How Often The Real Real Offers $30 off

I love The RealReal. I will say, their purses are very hit or miss, as their quality control standards leave a lot to be desired.  On the other hand, their selection of unique designer clothes at amazing prices is unparalleled.  I like to keep a collection of clothes in my "obsessions" that are affordable, but could use a further discount or the extra $25-30 off that TRR offers every once in a while. I have been dying to make some purchases, and I haven't seen anywhere that has tracked the frequency in which TRR offers these sales, so I decided to start tracking.  Come back to this post for regular updates! 

Friday 1/22/21: 4 days to take $30 off your purchase from 01/22 12:01am PT - 01/25 11:59pm PT.

Purchase: Mansur Gavriel linen jacket

Okay, I paid so little for this because I also had another credit on TRR for selling some sunglasses or something.  It was final sale and now that I have it it's way too huge and oversized.  I thought it would have been a good spring/transition coat for San Francisco weather.  I still may try to make it work or may resell it on Posh. TBD!

Friday 4/2/21: 3 days to take $25 off your purchase from 04/02 12:01am PT - 04/04 11:59pm PT. 

Purchase: Alice + Olivia floral maxi dress

This is the first time I've seen an offer for $25 instead of $20, but I have been WAITING for this coupon so I was still happy it came around.  It's been almost 3 months since the last coupon, and I have been worried that this dress would be sold (but clearly not that worried, because the price before the coupon is reasonable enough and I almost checked out with it many times).  I bought this dress for a wedding in October because I clearly have issues. BUT, why wait if you can score a perfect dress for a formal October wedding for such a great price! Hopefully it fits, but even if not, I know I can resell this dress for at LEAST $70.

Bookmark this page to keep checking back in for more!

Simone Rocha x HM Wishlist: Should I Buy This?

The Simone Rocha x HM collaboration comes out at HM on March 11.  The pieces are beautiful - playful and statement-making but still feminine and elegant - which are the exact words I want to describe my own style and wardrobe. 

Prices, per WWD.com, range from $7.99 to $349. 

For most purchases I'm making, I'm challenging myself to write down three ways I would style each potential new piece that I would be adding to my closet.  This doesn't always work when I'm making impulse purchases for things I think might sell out (see: Hill House Home nap dresses), but so far I think it has been actually stopping me from buying things I don't need or won't wear. 

Statement Puff Sleeve Trench Coat

While the price of this coat will be determinative, my jaw dropped as I was scrolling through the announcement of the collection and saw this trench.  I LOVE a good trench (even though I only have one).  It's a great light weight layer that is good for almost every season (if you live in California) and can make you look more put together without very much effort. 

This is obviously a huge statement, that would be a real "fashion" element to add to my otherwise basic (in comparison) wardrobe.  But how would I wear it? 

1) with a white button up, black leggings, and my black chain detail Vince Camuto combat boots 

2) with my teal Stine Goya dress underneath, and white AF1s

3) with a black turtleneck, black slacks, black ballet flats and a black beret

February 2021 Favorites

A short month, but that doesn't mean I consumed any less! I took "buy nothing" off of my habit tracker for the month because I was tired of having that blank space throughout the page.  This month's favorites were not necessarily purchased this month, but are items that I've used very often (almost daily) and are relatively new. 

This photo has all my February favorites in one! 

Barefoot Dreams Leopard Blanket

Okay, so I succumbed to the hundreds of bloggers that were posting about this leopard blanket being on sale at Nordstrom for approx. 2 weeks.  The power of influence! I have been wanting a barefoot dreams blanket for a while, after always buying and selling their cardigans, and when I got a Nordstrom gift card for my birthday, I decided to pull the trigger. I now use it as my office blanket as it is extremely soft and comforting, which is needed more than you think in the practice of law.

Women's Suits for Valentine's Day

Even though Valentine's Day is a made-up Hallmark holiday, I will never pass up an opportunity to dress to a theme. I was an RTR member last Valentine's Day, and also had actual things to do last year since we weren't locked in our homes.  This year, since we aren't going anywhere, I have tried to stop myself from buying new outfits just for Valentine's day.  I've only partially succeeded.  My excuses? I can sell these pieces later or wear them another time.  As a lady lawyer, I love suits, and per my love of themes, I LOVE a novelty suit. Valentine's day is a perfect excuse to break out one of my many novelty suits, especially the pink ones! 

