What I Wanted in February

I’m happy to report I did not want as much things this month and had fewer items on my running “wants” list. But I think most of that was due to the fact that I was still on my Rent the Runway Unlimited subscription. So instead of browsing things I wanted to buy, my time was diverted to browsing things I wanted to rent next. Like I had said in my RTR review post, it doesn’t cure your bad consumption habits but it does provide a good re-direct and helps you from accumulating more items into your closet.

So what did I want to purchase this month? First thing on that list is the Acne Musubi Mini bag (pictured above). If you follow me on Insta-story you know that I’ve been wanting that bag since last Fall (maybe even summer). I did a poll on Insta and most of you were decidedly against me purchasing the bag, but for one reason or another I could not get it out of my mind. Is it because it’s named musubi (like the Japanese rice ball), which is my all time favorite packable lunch and brings back feelings of nostalgia? Would an Acne Studios bag by any other name be just as desirable? Lol, I think yes. Since last year I’ve stalked the bag on other people’s insta accounts (like loveclothblog and noirgio) and have come to love the pillowy look even more.

The second item on my list is the Martiniano Glove Shoe and that popped back onto my radar since writing the post about the winners and losers among my gifted Everlane items. The Everlane Day Glove flats didn’t quite work out for my high arches and high profile feet (though like I mentioned in my gifted Everlane post, I wonder if I shouldn’t just have worked through the pain to see if I could break them in even more than a couple weeks). But when I tried to find reviews to figure out my sizing for these Martiniano Glove shoes and how they compare to Everlane’s Glove shoes I couldn’t find anything (there were only reviews of Everlane’s version from some of the bigger name bloggers). So that really stoked my interest. What are the differences and is spending almost $300 more for the original worth it? (P.S. those of you who follow me on insta stories know I caved and bought them >.< so stay tuned for a comparison review between these Martiniano glove shoes and the Everlane ones).

And the last thing I really wanted this month was this IRO herringbone pea coat which I had originally rented from Rent the Runway. But since it was during the last week of the subscription I only got to wear it once, which made me want to go out and buy it. I was able to find it on eBay here in one size smaller, and I was veeeery tempted to purchase it but decided to hold off.

I had also briefly wanted this Vince coat I rented through Rent The Runway, but that desire got replaced by the IRO herringbone pea coat above. But in the end I decided against buying any winter coats period (my goal is to have less winter coats, not to acquire more) plus I had already purchased my one item for the month: yep it’s the Acne Studios Musubi Mini bag (which I looooove love love, but of course a full review of it will be up after I use it for a bit). I actually purchased it quite early in February (thus you’ve been seeing it on my posts and on Insta) because I found it for about $350 less than retail, secondhand on the RealReal and pounced on it (I’ve been on the look out for this bag via my feeds on TRR app—more about how that works here). I am very happy with my decision and I don’t feel super guilty (ok well maybe just a tad) since I know it was the one item for the month. I guess if you average my spending between January and February, it’s a tad on the high side but I was also able to sell a lot of things on theRealReal and Fashionphile so my net cash flow for the two months is actually positive.

Oh and things that I still want that were on my January list? Just the Mejuri Single Mini Hoop. Funny how you want things so much at the time, but just wait a month and you could care less (and instead you’re actually quite happy you refrained from purchasing in the first place). Guess we’ll see if either the Martiniano shoes, the IRO coat, or the Mejuri hoop will reappear on March’s list! (Also March is my birthday month and my baby’s birthday month—would it be wrong to buy something extra for myself as a birthday/push present gift? Lol, I’m already finding ways to try to bend my new year’s resolution >.<).

Unsponsored Rent The Runway Unlimited Review

So as I mentioned before, instead of purchasing one new (or new-to-me) item to add to my closet for January (my new year’s resolution), I decided to try a one month subscription for Rent the Runway Unlimited. If you’re not familiar with RTR, they’ve long been in the business of renting out dresses for special occasions (weddings mostly or maybe company parties). And I’m not sure when they started, but they also now rent out everyday clothing and accessories in the form of RTR Unlimited. It’s like a lending library of clothes, where you can borrow 4 items at a time with unlimited swaps (so you’re only limited by shipping times but more on that later). You pay a one month subscription fee (I paid $129, it’s usually $159 but right now they’re doing a great promo for $99 with the code FIRSTRTR) and all shipping and cleaning costs are included. I should note that they also have a plan called RTR Update which allows you to rent 4 items for one month (usually for $89 a month but right now for $69). The RTR Update plan could be good if you already know what you want to try and know your sizing, but the RTR unlimited has a lot more flexibility and if you’re experimenting with styles or don’t know your sizing very well, I think Unlimited is the way to go.

