Fall shopping is happening, y'all! Suddenly I want stuff I can't wear for, easily, another month or two. No matter, Anthropologie is offering 20% off full-priced clothing and home (and an extra 40% off sale items) this weekend for AnthroPerk members. A lot of the Anthro fall offerings are a bit OTT for me but I found quite a few things that I really liked:
Friday, September 21, 2018
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Stuff I Haven't Bought...Yet.
Now that it's suddenly mid-September I am starting to really think about fall and what I might need to fill the holes in my closet. I've realized that my style has shifted quite a bit and that some of what I have in my closet just doesn't work for me anymore. I can't even remember the last time I wore a skirt! Also, who doesn't own a pair of black flats? Me, apparently. SO, here are some things that I'm thinking about:
I keep coming back to this Dagne Dover backpack even though I think the price is stupid. It would be great for travel but I also hope it would replace my super-sad canvas work tote. I love that it will hold my laptop because that tote gets freaking heavy when I take my computer home. Does anyone have this backpack and love it? Also, WHAT COLOR DO I GET? MAYBE BLACK.
Here is why I don't own black flats, because sometimes flats also come in red camo. Ugh, those are cute. I haven't tried Rothy's but I'm seriously considering it because two of my friends swear by them and I like that they're washable. But...they seem expensive for plastic shoes. Hm.
Speaking of shoes, I am still very into the idea of a pair of mules from Madewell because they seem like a great way to bridge the gap between Birkenstocks and boots, you know? I particularly love metallic as a neutral so these might have to happen.
One thing I actually seriously do need to buy is actual work pants because wearing black jeans to work and pretending they're work pants is fooling nobody. Even though I am mad at Banana Republic right now (REALLY MAD) I keep coming back to look at this pair which ARE BASICALLY JEANS. But they're olive green so not really, right?
Hahha just kidding, I already bought this AllSaints jacket. And that grey Veda jacket. I'm insane.
Because I'm all about wearing pants these days I need to step up my fun blouse game. Loft is great for affordable, washable tops and they have 40% off right now, which is tempting. This twist hem top looks so easy - just throw it on with skinny pants and a fun pair of flats (great, now I want those too) and you're good to go. Add a leather jacket and you're basically me!
Where are you going? Come back here.
Here is why I don't own black flats, because sometimes flats also come in red camo. Ugh, those are cute. I haven't tried Rothy's but I'm seriously considering it because two of my friends swear by them and I like that they're washable. But...they seem expensive for plastic shoes. Hm.
Speaking of shoes, I am still very into the idea of a pair of mules from Madewell because they seem like a great way to bridge the gap between Birkenstocks and boots, you know? I particularly love metallic as a neutral so these might have to happen.
One thing I actually seriously do need to buy is actual work pants because wearing black jeans to work and pretending they're work pants is fooling nobody. Even though I am mad at Banana Republic right now (REALLY MAD) I keep coming back to look at this pair which ARE BASICALLY JEANS. But they're olive green so not really, right?
Hahha just kidding, I already bought this AllSaints jacket. And that grey Veda jacket. I'm insane.
Because I'm all about wearing pants these days I need to step up my fun blouse game. Loft is great for affordable, washable tops and they have 40% off right now, which is tempting. This twist hem top looks so easy - just throw it on with skinny pants and a fun pair of flats (great, now I want those too) and you're good to go. Add a leather jacket and you're basically me!
Where are you going? Come back here.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
London and Paris Trip, Part Two.
Here's part two of my trip! Mostly just my packing update and some info about where we stayed.
Packing
Soooo, packing. I definitely over-thought a lot of aspects of the packing but I was really trying to avoid that thing I usually do where I bring a bunch of stuff that I never end up wearing. This time I tried to edit really carefully. I made sure everything I brought worked together and I stuck to a very limited palette (ie a lot of black.) The list of things I packed can be found here and I did bring the Everlane ponte pants and my metallic flats, which were both question marks.
So, what did I not wear? My Everlane ponte pants and my metallic flats. Ha, I know! I should've trusted my instincts on those but the weather ended up being quite a bit hotter than expected so the ponte pants never got worn. I also wish I'd brought a pair of sandals instead of the flats because my feet could've used a break from socks/shoes.