Plaid Heart Suit: Halogen x Atlantic Pacific | Earrings: BaubleBar | Purse: Tory Burch Small Radziwill

I have loved this Halogen x Atlantic Pacific plaid heart suit set since I saw @lombardandfifth wearing it on election day.  I still like it, but on me, something just doesn't feel right.  I don't know if it's the quality or the fit of the blazer, but I don't think I'm going to keep it.  The pants, I actually love, but I don't need statement pants in this time of dressing from the waist up. Plus, they are too long for me, and the likelihood that I will get them tailored and hemmed anytime soon is very slim to none.  Luckily, I bought these pieces at Nordstrom and I will be able to return them!  For reference, I got the pants in a size 2 and the blazer in a size 4.  Sizing up to a 6 might have helped with the blazer, but they are totally sold out which is a bummer because they are currently a great sale price! 

Jogger Suit: Wayf via Nordstrom | Top: Vintage Gucci via @saltandbloom 
Shoes: Nike Air Force Ones | Bag: Tory Burch Small Radziwill

Hot Pink Tory Burch Small Radziwill

I've recently been following a lot of Nordstrom stylists, and Fashion Jackson's stylist, @styledbyabbywest, posted this WAYF set and how she wears the pieces several different ways. You know I immediately ordered it.  It's basically an athleisure suit but it looks like a regular suit. It's still suiting fabric, but it's not stuff! It's an amazing addition to my wardrobe and I think it could go with a lot of different tops underneath.  I can also wear either the joggers or the blazer on their own and with different outfits.  The blazer is my first really oversized blazer that I always felt was a little bit too "cool" for me, but I'm excited to pair it with denim shorts in the spring/summer. I'm excited to find new ways to style the whole thing and use it for a lot of my next themed lewks this year! 

I wore this for my Galentine's day book club this year, which I will detail in another post in the future. I thought it was the perfect amount of girly and cute, without going overboard on the actual Valentine's day theme.  This hot pink Tory Burch Small Radziwill is one of my favorite new bags that I got for my birthday last year.  It is the perfect pop of color for me, especially for these Valentine's Day outfits.  It is unfortunately sold out on the Tory Burch website in this color, but I highly recommend the silhouette in any color.  It fits my iPhone 11pro, card holder and keys, and not much else, but it packs the perfect statement and gives serious Hermes Kelly vibes. 

How to Frame a 36 x 36 Designer Silk Scarf

Confession: I own a large square silk scarf that cost an exorbitant amount of money (to me) and I have worn approximately 3 times (maximum).  I have always wanted to frame it, because it is BEAUTIFUL, but getting a custom frame that size was expen$$$ive.  

I saw that Kathleen Barnes at carriebradshawlied.com had framed a similarly-sized Hermes scarf that was making a statement in her living room, that she acknowledged would have cost a fortune to get custom framed but she found an acrylic alternative on Etsy. I loved it! I had the 36" x 36" frame in my Etsy cart for a long time, but even the $350 price tag for the frame was still a little steep for me! 

About the scarf: When I visited Gucci Garden in Florence in April 2018, I knew I wanted to buy something to commemorate the trip, but I didn't anticipate spending 400 euros on a silk scarf.  However, travel makes you do silly things. I rationalized it because I didn't have a silk scarf this size, I loved that it had a cat/tiger on it, and I LOVED that it spelled Gucci with a Y. 

I hemmed and hawed about the frame, and thought maybe it would go on sale, and decided I could be patient.  I've also been perusing eBay pretty often for custom-sized frames (per a recommendation from Krista Robertson, who ALSO got a scarf framed although not in this gigantic acrylic beast) and came across a listing for a custom acrylic frame that looked very similar to the Etsy version, but around $100 less.  I immediately made sure they had a size that would fit a 36x36, and added to cart.  You can find it here (eBay seller alpinamfgllc).

