Ask it in the forums 🙂
Okay, I’ve talked about it long enough – here is, finally, the Grechen’s Closet Community. You may remember if you’ve been here more than five years, that I started forums before, and they never really went anywhere, but lately I’ve been feeling like we need a little something more here – a more organized way to discuss specific designers like Everlane and James Perse, as well as a true community where we can all give/take advice.
I get a lot of questions personally and I try to answer them the best I can, or use them to create posts, but it’s become overwhelming lately, and I hope this will make it easier for you to ask and get answers to questions when I can’t answer them personally.
I’m a little nervous about it to be honest, because I can’t predict how much time it will take to administer the forums (if a few of you get really active, maybe I’ll have to tap you to moderate 😉 ), or monitor trolls, etc. Or even if it will take off at all! I know a lot of you are active other places, and this may be too much, but I hope it can at least supplement our discussions on Everlane, which is pretty disorganized lately, since there are so many posts, and so many reader reviews!
You will have to register to post in the forums, but it should be pretty painless. I’ve created some topics and forums already, please please please let me know what other topics you’d like to see there (I don’t think users can create new forums) and I’ll add them. Your feedback is ALWAYS welcome.
Other randomness:
I just can’t with unstructured bags anymore. Or bags without enough pockets, or small bags. I’ve been around the block a few times with regard to bags, having acquired and sold probably more than my fair share. But finally, I think I’m over it. I used to like to have a new bag a couple of times a year and cycle them in and out, and I’d become enamored with new styles and shapes, but now, I just want one. I get frustrated every day with whatever bag I’m carrying – I can’t find something, it hurts my shoulder, not big enough, and on and on. Life is TOO short…
I have one in mind, but it’s not cheap, and I’ll have to save up for quite some time to get it, but hopefully it will be worth the wait. And if it’s not, back it goes. I’ve given too many bags “passes” for being beautiful, but not good enough for what I need/want every day (ahem, both my Kara bags).
My husband and I signed up for TSA pre-check and I went for my appointment yesterday – painless. It’s a no-brainer, actually, if you travel several times a year. It’s $85 for 5 years, and TOTALLY 100% worth it to not have to get undressed and take out your toiletries from your bag every time you go through security. It will totally change the way I pack. (back to the old days…remember?)
Finally, if you haven’t checked SLOWRE lately, I’ve added a few new things and have a few ready to go up over the weekend from my own closet. Spring cleaning, you know? I’m also expecting some exciting new consignment items soon, so stay tuned!!
Happy Friday!!! Anything random to add??
Pre-check is great, but if you have ANY international travel, Global Entry is a better deal 😉 (I mean, it’s more expensive – $100 for 5 years – but you get to use kiosks at immigration & shorter lines at customs, AND TSA pre-check. And some American Express cards will pay for it (I know the Platinum card does, some branded cards might as well) Bracing for the heat wave here and attempting to sew some linen into something caftan-y! (Hancock Fabrics going out of business, I got the ends of the bolt, 2+ yards of white linen for less than $6/yrd, so I figure it’ll be a cheap way to figure out if I can make what I want. Or, if my husband can (he sews far better than I do!) Off to check out the Forum!!
what??? i didn’t even think of global entry because we don’t do much international travel lately, but hopefully will 🙂
i’ll tell my husband maybe he should get that instead though, he does sometimes have to go to india for work. and if it includes pre-check…
oh, let us know how your caftan sewing turns out…maybe that’s a good topic for the forums !! seems like it would be rather easy, but then again, for me, i’m sure i’d make a mess of it…
There aren’t as many interview locations for Global Entry as Pre-check now, but I’d think DTW would be one. We actually ended up doing our interviews in Milwaukee on a visit to my sister because we got appts there faster than we could in NC (and we would have had to drive to Charlotte – 3hrs – to do so). I think we’re in our 3rd year for global entry – it’s been great for me because I’d been working on a project in China so I had a few trips the past couple years, and the kiosk always worked for me (and some airports also have the shorter special customs line as well, which is nice if I’m bringing back souvenirs and have checked luggage 😉
I’ve bookmarked lots of websites with tutorials on the sewing, but after lots of reading, I fear I’ll just wing it. I am about to do the fabric prep though (rough sew edges so they don’t unravel, then wash & dry to pre-shrink). I’m so inept with sewing – should be fun! And probably worth a glass or bottle of wine….. 😉
Yes, definitely do Global Entry if there’s any chance of international travel. The application is a lot more detailed than for Pre-Check, but if you keep decent records from the last 5 years (addresses, employers, international travel) it’s fine.
To bring the comment about unstructured bags around to travel– I have become a big fan of luggage that, while perhaps not so sexy or stylish– just works. I can heartily recommend Tom Bihn. Made in America, major attention to fabrics and details, great customer service, and very good resale values. Some of the designs are not to my aesthetic taste, and they do nothing with wheels, but for supremely functional bags that are incredibly made with thoughtful details, they are perfect. So much so that my everyday bag is now the Packing Cube Shoulder Bag, instead of a PS 1…
IF THAT PACKING CUBE BAG CAME IN ALL BLACK I’D BE ALL OVER IT!!! well, for travel anyway, it’s still too small for everyday. but i love it!
so funny you mention the ps1, because i’ve been seriously regretting selling that one, mostly because of how organized it was, and that it has short handles and a longer strap. it was uncomfortable on my shoulder though, and olive green, not black. so….
my ideal bag is slightly structured, with multiple separate places to put things, and it MUST MUST MUST have short handles and at least one longer strap or straps. that is my biggest requirement. and structure, but not too much. and multiple compartments. all of those things are super-important 😉 oh, and black. black only. as much as i want to be able to carry a non-black bag, i just can’t.