Another item I wish I'd rethought was my cashmere sweater. The weather was just too warm for it so instead I wore it on the flight home (9+ hours) and was happy to have it because the plane was freezing. (I did end up tearing it off dramatically in the Zurich airport which was hot as balls.) Luckily, I'd bought this Everlane tee to wear underneath and it was a perfect light, fitted layer.
As I mentioned yesterday, my other light sweater was a big disappointment. It looked and felt great initially but one day of wearing it and it was pilled all to hell. I didn't end up wearing it again because it looked so terrible. Stupid BR.
Both jackets I bought were perfect - my Madewell hoooded jacket came in handy on the one rainy morning we had and my denim jacket was a perfect light layer (though I ended up carrying it a lot.)
My sneakers were great, as previously mentioned, but I was happy to change into my Chelsea boots in the evening to give my feet a break. I did really miss my Birkenstocks, I'll admit.
Oh, another thing I brought that I should've left at home - my little mini hairdryer! It's a fantastic dryer but even though it's dual voltage and we had a converter it still overheated almost immediately. Plus, both hotels had hairdryers anyway. Hmph. I was able to use my mini flat iron and it fit in my toiletry bag, which was great.
One last thing! I should've added this folding travel bag to my reviews yesterday. I bought it on Amazon ($14!) and used it, stuffed full of our purchases, as my carry-on bag on the way home. it's great, especially for the price.
Accommodations
I was asked by reader Sarah to talk about our hotels! We booked the whole trip through Tripmasters which I highly recommend (uh, based on our one experience) as it gives you all kinds of options at great prices and books the whole thing. We were given wide choice of hotels and picked based on cost, reviews and location.
Ibis Shoreditch, London
Ibis is a chain but it was inexpensive and fairly well-located. The lobby was really cute and there was a bar, but based on our one drink order I'm not sure the bartender had ever actually made a cocktail. Our room was clean and cute and predictably very small. I don't mind small but that room could have really used some hooks for hanging things as the closet area was teensy.
The bathroom was... pretty awful. Basically a tiny round plastic pod with no fan. Also, we were allotted one small sad towel each. No hand towel, no washcloth. (We did ask for more small, scratchy towels and they were delivered promptly.) There was an air conditioner but we could never get it to do more than grudgingly blow lukewarm air, so the room was warm which made it hard to sleep.
Where the Ibis delivered was the buffet breakfast. We paid extra for it (I think?) and it was totally worth it. They had eggs, sausage, bacon (and other English "full breakfast" items like baked beans), assorted pastries and breads, juice, fresh fruit, smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, you name it. I am a big breakfast person so it was nice to fuel up before going out to see the sights. Oh, and the Ibis has free wifi which was great.
Would we stay here on our next trip to London? Probably not. I think for the money we could find something a bit more charming and perhaps in a different part of town. I enjoyed the college/downtown vibe of Shoreditch but the hotel room wasn't very comfortable.
Hôtel des Nations St-Germain
Our hotel in Paris was in the Latin Quarter and we really loved it. It was small and quite charming, with friendly staff. Our room was tiny and overlooked the street via a Juliet balcony! We loved being able to open the windows and take in the street action.
Carrbbbbbbs! It was all delicious and I believe it was €9 each. Would we stay at the Hotel des Nations again? Absolutely. Aside from the tiny shower it suited our needs perfectly. It was very close to a ton of restaurants and shops and within walking distance of Notre Dame.
I really didn't do much shopping in Paris (mostly walking and eating) but I did stop in a pharmacy and bought a few things:
Packing
Soooo, packing. I definitely over-thought a lot of aspects of the packing but I was really trying to avoid that thing I usually do where I bring a bunch of stuff that I never end up wearing. This time I tried to edit really carefully. I made sure everything I brought worked together and I stuck to a very limited palette (ie a lot of black.) The list of things I packed can be found here and I did bring the Everlane ponte pants and my metallic flats, which were both question marks.
