April Shopping Reflections

I expect to shop less for the next few months than I did earlier this year. Because there remains a bit of uncertainty regarding trip expenses and eventual move-in expenses, I'm going to do my best to be stricter about my shopping budget, and I plan to come in well under $250 a month until September or later. I do have that L.L. Bean boot preorder purchase still to come, likely in July, but I otherwise don't have any larger purchases planned.

I shopped at Forever 21 this month after searching what felt like every other major US mall brand's online shop for a maxi dress that would fit my rather nit-picky criteria and budget with very little luck. As it turns out, the Loft maxi dress ended up being a good fit too, but I liked the idea of having another maxi dress for my vacation, so I kept the Forever 21 dress too. 

The pajama shirt is a version of a style I own in several different colors (with different texts). I feel  iffy about looking to Forever 21 for a basic that is hardly difficult to find elsewhere, though I also don't have room in my budget for expensive pajamas, and the design has proven to be perfect for my needs. Forever 21 seems to have changed the fabric from a cotton-modal blend to a cotton-polyester one that is less comfy, which at least means that I probably won't rebuy.

Fashion - (TOTAL: $107.00)

• Forever 21 Maxi Dress - $24.90 - This one is a bit more casual than the Loft dress. The rayon material seems like it'd be reasonably comfortable for summer wear. 
• Forever 21 Pajama Shirt - $10.90 - I did not pay attention to the product description and didn't realized they'd changed it from cotton-modal to cotton-polyester. 
• Loft Maxi Dress - $53.70 - Got this in a petite size M during the sale, and it fits great! I liked the black one better than the printed version. 
• Etsy Replacement Handbag Strap - $17.50* - I have a navy Rebecca Minkoff Morning After Bag that didn't come with a shoulder strap, and I've been wanting one for years. This was the best fit that I could find between Etsy and Ebay. (I would have liked something an inch wide rather than 0.7'', but could not find a leather strap at that width.) Hopefully the quality is good, shipping will take another week or two.

*indicates that shipping cost was included

Beauty - (TOTAL: $70.50)

• Sephora 15% off Sale Order - $57.00 - I've been quite good about avoiding Sephora purchases this year, and I probably will not make even VIB status this year. I think I will continue shopping during sales, however. 
• Margiela Replica Beach Walk Rollerball - I received a sample of this months ago and like this better than any of the dozen perfume samples I've received in other orders. 
• MUFE HD Pressed Powder - A new product to replace the loose version of the powder, which is my staple setting powder. I like this so far! I have the same results, but with considerably less mess and product wasted. 
• Peter Thomas Roth Mini Mask Magic Kit - I've wanted to try this out since I saw it during the sales around Christmas last year. One warning though, these are only slightly bigger than one would expect a deluxe sample to be! 
• My Beauty Diary Imperial Bird's Nest Masks - $13.50 - Not pictured. This is a repeat purchase. I had a brief scare where I thought this might be a counterfeit product because the masks are a slightly different shape than others I have ordered, but I did some research and it seems fine! 

Linking up with Franish and the other budgeting bloggers! 

John Oliver on Fast Fashion

My first exam is in a little less than a week, and I have been busier with school than I thought I would be! Admittedly, there is a fair bit of procrastination and Netflix time factored in, which might just come with the "graduate student senioritis" territory. I wanted to share this clip discussing fast fashion from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (I hope the video is not U.S.-region only, but can't be sure). With only 17 minutes of discussion, he can't go into detail on every aspect of the problem and doesn't discuss any of the alternatives, but as usual, he does a good job explaining a problem in a concise and entertaining way that also gets right to the point and doesn't shy away from the less pleasant truths. There are plenty of other informative clips discussing various topics on the show's Youtube channel, which I highly recommend. 

