May 2019 Shopping Reflections

This doesn't look like too eventful a shopping month, but things may be in place for a potentially much livelier June on that front. I have a few orders coming in, including from the recent APC sale, and from my recent search for a summer dress. Time will tell if I end up keeping anything!

With regards to the summer dress purchase, I ended up deciding to order that Elizabeth Suzann ("ES") Georgia dress and Asawa belt combination in mid-weight linen that I was so taken by last month. I've ordered it in black, that most reliable and versatile of colors. With their typical production times, it'll take another week or two before the company makes my items to order and ships them out. With their store credit-only return policy, this purchase does mean that I've made a soft commitment to spending at least $265.00 on something from ES, whether this specific order works out or not. I'm not too nervous about this, because there are at least a few other ES items I could see myself wanting to try. Also, given how popular the brand's items are secondhand, I imagine that it shouldn't be too difficult to recoup the vast majority of the cost by selling the store credit on the secondary market if need be.

About a week after my purchase, I saw in their Instagram comments that ES was planning to offer the belts in silk in the next month or two. That made me wonder for a moment if I might have wanted the Georgia and Asawa combination in silk instead, if I knew that option was coming. After thinking about it for a while though, and taking into account silk's more flowy texture when compared to linen, I think the linen would probably still be the best choice for me if I wanted to wear the dress belted. In my experience with both fabrics, the same combination would have a different look and feel, depending on the material. In theory, I think I might prefer the mid-weight linen for this particular look, I expect that it'd have just a hair more "structure" and hold its shape a bit better, rather than skim and flow over the body more closely. 

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Among other ES items I could see myself wanting to try is the silk Bel skirt. I've been thinking about silk slip skirts for a few months (though I think it might be a highly trendy look, one that better suits women that are taller and less curvy than I), and I even had the opportunity recently to buy one of the exact ones I was looking at, the Vince knot-detail silk midi skirt in an intriguing mineral green, on sale and at a substantial discount. I ended up deciding against it because the best price is on Vince's website, but it's final sale, and the look might potentially be unflattering if the knot detail isn't placed just right. In looking at that Vince silk skirt, and a few other Vince skirts on sale, as well as some from other brands, I feel like the ES Bel skirt stands out because it's got more volume, but not too much, and that's something I'd feel more comfortable in. 

I ended up ordering that drape-y Club Monaco Claudine trench coat I mentioned, but didn't like either the olive or blue shades for my wardrobe. Neither color would go that well with most of my clothes, the way a more traditional camel or beige-colored trench coat would. The tencel material does have a suede-like texture I thought felt very nice. It is a bit heavier-feeling than the cotton canvas of my Everlane trench, which I didn't like for NYC weather patterns. This experience makes me think that I might only like trench coats in the typical camel color for my wardrobe (a niche already filled by my Everlane coat), thus there might be no room for another trench coat in my closet at present. Oh, and I ordered that APC Clare dress (on sale almost everywhere) to try. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $148.21)

• Ray-Ban Wayfarers, black - $148.21*- This purchase was made quite early in May, while I was on vacation. I'd been thinking about getting a pair of "real" sunglasses for a while, rather than relying on the dinky, unbranded ones I got for 9 Euros from a beach-side stand many years ago. I never actually feel like I need sunglasses when I'm walking around NYC, there simply isn't that much direct sunlight on my face most of the time, it's blocked by buildings all around. Maui was definitely a different story, there was enough sunlight every day that I felt like it was necessary to obtain a pair of sunglasses for which I had some confidence in and relative certainty about the level of UV protection I was getting. As Sherry pointed out, it may have been best to get the polarized ones instead, for extra protection. (Our eyesight is extremely precious!) But because I don't drive, am rarely out in much sunlight, and am usually wearing my corrective eyeglasses anyway, I don't anticipate spending much time in my sunglasses except when I'm traveling. 

*Indicates that price includes sales tax.

