WHAT I WISH I WERE WEARING FOR FASHION WEEK

Part of the fun of fashion week is the people watching. Some of the looks border on costumes but others make me wish I could ever in a million years pull something like that together! It's the ultimate inspiration for styling new outfits and always leaves me wishing I'd done a major shopping spree beforehand (you know, instead of a month-long shopping hiatus). Here are a few items I wish I were wearing after day one... Six more to go!

P.S. New goal for my 101 in 1001 list... Save up for this p-e-r-f-e-c-t bag. Every single color is to die for. What's your dream bag?!

Part of the fun of fashion week is the people watching. Some of the looks border on costumes but others make me wish I could ever in a million years pull something like that together! It's the ultimate inspiration for styling new outfits and always leaves me wishing I'd done a major shopping spree beforehand (you know, instead of a month-long shopping hiatus). Here are a few items I wish I were wearing after day one... Six more to go!

P.S. New goal for my 101 in 1001 list... Save up for this p-e-r-f-e-c-t bag. Every single color is to die for. What's your dream bag?!

WHAT I LEARNED FROM ONE MONTH OF NO SHOPPING

*images 1 / 2 / 3

It's been my experience that girls love to shop. My guy friends have asked when I'll be adding more men's gifts to the boutique but (while we've added a few great guy gifts here) I know that my target audience has been and likely always will be women. We women love clothes, decorating, shoes... Boys just don't shop the way girls do, myself included.

But I do live in a teeny tiny apartment and sometimes I get bogged down by all the stuff. (How is there no more hanging space in my closet?) I should preface this by saying I don't have a shopping addiction, have zero credit card debt, etc., but was simply up for a challenge (#5 on my 101 in 1001 list) to see if I could go thirty days without buying a single thing — no new arrivals on J.Crew or Shopbop, no sale finds, no spontaneous purchases while out with friends. The month after Christmas shopping overdrive seemed like as good a time as any.

Two things: 1) I made it and 2) I kind of loved it! Yes, I missed the feeling of waiting excitedly for the UPS guy to show up. Yes, I felt like I had "nothing to wear" for outfit posts on the blog. And yes, shopping with my girlfriends was a little less fun knowing I couldn't act on anything I fell in love with. But it forced me to rediscover a few old favorites (like a pair of suede jodhpur leggings from Rugby, RIP) and it made me think about which pieces I tend to wear over and over (blue oxford shirts, this navy blazer, this silk shirt). By the time the month was up, I was much more excited to add quality items to my repertoire of tried-and-true wardrobe favorites than any impulse purchases I'd truthfully only wear a handful of times.

So the verdict? Totally in favor. I felt like I proved something to myself, my checking account felt a little cushier at the end of the month, and I think I could totally do it again (maybe even once a season!). It's made me think more about each purchase since then, contemplate new items in terms of cost-per-wear (I'm dying to invest in some of these perfect everyday shirts), and hold off on one-off purchases for special occasions (this site is a huge help for that).

Could you go a month without shopping for clothes, decor, or makeup? Have you done it before? Tell me everything!

*images 1 / 2 / 3

It's been my experience that girls love to shop. My guy friends have asked when I'll be adding more men's gifts to the boutique but (while we've added a few great guy gifts here) I know that my target audience has been and likely always will be women. We women love clothes, decorating, shoes... Boys just don't shop the way girls do, myself included.

But I do live in a teeny tiny apartment and sometimes I get bogged down by all the stuff. (How is there no more hanging space in my closet?) I should preface this by saying I don't have a shopping addiction, have zero credit card debt, etc., but was simply up for a challenge (#5 on my 101 in 1001 list) to see if I could go thirty days without buying a single thing — no new arrivals on J.Crew or Shopbop, no sale finds, no spontaneous purchases while out with friends. The month after Christmas shopping overdrive seemed like as good a time as any.

Two things: 1) I made it and 2) I kind of loved it! Yes, I missed the feeling of waiting excitedly for the UPS guy to show up. Yes, I felt like I had "nothing to wear" for outfit posts on the blog. And yes, shopping with my girlfriends was a little less fun knowing I couldn't act on anything I fell in love with. But it forced me to rediscover a few old favorites (like a pair of suede jodhpur leggings from Rugby, RIP) and it made me think about which pieces I tend to wear over and over (blue oxford shirts, this navy blazer, this silk shirt). By the time the month was up, I was much more excited to add quality items to my repertoire of tried-and-true wardrobe favorites than any impulse purchases I'd truthfully only wear a handful of times.

So the verdict? Totally in favor. I felt like I proved something to myself, my checking account felt a little cushier at the end of the month, and I think I could totally do it again (maybe even once a season!). It's made me think more about each purchase since then, contemplate new items in terms of cost-per-wear (I'm dying to invest in some of these perfect everyday shirts), and hold off on one-off purchases for special occasions (this site is a huge help for that).

Could you go a month without shopping for clothes, decor, or makeup? Have you done it before? Tell me everything!

SO TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF...

Thank you all for your sweet comments on yesterday's post. You really know how to make a girl's day! Now it's time for one of my favorite features — getting to know more about y-o-u!

*photo by Tim Walker

Favorite feature about yourself: My red hair! 

Favorite color combination: Navy blue and hot pink... or hydrangea blue... or white #navyornothing

Favorite flower: Pink peonies, white tulips, and blue hydrangeas

You never leave the house without: My iPhone and this chapstick

You're secretly addicted to: Coffee and croissants ;) 

Now copy and paste the below questionnaire and share your responses in the comments! I'll be reading :)

Favorite characteristic about yourself:

Favorite color combination:

Favorite flower:

You never leave the house without:

You're secretly addicted to:

Thank you all for your sweet comments on yesterday's post. You really know how to make a girl's day! Now it's time for one of my favorite features — getting to know more about y-o-u!

*photo by Tim Walker

Favorite feature about yourself: My red hair! 

Favorite color combination: Navy blue and hot pink... or hydrangea blue... or white #navyornothing

Favorite flower: Pink peonies, white tulips, and blue hydrangeas

You never leave the house without: My iPhone and this chapstick

You're secretly addicted to: Coffee and croissants ;) 

Now copy and paste the below questionnaire and share your responses in the comments! I'll be reading :)

Favorite characteristic about yourself:

Favorite color combination:

Favorite flower:

You never leave the house without:

You're secretly addicted to: