The 4-5 piece French wardrobe #3

[RedandNavy]

Here is my other recent purchase. A top by Warehouse that I ordered from ASOS. I love animal prints and it has a bit of a texture, the faux necklace isn't something I usually go for but I really like it on this to which I can wear with black slacks & a cardigan for work or by itself for going out.

The sweatshirt is velour and I ordered the one with the sacred heart, but I think I'm returning it for the crosses, since the heart didn't look like it would wear well at all. I really want a nice cozy, but fun sweatshirt. I found myself looking for one in my closet and getting stuck in on of my husband's sports themed sweats. UM......

The velour says dry clean only but it is a cotton/poly blend so I imagine that hand washing is ok? Thoughts?

I ordered a few other things, but most of them probably won't work out. This time of year I sort of stock up, but I want to only get things I'll really use instead of looking in my closet at great "deals" that I never wear.

Which sweaters did you keep in the end? I thought all three look really nice. The one with the heart kind of caught my attention, looks cute. But all three do!!

Shoestring: That sounds like a great list! I would love a pair of K Jacques sandals as well. The design are so chic and timeless... They look like just the perfect summer sandals.

I ordered a pair of boots finally. I think they might arrive next week. I'm curious whether those will be as nice as I feel they are...

 

[floodette]

thanks a lot for the nice words on my clutch, redandnavy and betinapple....

i am usually not a logo person, but i really love bdj and its textured patent leather. i sued mine several times and got so many compliments. my wallet is also bdj but the wristlet, and agree that it wears like iron.

now on 2013 wishlist..... i've been mulling this list over and over again...
1. black patent closed toe wedge 9cm max
2. nude patent closed toe wedge 9cm max
3. daily bag, am thinking navy color
4. pearl fireball necklace

not fashion related, but am planning to buy a thinner wetsuit, 1 mm weight for diving and a new pair of booties for diving as well. i plan to reach at least 50 dives in 2013

regarding my shoes purchase, i am a bit disappointed with tory burch shoes. they are comfy, but the tip of my shoes has been damaged and look frayed. and it's patent leather!!! i think i will go back to ferragamo. anyone have bad exp re tory burch?

 

[floodette]

salome, nice bag and cute sweaters! i especially like the animal print one. can you take off the necklace or is it fixed? wonder how it will do in washing machine.

redandnavy, the vest is cute! looks so soft. how do you plan to style it?

 

[twistelette]

so... I fell off the wagon a bit. that's to say, I purchased some items from eBay (a pair of dieppa restrepo oxfords and a silk COS top) that ended up not fitting or suiting me at all. I never would have bought them had I been able to try them on first. that annoys me a little bit - I don't mind that I bought stuff, but I do mind that I was a bit reckless in my purchases. it feels best to me when I can take a little time when I consider buying something, that I can try it on and imagine the way in which the item will work with the rest of my wardrobe. and then maybe take a step back, sleep on it for a night or two, and see if I still really like it. buying via eBay gives me the idea of a considered purchase, I guess - because there is a little bit of time that goes by between me 'finding' the item and the auction ending, I get the idea that I considered the item well. but of course, without being able to try it on, it's always a bit of a gamble. hmmmn.
could I swear off buying via the internet? I've gotten so many great items via eBay that I would never have been able to afford otherwise... but also so many items that ended up not fitting, and that I have had to re-sell (at a loss, usually) or that I just gave away to the local thrift store.

 

[aldn]

Twistelette I would never swear off ebay but maybe just keep the cost of the items relatively low because I have the same issue. I also try to stick with brands with who are classic and that I know will work.

 

[aldn]

I know we try not to shop the sales or at least be very smart it. I hit the solestruck sale and got two pair of shoes.
The creepers (sold out now so the pic is from karmaloop.com) are amazing and were a steal at $45. I've actually wanted a pair since high school. The sole is a lot more chunkier then from the ones I would have gotten back then and I like that cause I love height.

These Jeffery Campbells on the other did not work out. In spite of me being a 12/13 and going with a 13 they were still too small. So 85 dollars down the drain... AHHHH!

 

[RedandNavy]

Sorry, not much time right now, I'll write more about your posts later this week... Just wanted to share my boots arrived... Awww, I love statement shoes. So happy I finally found a boot, it was so hard to find one to really fall in love with.

Pic by net-a-porter.com

 

[aldn]

Very very nice. I kinda want some similar. When Dior Homme came out with gold high high heel boots 6 years ago I though Hedi was crazy. I still wouldn't wear a boot as high as the ones he offered but I totally have warmed up to gold.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I find gold makes such a nice neutral and is so useful ... I still miss some gold ballet flats I had years ago.

