I had been reflecting on my expensive purchases of last year and I thought I would do a brief recap of what I thought were the best and worst purchases. The last time I did this was about one and a half years ago (My Best and Worst Luxury Purchases of 2021—and I still stand behind those choices except maybe for the Apple Watch which I don’t use as much anymore 🤦🏻♀️). Anyway without further ado, here are my best and worst luxury purchases as of 2022.
The Best
The Row cashmere sweater: I purchased this secondhand from the RealReal (current selection of The Row cashmere sweaters here) and my love for it is still going strong. As I said in the review, this is probably the best (ie the thickest) cashmere sweater I own and I can see why ultra rich women go ga-ga over The Row. I will never part with this sweater and I plan to wear this into my senior citizen years (and I truly believe it will last until then—as long as I take care of it).
Secondhand jewelry from the RealReal (Opal Ring for Anniversary and Tourmaline ring for Mother’s Day): This past year I’ve been stalking the RealReal for secondhand jewelry to mark special occasions. The RealReal has a great jewelry selection, and all of it has been verified by GIA qualified gemologists. I no longer purchase as many items from Etsy as I used to because some of those sellers (knowingly or not) do not sell what they say they are selling. Now I stalk the RealReal and then tell my husband what I’ve been eying for those special occasion gifts. And he loves it because most of the time he gets a real bargain.
The Curated Tailored Coat and The Curated Classic Coat: I always get compliments when I wear my coats from The Curated, and I can see why: they truly look ultra-luxe (like the kind from Max Mara and such). But at 10% of the cost, The Curated coats are such a great value. They’ve become the workhorses of my wardrobe and I never tire of wearing them. And my Classic Coat from last year, which I wore all winter and spring, looks as good as the day I got it. Seriously if you want a quality coat I would look no further than The Curated.
Vintage Raymond Weil Tank Watch from the RealReal: The main reason I don’t wear my Apple Watch anymore is because I got this Raymond Weil one from the RealReal. I just love the classic look and its easy to read numbers (lol I’m getting old 👵🏻). And I also love the great deal I got on it!
Hermes Azap Wallet from Fashionphile: Since this was a recent purchase I could still be in that “honeymoon phase,” but I really love this wallet. It’s not flashy, but since it’s made by Hermes it’s hands-down the highest quality wallet I’ve ever owned. It functions as it should, while the leather is durable and hasn’t stretched out even though I sometimes stuff my phone (with popsocket) in there. I would never buy this new, but it’s really worth it for a used wallet. And it’s been such a joy to use everyday.
Worst
Hermes Evelyne III PM bag: From my best Hermes purchase to my worst. Is this possibly in the worst category because I paid top dollar (ie bought it brand new) but then didn’t love it? Yep, probably. I might have loved it more if it was secondhand or in a different leather type (as I go over in my review). But alas, it was not love and so I sold it for a loss. And I guess it just goes to show, even though it’s an Hermes, it’s not always the best.
Augustinus Bader Soothing Cream: I love my Augustinus Bader Rich Cream but sadly I do not love the slightly more expensive Soothing Cream. Honestly it does nothing for me. I’m currently trying to use it up since I can’t let it go to waste, so I’m layering it with the Augustinus Bader Face Oil (which I like and will review soon). But do I wish I had spent the money on the Rich Cream instead of the Soothing Cream? You bet I do.
Rudy Jude Day Blouse: I purchased this secondhand from an Instagram friend, and I’m glad I did because I would have been quite disappointed had I purchased this blouse new for $250+. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I don’t see the value in Rudy Jude. I mean I understand their clothes are made ultra-ethically (in LA, with plant-based dyes, etc.). But there’s a lot of other brands doing similar things and their price range isn’t in the $200-$300 range for a top. I dunno, but it just feels elitist to me (lol does this make me a hypocrite for saying that as I talk about bags in the $3k range? Yea probably). I guess people value what they value, and I personally don’t see the value in Rudy Jude.
And that’s it. I feel pretty lucky that I only had several items that fell into “The Worst” category this time. I do think it’s because I’m slower to buy new things, and I usually purchase things secondhand (which somehow makes it better because expectations are a bit lower than with brand new things). Anyway I hope to keep up the mindful purchasing and we’ll see what next year’s list looks like!