A new year is upon us, and by the time you read this, the first month behind us.
Let's take a brief stroll down 2020 lane. Below are three of my favorite fall/winter purchases of last year. From left to right, the Emporio Armani boucle black coat fits like a maxi coat on me, since I'm right under 5'4. It had been a long since I purchased a black coat, and the minute I tried this on I loved it. It's a glossy black in person and then length and texture of the boucle made it less ordinary. The Milly faux fur chevron jacket I almost didn't buy, because I questioned how much I'd wear something that color, but I kept thinking about it, which was a sign to me that I really liked it. You know what they say, if you really like something you find a reason to wear it, and it was true with this jacket. I loved the color, and it is warmer than any faux fur jacket I own. It's also extremely soft. Last is the Paul Green combat boot. I was ready to purchase this Stuart Weitzman pair because I liked the pearl detail, but owning many Paul Green shoes I imagined these would be very comfortable, and I wasn't wrong. I even bought the pair in red leather, which was an unnecessary purchase, but I suppose you can say that about any purchase. How much do we really need? Not much.
My favorite thrift purchase of the year was a tiny brown bucket bag. I found it at a local antique mall while mom and I were shopping for interesting vintage pillows. She intended to deconstruct them and use patches of for a jacket. It can be worn longer or with the strap doubled up. The strap is Chanel inspired. The leather is supple and worn in. I was willing to buy new but I am lucky to have come across this little bag.
Another fall/winter favorite is this Barefoot Dreams cardigan. I own a few different styles, that I only wear at home. Some would ask why buy anything expensive that you don't leave the house in, but I work from home and having pieces that keep me warm and make me feel somewhat put together make me just as happy or more than when I used to buy a new dress or jacket to wear to work. Definitely size down on this one. I usually buy small/medium and I bought an extra small and this still looks oversized. It's very warm and looks good under a coat. I've worn mine out with faux leather leggings and jeans.
I have a hard time finding sunglasses that flatter me. This year I bought a pair of Chanel sunglasses, but my favorite are the pair I'm wearing in the picture below because they don't slip off of the nose, and feel like I'm wearing nothing! They're the Prada Catwalk sunglasses.
I snuck in a pic. of my 2021 calendar. This year's is from RitasDesignStudio on Etsy. It came with the stand, customer service was amazing and I get to look at fashionable scenes even if my fashion scene is Uggs and sweats.
Since I didn't go out much this year I only purchased one handbag, and it was in early spring before the Covid situation had fully evolved and anyone really understood how serious it was. As a matter of fact, even looking back at pictures I took when the box arrived, it kind of dampened my mood. Not going out, was not the only reason I didn't purchase more bags. If you're into handbags you know that across the board brands increased prices. Most notably, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, and Saint Laurent towards the end of the year. I was going to buy something new for my birthday in the fall, and I like doing research. I take screenshots to compare, and watch reviews, etc... I was strongly leaning towards a Fendi baguette. As I was ready to click Check Out, I was surprised at the cost. I looked at the screenshots I took on my phone and realized that just 3 weeks earlier the price was $2,790.00 versus $3,190.00. Being in the $3,000 range made me reconsider. I had to consider my other options in that price range. I looked at many bags online and got analysis paralysis. Nothing jumped out as a must have, so I bought nothing.
Now, enough about last year. Though not a lot has changed from late 2020 - meaning it's still cold out and we're still wearing masks. A lot of people are already preparing for spring.
I'm sure you've already heard that yellow is the color of 2021. I'm not going to write about 2021 trends, because you can get that content everywhere. Here is one of my favorite YouTube videos about 2021 trends, and another dedicated to shoe trends of 2021.
Last but not least, let's cover the present. If you're going anywhere, you need a mask. I like a fun mask, like the black and white puppy mask below. I'm looking at the Hunts Studio bunny drawing masks - they're cotton, and I have admired the pattern on furniture, so I'm excited to finally be able to own something in this print. The blue floral print mask is by a company called Happy Masks. It's a stand out. It's breathable, comfortable, and doesn't stick to my lips.
That's all for now folks. I hope your year is off to a great start, and we'll talk again soon!