And that's it for this month! I do have a strong suspicion that June will be a far more substantial shopping month, and it's still difficult to predict how my entire shopping year will look overall. How was your shopping month? How are you feeling about your shopping and spending year? In non-shopping areas, including for taxes and for medical things like my new glasses and contact lenses, my 2019 has been quite spend-y so far. I'm hoping things will calm down a bit going into the second half of the year. 

Reading and Watching Lately

While on all those flights to and from Maui (with a quick layover in Dallas each way) for my recent vacation, I read several books in a row, all of which I greatly enjoyed. It had been a while since I had such an excellent success rate with picking things to read. Plus, in the weeks since my trip, my streak of good luck with book selection has continued, and I'm really quite pleased! I desperately hope that this trend continues, as it's a bit dispiriting when one ends up with several dud books in a row. Here are my favorites from my recent weeks of reading:

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Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: I'm super, super late to the party when it comes to this book, and, like everyone else, I thought it was wonderful. Every good thing you've heard about it is true, and though I don't think my description could do it justice, I'll try to describe it anyway. Trevor Noah has an incredible way of describing moments of both terrible near-tragedy and extraordinary hilarity (he'd be the first to say that he was a very naughty child, and also a rather cheeky young adult). He also approaches some extremely heavy subject  matter (including apartheid, poverty, racism, and domestic violence) with a remarkably sage perspective. Whether or not you enjoy Trevor Noah's comedy, or his work on The Daily Show, his is an extraordinary story and perspective, and one that's worthy of all the acclaim this book has received. If the book had been double, or triple the length it is, or even longer, I'd have been thrilled to continue reading. 

The Unwinding of the Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams: I first learned about this book, and about the author's blog, which the book was partially adapted from, from Kathy. It is really good, really powerful and sad, Julie Yip-Williams writes with such unflinching honesty. I cried when I got to her letter to her young daughters towards the end of the book. She has an incredible life story, one that was cut off much too soon.

The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon: This is maybe the least universally loved of the books I picked up recently. There isn't much of a resolution to the story, and maybe not all that much of a plot either, and it may be written in a style that is frustratingly cryptic. But I found it beautifully written, and I enjoyed the experience of sinking into it and just letting the words wash over me. I'd describe R.O. Kwon's writing style as mysterious, surreal, and fragmented. It's rather obvious from the text that the narrators are highly unreliable, and certain important information is being withheld. I can see why a lot of readers find this book frustrating (and even with the generally positive critical reviews, I also find some of them mystifying, as they describe the book very differently from my perception of it as a reader). Kwon is an excellent writer, and I'm eager to see what she'll do next.

And now I'm working through and enjoying Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere (though I enjoy it a bit less than her debut novel, Everything I Never Told You, as I find the characters in this one a lot more difficult to connect with) and Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation, both of which are quite good. I'm not sure what I'll move onto next after that, but I hope my good luck streak with picking books holds up!

Oh, and I also wanted to chatter briefly about TV shows. I've been watching the new What We Do in the Shadows on FX, and it's fabulous, definitely highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed the movie a few years back (which I also highly recommend). The deadpan sense of humor is really great, and I think they do a really fantastic job of ramping up the hilarious absurdity of the jokes as the season goes on. The show really hits its stride a few episodes in, after a somewhat slow start in the series premiere. Episode 7 is particularly good, and it picks up on some of the jokes made in the movie.

What books and shows have you been enjoying recently? There was, alas, also one recent TV series that I haven't been enjoying much, but oh well. I must say, though, Emilia Clarke was really wonderful this season, and from reading about the health challenges she was dealing with while filming much of the show and also seeing and reading some of her interviews to promote the most recent Game of Thrones season, I've really become a huge fan of her. (I really liked her in the Star Wars: Solo movie too, though sadly, it seems as if the studio may have decided not to continue with that series.) 