So, what did I not wear? My Everlane ponte pants and my metallic flats. Ha, I know! I should've trusted my instincts on those but the weather ended up being quite a bit hotter than expected so the ponte pants never got worn. I also wish I'd brought a pair of sandals instead of the flats because my feet could've used a break from socks/shoes.
Another item I wish I'd rethought was my cashmere sweater. The weather was just too warm for it so instead I wore it on the flight home (9+ hours) and was happy to have it because the plane was freezing. (I did end up tearing it off dramatically in the Zurich airport which was hot as balls.) Luckily, I'd bought this Everlane tee to wear underneath and it was a perfect light, fitted layer.
As I mentioned yesterday, my other light sweater was a big disappointment. It looked and felt great initially but one day of wearing it and it was pilled all to hell. I didn't end up wearing it again because it looked so terrible. Stupid BR.
Both jackets I bought were perfect - my Madewell hoooded jacket came in handy on the one rainy morning we had and my denim jacket was a perfect light layer (though I ended up carrying it a lot.)
My sneakers were great, as previously mentioned, but I was happy to change into my Chelsea boots in the evening to give my feet a break. I did really miss my Birkenstocks, I'll admit.
Oh, another thing I brought that I should've left at home - my little mini hairdryer! It's a fantastic dryer but even though it's dual voltage and we had a converter it still overheated almost immediately. Plus, both hotels had hairdryers anyway. Hmph. I was able to use my mini flat iron and it fit in my toiletry bag, which was great.
One last thing! I should've added this folding travel bag to my reviews yesterday. I bought it on Amazon ($14!) and used it, stuffed full of our purchases, as my carry-on bag on the way home. it's great, especially for the price.
Accommodations
I was asked by reader Sarah to talk about our hotels! We booked the whole trip through Tripmasters which I highly recommend (uh, based on our one experience) as it gives you all kinds of options at great prices and books the whole thing. We were given wide choice of hotels and picked based on cost, reviews and location.
Ibis Shoreditch, London
Ibis is a chain but it was inexpensive and fairly well-located. The lobby was really cute and there was a bar, but based on our one drink order I'm not sure the bartender had ever actually made a cocktail. Our room was clean and cute and predictably very small. I don't mind small but that room could have really used some hooks for hanging things as the closet area was teensy.
The bathroom was... pretty awful. Basically a tiny round plastic pod with no fan. Also, we were allotted one small sad towel each. No hand towel, no washcloth. (We did ask for more small, scratchy towels and they were delivered promptly.) There was an air conditioner but we could never get it to do more than grudgingly blow lukewarm air, so the room was warm which made it hard to sleep.
Where the Ibis delivered was the buffet breakfast. We paid extra for it (I think?) and it was totally worth it. They had eggs, sausage, bacon (and other English "full breakfast" items like baked beans), assorted pastries and breads, juice, fresh fruit, smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, you name it. I am a big breakfast person so it was nice to fuel up before going out to see the sights. Oh, and the Ibis has free wifi which was great.
Would we stay here on our next trip to London? Probably not. I think for the money we could find something a bit more charming and perhaps in a different part of town. I enjoyed the college/downtown vibe of Shoreditch but the hotel room wasn't very comfortable.
Hôtel des Nations St-Germain
Our hotel in Paris was in the Latin Quarter and we really loved it. It was small and quite charming, with friendly staff. Our room was tiny and overlooked the street via a Juliet balcony! We loved being able to open the windows and take in the street action.
The bathroom was also super small but it was an actual real bathroom so we were happy. The only downside was the shower which was about the size of a phone booth - one wrong turn and you'd hit the handle with an elbow or hip and turn the water off. But, it functioned and the water was hot so not a big deal for us.
The air conditioning worked great (did I mention how much warmer the weather was than expected?) and there was wifi but it was a pretty weak signal and I had a hard time connecting. The hotel had a breakfast buffet (€12) which was quite nice but not as fun as going to a cafe for breakfast. We did both and decided we preferred going out. I mean:
I really didn't do much shopping in Paris (mostly walking and eating) but I did stop in a pharmacy and bought a few things:
Nothing too exciting but it was fun. I promise I'll be more shoppy on our next trip! We'll have more time so I can plan it out better. That's it for today! Thanks again for all your comments and suggestions. It's been really fun to share this with all of you!