 

The frame arrived a week or two later, in a gigantic and very heavy box that I thought might kill me when I was trying to bring it up the stairs.  It sat next to my window in my office for the next two weeks, because I could tell it would be a two-person job and required drilling into the wall...aka I needed Andrew to help me and it would have to wait until we were free on the weekend.  I finally bugged him enough to get him to hang it last night, and boy was it a struggle.

January 2021 Favorites

I love monthly favorites because I love consuming! I also love to see what other people have been loving, so then I can get ideas about what else I need in my life. Isn't that what favorites are about? These are the random things that I have been using or consuming during January 2021: 

 

Moleskine Dotted Notebook 

When we were moving out of our Rockridge apartment, I found my old bullet journal that I started using in law school. While I threw that one away, I decided I should implement this system again. I'm now using it as a habit tracker, to take notes about this blog and my actual job, and a to-do list for work and personal things. I take it with me everywhere! Another favorite are these Staedtler pens that I got from Target and use to color in bullet journal pages and the boxes in my habit tracker. 

Meghan Rienks Presets

Okay, I don't know why it took me this long to jump on the presets train, but I think it's because I felt confident in my ability to edit a photo.  What I haven't been able to master, it seems, is the white-washed aesthetic theme for a cohesive instagram feed. This is where Meghan Rienks comes in.  She posted a full instagram story series and a youtube video about how she edits her photos, and I completely bought in.  My instagram feed isn't currently ~aesthetic~ yet because it's a slow process to bury the rest of my non-aesthetic photos, but it's getting there! Definitely worth the $25 to get everything on theme. 

Inauguration Day! What to do With Campaign Merch

Happy inauguration day all! To celebrate, I am wearing some campaign merch for potentially the last time.  I am a Kamala head for life, as a fellow Bay Area female attorney, and I sure did invest in her merch, especially when she was running for President on her own. 

My inauguration day LEWK, featuring "That little girl was me,"
purchased immediately after the second Democratic Presidential primary debate

I am an avid collector of merch, and have been since I was a child.  Take me to a concert or even a musical? I need to check out the merch tent.  $100 for a Britney Spears sweater that I could buy at target for under $20? Gimme, gimme more.  If someone creates a design that I like, for something I like, then I MUST have it on a t-shirt or sweatshirt. 

Hindsight is 2020: Best and Worst Purchases

Shopping is my easy button in life (per Glennon Doyle, who I imagine I will quote in every other post going forward).  An "easy button" is what you choose to do that you think will take you out of pain and stress, but really just help you abandon yourself (thanks Glennon).  Reading this last night was a huge realization for me and my shopping addiction.  Anyone who knows me knows I have a problem with shopping, and until last night I've basically accepted it as *cute* and *quirky* personality trait.  I'm also usually pretty proud of the *good* buys that I've made and how all of my possessions display my elevated taste and prowess for finding bargains.  The problem is all the actually bad buys that I've made that I don't share with anyone. 

This purpose of this post is to highlight good buys that I've made, or the purchases that I used the most last year.  It should also remind me of everything I have that's good and that I don't need even more things. 

Similarly, I want to highlight things that I bought and did not work for me but may have bought in an "easy button" fashion and I now regret. 

But for now, let's start with best purchases: 

1. Dyson V8 Animal Cordless Vacuum

Full disclosure, this was actually gifted ... by my PARENTS! Ha. I wish I got gifted items.  If you actually follow bloggers, this should be no surprise, and you can just read their very well-thought-out reviews and sponsored links. I'm just linking to an eBay find because that's what came up on google when I searched it.  Anyway, I'm not exaggerating when I say this vacuum changed my life. It is cordless, so you don't have to worry about the added extra "stress" of plugging in a vacuum and only vacuuming to places that it extends to.  The attachment shown in the photo is also my favorite for what is essentially spot treatment for vacuuming. It makes me want to vacuum anything and everything! And I do.  We still kept our regular plug-in shark vacuum for when we need to do heavy-duty vacuuming of our rugs (which I admit, is not happening as frequently as it should due to our spot-treatment habits) but this makes cleaning up crumbs and other messes so easy. I LOVE IT!