It’s been a long time!
We’d like to invite all of you, our tried and true readers of Conscious Closet, to take a new journey with us. We’re trying our hand at a different format – a less structured blog that captures our silliness and everyday thoughts and observations. Please check out our new blog: Specky and Sally.
Happy New Year!
A + B
We’ve blogged. We’ve not shopped. We’ve blogged. We’ve shopped. We’ve blogged.
And now we’re a little tired of blogging! So we need to take a little break. We’re not sure when we’ll be back but we hope we’ll be back with a bang whenever it is.
Kisses,
A+ B
It’s been a few weeks now since the ban was lifted and we’ve had some time to reflect. Many friends and family have been surprised (maybe even a little disappointed?) that we haven’t gone on outrageous shopping sprees. It’s fun to think of piling new clothes into those lovely department store bags, revamping our closets and feeling the endless possibilities that come with a new wardrobe.
BUT.
There are a few reasons this hasn’t been the case for either of us. Mainly, it doesn’t feel right to go out and buy a boatload of clothes when the main reason that we started the challenge was because we felt overwhelmed by how many clothes we already had. If we went out and stocked up on all new everything, it seems like our time of restraint would be for naught. What’s the point of consuming less for a year only to consume wildly for two weeks?
So, we’re sorry that the end to the challenge was anti-climactic. But, we’re also kind of happy to say that we’ve learned from the year off. We’re not just buying sale items because they’re on sale, throwing pants in our shopping basket that aren’t quite right but they’re close enough or flat-out spending too much when we should be saving.
– A + B
But I wasn’t – see!
AND I was able to wear a grandma scarf without looking like a grandma (hopefully). Let’s take a closer look:
Aside from the fact that my right hand may be clawing my own waist past the point of comfort in this photo, I think this scarf worn as a belt worked out pretty well!
Unfortunately, someone else wanted a closer look as well – an office Junebug! He was probably eyeing the prunes but I’ll take it as a compliment.
Happy Wednesday!
– A (and B who witnessed all the hilarity of capturing these wonderful, professional images)
This is post about embracing your inner Blanche/Dorothy/Grandma.
While strolling around San Carlos this weekend, I discovered a wonderful antique store, Laurel Street Antiques and Collectibles. They carry a wide assortment of home goods, knick knacks, jewelry and apparel and the salespeople couldn’t have been nicer. I can’t wait to go back! I found these great scarves for a whopping total of $15:
And these sassy heels (made in Spain, real leather, barely worn and unbelievably comfortable) for $16:
I never thought I’d be ok with second hand shoes (general ick factor) and I certainly didn’t picture myself as a wearer of silk scarves. But a year of not shopping can do crazy things to a lady and I’ve now been catapulted to geriatric shopping status.
When I got home and stowed away these new purchases, I eyed a few things in my closet that I knew I was truly not going to wear anymore. Two minutes of perusal yielded a grocery bag of clothes to donate or swap. It feels great to get rid of some of the dead weight of the closet and to have found a few well-made second-hand accessories that can change up a whole outfit!
Now, off to eat my prunes and watch my “stories”!
-A
Rumor has it that Beyoncé is also due in February. I immediately feel compelled to kick up my pregnancy sass factor. I mean, she’s already sported a maternity tux, for goodness sake!
2011 MTV VMAs
Although I do not have the means or wherewithal to go all Beyoncé -caliber maternity wear, I do feel inspired to embrace my inner diva during this pregnancy. Lucky for me, my first purchase out-the-gate was a pair of skinny jeans. The exact opposite of frumpy! Although this has been the only purchase since the challenge ended a week ago I now have a little mantra that I will take with me as I shop throughout this pregnancy: WWBD – What would Beyoncé do?
Note: If you see on a day that I am looking closer to “frump” than “diva”, please keep your observations to yourself. I promise you that I am well aware of the set-back (I do own a mirror). Also, since we’re on the topic of comments to pregnant ladies that should be avoided, please don’t tell me (and this really goes for all pregnant ladies) how much bigger I am than your sister/daughter/niece/neighbor who is also X months along in her pregnancy. What am I supposed to do with this comment? It adds nothing to the conversation (it does add fodder for later conversations I will have about you and your inappropriateness) and it makes me want to kick your keister. But I digress.
So here’s to embracing the inner diva. I will metaphorically shake my money maker until the very end and take you along for the ride.