Monday, September 17, 2018
I'm Back From My Trip! Here's What I Learned.
HI HI HI. I am back from the best vacation of my life and thanks to all of you who checked out my IG stories on my personal account and the blog account. Also, again, I really appreciate the advice, recommendations, and suggestions I got from all of you! We only had 2 1/2 days in each city so, while we covered a lot of ground, it still feel like we barely scratched the surface. My thoughts:
London. London is totally my kind of place and I felt right at home (even if everything is backwards and I almost got run over by a bus because I looked in the wrong direction.) Such an great city! I loved the tube, I loved the style and vibe of the city and it was so beautiful. And efficient! I don't know how else to describe it but it was an easy city to navigate. Everywhere we went we were blown away by the history and architecture.
And London fashion tip: leather jackets are the thing. Everyone was wearing beautiful leather jackets so obviously I marched right over to Allsaints and bought one like the fashion zombie I am. I am not even kidding. Also, if you visit London you must go to Liberty. It's the most charming tiny department store full of beautiful things and the people who work there are extremely friendly and helpful. I didn't buy a tote bag but I did buy this little zipper pouch. Apparently it's for sunglasses but I'm using it as a wallet. Carnaby street in general was really fun and charming.
Paris. From the second we got off the train I was basically losing my mind. IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE THAT. Like walking back in time! And the light was unreal! Paris exceeded all expectations and we both fell in love and are already planning our next trip because two days in Paris is not enough days. Marianne asked what my favorite part was and this was my reply:
It's pure magic, you guys. I didn't buy much in Paris because we were either trying to see everything or we were sitting outside at various cafes recovering from seeing everything. I do want to mention that learning a bit of French before we left was super valuable. Everyone in Paris was very kind and made it easy for us because we made an effort. (We did witness some terrible American (and other) tourist behavior and were both moderately delighted when the crêpe stand guy assumed we were Dutch.)
Packing: How Did I Do?
Now, I knew that I was really overthinking the packing process but you guys stuck with me and I'm going to write a whole aftermath post about it tomorrow. Also, we checked our luggage and it was fine. REPEAT: We checked out luggage and it was FINE. Don't be afraid to check your luggage! (I mean, if you have three flight connections maybe don't but for direct flights or one connection, you'll be good.)
Stuff: How Did It Work Out?
I bought a fair amount of stuff for this trip and here are my quick reviews:
Travelon Anti Theft Classic Backpack. My backpack worked okay though in retrospect I think it's a bit too small. I appreciated the many pockets and used it mostly for the traveling portions of our trip. However, I'm glad I didn't pay more than $45 as one of the locking zipper pulls broke almost immediately and the lack of double zippers was immensely frustrating. It's fine for a day pack but I think I'll find something a bit bigger and better quality for my next trip.
Turtl Travel Pillow. I used it and it was...okay. I am bad at sleeping on planes and I'm not convinced this thingy is the answer to my airplane pillow prayers but I used it and it was fine. I did like that I could shove it in my backpack when I wasn't using it.
LL Bean Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag. This is the BEST EVER. The medium bag fit all my crap for a week, even my tiny travel flat iron! It held up like a champ and I was grateful for the hook because European hotel bathrooms are the tiniest. I also loved the detachable shower caddy. This bag is probably the best $30 I've spent in a while.
Nike Free RN 2018. These were great! I wore them all over London and Paris and they were comfortable and lightweight. Nike generally fits me well so I wasn't surprised.
Athleta Soho Jogger. Soooo, yeah. Confession time. I have been thrifting on the regular to find things for my Poshmark closet and I found the lined version in grey (slightly older style) in my size for $4. FOUR AMERICAN DOLLARS. So, I returned the Soho joggers but only because why pay $89 when you have perfectly good $4 airplane pants? And they were perfect! I was warm and comfortable.
Vince Camuto Gally crossbody. I bought this on Posh because my MBMJ crossbody was way too small. The VC bag was perfect for what I needed during the day - just big enough for my giant phone, lip gloss, tissues, money/cards and sunglasses. It had two zip compartments and felt secure. Nobody picked my pockets is what I'm saying. Definitely a keeper!