Changing my Mind: On Trench Coats

I've debuted a new page, "Shop the Sales", accessible from the navigation bar at the top of my blog. Inspired in part by how Kathy and Luxe share sales, I've decided to maintain a page for sale finds that are related to things I have purchased before, or that I have seriously considered purchasing at some point in the past. I'll keep updating the widget over time, generally at least once a week, based on new sale finds and/or to remove outdated listings. I'll occasionally flag certain sale highlights in new posts. 

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Current sale highlights include Matches Fashion and Net-A-Porter's discounting that APC Clare dress I mentioned a while back, which, between the two sites, is on sale in almost its entire size range. SSENSE is also doing a big sale that includes a number of Alighieri pieces, including coin necklaces like the Il Leone and the Kindred Souls. I don't think I'll be shopping for jewelry anytime soon, but I was sorely tempted by the Flashback and Trace of a Tear necklaces. 

*****

Looking back over the years, my feelings about trench coats as a wardrobe staple for myself have gone through a few reversals. In the beginning, I was quite skeptical, mainly because of weather patterns here in NYC. As I complain often, we generally get only the briefest flashes of balmy spring or fall weather, sometimes just one or two lovely days that truly feel like a comfortable spring or fall, before the harsher temperatures of summer or winter quickly start setting in, leaving us with as little as two or three weeks of reliably trench coat-friendly temperatures each season. 

But then I got my current trench coat, the Everlane Classic Trench (discontinued, current version with a few design changes), and it really grew on me. It's still a big part of my wardrobe today, in any time of year that's a suitable temperature for it. Currently, the Everlane trench continues to be my only jacket or coat that's particularly well-suited for those all too brief weeks of in-between temperatures around spring or fall. The next best candidates in my wardrobe, that J.Crew collared Sophie sweater blazer or those collarless Juliette sweater blazers, don't block the wind on the cooler days in that range, and are also a bit too thick and heavy for the warmer, sunnier days.

I even liked my new trench coat so much, that, when I thought about my vague hopes to someday splurge on a fancy designer purchase, once I felt like I'd earned it, I no longer wanted a handbag (though that's mostly for lack of seeing any bag design I liked enough). I started wanting one of those classic Burberry trench coats instead. Those coats really are extremely, almost unthinkably, fancy by my standards, whether it's the mid-length Sandringham or Westminster, or the longer-length Kensington, all of which are $1795-plus at full retail, several multiples over the next most-expensive single piece of clothing I've ever purchased for myself (specifically, the Ted Baker midi-length wrap coat, at ~$418 when I bought it on sale). Nor have I ever tried one of the Burberry coats in person. I suspect it'd be hard to find a good size for me, maybe enough that I wouldn't be able to bring myself to buy it after all, because I've heard that they all have a super-slim fit through the chest.

More recently, though, as I've started finding that I only wear my Everlane Trench coat open and unfastened these days (partially because it's been fairly warm for spring, and also because the waist tie has always been fiddly, it regularly slips down my waist on its own, or even unties itself if I've only tied a single knot, and the belt is just barely long enough to tie a bow), my tastes in trench coats have shifted again, towards less traditional, less structured trench coats that omit some of the classic design elements. The trench coats I'm thinking about now are often made of softer, more flowy-looking and drapey materials, many of them without any buttons at all. With those features, I think they could look a bit more "intentional" when worn open. For instance, in the photo above are two colors of the same Club Monaco Claudine trench on the left and right, the blue is also available at Shopbop. The middle one is a possibly misnamed Mango "classic trench with bows" that doesn't appear to have any bows anywhere.

Given that I've only suddenly become interested in this general look in the last two weeks or so, I think I may actually be far behind the curve when it comes to this particular trend. I can't find all that many coats with this look in stores right now, in colors that I like, and I remember that it might have been easier to find similar coats a year or two ago!

