JAMES PERSE leggings
H&M mini skirt
JAMES PERSE slub button-front top
INHABIT wool cardigan
RAG & BONE aston boots
3.1 PHILLIP LIM ryder satchel (large)
I’ve been to the “mall” a couple times in the last week. I had to go to the Valentino store to see if they could replace a stud that had fallen off my small rockstud crossbody (they did, graciously. More on that in a review of the bag later), and I had a bit of “extra” money I’d saved up from my monthly discretionary fund so I wanted to check out pants at Eileen Fisher.
A couple of things really hit me while I was “shopping”:
- The stuff I already have in my closet is REALLY good. Better than what I found on sale anywhere. Granted, it’s January, and everything is picked over, and I’m pretty well set for winter clothes, but still. I was impressed with myself. I’m SURE I will be tempted by “new” once spring starts to roll out in earnest, but so far, so good; I’m holding fast to my no-buy through mid-March.
- I know exactly what I’m “missing” in my wardrobe, and what I need to replace, and that is what I gravitated to. I use “need” here loosely, because I don’t need anything, but I would like to add another soft blouse/shirt to my closet, since I’ve been reaching for the James Perse one I’m wearing here a lot more lately. It’s just a bit more “refined” than a t-shirt I think, for certain occasions, and I like the open neckline. I may actually give the Everlane sleeveless silk top a try, but I’m not in a hurry.
So, I know I said I’d held fast to my no-buy, but that’s not exactly true. I did buy these Eileen Fisher pants, but took them back within a couple of days. I loved them SO MUCH. They fit wonderfully, if a little long (the small petite was not slouchy enough), and they were exactly what I’d been looking for in a slouchy pant, slightly heavier and more “refined” than the James Perse version I have been waiting for to go on sale. BUT. I was concerned about the fabric (tencel) because it seemed like it would easily snag, and pill A LOT. I read some reviews on the Eileen Fisher website which confirmed the pilling issue, and decided it wasn’t worth it to keep them. I know the JP version won’t pill (at least my other sweatpants haven’t), so I’d rather go with them, if I decide to get anything at all.
I did FALL IN LOVE with this cape at Eileen Fisher, because I was crazy enough to try it on…but man…the price!! I’m sure it’s worth it, and I know I’d wear it a lot, and for many years, but still…it’s way out of my budget right now, and not wearable in this weather anyway. But it’s really good. I’ll keep my eye on it to see if it goes on sale. The ladies at Eileen Fisher said they’d been selling like crazy already.
I did also go over to James Perse to try on some of the new stuff, and I’ll write more about that later, but I was sort of “meh” on everything. Which is really odd. I think it’s the 5 extra pounds I put on during the holidays. yes. 5. Told you I was feeling rather pudgy.
Anyway, my first shopping trip of the new year was a resounding success I think. I feel hopeful that I can keep up my no-buy for at least another few weeks LOL – hopefully until mid-March when I reach my first weight-loss goal, but I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t. 2015 is my year of loving kindness, to myself, especially.
Have you been shopping since the new year? Did you find anything good? or are you burned out for a while? I know Ashley, a frequent commenter here, and blogger at Fancy Stuff & Pretty Things is doing a 100-day no-buy. Do you plan on trying not to buy anything new for a while?
Where is the miniskirt in that photo? Is it under the cardigan? I can’t layer like that – it’s like I was born with a 4″ rule or something (there needs to be a 4″ difference in the lengths of the layers I’m wearing). I love that sweater over the leggings though!
My husband and I didn’t do Christmas gifts this year (we do homemade gifts with immediate family in the area and some stuff for kids in the family but we stopped gift-giving a few years back – makes us much happier!) Anyhoo, because I hadn’t had anything new in a while, I started shopping post-holiday sales. Nothing for work or “dress-up” but I bought flannel sheets, new bath towels (sexy, right? 😉 and some fleece leggings & warmer exercise tights. I’m on a “no shopping until the clothing in my closet” fits again ban, myself. Wine & cheese (and a vacation river cruise in Germany at the beginning of December – I gained weight despite walking miles every day….)
