Winter 2019 Wardrobe Additions
Madewell flannel Sunday shirt in stripe (seen here): $66 (originally $88)
Madewell Esme bow boot in velvet (seen here and here): $98 (originally $198)
Madewell flannel Sunday shirt (seen here and here): $61.50 (originally $88)
Uniqlo ultra light down vest (seen here): $40 (originally $50)
J.Crew ribbed beanie with pom-pom (seen here, here, here, here, and here): $19 (originally $40)
J.Crew solid cashmere scarf (seen here): $48 (originally $98)
Lamini Carmine multi-stitch scarf via Amour Vert (seen here): $46 (originally $350)
Amour Vert Raelynn crew neck tee: $54.50 (originally $68)
+ $221 on a new size in the Charlotte Olympia Kitty velvet flats (originally purchased October 2016)
Winter 2019 Total = $500
$500 (quarterly budget) = $654 ($599.50 December + $0 January + $54.50 February) - $25 Madewell gift card - $129 earned from Poshmark sales
Woo, first budget post of 2019! Once again, the December sales got me… I think I might try planning for that better this year. At least I do a quarterly budget, and since it restarts in December, I end up always using the bulk of it in December. Thank goodness those Poshmark sales kept me in line. I balanced out the spending in December by not adding anything to my wardrobe in January (though I did try…) and then only adding one item in February! I was much less keen on shopping. I was tired of looking at winter clothes while simultaneously not in the mood to buy for spring.
I purchased eight new items, seven of which were bought in December. Probably the most interesting purchase, though, was my ninth purchase: a second pair of Charlotte Olympia ‘Kitty’ flats! The first pair I have are just slightly too big. I definitely wasn’t intending on ordering them in a new size right now, but they were on sale for such a good price (ha, they were my single most expensive clothing purchase of the past quarter!). I haven’t worn them out yet because I plan to get the leather soles reinforced like I did with my first pair. I’ll likely end up selling the first pair to try and recoup the cost of the new pair.
What I kept:
Madewell flannel Sunday shirt in stripe: These are my favorite flannel shirts by Madewell! I ordered this one way back in November during their week-long Black Friday sale. I took it in size XS because it fits slightly oversized compared to Madewell's other flannel shirts (in other shirts, I usually size up to small for my shoulders). I love the side pockets and the fact that the white isn't see through.
Madewell Esme bow boot in velvet: I took advantage of another Madewell sale in December, which was better than their Black Friday sale (of course), and picked up these boots along with a couple of other items. I was initially on the fence about these boots, but after pairing them with different items in my closet, I decided to hold onto them. They're not my typical "staple" boot color or style which is what threw me off. They go with a lot more than I thought they would, and the color is gorgeous! I enjoy having a more “exciting” pair of shoes.
Madewell flannel Sunday shirt: I wanted to order the burgundy flannel Sunday shirt along with the striped shirt, but my size was sold out! Of course, it came back in stock a few days later so I ordered it along with the ankle boots. I also took it in size XS but was disappointed that the sleeves shrunk a little bit after being washed.
Uniqlo ultra light down vest: I already had this vest in navy but often wished I had a black version. I ordered it in size small per reviews, and it fits like my navy vest does. It's a great layer.
J.Crew ribbed beanie with pom-pom: I placed an order at the end of J.Crew’s 50% off Black Friday sale that crashed the site when it first went live! I'm obsessed with this hat and wear it all of the time! It fits my head perfectly. The only downside is how linty/cat hairy it gets since it's black.
J.Crew solid cashmere scarf: I found this scarf in the men's section, naturally. It's a lightweight cashmere so not something I reach for on the coldest days, but I love how soft it is. I bought the beanie and scarf together and figured they would look good worn together.
Lamini Carmine multi-stitch scarf: Amour Vert hosted their first online sample sale at the end of December, and I ended up ordering this beautiful alpaca scarf by Lamini. It's softer than I thought it would be—thank goodness—and I'm a big fan of the mixed stitches to keep it interesting. Bonus: I often catch my cat, Sybil, sniffing it intensely with her mouth open. Ha!
Amour Vert Raelynn crew neck tee: I'm starting to think a little bit ahead and purchased this top in anticipation of spring/summer. It's a basic black top in a soft modal blend and has pleated sleeve details at the shoulder. I might end up tailoring the sleeves to be just a tad shorter. I ordered it in a size small but received a size XS, which still fits slightly loose in the body and isn't too snug in the bust like I worried about.
What I ordered and never received (order cancelled):
Madewell flannel tie-front shirt: I didn’t buy anything in January until the end of the month when I placed an order for this shirt. Well, my no-buy continued because Madewell oversold the shirt. (The annoying part was that the size I ordered was still showing it was in stock. Sigh.) I had ordered it in size small even though I really wanted to try the medium because the reviews said it ran small, so I guess it’s okay that it was cancelled. But the medium is likely gone forever!
Uniqlo ultra light down jacket: I ordered this in off white after the Everlane puffer I ordered didn’t work out (see below). This one looks more like the color I want, and I like that the zippers match. Sadly my order was cancelled, but I’ll probably end up ordering it again unless I find something I like better. Maybe soon if the cold weather continues! I ordered a size XS after studying the measurements. (Why don’t all retailers included garment measurements?!)
What I tried and returned:
Madewell Brady lowcut bootie: These booties look adorable on other people, but I did not like them on myself unfortunately. I also didn’t keep them because they’re definitely more of a fall and spring shoe, and the English saddle color didn’t match my other English saddle items. I sized down to a 6.5 per reviews (I’m normally a 7) and that was the right size.
Everlane ReNew lightweight puffer: This was my first ReNew purchase. I ordered this puffer in stone, size small. I wanted a lighter, whiter color to add some variety because I wear my black puffer all the time. The size was right, but the color was darker than I thought it would be (looks more champagne-colored to me in person). I also wasn’t a fan of the darker zippers, and the horizontal stitching next to the front zipper was not aligned…
Amour Vert Veta balloon sleeve sweater: I ordered this along with the crew neck tee, really thinking I would love this sweater the most out of the two. I ordered size XS after asking for measurements (of which I was only given body length and sleeve length…), but I didn’t love the fit on me. It wasn’t tight but felt like I’d constantly be adjusting it. I appreciated the long sleeves, but they were too long for being balloon sleeves and they bunched up around my wrists, kind of killing (deflating?) the balloon sleeve look.
What’s on deck for spring:
Nothing…yet! I’m waiting for an item I ordered at the end of December to arrive. It’s being handmade, and the maker closed that part of her business so she got a bunch of orders during her final sale. It’s hard to be patient! ;) I also have some items on my wish list: washed black denim by Everlane (either the button fly skinny or maybe the cigarette style?), a pair of boots from Nisolo’s Commuter collection (they have rubber soles!), and a proper rain coat (any suggestions for a warm/lined rain coat? I may go with a utilitarian brand like The North Face…).