater, I realize this is a category that I should be prepared to get spend-y on. Practically every time I see something that has the right general look, it turns out to be significantly more pricey than any other sweater I've ever bought. The one illustrated above is from Cuyana. 

And that's it! I guess one takeaway here is that I really don't feel inspired by summer clothing. What's on your current shopping list, fashion or otherwise? Do you have any go-to brands for sweaters? I guess part of me really wants it to be winter again, so I can wrap myself up in warm and cozy clothes. 

Current "Wish List"

In the years since I started being more conscious about my shopping, I've found that the best way to be confident in my purchases is to plan them out well in advance, usually by at least a few weeks, if not months. The process that's preceded my best purchases, based on cost-per-wear and actual utility for price (different criteria from how I select my "best buys" each year, which is for items that were a successful experiment, something a little out of my comfort zone that ended up working well), generally involves mulling over an item for at least a few weeks until a good sale, or until I can no longer resist. I often have a running "wish list" written down somewhere, either in a Google Drive spreadsheet or, these days, in my notebook.

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Not everything on my "wish list" make it into my closet. Out of, say, the last sample of five such items I wrote about, in the guise of trying out a "Five Piece French Wardrobe" approach, I only followed through with probably three and a half: a down coat (though not either of the frontrunners), skinny jeans, the breton striped shirt (from J.Crew Factory), and black leather Vans instead of a leopard-printed slip-on sneaker, which I couldn't find. Sometimes, items that I consider for a long time end up completely forgotten and fall off my list, including that olive green parka for spring and fall. More recently, around Thanksgiving, I developed a sudden and irrational desire for the Lo & Sons Waverly bag, even though it was likely too small to be practical for me, and I have several other similarly-sized bags. That particular craving took weeks to subside.

My current "wish list" is as follows: 

• Dark Wash Skinny Jeans: My Rag & Bone skinny jeans (similar) lasted approximately two years before developing holes, and I've been in the market for a new pair of jeans since. Many people chimed in with helpful suggestions, and I ended up deciding to stick to Uniqlo or Gap. I'm not a huge fan of Uniqlo's current selection, so I'll be ordering and trying on Gap's selection of petite-length, dark wash, mid-rise skinny jeans (probably these or these), though one color I like was backordered, so the process has taken a while.
• Dainty Opal Ring: This has been on my shopping list for years, but I've never felt ready to purchase, even though I've bought other, similarly priced or more expensive items since. I originally wanted a simple opal solitaire like this one from Polamai on Etsy, which could have been around $200, but more recently, I've become interested in more elaborate (and expensive) designs like the Wwake organic triangle ring or the Wwake four-step ring, or maybe the Jennie Kwon Reese ring. 
• More Colorful Formal Dress: This particular item is not likely to pan out, but after wearing that blue Ann Taylor lace shift dress for no less than four different weddings last year, I started getting bored, and maybe feeling a little frumpy. (It's a pretty dress, but has no "wow" factor and fits a little loose. It's ultimately better suited for work than a party.) Except that, even after window-shopping for months, including by scouring through pages and pages of dresses on TheRealReal, I haven't seen anything I actually want to buy. Heck, I even had trouble finding one I liked solely as an illustration for this post, with no need to consider cost or practicality! I had other formal dress options in my closet, but none I was eager to wear. There was a bright purple Diane von Furstenberg Zarita dress I ended up sending to Thredup because I didn't like the way it fit (its very stretchy and body-skimming, and doesn't have much structure) and the Anthropologie Baikal dress, which maybe feels like too much "look", and isn't very "me" anymore. 
• Mansur Gavriel Large Tote: One of the changes at my new workplace is that I no longer bring a laptop to and from the office every day. The result is that my Everlane Petra Market tote, which was the perfect size for my old firm and has softened up a bit over time, now feels overly large and floppy to be my go-to work bag. A new work bag is an extravagance when I have other bags that still fulfill the purpose, but I think the Mansur Gavriel large tote, particularly in the fairly structured vegetable-tanned leather, would be the perfect size, as it looks a bit smaller and more compact than either the Petra Market or a Longchamp Le Pliage large (see other blog's comparison photos here). I think I'd get the black with ballerina pink interior, as that's more neutral than the more common red interior. 

What's on your closet "wish list" at the moment? How do you plan out your clothing purchases? Although this shopping process isn't new to me, I was inspired, several months ago now, to revisit this topic by Michelle's post about her then-current list. I then got distracted by other topics, and finally got around to finishing this draft. 