I love that your shopping expedition found you appreciating what was already in your closet! That must be a great feeling. Hoping I can get to that point eventually; for now, I’m just trying not to shop, period. The post-holiday sales make it really tough, but I’m trying to spend more time reading the books and magazines I’ve accumulated over the holidays, and less time browsing on-line. .
yes, the mini skirt is under the cardigan – i’m not wearing a tunic – my shirt is just below waist-length, and i have to have my front covered as well as my back 😉 so i layer over leggings with the mini skirt…
oh!!! i keep wanting to do a river cruise. my mom did one in france a couple years ago and she enjoyed it. we’re very active though, she and i, when we travel, so i’ve always been quite wary of cruises for that reason. but if she was okay with it, i should be!! – and i’d love to buy new towels, really nice new towels would be so nice, but i can’t quite bring myself to do it. where did you get your warmer exercise tights? i wear my fleece splendid ones sometimes, but i’d like to find a pair that is more suited to exercise.
i remember last year the january sales around here were SOOOO good. Neiman Marcus especially had some amazing deals. and of course i took advantage of them! that was after ozzie died, and we had just moved here too – so my stress level was rather high.
the deals are still pretty good, but they didn’t have the same appeal to me as last year, thank goodness. i’m so pleased that i’m in a different “place” right now, and was able to recognize what I have an appreciate it without adding to it. quite an accomplishment for me, i must say 🙂
not shopping is a pretty good way to go also, though. that will be my practice for the next few weeks i think, as i’ve had my fill for a while. online shopping is different. i do need to do more reading also. i have library books piling up!!!
Grechen, you look great in that picture! I have a few of those H&M mini skirts that I throw over leggings too 🙂
I am not interested in shopping for any clothes at this time and that’s fine with me. I’m finding that the clothes I have in my closet are sufficient and I have “enough” as it is! My no-buying theme also applies to anything for the house b/c I’m a yard sale and flea market junkie. I just have too much stuff and just a couple days ago I donated 3 bags of clothes that I no longer wanted. Not sure when the “shopping bug” will hit me again but I don’t think it will happen for at least a few months (we’ll see)!
Hi Gretchen,
I know that perception of clothes not looking good when I feel pudgy! It’s a shopping deterrent for me, for sure. I’m not shopping the sales this year, partly because I live in the boondocks and partly because I want to take off a few pounds so that I can truly enjoy the shopping experience.
I thought I’d ask James Perse folks about the gauze button-down shirt dress that was on sale– if any of you bought a size 3 or 4 in black or white and are having buyer’s remorse, please let me know. I can’t find the dress anywhere online. I’m having a lot of un-buyer’s remorse over that dress. Anyone?
Otherwise, my shopping is going toward an upcoming trip to Hawaii at the end of January. I’ve never been there before and have read that I need layers for the low/high temperatures and rain. I purchased some high-tech pants that zip off into shorts and a rain jacket, and my boyfriend bought me an ergonomically-designed daypack — nothing fashionable, everything practical (and that’s a big departure for me).
I think I’m still a couple decades too young to river cruise in Europe, at least. I am an independent traveler and in Europe it’s SO EASY to get around, rent an apartment, etc…..The river cruise was lovely but it not a good value for me, because you pay for all the excursions – and I don’t want to be led around that much. We also traveled with 2 sets of parents….
I bought cheapie exercise tights from Kohls (where I also bought my towels, because the last set of Chaps towels I bought there have held up really well – go figure!) My gym reopens next week after a renovation, and I usually use capris to exercise indoors year round, but I’ve been going on longer walks at home on the weekends so I wanted something I could wear doing that. Of course “cold” outside is relative – but if I’m walking “energetically” – tights on the bottom, and a cuddl dud top with a fleece over it (and maybe fleece headband) seem to be enough, down to 40 degrees for me.
catherine – try calling a JP outlet and see if they have the dress, i’m almost certain they will. or even wait until president’s day, they always do an extra % off on holidays, and prices can get down very low!!
