WEARING
HELMUT leggings (the best ever. Did you see the Helmut Lang sale today? GREAT prices!)
H&M skirt
Splendid turtle-neck
James Perse jacket (old)
Virginia Johnson scarf
Prada loafers (got on super-sale at our Saks)
Jerome Dreyfuss billy bag (black version)
So excited about 2013!! Are you? It’s been cold here – not just cold for Austin, but COLD! I’m happy to be able to wear all of my cashmere, but I’d be happier if it was in the 50’s-60’s for a few day. Oh, and sun. I’d like to see the sun.
A note about content here on the blog: I’m going to do sale posts only every couple of days, unless you guys want me to continue to do them every day. I like doing them every day, but I feel like they get redundant. I’m also starting an essentials series – today, I covered beauty products. I’m going to do leggings, white t-shirts, workout wear etc., but please let me know if you have anything you want me to cover.
And I hope to be adding in more shopping features, and more exclusive discounts with boutiques you love. I’ll keep doing outfit pictures also, but I’d love for you guys to let me know if there’s something else you want, or if you want more or less of something. I want to be useful & helpful to YOU.
Finally, happy 2013 – I hope it’s a wonderful and prosperous year for everyone 🙂
Hi Grechen, Happy New Year! Just my two cents here about your post: I agree that you don’t have to do the sale posts as frequently. I tend to check the grechenscodes for that anyhow. I tune into grechenscloset for your outfits/conversations, as I enjoy the personal voice you write with. The essentials is a great idea too. On a completely different topic, I’ve become aware that my fashion spending per item has become a little out of control, what with so many designers hiking their prices (yes, Isabel Marant, I am looking at you!). I got a real smack in the face yesterday when I realized that the outrageously priced coffee table I ordered and hemmed and hawed about incessantly was actually the same price of (a) the HL shearling jacket on sale I bookmarked, or (b) the Parajumpers coat on sale I bookmarked, (c) the Isabel Marant linen tee and cotton sweatpants on sale I saw in a store, and worst of all –twice the price the Acne shearling jacket that is sold out everywhere anyway. So I am screwing my head back on straight this year. I’d therefore love to see a feature of reviews of more cost efficient basics lines. I have always felt that you get what you pay for, but as I review my closet that is not really true. The only thing IMHO that totally rocks is the Rick Owens … but I only have a bit, and that is still enough. The man is a genius. (an expensive genius) Cheers
PS I deleted all the aforesaid bookmarks and am staying out of the IM store — please congratulate me…I feel a little sad:)
I love the idea of an essentials post. Best “White shirts”, “white tees”, “tanks”, etc…And I cant’ wait to dig into your beauty essentials and see what you use. BTW, your hair grew an INCH over the holidays!
I like Sophie’s idea of “cost efficient/cost per wear” posts. But I feel like you kind of do that inherently with your posts. I mean, here you are, looking great in an “old” JP jacket. Incredibly efficient? Right?
I always check your codes, too, if there is something I want (Plus, there are about a million “Shop it to me, your mom, your grandma, etc”….sites out there to tell me when a brand I like has a sale, so I guess I could live without it. Unless there is something SUPER special you have to tell us about!)
I have been eyeing the Helmut Lang leggings. What size did you get? The size and fit chart is leading me to a XL if I am a 10/12.
i took a size large in my HELMUT leggings – and i’m a 10/12…i’m not sure if the helmut lang version runs smaller or not. if in doubt, i guess i’d go with the size chart to be safe!!
my hair is crazy. i’m getting it trimmed on tuesday, but my ultimate goal is to grow it out to a short bob – all one length – i’m going to try NO bangs for a while. see how that works!
thank you for your feedback!!
i think since i do enjoy putting together the sale posts, i’ll put those over on grechen’s codes, and keep grechen’s closet more for conversation/outfit/in-depth posts. thanks for inspiring me to do that…
i am also quite fed up with the price of clothing lately, and definitely have enough to say about that to write a LOT of posts! it seems lately that many of the designers (james perse) i love are disappointing me both with prices (value) and quality, so i’m going to be trying different lines this year, and of COURSE i’ll review and give my opinion on how well they hold up.
interesting you mention rick owens – i know it’s not the main line, but i do have one lilies tunic/t-shirt that i got recently via my habit for more than $100 (in credits) that i only wore twice before it developed holes. lots of holes. all of my t-shirt holes show up in the front around the waist, right wear the button is on my jeans and there’s a little flap that sticks out – maybe that rubs against the fabric and creates the holes, but seriously. that tee retailed for more than $200, i can’t imagine paying that much for something only to have it basically ruined in 2 wears. granted, i was wearing it to cook dinner, but still. all of my other favorite tees from JP and LnA (also L’Agence, Monrow…) have done the EXACT same thing lately though. it’s really starting to upset me 😉
good for you!
i feel sad for you, i know how hard that will be! if i had an IM store nearby, you couldn’t keep me away. thank goodness most of her stuff doesn’t work on my body type 😉
Have we seen you without bangs before? I guess a few years ago, right? Try it!