Banana Republic Silk-Cotton Pointelle sweater. Don't buy this. I panic-bought it in black a few days before we left so I'd have a super-light sweater option. It's cute and comfortable and pills so badly that after one wear it looked like total shit. I am going to try to return it because what the actual hell, BR. You're back on my list.
THIS IS A LONG POST. More tomorrow!
Paris. From the second we got off the train I was basically losing my mind. IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE THAT. Like walking back in time! And the light was unreal! Paris exceeded all expectations and we both fell in love and are already planning our next trip because two days in Paris is not enough days. Marianne asked what my favorite part was and this was my reply:
Favorite things: Wandering around the tiny medieval streets in the Marais district; French breakfast (carbs on carbs!); coming up from any metro station and gasping every single time; walking up the tiny staircase in Sainte Chapelle and being breathless at how fucking beautiful it is; sitting next to the chicest woman I’ve ever seen in my life at a cafe on Île Saint-Louis and being like, THIS IS MY LIFE TOO; making a pharmacist beam when I attempted to speak French while making a purchase.
It's pure magic, you guys. I didn't buy much in Paris because we were either trying to see everything or we were sitting outside at various cafes recovering from seeing everything. I do want to mention that learning a bit of French before we left was super valuable. Everyone in Paris was very kind and made it easy for us because we made an effort. (We did witness some terrible American (and other) tourist behavior and were both moderately delighted when the crêpe stand guy assumed we were Dutch.)
Now, I knew that I was really overthinking the packing process but you guys stuck with me and I'm going to write a whole aftermath post about it tomorrow. Also, we checked our luggage and it was fine. REPEAT: We checked out luggage and it was FINE. Don't be afraid to check your luggage! (I mean, if you have three flight connections maybe don't but for direct flights or one connection, you'll be good.)
Stuff: How Did It Work Out?
I bought a fair amount of stuff for this trip and here are my quick reviews:
Travelon Anti Theft Classic Backpack. My backpack worked okay though in retrospect I think it's a bit too small. I appreciated the many pockets and used it mostly for the traveling portions of our trip. However, I'm glad I didn't pay more than $45 as one of the locking zipper pulls broke almost immediately and the lack of double zippers was immensely frustrating. It's fine for a day pack but I think I'll find something a bit bigger and better quality for my next trip.
Turtl Travel Pillow. I used it and it was...okay. I am bad at sleeping on planes and I'm not convinced this thingy is the answer to my airplane pillow prayers but I used it and it was fine. I did like that I could shove it in my backpack when I wasn't using it.
LL Bean Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag. This is the BEST EVER. The medium bag fit all my crap for a week, even my tiny travel flat iron! It held up like a champ and I was grateful for the hook because European hotel bathrooms are the tiniest. I also loved the detachable shower caddy. This bag is probably the best $30 I've spent in a while.
Nike Free RN 2018. These were great! I wore them all over London and Paris and they were comfortable and lightweight. Nike generally fits me well so I wasn't surprised.
Athleta Soho Jogger. Soooo, yeah. Confession time. I have been thrifting on the regular to find things for my Poshmark closet and I found the lined version in grey (slightly older style) in my size for $4. FOUR AMERICAN DOLLARS. So, I returned the Soho joggers but only because why pay $89 when you have perfectly good $4 airplane pants? And they were perfect! I was warm and comfortable.
Vince Camuto Gally crossbody. I bought this on Posh because my MBMJ crossbody was way too small. The VC bag was perfect for what I needed during the day - just big enough for my giant phone, lip gloss, tissues, money/cards and sunglasses. It had two zip compartments and felt secure. Nobody picked my pockets is what I'm saying. Definitely a keeper!
Banana Republic Silk-Cotton Pointelle sweater. Don't buy this. I panic-bought it in black a few days before we left so I'd have a super-light sweater option. It's cute and comfortable and pills so badly that after one wear it looked like total shit. I am going to try to return it because what the actual hell, BR. You're back on my list.
THIS IS A LONG POST. More tomorrow!
Friday, September 7, 2018
Weekend Window Shopping: Bon Voyage!
I'm off! See you guys in a week or so. Here are some travel accessories I wouldn't mind taking with me...
