outfit post: february 2014 shopping wishlist

Over the past few months I’ve gotten a lot of questions around my shopping habits. How do I decide what to buy? How much do I spend? How frequently do I shop? I thought I’d try to walk through a few of these questions in a couple of posts to share my thoughts, habits & preferences with you for those who are interested.

First off – how do I decide what to buy?

The way I organize my outfit inspiration photos is to dump them in seasonal Pinterest folders. Basically fall/winter & spring/summer. Any outfit photo that contains colors, shapes, ideas or similar items to those that I already own and is even remotely possible to use for outfit inspiration get saved.

Oftentimes I find super cute outfits that I would love to recreate but unfortunately I don’t own anything slightly similar. Those pictures get saved in a “shopping ideas” folder. Over time I will notice trends to the items in the shopping folder – pieces of clothing that I can see being used in a lot of different ways and owning them would add some specific dimension currently missing from my wardrobe. Those items with both multiple pins & multiple uses get added to my short list of things I keep my eye out for when I’m shopping.

I thought I’d share the items at the top of my current list with you. (I’ve already purchased three of them between when I jotted down items to list in this post and this actual posting.) The ‘similar’ links below are items similar to the ones in the image above.

• White Blazer – I love that adding a blazer on top of basic boring clothing pieces magically pulls them all together and transforms the look from separate items into an “outfit”. I currently own black, grey & navy blazers and basically only wear them for work. I have been wanting to incorporate a fun relaxed blazer into my casual looks and I think a light, bright casual white one could be a good jumping off point – especially for spring.  
• Options I like: classic,  interesting collar, ex-boyfriend, classic (also in navy polka-dot)

• White Pointed Toe Pumps – The addition of pointed toe black pumps to my wardrobe a few months ago gave lots of my favorite work outfits an updated feel. I think a fun pair of pointed toe pumps in white would do the same for some of my favorite casual outfits. 
• Options I like: similar, similar, similar, similar, ankle strap, color blocked

• Trench Coat – Love love love a classic trench coat. I have a navy one from Banana Republic that is about 12 years old that I have worn to death and now has ripped lining, missing belt and some mysterious stains. I would love to find a upgraded replacement.
• Options I like: very similar to my current trench (navy), best deal I found for one I really like (H&M), similar, navy, dream coat Burberry ($$)

• Contrast Collar Shirt – I am always on the hunt for fun work clothes. My husband has a few button-down dress shirts that have contrasting collars and I think he looks super sharp when he wears them. Women’s version of the same shirt were all over the runway – which means they will be popping up in the stores this spring. 
• Options I like: love – pink & blue, similar, scalloped collar blouse, expensive (Theory)

• Printed Wrap Dress – These dresses always seem to find their way onto “50 items every women must own” type lists. They are great for work, social events and just being casually fabulous. I love DVF’s patterns & colors but the price point is pretty steep.  
• Options I like: classic dream dress (DVF expensive), similar, similar, similar

• Neutral Sheath Dress – Some days my brain isn’t functioning in the morning when I’m getting dressed for work and I lose all ability to think critically about what sort of impression a particular outfit will have. This often happens when traveling for work and I am very low on sleep but I need to look polished & professional for an important meeting. I think suit/sheath dresses are the best no-brainer un-screw-up-able option. Put on one piece (plus perhaps a cardigan/jacket) and you’re done.
• Options I like: purchased from Banana (navy), similar, similar, similar, similar

• Gold Link Necklace & Bracelet – I am slowly trying to upgrade some of my work appropriate jewelry from Target & Forever 21 type to better quality classic pieces. I think a basic set of gold chain necklace & bracelet is a great place to start.
• Options I like necklace: purchased from Stella & Dot, similar, similar 
• Options I like bracelet: purchased from Stella & Dot, similar, similar

• Navy Pencil Skirt – Navy pencil skirts can be core work wardrobe workhorses. They go with everything. I have black, grey, brown, mustard & patterned pencil skirts but no navy. So I was on the lookout. In this post I talk about how I decided to make the jump and buy a full navy suit – the jacket, skirt, trousers and sheath dress. (Tried the straight legged pants first and the cut didn’t look good on my body at all. But the trouser cut was cute.)
• Options I like: purchased from Banana, similar, similar, old navy denim