Sorry you guys have been having shopping trouble online After getting burned a couple times, I try to be really careful about return policies if I don't know exactly what I'm getting. For example, I don't want store credit, I want my money back ... who wants to have $1000 or whatever tied up in store credit if you already ordered the one thing you wanted from that label and it didn't work?

I saw a pair of sandals in a magazine that I really like, but not sure how they will work on me, or if I'll be able to find them locally to try them on (small brand). So will be approaching them with caution

 

[twistelette]

those are great boots, redandnavy! I like gold as a neutral as well - a lot of my clothes are in quite matte fabrics; cotton, wool, linnen, and I like it when I can add some depth to an outfit by adding some (softly) shiny textures. metallics are great for that. I used to have a soft gold silk cami that was great for that - I wore it until it fell apart.
I hoped the dieppa restrepo oxfords that I got on eBay could serve a similar purpose as those boots will, but they really are too big for me...
I could, and would, never swear of eBay, but I needed to remind myself that those purchases are not as considered as maybe I led myself to believe. they are always a bit of a gamble. and I don't mind that, but I don't need to over-do it

 

[fashionista-ta]

As planned, I stocked up on tights this past weekend ... black, grey, purple. I had already gotten some black lace tights ... didn't find any other patterned ones I really liked, so I stuck with solid colors this time. Also got some knee-high black tights for wearing with pants--and very practical as if something goes wrong you only have to throw one away Plus some cute polka dot and striped butter socks for wearing at home (they are heavenly).

I wore a pair of the tights today and noticed they had a couple spots on each leg where the dye didn't take or something ... So those will be going back, and I sure hope it's limited to the one pair I've been wearing this brand for many years now, and I don't want to have to switch ...

 

[salomelovesjohn]

Which sweaters did you keep in the end? I thought all three look really nice. The one with the heart kind of caught my attention, looks cute. But all three do!!

Shoestring: That sounds like a great list! I would love a pair of K Jacques sandals as well. The design are so chic and timeless... They look like just the perfect summer sandals.

I ordered a pair of boots finally. I think they might arrive next week. I'm curious whether those will be as nice as I feel they are...

I kept the crosses and the leopard one. Love them both. The heart was very cool, but it seemed to me that it wouldn't wear well at all.

 

[salomelovesjohn]

salome, nice bag and cute sweaters! i especially like the animal print one. can you take off the necklace or is it fixed? wonder how it will do in washing machine.

redandnavy, the vest is cute! looks so soft. how do you plan to style it?

Thanks! The animal print one has a fixed necklace but I've handwashed it and worn it twice already - no problems!

 

[salomelovesjohn]

I love metallic shoes, but somehow they often scuff quickly on me!

Eh, I've been shopping. I can say that in the spirit of this thread I have been buying better quality, but I do think I've bought quite a bit in terms of quantity. I did end up rebuying the Prabal Gurung sweater when it hit the sales and am so happy I did. I've spend so many years building up a shoe/bag collection and going nuts on those items every season this is the first year my clothing purchases out number by bag/shoes purchases! (Which makes more sense). I think at some point I'll add it up -I'm within my clothing budget, but my issue is more of having low quality items I want to get rid of after a season or sale purchases that I never really wear. I've really done better this year in terms of both those issues, so I'm happy. Maybe in 2013 I can cut back on the number of items.

Someone said something really helpful to me recently - she only buys things she imagines that she'll use for the next ten years. It has really stuck with me.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I would love it if my things all lasted for 10 years!! Some have lasted many more, but items in heavy rotation may last only a few years. It's a concept definitely worth thinking about if you feel you might be transitioning to a more mature look anytime soon. This definitely crossed my mind in my late 30s, as 'cute' started to seem less and less appropriate ...

 

[RedandNavy]

Lots of things to write / react to but I fear I won't be able to write all I initially wanted to

Metallic shoes: Thanks for the nice comments! It's actually the first pair of golden shoes I ever bought but I felt sooo attracted to golden shoes this winter. I wore them to an important presentation with a very simple pair of black work pants and a simple black light weight cashmere turtle neck. Personally, I think that look rocked. It would have been a boring look without the special shoes, but they made it look cool and unique. So you think they will look worn quickly? As I've mentioned they are my first pair of metallic shoes (only had metallic sandals before) so I have no idea. They look like excellent quality so I have high hopes for them to survive a few seasons.