And well, maybe by writing a whole post about these less traditional trench coats, and pinning a bunch to my Pinterest wishlist, I'll find that this whole thing is a passing fancy that I forget about in short order. In any case, the spring season for wearing coats like this is fast coming to a close in NYC, it'll almost certainly be completely over in the next two or three weeks. Also, I suspect this is a fairly trendy look that might not age well. Even so, I also think I'd enjoy wearing this type of coat because it feels more relaxed and a bit less structured or fussy than the classic trench coat look. (Recall how eagerly I sought out "almost" blazers and jackets for work that'd be less structured and less closely fitted than a standard blazer.) We'll see if this sudden craving of mine ends up going anywhere, or if it's one of the ideas I end up discarding after it's sat on my Pinterest shopping list for a while, as has happened a few times since I started being more regimented about how I track my shopping plans this year. 

Maui Trip 2019 (With Brief Tangents About Ocean Safety)

Kaanapali Beach, on one of the few days of our trip where the water was somewhat calm. 

We had tons of fun on our recent 10-day family vacation to Maui! The island is absolutely gorgeous, and very different from any other beach resort-type location I'd been to in recent memory. While I don't think I'll be back anytime soon (Hawaii is a long and onerous trek from NYC, and I'd rather see the other islands there next time), I have a decently long list of things in Maui that I'd happily do again on a second trip. This is the first of two posts about my trip, the next one will focus on food.

A week, maybe even five days, might be enough to have a good time and see a lot of the major attractions in Maui, particularly if you're a high-energy traveler or trying to squeeze in another island as part of a longer Hawaii trip, but I also liked having the full 10 days to do everything at a relaxed pace. Early on in our trip planning, we thought briefly about doing two islands in ten days, but between the travel time required for my sister and I to get to Hawaii from the East Coast (no direct flights and at least 15 hours in transit each way, including waiting time at the airport) plus expected jetlag, we ultimately decided against it. Looking back, we could also possibly have cut the trip down to eight or nine days and still have been able to do everything we wanted to, weather permitting, at what would still be a fairly leisurely pace.

The Hotel

We stayed at Kaanapali Beach Hotel which, based on my research when I booked, is generally one of the more affordable large beachfront hotels in Maui, and is pretty much the cheapest large hotel on Kaanapali Beach, south of Black Rock (a.k.a. Black Rock Beach). It's neighbors with the Sheraton, and on the same beach as a Marriott, Hyatt Regency, and one of the multiple Westins in Maui. We paid ~$260/night, including tax, for a non-ocean view room with two queen beds (and $14/day for parking, it's very helpful to rent a car). Most of the other hotels I named would generally be at least $100/night more for the room at this time of year. The hotel is a bit dated both outside and in, pretty much all the others are a fair bit newer and look it, and the pool is quite small, but service is friendly and I think it's a good value for travelers that don't plan to spend too much of their time hanging out at the resort.

One other nice thing about our hotel location: It was very close walking distance to the Whalers Village shopping center where I bought my new Ray-Bay Wayfarers (affiliate link) and where there's an ABC Store that sells just about anything a tourist could need, including plenty of reef-safe sunscreen and a wide selection of souvenirs, like these Hawaii-themed Gudetama plushes.

Although I thought our hotel was an excellent value for its location, if I were to go back to Maui, I'd probably stay somewhere else where the rooms have kitchenettes. Restaurants in Maui are expensive (close to $25/entree at most nicer sit-down restaurants in the tourist-geared areas, and ~$15/entree at fast casual places). While the food was generally tasty everywhere we went, on future trips, I'd probably prefer to save money by doing some basic cooking, particularly for breakfast. (Oh, but I must put in a recommendation for poke, which, even at grocery stores, was much fresher and tastier than anything I could get in NYC. Poke in Hawaii has ruined me for the dish anywhere else in the world!) An eight day-plus day trip might also be enough time to stay in two different locations on Maui, which is also something I'd consider next time.