oh, so jealous of your trip to hawaii!!! we would love to go there, and keep talking about it once we’re finished paying down debt. can’t wait 🙂
i actually love to buy technical/practical gear, and sometimes i have a major weakness for it, since i spend so much time outside and exercising. REI is dangerous for me!!!
haha yes, that’s what I was thinking too, about the river cruise and being too young for it – although it’s tempting sometimes to just let go and have everything taken care of for you i think!
here it’s been down in the mid-30’s during most days and VERY windy, so i really have to bundle up since i’m not running anymore. it’s a challenge. i’m a wimp in the cold!!!
I haven’t stepped on a scale, but I can tell by my clothes that I gained at LEAST five pounds over the holidays. And I’m still getting over a cold, so feel a bit lethargic and don’t feel like exercising. On top of this, I somehow accumulated a bunch of stuff the last couple months so thought I would try a buying ban for January. I don’t know if I can make it. One January, probably 15 years ago when I was single, I remember my January credit card bill being $120. I hold that month up on a pedestal, and aspire to that every year…to no avail, of course. I actually tried to buy something online today, but couldn’t get the website to work. Because I don’t like rules but do like negotiations, I’ve made an agreement with myself to sell something of equal net worth if I buy something. We’ll see how it goes. I’m going to have to put blinders on if I am to succeed. Happy new year to you!
I would join you in the no shopping exercise but I would have broken it already lol. I bought some stuff last week and today, but I did use a gift card and some of it was exercise clothing
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Fortunately, there hasn’t been too much temptation for me this year with all of the sales going on. Although I’m not implementing a shopping ban, I am trying my best to be more mindful of what I add to my closet and to have a budget for how much I do spend each month. I read something recently that said you should spend around 5% of your monthly income on clothing and I’ve been spending way more than that so I want to see if I can reign it in. Plus, I’m going on a European cruise this summer so my funds need to be focused towards that. Paying for that, spending money and a fabulous caftan/hat/bathing suit are more important, I just have to make sure I remember that when I’m getting ready to whip out the card to buy something!!
Not really shopping right now in stores .. a bit online. I can’t do the picked over thing – messy clothing jammed on a rack and crap on the floor .. ugh.
I do need to go undies shopping though 🙂
Monica.
I’m trying to be good and to want/shop/spend less, and I’m doing okay for the moment but it is my birthday month so I will have to work hard to only pick out the couple of things that will serve as my birthday gifts and not let that open the shopping floodgates. When I look at this picture of you though all I can think is I WANT THIS SWEATER, ha! I couldn’t justify it in December even with Shopbop’s 20% off sale, and now it’s sold out, so I can only hope that someone will return a P immediately before Shopbop does another markdown of it. 😛
I wore the new tights for the first time on the treadmill tonight – they’re very soft and I like that (no chafe points that I noticed). They are not compression – not a problem for me but I know you like the compression (and I love the Old Navy compression capri you wrote about – have a couple pairs in heavy rotation!) I’m also not sure how warm the new tights will be – they aren’t heavy or fleece-lined. But they do go to my ankle at least, which is better than nothing. If I need heavier, I have a pair of mountain hardwear fleece-lined water resistant pants that are good for outdoor walking.
These are the new pair I have – cuddl duds sport layer http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1763734/cuddl-duds-sportlayer-leggings-womens.jsp
I really love cuddl duds loungewear – have fleece leggings and tops, a tunic top with cowl neck (it covers my butt 😉 and some regular ‘warmth layers’ I travel with or use for winter sports.
But I need new ON compression capris and a new Moving Comfort sports bra too 😉
I’m going to have to live vicariously through you for the next 100 days. What you said about having really good stuff in your closet really hits close to home. I went out shopping last weekend just to get my final fix and didn’t buy anything because the stuff just wasn’t that good. I feel pretty good about the contents of my closet. I have a few holes that need to be filled, for example, I need a nice black blazer and some camel/cognac colored booties, but I can make do without them.
