Recent Purchases – Successes and Failures

Sale PSA: A merino turtleneck from Uniqlo, a chic shoulder bag from Wandler, now 30% off,now $30, cool leather boots from Jimmy Choo, now 30% off, and a classic shoulder hobo bag from The Row, now under $1500.

Hi! I hope you had a great weekend. I wanted to share some recent purchases I made, and whether they were keep or returns. Lately I always have such HIGH HOPES when I buy, but unfortunately some items just haven’t worked out. I’ve been trying to go into stores more for this reason (why waste the carbon shipping back and forth) but there’s nothing in store! Anyway. Here we go.

Birkenstock Shearling Arizonas: Ugh. My first surprise failure! I had a pair which lasted me awhile, in the house and so I felt confident to order again. I bought these and they were so itchy – the sides were scratching my feet. It wasn’t the shearling material that was bothering me, but rather something with the construction of the shoe. So annoying as they are really cute! I don’t remember if I was able to wear down the shearling on my earlier pair and that is why they fit my feet better – but these felt a tiny bit too small for my feet, even though they were my regular Birkenstock size.

Gucci lug sole loafers: I liked these and really thought about keeping them! I have tried multiple versions of the classic Gucci loafers but in the end I prefer a rubber sole – just easier to walk in. But in the end they were about ~20% too clunky for my taste and for the price I just didn’t think they were worth it. Nice construction however. These went back.

Everlane clean silk cami: Given how much Everlane goes on sale, and that this was near the price of their sweaters, I have hesitated on this. However I finally gave in because I’ve been having a hard time finding the perfect silk cami – I want one that fits more closely to the body (without being tight), not see through, and decent quality silk. This meets it. I think part of what makes it good is it is numerical sizing – allows there to be more specific fits. I took a size 0 and it’s perfect.

The Row Banana bag: I am mulling this over. I really like the color and for some reason Matches has it far cheaper than other sites (there are still a few left, FYI). Also I recently turned down an Hermes bag…and this was less than the TAX on the Hermes bag. And it’s light. And the leather is luscious. Hmm. This remains a maybe but I feel I may be convincing myself. If I keep, I’ll try to do a review!

Madewell track trousers: I love these! I bought a few pairs of pants, including jeans, but this was the pair I had to keep. They are really nice and cozy. I am super short so they go to my ankles but I cuff them a few times. Please note that I LOVE grandpa pants and these are definitely that style. I don’t mind looking grandpa-like but if that’s not your thing, beware! These were a keep for me.

What have been some of your recent successes and failures?