Ocean Safety

One other factor that's somewhat relevant to choosing where to stay in Maui, and maybe in Hawaii in general: At least with the surf conditions on Kaanapali Beach, I'm not sure I'd be so eager to select a beachfront hotel again, given that this feature tends to come at a premium price. On past beach-y vacations, I've always enjoyed spending most of my time lounging on the beach, with frequent breaks to cool off in the water. Kaanapali Beach wasn't really the place for swimming or wading while I was there, and after reading up a bit on ocean safety elsewhere in Hawaii, that may be the case for quite a few other famous beaches there. 

Ocean conditions at Kaanapali Beach changed dramatically throughout the trip, with maybe two days where the water seemed very calm with only small, relatively gentle waves, followed by several days in a row of much stronger waves coming in at unpredictable intervals (at least to my eyes). It was a shock to see a beach where the water looked calm enough one day for parents to let their small children play in it suddenly become one where some waves that looked almost as tall as I was were crashing down onto the sand, punctuated by less intimidating, but still kind of scary and powerful-looking ones, just a few days later.

And on one of the days were conditions were in between those extremes, but far closer to calm than not (there were young children playing in the waves just a few feet from where I was, and the waves mostly looked barely tall enough to reach my calf or knees), I had a rather scary moment in the water. Even though I'm a reasonably strong swimmer, after taking a decade of regular swim lessons as a child, I was scared. I'd been swimming around just off the beach for a bit with no problems, in what looked to me like fairly calm water with small waves. But when trying to get back to shore (approaching at an angle, never turn your back on the ocean, especially in Maui, there were so many rogue waves just in the relatively little time I spent watching the beach) I got caught in some deceptively strong shorebreak that pushed me down underwater, head and all; spun me around underwater; and bumped my shoulder into the sand, leaving a quarter-sized abrasion with some bleeding. I was in very shallow water at the time, probably just past my knees if I was standing instead of wading. When I got back out, there was sand coating much of my body, including under my swimsuit, and stuck in my hair down to the scalp.

All things considered, it was a minor ocean-related mishap, I climbed out without too much trouble immediately after, and I didn't even get much seawater in my nose or mouth. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to panic. But, in part because I didn't see it coming (and I don't think the kids or other tourists right near me in the water got swamped that way either, it was probably a freak incident), it scared me so much that, for the rest of my trip afterwards, I'd wince slightly every time I saw a tourist in the water at that beach without a boogie board or surfboard.

Admittedly, I may be unusually nervous in the ocean for someone with my swimming abilities. I even get anxious sometimes while snorkeling in completely placid conditions! And I once booked a "discover scuba diving" dive in super-calm water in Thailand with a good, highly-recommended instructor, but I still got too scared to actually dive. So maybe I'm not the most reliable narrator for this, but I really felt like an inexperienced swimmer could have easily gotten into a bad situation on that beach, as has happened before! (That particular beach is No. 3 on the "deadliest" list.) Plus, Black Rock, just north of where I was, is supposed to be a top snorkeling spot, but most days of my trip, it likely wouldn't have been safe to try and get in and out of the water with snorkeling equipment on. I even saw people struggling to do exactly that from the same patch of beach on one of the less calm days, they gave up because the waves were just too strong.

A few more unsolicited tips for first-time snorkelers, which might be terribly obvious, but that I wasn't told before my first time trying the activity and didn't figure out until later: No matter how strong a swimmer you are or how calm the water is, if it's your first time, please use a flotation device! (I had another scary moment in the water years and years ago due to never receiving that advice before my first snorkeling session.) Before swimming too far from the boat or shore, please also take a few moments to make sure you're comfortable with the equipment and how to use it. And, although I've admittedly never tried one myself, I personally think those full-face snorkel masks look unsafe, given what gets me into potential trouble while snorkeling (mostly feeling panic ramp up suddenly due to leaks or breathing issues, which is at least easier to solve quickly with a traditional snorkel mask by lifting your head out of water, spitting out the mouthpiece, and pulling off the mask).

Hah, that turned out to be a long and not particularly fun digression, but I feel like it's important, and I don't think all of this information is particularly obvious or intuitive. For a return to the actual fun details about our trip, please follow the link below!