I hear you about the bag issue. For me, the perfect bag has to have a long bag drop to be comfortable on my shoulder, the leather simultaneously slouchy & structured, the bottom to be somewhat rigid so when I open my bag, I can see everything in it without rooting around the bag to find my car keys. Most of all, it has to be light weight – cannot stand heavy bags! I purchased a beautiful leather backpack last year that I’m going to sell on ebay, that checked all the boxes except for the weight. I was kicking myself for not using it right away & then it was too late to return it. The marsell bag you’re eyeing looks great. Their bags are light weight & the leather is soft but not slouchy soft. A lack of pockets though-only one big zipper compartment in the lining. But can’t go wrong with multiple strap lengths.
Tom Bihn has recently introduced a new fabric — Black Halcyon (it’s super lightweight but ultrastrong)– and fingers crossed the Packing Cube Shoulder Bag will be available in that fabric someday. I would buy another in an instant. On that front, the shop bags are weirdly good and available in all black. Yes, it’s $35 or $50 for a seemingly simple bag, but the handles are padded, they’ve got places to clip things, the fabric will never tear, and they’re just nicer to use than all my free tote bags with witty designs.
My husband travels a lot for work and does the TSA Pre-check and Global Entry. I think it’s called Nexxus or something similar for Canada. The problem he encounters lately is that, because of the TSA issues, they are understaffed and not opening the pre-check lines, so he still has to stand in the longer line. 🙁 We did fly as a family over Thanksgiving and were lucky enough to all get pre-check on our tickets, so that was nice with little kids.
I think the forums are a good idea and hopefully not overwhelming to manage. I started to visit your site by googling images for certain pieces that I was mulling over from Everlane and then discovered you and I have a similar style. I’m really hard to fit and my choices are limited on Maui so I rely on online shopping a lot so I often look online for as much “real people” pics and info on fit before I buy. I like the 40+ (I’m 47) luxury casual vibe and community here. I used to be much more trendy but have been settling into a minimalist state of mind so I’m happy to have found you.
Speaking of trendy, I have quite a few designer bags that are too heavy or girly (studs and bows everywhere, ugh) for my current taste (so they need to go!). The La Garconne you like is beautiful but also looks versatile and functional. I’m working toward a smaller bag collection, will sell the ones that no longer suit me and keep a bare minimum. I do like a mini bag for weekends/going out since I have a back neck disc issue but still need a tote or two for work days. A clutch is the most comfy for me physically if I’ll be out and about all day since nothing is pressing on my shoulder/neck area but we all know a clutch is not practical for all occasions. I do use my Everlane Petra a lot (I put a clutch, a windbreaker and my lunch in it for everyday – another clutch/pouch for ipad/kindle during travel).
PreCheck or Global Entry is soooo worth it! One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I fly at a minimum 2X per month, including flying home on a Monday morning early as I will need to head straight to work from the airport. The line is generally much shorter/quicker and my feet don’t get dirty since I can leave my shoes on.
If you get global entry you automatically get pre-check but not vice versa. Also, although you dont have to take the bag of liquids out for screening, the same limits and rules apply- quart size bag and nothing largerbthan 3.2 oz.
i have totally gone down the rabbit hole of tom bihn now, thank you 😉 i see a TON of amazing gift ideas as well as for myself LOL
i love the dog stuff so much, i’ll have to start with getting dagny a collar and go from there, the treat bag is awesome – i have to carry treats, etc., still with me for her, to entice her away from things she shouldn’t get into…
so you still have to separate your liquids out? they can’t be with the rest of your toiletries? oh well, that’s still better than having to take them out . although i didn’t take mine out once on accident, and no one caught it. and not having to take shoes off is HUGE!!
though i will still long for the days we could bring water in from outside to carry on the plane. i bring my s’well bottle with me but not every airport has bottle filler water fountains…
You’re supposed to separate them out and put them in a 3-1-1 bag, but in practice, it doesn’t really matter. I usually have a quart-size ziplock on hand just in case, but at this point I don’t really bother with separating things, and I haven’t had a problem. And it’s not like the TSA ever noticed the liquids I left in my bag before I had Pre-Check either!
(And, either you’re welcome or I’m very sorry for introducing you to Tom Bihn!)
thank you!! i’m glad you did, i love it all 🙂
In addition to Tom Bihn, Red Oxx is another minimalist travel bag company, made in Montana, and beloved by the Flyertalk community. I have a Tom Bihn padded strap on my wish list at the moment….
I would love to travel enough to make either Pre-Check or Global Entry worthwhile. And to use my Tom Bihn bag more!! I love my Tom Bihn bag. I love it so much I converted my husband as well. And we will be packing our bags for France next month!
And to return to the topic, I’ve been debating between two tote bags. I’m leaning toward the more structured one, with pockets. And a crossbody strap…
I registered for the forum but didn’t get the confirmation email…..? (And I checked the spam folder, no dice.)
you forgot the “m” at the end of .com in your email address 😉 i deleted your account, so hopefully you can re-register using the same info. let me know if you have any more problems!
D’oh! What a dummy. I’ll try again…