Elizabeth Cline's book Overdressed goes into more detail about the problem, and I still recommend that as a more intensive and complete introduction to fast fashion and clothing production issues. Neither the book nor John Oliver's clip can really answer the question of what a would-be ethical consumer should do, which speaks to how difficult it is to figure out where and how our clothes are produced. (The video clip, in particular, focuses on brands that sell clothes for cheap, such as H&M or Gap, which might obscure the fact that many department store brands might well be using the same countries for production, if not the same factories. Price alone is not an indicator of quality or an ethical source, which Cline's book makes clear.)

I still think that shopping secondhand (whether at an online shop like Thredup or Twice, or somewhere like Buffalo Exchange) might be one of the better ways to sidestep some of the ethical issues (both by reducing waste and not feeding as directly into the demand for dramatically large quantities of new, cheap clothing straight from the retailer), but that worked a lot better with my lifestyle when I was a student who mainly needed casual clothes. I have bought a fair number of business casual pieces at Buffalo Exchange, and generally see a few options in my size at Thredup or Twice, but that requires a fair bit of browsing time and luck. 

Wardrobe Planning: Jeans

I should have known that it wasn't the best or most efficient way to approach shopping for jeans, but I ordered a few pairs to try on earlier this month during the last big Bloomingdales sale. My Uniqlo blue jeans are getting extremely worn, and I will replace them later this year. The best ones I tried on were the Rag & Bone "The Skinny" jeans in the Coventry shade, which are quite flattering and fit correctly on my petite-length legs. I ended up sending them back with everything else, however, because the fabric felt thinner and stretchier than I was used to, which made even the sale price feel like too much. 

Because I only need one pair of dark blue skinny or straight-leg jeans at a time, the cost per wear should be good enough to justify buying an expensive pair. There is the issue of how I will only be able to wear jeans two days a week because of work, but that likely means that any new pair will have good longevity. (Slimmer cuts of jeans might be on the way out, but I don't really anticipate personally wanting to go back to boot cuts.) Of course, if jeans are going to be such a small part of my future wardrobe, going back to the Uniqlo price point might be the best choice, and I think that's the direction I'm leaning in. 

I ended up sending everything back. I just couldn't be sure that the Rag & Bone jeans were actually the most flattering style for me, given that I hadn't done my shopping in person. Especially because I have to be selective on what I splurge on for my wardrobe, I think I've more or less decided that premium jeans will not be one of those things. 

Wardrobe Priorities

With around a month and a half left until graduation, things have started to get a bit hectic at school, which has reduced my posting frequency a bit, alas. Thinking about actually moving and storing all of my stuff has also made me a bit more reluctant to shop than normal.

My mom has been kind enough to offer me a graduation present, most likely a piece of jewelry. I am a bit sheepish about accepting a large gift, especially when the state of my student loan balance means that I wouldn't generally spend that amount on myself all at once. I do very much like the idea of a small, subtle piece of jewelry as a graduation gift, however. It feels more like it could be a permanent part of my wardrobe than a lot of possible alternatives (especially because I already have a watch that I'm happy with). 

It led me to think a bit about what I prioritize when it comes to my own spending on my wardrobe. I have felt some desire to buy jewelry, perhaps a ring, for myself when there's room in my budget. It'd be a bit expensive for me, and it might be odd to choose that over upgrading my shoes or buying higher-quality clothes than my Loft and The Limited mainstays for work. (My small collection of handbags for work is already a bit splurge-y for a young professional woman my age. I am totally a handbag person.) 

For those of us who like to splurge a bit on fashion (but cannot splurge on everything we possibly want), the decision of what to prioritize is probably a very personal and idiosyncratic one. I'm not a shoe person because I don't find shoes all that aesthetically pleasing.  All the design details that might make a pair of shoes particularly spectacular are lost on me. I have a few friends who spend more to get better quality clothes and deemphasize bags or shoes, and I can certainly appreciate the virtues of that. However, I don't personally feel like I would know how best to pick out clothes that are worth higher prices than I am used to paying. 

Are you a handbag person or a shoe person? Or are you none of the above?