May Shopping Reflections

This month's shopping was exclusively done secondhand, via eBay and TheRealReal. I haven't been discussing minimalism terribly often recently because it has taken a backseat while work and life have been so hectic, but I continue to believe that using the secondhand market for clothing whenever possible is the least complicated way of being an ethical fashion consumer. There are so many challenges when trying to identify truly ethical brands to buy new, given the lack of transparency in the industry. (Working in law, I have an unusually hard time trusting any company's representations to their customers.)

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My view on secondhand clothing is that, once an item hits the secondhand market, it's already been produced and sold once at retail, to at least one customer who didn't end up particularly wanting it. At that point, if someone is able to buy it and put it to good use, that's better than it going to the landfill. The only morally weird things that I can think of is if retail customers use "well I can always resell" to encourage overconsumption, but I'm skeptical that this is a big problem for most mall brands that I'm in the market for, as those items don't hold their value well.

That's not to say that everyone can feasibly embrace secondhand shopping for all their clothing needs. This thoughtful post by SA touches on the many challenges with that, and I can certainly vouch for how relying overly much on TheRealReal would cause various problems. Particularly when one doesn't have time for or access to good thrifting, shopping entirely secondhand may be a real challenge. "Mistake" purchases generally can't be easily returned, increasing the amount of money one needs for the whole effort. Shipping and return shipping on TheRealReal cost about $18 combined, and their size measurements are super-wonky, so one has to do considerable research or know a brand well to attempt educated purchases, and even then, mistakes will still happen.

With two out of my three secondhand purchases this year, the outcome has been imperfect in terms of sizing and how well the style works for my body. Don't get me wrong, they're both wearable and I've been wearing each problem dress a fair bit, but they're things I would have had to think seriously about returning, had I bought them retail. Still, while I haven't been the most successful with my secondhand purchases, I never truly regret them. All were items that I noticed and was interested in back when they were originally in stock, months or years ago. After they sold out, I'd occasionally search eBay for them. I'd always done my best to research sizing too, and made the most educated guess I could about what sizes I would buy, if the price was right. So they were well thought-out choices on which I knew I was assuming a risk.

This also wasn't the most frugal month, so I'm still quite "over budget" for the year so far, by $219.71 to be precise (($150 x 5) - $555.98 - $154.21 - $94.79 - $35.93 - $128.80 = -$219.71). I'll have to shop carefully for quite a few more months, it seems. As for next month, I'm very likely to try a few things from J.Crew Factory, as I recently mentioned. Also, while wandering around D.C. with my sister this Memorial Day weekend, we stopped by Anthropologie and I was very taken with this opal and rose quartz Rosaline stacking ring set and may be tempted to snag it. (I've wanted a dainty opal ring on and off for years now, but had been thinking it should be fine jewelry instead, though generally never had room in my budget. I'm not sure costume jewelry is the best way to satisfy the urge, particularly when Anthropologie's offerings might not be the highest quality.) Whatever I settle on, hopefully it'll be a bit under my monthly target, so I'll continue making up the current shortfall. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $128.80)

• Tory Burch T-Shirt Dress - $87.95 - (old, similar styles but dramatically different prints) - I saw this years ago and thought it was pretty, but the price was higher than I could spend. Every so often, I'd search eBay with no luck. I finally saw it on TheRealReal in medium and I decided to go for it. Well, I guessed wrong about my size, as it runs big. It's a 100% pima cotton unlined t-shirt dress, which Tory Burch seems to do in new prints most years, and it's stretchy and meant to fitted and even a bit clingy (it's a thick enough fabric that it should skim the body nicely rather than emphasize things awkwardly). I thought I'd need to size up to accommodate my chest, but a small would have fit and the medium is a little baggy everywhere. I still like wearing this because it's so comfortable, it's machine washable, and it's pretty too. The style is fantastic for business-casual days at work in summer. Franish has one, but I can't find the post!

• Madewell Moontide Dress (old, eBay) - $40.85 - I kept eyeing this in the Madewell sale section back in the day and had ample opportunities to get it then, but never pulled the trigger. This design is relatively common on eBay, but generally not at a price I'm comfortable with, so when it came up in medium at this price, it seemed meant to be. This dress is a cotton-silk blend with a cotton lining, which is a bit of a rarity with Madewell. (They do a lot of silk dresses with a poly lining, ick.) The cotton-silk has no stretch, and this design also runs a tiny bit tighter in the chest than many of their other relaxed fit-looking dresses. It fits right, so I consider this a successful purchase. My one quibble is that the fabric is a touch thicker and heavier than I hoped for a summer dress, but that's probably a good thing to prevent possible wardrobe malfunctions.