-B
As you may recall, I’ve been running low on denim over the past few months and I was so eager for the shopping ban to be lifted just to buy some new pants!
I first stumbled upon A-B Fits which specializes in denim and carries mostly USA-made goods. While I tried on a few great pairs, I wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger so I asked that they write the style names and sizes down so I could think about them. See, I’m not kidding about taking my sweet time when it comes to making decisions. Happily, they obliged.
On Saturday, I went to Goodbyes, a consignment store that I’d been wanting to visit for months. I love this store because it’s very well organized, doesn’t smell like moth balls and the salespeople are super friendly. Also, it seems to be the mecca for Pacific Heights Ladies’ cast-offs at bargain prices. I ended up finding a pair of white jeans (Ever brand) and an off-white jacket (JCrew) – both in mint condition. These items set me back $100 – a steal considering their quality!
Second-hand delights
I popped in to Seedstore as I love some of the small brands that they carry and they were having a big labor day sale. I liked a few pieces but didn’t try anything on.
Sunday began with a quick trip to Nordstrom for some jean shopping. I’ve always had good luck finding jeans there and their customer service/forgiving return policy makes it very easy to shop there. I found a fabulous pair of dark skinny jeans (Paige brand) that I couldn’t say no to. After that, I stopped in at Banana Republic for a black camisole. I own one already but it has become very thin over the past year and needed to be replaced. A salesperson reminded me that the entire store was 30% off but I stopped myself when I realized I didn’t want to shop anymore! And I felt like B’s post a few days ago – I don’t wanna shop just to shop.
Newbies
Being able to shop during labor day weekend when there were SO many sales felt a bit risky but I don’t feel like I went overboard. My re-cap makes it sound like all I did was shop but I only spent about 2 hours total. I was pretty focused on what I wanted and didn’t get distracted by things that felt really unnecessary. With the exception of the jacket, which is unseasonal but (ahem) still very practical, I had been thinking about all of these items for a very long time.
In conclusion, HAVING NEW PANTS IS AWESOME : )
– A
Our feelings on shopping again can only be summed up through the display of the world’s greatest dance song and music video (OF ALL TIME, do not challenge us):
A proper update with our weekend purchases to come…
– A + B
p.s. We miss college
K.I.T.,
A+ B
B: Less than 24 hours to go. HOLY s-balls, if I may be so bold to say so. I do not think I would have been able to complete the challenge without the blog to keep me honest. Oh and I think I would have definitely cheated if I hadn’t had my friend Blythe sending me her closet outcasts throughout the year. What was your saving grace? (besides me, of course)
A: Well OF COURSE you were my saving grace. I definitely raked in some great hand-me-downs (thank you, donors – you know who you are). Another saving grace, if you can even call it that, was a bolder approach to mixing and matching my wardrobe in ways that I likely wouldn’t have experimented with when I was shopping. It made me feel more creative! Also, I feel like my style changed more dramatically in this past year than any year before. Did anything change for you style-wise?
B: I definitely noticed a change in your style! It’s far more bold these days – I LOVE! I think on the days that I put more thought into it I definitely threw together combinations that were a little more fun. I did get lazy a lot of the days though. I’m even more worried about that now that I’m in maternity clothes. They tend to be a bit drab. Perhaps I’ll try and buy a few colorful tops to mix it up a bit. Definitely didn’t expect to go the maternity clothes route when purgatory was over!
A:Thanks for the outfit kudos. I’m blushing! I think your style changed a lot as well. Pats on the back all around ; )
I do believe this is the first official pregnancy announcement on the blog. HOORAY FOR BECKY, EVERYONE!! She is going to be a kick-ass mama AGAIN. So exciting!
Maternity clothes shopping does not seem all that exciting, I have to be honest. But you are lucky that you have fashionable friends to borrow from. Once you’re out of maternity clothes I bet the fun shopping will begin again!
B: Well thanks, pal! Yes, maternity clothes can get boring, but I think a lot of it is that you wear the same thing over and over because there is only so much money you want to spend on clothes you’ll wear for 9 months. Kind of makes the big moment feel more like this:
rather than this:
But I will not be thwarted!
So..
“What now?” I’m sure you’re all wondering what we’ll do on the 1st. Mad dash to Union Square? Just another Thursday?
I guess you’ll have to wait and see what the Conscious Closet gals do next… (queue dramatic music, close up on closet and fade to black)
A+B foreva
Conscious Closet 