Hey, thanks for the nice response! I’m shocked about the Rick Owens Lilies — I have maybe 4 or 5 pieces, but they are from the winter fabrics (wool, angora, rayon and something else). I have only 2 pieces in the summer fabric, which is what you must have bought considering your climate, and so far no problem but then I don’t wear them as often as the others. The others are wearing really really well – no pilling, and holding their shape. I guess what I also like about RO is the fact that it’s so easy to get dressed in the morning, and it looks cool and elegant but still kind of “undone” which is a tough combination to achieve IMO. Because he basically just makes the same pieces over and over, I’m never in a rush to buy stuff and have just slowly accumulated things one by one as they went on sale. It’s a good thing that my feet are so big that I can’t get into any of his kicka** (can I say that?) boots or I would be in BIG trouble.
I totally hear you with the JP — haven’t bought anything of his for well over a year, mostly because of the prices ($100 T shirts are just insulting to me now) and also I found that they’ve become more and more shapeless around the wrists and hem, and the necklines weirdly low (but then I am flat chested so maybe they’re not low if something is holding the fabric out a bit, ha!) For that fit, I can find tees for less. I don’t know why he stopped making those fitted, slightly sheeny scoop necks with the narrow narrow banding around the neckline. So chic! Went with dressy outfits too!
I found Old Navy made great long-sleeve scoop necks at about $10 a piece, but sadly they have changed their fabrics it seems because I haven’t seen them in about a year.
About the jeans causing holes — you’re probably right if the holes are always in the same spot. Maybe you could sew a snap or wear a belt to keep it tight against the waistband? It’s a hassle, though — I agree that really shouldn’t happen in the first place.
I found I got tons of pinholes in tees lately too — especially Velvet, which I completely stopped buying 2 years ago — esp the pima cotton. Splendid used to have a stronger material which stood up, but it’s hard to find that style in stores. Same with Alternative Apparel, but they IMO didn’t have great quality to begin with.
Alexander Wang’s tees are still fab, though it’s hard to cough up the $$ and I shrunk all but one of them by washing them in hot water. Gack.
A local salesperson told me about Cotton Citizen as a JP replacement, but then the price point was the same (not the cleverest salesperson). It did look nice though.
Thanks girl! She has a lot of nerve: I saw a feature in one of this month’s Vogues (if I recall correctly) and she was in the main spread with a jacket for $2700 and pants for another $3000. How does a street line for chic Parisienne working girls decide that her market competition is Dior and Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton and Chanel! I hate when designers sell out. Grrr,
BTW I loved your “Beauty Essentials” post — I use a lot of the same products, though I’ve switched from LM’s tinted moisturizer to Bobbi Browns, which is my new fave
Hi Grechen.
I am a long-time lurker at Grechen’s Closet. I check your site every day, and I have bought several things based on your recommendations (just put in an order at Helmut Lang–thanks for the sale notice.) I actually really LOVE your daily sales posts. I have found a bunch of things that way that I otherwise would have overlooked. My vote is to continue. (please, please, please.) I really like hearing your reviews of different products
I am also excited to see your new essentials post.
Keep up the great work!
i have been wanting to try BB’s tinted moisturizer – it’s about time for new stuff, i’ll try it out. thanks 🙂
did you see the feature on her in into the gloss? http://intothegloss.com/2012/11/isabel-marant-designer/ – i loved it, and i really like her perspective and “simple” lifestyle, and her clothes are beautiful, but i agree with the pricing issues. then again, though, if she keeps producing “cult” favorite items like those sneakers and dicker boots that people ARE willing to pay the big bucks for, then she’ll keep charging the prices she charges. i am thankful for the etoile line though – i am in love with my skirt. that’s about the only thing last year i paid full price for and it’s been totally worth it; i wore it death last year and will wear it for many more years.
Yep, I’m loving the BB bb cream, and I’m not a huge BB fan in general. I find the finish is smoother and more luminous than the LM one, which I loved to death but found it looked a little matte and was ready to try something new. I also switched from BB pot rouge to Vincent Longo’s Water Canvas blush, and I find that it wears much longer than anything else I’ve tried, and blends really well so I doubt I would ever go back.
Happy New Year Grechen! Just wanted to chip in and let you know how much I like the daily sale posts – they’re a great, concise guide to the sales going on in the internet, in a slightly different format to just a usual list of sales. It would be great if you could keep on doing them, thanks for your hard work!