My Monthly Purchases: December 2014

Here are my clothing purchases for the last month of 2014! It was really quiet shopping month, style-wise. I bought some non-clothing stuff after Christmas from Sephora. Seriously, Sephora is the funnest place on Black Friday and Boxing Day. I'll review some of the stuff I purchased soon.

Skirt: Dynamite
Discounted from $30 to $8
The lighting in the store made this seem really thin and and potentially see-through, but once I got it home in normal lighting it was fine. I can see myself wearing this year-round. I love the zipper details. I wore this on Christmas Eve.

Vest: Club Monaco
Discounted from $198 to $80
My current faux fur vest needs replacing. It's too short, hitting me in the wrong spot and creating (highlighting?) unflattering bulges. We can't have that, can we. This version is sleek and a good 6 inches longer. It's also dressier. I haven't worn it yet, but I will soon! The website says it's black, but it's actually a really dark green. Gotta love Club sales. The day I bought it, all sale was an extra 50% off.

Bag: Smart Set (no photo and no longer available on-line)
Discounted from $30 to $9
I needed a new bag for taking stuff back and forth to work. My books/magazines and snacks don't fit in my handbag. I was using a navy blue Body Shop tote, but I needed something a little classier. I have a really nice Kenneth Cole bag too but it's too nice to sit on the floor at work, so I save that for when I take the computer to Starbucks to blog (and I always put it on a chair).

Vest: Gap (no photo and no longer available on-line)
Discounted from $70 to $12.50
This was sitting all alone, the only size left - a denim vest smushed between some full-sleeved denim jackets. I really wanted a denim vest last summer but didn't find one for a good price. It's a medium-wash and slightly distressed. Should look fabulous layered over a sundress in the spring.

That is it for December! I also bought a pair of boots from Aldo, but ended up returning them.

Value of Items: $328
What I Paid: $110

I saved 66%

I under-spent this quarter by $25, which will roll forward to next quarter.

Next week, I'll calculate how I did with my spending for the year and share some of my favourite purchases.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Toasty Fingers

I don't know where you live, but where I live it's SO cold. Until now, winter was kind. Recently the temperature took a nosedive, and it's just not smart to try going out without all your parts covered, including the hands.

I browsed on-line for some cute options and here's what I found.

Toasty Fingers by jennifer-merlin featuring a sequin glove

Zara gray glove, 30 CAD / Topshop bear mitten, 36 CAD / Michael Kors lined glove, 79 CAD / Kate Spade sequin glove, 64 CAD / Coach horse glove, 69 CAD

From classy to quirky, I can see myself wearing all of the styles above. My wardrobe's most-worn pair are soft black leather mittens I've had for probably ten years (I can't believe I've not lost them...) I'd like to add a pair of leather gloves to the mix at some point. My hands are hard to buy for as they're small.

Stay warm!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

New Traditions

The holiday season came and went really quickly! This was a year for change for R and I as we tweaked some of our lifelong Christmas traditions to create some new customs of our own. There was still a lot of family time involved, but there was also more "us" time, as we spent Christmas eve and morning together - a first for us even though this was our fifth Christmas as a couple.

Apologies for horrific lighting... the good camera was "all the way upstairs". The full-length photos were so shadowy I couldn't even bear to post them. I wore this on Christmas Eve.

Details

Top: Joe Fresh

Skirt: Dynamite

Booties: c/o Nine West

Tights: American Apparel

Bracelet: Banana Republic

Did you have any changes to your usual holiday this year?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Favourites of 2014

I'm not one for making resolutions. I prefer to call them goals, or to be even more forgiving, predictions. A lot of my goals for this year involve becoming more organized. I predict a lot of lists!

In terms of style, 2014 brought me a giant closet. A closet where I can now see exactly how much clothing I have. It's a lot, and I don't love some of what's in there. I'm not the type of person to have a carefully curated closet, but I can work to let go of stuff that isn't getting worn. Admittedly a lot of the stuff I'm not wearing is stuff that was bought not because I loved it, but because it was on sale and moderately appealing.

I skimmed through my old posts to find a few of my favourite looks from 2014.

Picking favourites like this isn't easy, but it helps me to zone in on what I should be buying. I obviously gravitate towards certain shades for my basic looks. When I'm going somewhere special the colors come out, but day-to-day I feel most myself in black, grey, white, and other neutrals.

I need to remember that while that fuchsia sweater looks pretty on the shelf, I'm not going to grab for it as much as the black one... so buy the black one.

Do you have any style goals for the new year?

XOXO
Glitterary Girl