Somewhat relatedly, I used to really love Madewell, particularly the dresses and sweaters, but it's now been several seasons since I've seen anything I like there. My last purchases, until now but this month likely doesn't count because it was on eBay, were in October and December of 2015. This silk bell-sleeve dress is the only thing they currently have that I'd even take a second look at. (I don't love bell sleeves, but that one isn't too exaggerated and is balanced out by the simplicity of the rest of the design.) I don't know what happened, or if it's just me being weird and picky! Am I the only former Madewell fan who feels this way?

Linking up with Franish and the Budgeting Bloggers this month, as usual. Please do go check out what everyone else bought this month.

Shopping Fast Fail (?) and New Instagram

Is my shopping fast going well? That depends entirely on the standard one uses to evaluate it. If the primary goal is to not buy anything new, things are still fine and dandy, as I haven't ordered anything. If the primary goal is to "detox" a bit from using online window shopping as entertainment, or not to make wish lists for after the shopping fast period ends, then it it's not so successful. I've had many of my sudden and powerful shopping impulses, many of which have not really gone away after a few days, so I've accumulated a list of things I'm sort of chomping at the bit to order and try on.

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For instance, I saw the Dagne Dover Simone laptop bag in steel grey leather and thought I desperately wanted to try it on. It's pretty and a bit unique in shape, as far as laptop bags go. Happily (or sadly) it's sold out in that color, so I don't run the risk of breaking my shopping fast there. I was intrigued by the J.Crew Ruffle Trim Dress after seeing it on someone in real life. They seem to have made it final sale though, so I should be safe. Also, I'll be doing a few firm interviews in the coming months. Because I don't currently own a pair of pumps that fits my personal ideal of what a pair of conservative interview shoes should look like (I have patent leather wedges at the moment, which I consider less conservative), I may actually end up breaking my shopping fast for something like the Sam Edelman Tristan or the Cole Haan Grace pumps, which I'd likely consider an off-budget purchase as it's for a specific and necessary professional purpose.

To be honest, I didn't have a concrete goal in mind for my shopping fast this month. Over time, I've been shopping less than I was before, and it wouldn't be that surprising to have a "no shopping" month here and there, even without a conscious effort. I suppose one main goal of the shopping fast was just to accumulate that month's budgeted dollars for future months, which isn't especially minimalist. I think I'd like to purchase some jewelry for myself this year, which likely requires "banking" budgeted dollars from multiple months. I've been looking at Opal rings from Catbird for a while (like this Wwake one or their teardrop ring), though I'm somewhat likely to pick one up from Polamai on Etsy (a Thai jeweler with a lot of good reviews). I've been tempted by the Monica Vinader Baja Bracelet in Green Onyx for a while, though that's probably way too pricey for me, for something that's gold-plated and more fashion jewelry than fine. In that light, if I haven't ordered anything new yet, then the shopping fast is going just fine. (Overall, this is probably not one of the better reasons to go on a shopping fast...) 

In other news, I recently opened a new Instagram account for blog purposes. My old account was set up through my personal Facebook account, though I ran it as the Instagram for my blog. That got too weird for me as I didn't really want random Facebook acquaintances to be able to find my blog and identify it as mine through Instagram. Independent from that, I'm starting to better understand how to explore new content on Instagram, and it's fun! As usual, I'm way behind the times when it comes to learning how to use new social media platforms.

A photo posted by Miyu☺︎ (@miyumo_21) on Jan 11, 2017 at 5:31am PST

One thing that I stumbled upon is a large set of Japanese daily outfit Instagrammers. I follow many, some with a more casual style and some that seem to primarily do office-type wear, but they all have a similar photography style and wear such well-executed, put-together outfits! I follow so many that there's no real way to pick out my favorites because they're all so cool, but in no particular order, here are a few that had really great outfits pop up in my feed most recently: ____cream.ice.____, akko3839, cestmignon_mau, and miyumo_21. After one starts following a few, Instagram starts putting more and more of them into one's "Explore" feed, so it doesn't take long to find others.

Are patent leather shoes, in your opinion, appropriate for ultra-conservative business-formal interview outfits? Do you have any favorite Instagram accounts to follow, or any specific type of account that you like? I also follow quite a few comic artists like adamtots.