Hello & Goodbye: August 2014

Well, it's over halfway through September, so I guess that means it's time for my August purchase post! Somehow I keep deleting the nice little record I'm keeping of what comes in and goes out  each month right before I'm ready to write it up, and I can tell you, it's not very fun to try to rewrite all of that from memory. 

But now that I'm done complaining about those devastatingly serious issues, on to the clothes:

Best Purchases

Watch Repair

My favorite "purchase" for the month! While shopping with my father several years ago, I came across the most beautiful watch with an opalescent face. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford it - so my dad bought it for me instead. :) Now it reminds me of him whenever I wear it, which was pretty much constantly for the first few years I owned it.  Eventually, it stopped working, and I put it away with the intention of getting it repaired. That was about four years ago, and I finally did it last month! I have to say, the fact I kept it so long, then actually got it fixed, is a testament to how much sentimental value it holds. I'm pretty ruthless about discarding things I'm not using, not to mention I tend to view anything wearing out as a golden opportunity to buy something new, but I just couldn't imagine any other watch that could replace this one.  I'm very glad to have it back.

Price: $10.80

LOFT Black  Doubleweave Cotton Fitted Straight Leg Pants in Julie Fit

LOFT Birdseye Bi-Stretch Fitted Straight Leg Pants in Julie Fit

I really dislike office slacks - like, really - but I now work in an office, which is why I found myself so unfortunately needing a couple pairs. Before buying any, I  did a little research on which ones were deemed at least somewhat attractive, and came across the Julie Fit at LOFT. Since I love LOFT about as much as I hate those pants, I made a beeline to the nearest mall to try these babies on.  Unbelievably, I love them. They're actually very comfortable and surprisingly flattering (or, at least, not unflattering, which I suppose is the best they could really hope for.) The grey pair even have a cute little tweed-y pattern on them. I wear both at least once a week, so they're useful, and the quality seems pretty good. Two very nice purchases I'm quite happy with.

Price: ~$70 each.

On the Inside Black Honeysuckle Lace Panties
*Not pictured

I previously purchased another pair of undies I liked from this store, which is a favorite because they're a small business in my state. And their lingerie is nice, of course. ;) This pair is very comfy and pretty, which fulfills my requirements. If it ends up lasting well, I plan to keep buying from here.

Price: $33.48

Okay Purchases

Mossimo Black Ponte Knit Blazer

This was purchased at a thrift store, and yet again, the fit is too large. I also bought it for the worst reason of all: I couldn't really find anything I liked, but didn't want to leave the store empty-handed. Ridiculous, right? Well, I actually like the blazer more now that I've had it, and I wear it regularly. Normally I wouldn't bother get a secondhand Target  purchase tailored, but I'm considering it for this piece. It's nice because it's dressy, but being ponte, it's not too much. With my job I do need to dress professionally, but not necessarily in a suit, so this fits that in-between area nicely.

Price: ~$9 

Gap Navy Wool Cardigan

I needed to replace my old navy cardigan, so I found this at Thredup. I'm torn on what I think of it. When it arrived, it was too large, so I altered it, and now it's too small for me to button all the way without it gaping. It's also pretty pilled. That can be fixed, and  because I rarely close my cardigans with more than one or two buttons, the gaping isn't an issue. Not to mention, it works well with what I own, and it's very comfortable.  But I'm still annoyed I bought something that's going to require so much work.

Price: $19.47

Halogen Camel Taylor Linen Slacks

I bought these because I needed them the next day, which didn't give me a lot of time to plan my purchase. :) They're also too large, but functional overall. I actually think they're really pretty, and I just love linen, so while they're not my favorite thing ever, I'm glad to have them.  I have a small number of bottoms right now, anyway, so they're definitely keepers, if only for that reason.

Price: $42.29

Not So Great Purchases

LOFT Pave Braided Rope Brace in Jasmine and Balmy Blue

It's unusual for me to wear bracelets, because I have these puny wrists that honestly require child sized jewelry. So maybe I'm not used to working them into my outfits, and that is the reason these pretty bracelets have been worn very few times since I bought them.  I think I knew when then I may not get a lot of use out of them, but I felt I needed more accessories, and I liked them, so I chose to buy on impulse. I don't have any plans to dispose of these right now, but unless I end up wearing them more often, they probably will have to go.

Price: ~$20 for both

Total Budget: $275.68/300

(My allowance for August is larger, because that's the month of my birthday, and while some may find it tacky, I'm very happy to receive cash as gifts. ;)

And so...

Unfortunately, I'm finding that my secondhand purchases aren't going that well. Of what the items I've bought used in the past few months, I only plan to keep about two or three of them indefinitely. Most I've either already discarded, and the few I haven't, I plan to replace once I've built up more of my wardrobe. It's not that nice clothing can't be found in secondhand shops, but that I too easily settle for things that aren't so great on me when I see their prices. Or I can't stand to walk away having purchased nothing after all the time spent looking through the racks, which leads me to buying things which need more work than I'm willing to invest. Back when I had more free time I enjoyed altering the clothes I'd found, but now that I have less, it seems like just another chore.  That's unfortunate, because buying secondhand was probably my main way of getting more ethical clothing, however...

As you can see, in this post I chose not to evaluate my purchases based on the criteria I laid out at the beginning of the blog. I'm not sure what I had in mind with them is applicable to the kind of clothes I need, and the way I want to purchase them. I'm getting so selective with what I buy, that what I know I like and will want to keep has narrowed into items so much more specific, a lot of times they can't be chosen from only what's offered at ethical stores. Kind of an ironic conclusion to come to. 

Of course, I still want to try to be a responsible consumer, so I still want to focus on that, now with the main intention of just buying less overall. I've been slowly putting more restrictions on the amount I've purchased lately, anyway, and I like the results. I've noticed I'm getting more of what I actually wear when I only give myself the option of buying a few things a month, rather than trying to fit as much as I can under the little umbrella of my budget at once. More on that in upcoming posts, I'm sure. :)