Things lasting for the next 10 years: I think that was me who wrote that Well, I happened to buy some really sexy/cute/girly stuff when I was 29/30 years old. And I remember at 31 I looked at them again, feeling like they would only look good on a teenage girl. So I try to think more before I buy something very of the moment these days. Is it classy enough to look good in a few years? Is it a quality that will survive a good number of wears? I don't want to buy stuff that is only for the woman 10 years older than my actual age but I don't buy anything that might look ridiculous in a few years. This doesn't mean you can only buy black turtlenecks - I think there is plenty of fun stuff that can be ageless and it depends a lot on ones personal style, too.

Salomelovesjohn: I think it's actually clever if you invest a lot in shoes/bags. I have been investing in one gorgeous top after another for years and somehow it just never worked because I didn't have great shoes/accessories to go with it. Personally I think buying good shoes and bags is one of the greatest things you can do. It's much easier to look good in a cheap shirt with great shirts than the other way round. I tend to buy two pairs of shoes per season nowadays, maybe 3 to 4 clothing items and 1 or 2 accessories.

Stocking up on tights: I definitely should do that very soon, too. I hardly have any good looking ones left. Must do during my Xmas holidays. But I did stuck up on underwear recently. My bras were mostly a bit too big since I used to look more "curvy" before and I definitely needed better fitting bras. That's done now and it sooo important...

Shopping on ebay: I actually have no experience with it at all. I buy most of my things online nowadays but at one of the big online stores. Sometimes I buy at the outnet but not too often. I have made quite good experiences with buying things online lately but I realize that I have to do a lot of thinking BEFORE I order something. I hate sending something back and I have kept some not really perfect things in the past because I didn't want to send them back.... So I really should be very thoughtful before ordering and I tend to look at the exact measurements very closely now.

My fur vest: Someone asked me how I style my rabbit fur vest. I have been wearing it a LOT recently. I have been wearing it with a very thin black or brown turtle neck under it and with a mustard or terra colored henley under it. I'm not really into wearing white shirts so no white shirt combo for me. I also hope to wear without anything under it when the temperatures get a little bit higher.

 

[RedandNavy]

I meant to write "a cheap shirt with great shoes" of course instead of "a cheap shirt with great shirts"... Sorry. I don't know why I always make so much mistakes when I post here. I guess I just get too excited when writing about things related to fashion.

 

[RedandNavy]

Adding something about the upcoming sales: The sales have started in some stores... I know this is a bit of a tricky time but personally, I love the sales. Maybe because I allow myself extra 2 to 3 items during the sales I have ordered a dress yesterday that I had on my wishlist for months now. Since I decided for the cheaper shipping option it'll take a while until it arrives though. I hope it'll arrive till Wednesday since I have a dinner then and I was hoping to wear it...

Personally, I love the sales for having great things at a reduced price. I know I've read you should only buy in the sales what you'd want to pay the full price for... But that's not really true for me. There are some items out there that I love but that just have a crazy price. Remember the McQueen dress I bought during the summer sales? I always loved it but its original price was just too high for me. Now with 70% off I could afford it. So I always make a list with a few fantastic items with crazy prices during the season, hoping that they will be reduced at the end of it - and I've always made good experiences with that.

Honestly, I think it will be three rather than two extra pieces this season. But that must be it then, too much sales shopping isn't a good thing.

Hoping to get a pair of shoes and a bag or clutch later during the sales, I have my eyes on a few.

 

[salomelovesjohn]

RedandNavy, I didn't mean to scare you re. the boots, I've just had bad luck with shoes like that getting scuff marks. But I love yours - they are very special. Just FYI to be careful, but I'm also hard on my shoes and walk alot in my city. Yes, I guess you're right, I am happy to have nice accessories/shoes/bags, so maybe that is why I feel such a need to focus on clothing right now. Especially bags can last years with proper care, so at this point I've very set in certain areas and only need a few fun or replacement pieces a year. I'm actually looking for a fur vest. I want something soft that doesn't add bulk. I haven't found the right one yet - can't wait until I do.



*edit - please see TFS guidelines regarding weight discussion*

 

[salomelovesjohn]

^ I would love it if my things all lasted for 10 years!! Some have lasted many more, but items in heavy rotation may last only a few years. It's a concept definitely worth thinking about if you feel you might be transitioning to a more mature look anytime soon. This definitely crossed my mind in my late 30s, as 'cute' started to seem less and less appropriate ...

Exactly where I'm at - late 30s & trying to avoid "cute!" Although I like a little fun and wit!