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Stuff I Don't Like: Packing.
HELLO. I am leaving for my trip TOMORROW. London! Paris! I can hardly believe it and I'm super excited. I've re-read all of your fabulous comments on my initial travel stuff post and taken it to heart. All week long I've been working on my packing list and it's confounding. Packing? Is hard. Trying to pack light? IS HARD.
A: Girl, I need your help.
M: What??
A: MY JACKET GAME IS NOT TIGHT FOR THIS TRIP
M: Hahahahaha
A: Okay, London is 53-74 degrees, probably raining on Saturday
M: You are going to give yourself an ulcer
A: I already have an ulcer and someone stole my dinner so I am PRETTY KEYED UP
A: Paris is 58-84 and sunny!
A: What fucking jackets do I take to cover all of this
M: I say this with LOVE but you are overthinking this
A: WELL, OBVIOUSLY
ANYWAY! She talked me down and we discussed all my options. And before you judge my packing anxiety please remember that a) I don't travel a lot and b) I am not a laid-back person. Anxiety is my cardio, you guys. ALSO: decisions have been made! I am not seeking advice! Do not make me cry by pointing out everything I am doing wrong! I have to live, you guys. Now this is what I’ve decided to take (more or less):
A: Girl, I need your help.
M: What??
A: MY JACKET GAME IS NOT TIGHT FOR THIS TRIP
M: Hahahahaha
A: Okay, London is 53-74 degrees, probably raining on Saturday
M: You are going to give yourself an ulcer
A: I already have an ulcer and someone stole my dinner so I am PRETTY KEYED UP
A: Paris is 58-84 and sunny!
A: What fucking jackets do I take to cover all of this
M: I say this with LOVE but you are overthinking this
A: WELL, OBVIOUSLY
ANYWAY! She talked me down and we discussed all my options. And before you judge my packing anxiety please remember that a) I don't travel a lot and b) I am not a laid-back person. Anxiety is my cardio, you guys. ALSO: decisions have been made! I am not seeking advice! Do not make me cry by pointing out everything I am doing wrong! I have to live, you guys. Now this is what I’ve decided to take (more or less):
- 3 short sleeve tops
- 2 long sleeve tops
- 2 long sleeve layering t-shirts
- 2 light sweaters (one cotton, one cashmere)
- 2-3 jeans/pants (boyfriend, coated skinny, maybe ponte pants)
- airplane pants
- pajamas
- Madewell jacket
- denim jacket
- sneakers
- chelsea boots
- metallic flats (?)
- small crossbody bag
- 2 scarves
- jewelry
All of this all fits easily in a medium-sized suitcase (which I'm checking) with plenty of room left for whatever I buy on my trip. I'm sticking to a palette of mostly black, navy, grey and olive green. Marianne in her wisdom laid out my outfit options in two versions:
I feel good about this! It's all my favorite stuff, lots of layers, easy outfits. I am taking a break from the blog next week but I'll be posting updates on my personal IG and on the Looks Good IG, so follow along if you so wish! And thanks again for all your great advice and comments on previous travel posts. Y'all are the best.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Outfit of the Day: That Anthropologie Jacket
The light has changed and with it goes my perfect little spot of photography wall. I really wanted to show y'all my new Anthro jacket but these photos...aren't the greatest. You know what? Too bad. I am going to show you anyway! Here's my boring outfit:
This is all Banana Republic. Skinny jeans from the Zero Gravity line that I really like and a black tank similar to this one that I've had for a few years. My shoes are red Lotta clogs but they're hard to see. Now, the jacket:
Hooray! It's the Odyssey Draped Coat by BlankNYC and it's great, isn't it? It's faux leather on the back and sleeves and faux suede in the front. It drapes beautifully and I seriously can't tell you how soft and stretchy it is. Like a cardigan but with jacket structure. Yay.
I'm sure you're wondering what it looks like zipped up? Listen, I'm not super crazy about it zipped and probably won't wear it this way, but here you go:
See what I mean? Not terrible but definitely better all open and drape-y. And yes, I haven't taken the tag off yet because it's too hot to actually wear it out. Here's a close-up:
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