I’m planning on socking away some cash for each successful week and at the end of this exercise buy a quality item that I will get years of use from. I don’t know what that will be, but I’ve started keeping a list!
Well, I’m 54 and I’m STILL too damned young for it! But if I won the river cruise from “Downton Abbey,” I’d take it! Haha But no organized excursions for me and my hubby; we’re “play it as it lays” people.
I have bought a pile of cheap stuff because I “needed” another black/white striped top, a pair of red J Crew ballet flats, boyfriend jeans (I’m breaking my “gotta try them on” rule, and ordered them from GAP), and makeup for my new fresher minimal makeup look, since my skin decided to become like The Sahara.
I signed up for the Apartment Therapy January Cure, but I haven’t taken any of the purging steps yet. GEEZ! What am I waiting for?!?
I got those pants from Eileen Fisher and they were so disappointing. I had previously purchased two ponte straight-leg styles from her and they are wonderful. One of my best investments ever. I figured they would hold up equally well. I bought them in a M (same as my others) hoping they had the drape built in. Just like you found, they had more of a regular fit and you would have to go up if you wanted a more slouchy look. I found so many raving reviews, on department store sites as well as the Eileen Fisher site. The material falls right at my ankle, but isn’t thick enough to stay bunched on my calf to make it more flattering. The pilling is out of control. The waistband has contorted itself since it wasn’t sewn down, so now it’s in this permanently bent shape. What I thought would be great pants for working-at-home, but still running errands have turned into quasi-leggings. They don’t at all meet my standards for $125 pants that were made in the US.
wait, i’m not supposed to buy anything either!! 🙂
i can’t wait to see what you buy in the end…
oh, yeah. i need compression. i love compression 🙂
oh!! fingers crossed for you – i love this sweater, although it does pill something fierce. i have to take my brush to it every time i wear it…
i bet it’ll come back in stock – seems like it has been lately, i check and sizes are gone, then they’re back. i haven’t seen it anywhere else though. it’d be worth checking inhabitny when they do their sample sale. and gilt, rue la la, and/or hautelook whenever they have inhabit on sale.
totally agree lindsay – they were disappointing. if i were you, i’d try to take them back to a store if you can…i did that with my harem pants, after i’d worn them, and following the care instructions, but they still shrank in length. they exchanged them for a new pair, no questions asked.
i saw mostly good reviews too, but i think on eileen fisher or nordsdtrom there were quite a few mentions of the pilling, which is what sealed the deal for me. especially for that price. if they were organic cotton or something else, it wouldn’t be a problem. and i know whey they made them in the tencel – the material is SOO soft and comfortable, but it just doesn’t hold up in my experience…
ha! that’s always what gets me, watching that viking commercial on PBS. so pretty 🙂
exercise clothing doesn’t count 😉
oh yay! i love shopping for vacation stuff…that will be totally worth it.
we are the same 🙂 i hate rules, but i can negotiate with myself sometimes. also, i’m reading the marshmallow test and he talks a lot about setting up if-then scenarios, and planning out how you’re going to react if you’re faced with temptation. like “IF i am tempted by another cashmere sweater i don’t need THEN I will remember that i’d rather save that money for books” or something like that…so far, so good for me!
What a great and practical idea! I’m going to try it.
Ooooh, yes. I’m going to google that!
Ah, I just saw that you’re having the smudging issue with your WPs too! (I was the one who commented on FB.) Glad you’ve found something that helps. I’m due for a new pair and I’m not sure what to do. I like the styles from WP better than anything else I’ve been able to find, but the damn smudging is driving me nuts.
yes, i remember! i really think wiping them with the lens wipes (i got them at target, where the reading glasses are) first thing in the morning helps a lot. maybe it repels smudges?
agreed on the styles & smudging. too bad they’re so cute 😉
steven alan also has pretty good styles, but they’re more expensive
Thx, Lindsay and Grechen, for saving me from an expensive mistake, Cuz I really wanted those!
Thanks for that tip. I bought them online, so I might ask their live chat team, which has been pretty helpful in the past.