Rented Vince coat

Anyway, I decided to try this service because I was in a real style rut for the month of December and January. I was getting to be uber pregnant but I did not want to buy any more clothes. I was basically living in my Gap maternity overalls from eBay and my Elizabeth Suzann Georgia midi dress, and I was getting bored. I’m not sure where I heard that RTR was renting maternity clothes, but once I discovered that I knew I had to try it out. And what a great idea too because why not rent clothes you’ll only wear for a month or two? This is exactly the kind of service that’s needed to keep our closets small and our consumption to a minimum. They have some great maternity brands including Ingrid and Isabel (not the Target diffusion but the original), Seraphine, Rosie Pope as well as a selection of maternity jeans. I wish I had discovered this sooner instead of purchasing items through trial and error (and finding out I don’t like over the belly leggings and over the belly jeans—or any maternity jeans for that matter). Though I did get to try form fitting maternity dresses (like the gray one up top) and realized I don’t like that style at all. And I got to try out several maternity dresses for my baby shower. You can search through maternity wear by trimester, which is a great way to see what they have available for your size.

I think this is also a really great service in the winter time, when you want to change up your winter coats but you don’t want to own 10 different coats. In fact, I’m thinking of possibly selling more of my coats and keeping only a couple of my favorites, then re-subscribing next winter to borrow as many different kind of winter coats as I want. This year I was finally able to try that teddy bear coat trend by renting one, and I didn’t have to feel guilty about the purchasing of a 100% plastic (polyester) trendy coat that I’d have to sell off at Crossroads when it “no longer sparked joy.” Instead I wore it everyday for 2 weeks, got lots of compliments and then sent it back to try a different winter coat. I also realized that as much as I love the trend, it doesn’t really fit in with my own simple/minimal aesthetic and it skews a bit young for me. I did however love a very simple tan Vince winter coat that’s currently on sale TheRealReal (which I’m tempted to purchase but I already wore it for two weeks and do I really need to own it? Probably not). Also if you have holiday parties in the winter, it’s great to do the RTR unlimited for one month to rent both coats and cocktail dresses!

Loved these Ingrid and Isabel faux leather leggings, I rented it for several weeks!

Finally, I think if you’re wanting to experiment with your style but don’t want to buy a lot of different items (or try to get them on the cheap with fast fashion), this service is so great! I never thought I would like brown (being a mostly blue and black neutrals type of person), but I really loved the brown coats I tried. I also experimented with color and more feminine styles (a pink shearling coat! a royal blue dress!) but still didn’t like those styles. And instead of just an at home try on, you can wear it out in public and really get a feel of whether or not this style is “you.”

There are new styles added every week so that makes it fun and fresh. It feels like shopping every time you send your items in and are ready to try something new. You can “heart'“ your favorites so it’s easy to see what you’ve already picked out, and you can also filter your hearts by what’s available to rent. The RTR app is really good at helping you find what you want to rent next and the check out process is super simple. You can also review and rate items easily on the app. But just a note, using this service won’t “cure” you of your overconsumption tendencies if you you’re a shopaholic. And really, it’s just a redirection of your shopping habits, but it will help keep you from accumulating more.

The clothes come clean and freshly dry cleaned and are shipped in a reusable garment bag (good for them for minimizing package waste, though I wish they didn’t have to use those dry cleaner plastic bags but of course the clothes need to be protected in plastic like all shipped clothing). Shipping is via UPS so it’s pretty quick and easy (and all paid for by your subscription fee).

But here are some of the cons with this program:

~ Some of the most popular pieces are worn as heck. They do have a quality control survey at the end of your rental so you can let them know if you thought the item was worn out. But I can see that for their bottom line, they’re going to try to keep the clothes in rotation as long as possible.

~ Their selection of clothes need some improvement. Since they’ve been focused on party and fancy dresses for most of their existence, they have a lot of great options for that. But when it comes to their regular clothes, I would love to see brands like Acne Studios, APC, Doen, Reformation, and maybe some other higher end brands or other trendy brands (and higher end ethical brands like Stella McCartney). I don’t want to rent J.Crew, which is something I could easily buy if I wanted to. In terms of maternity clothing, a higher end line that’s not easily accessible like Hatch would be a great addition. Also because they only have one of each size of everything, sometimes the better brands are rented out all month and you never get a chance to try them.

~ Logistically with shipping times, you can only really enjoy a small number of items a month. It took about a week for turnaround (I shipped items on a Monday and got another shipment the following Monday). So I probably thoroughly enjoyed 3 items during my one month rental period: a Vince coat for 2 weeks, the teddy bear coat for 2 weeks and the Ingrid and Isabel faux leather leggings for 3 weeks. Everything else was tried on and shipped back asap. In some ways going with the RTR Update plan where you rent only 4 items for the whole month might be a better value (as long as you like all 4 items and they fit).

Also wanted to buy this IRO coat >.<

But overall I’m very happy to have tried this service and I think I got what I needed for the $130 I spent. I got to experiment a little, a got a baby shower dress, and I got to fall in love with some brands (Ingrid and Isabel for maternity clothes are really great!). I’ve cancelled my plan for now (which was really easy to do—it just took one email to them) since I’m going to be giving birth and I don’t see myself “dressing up” or going out very much for the next couple of months. Also I look forward to fitting back into some of my more forgiving pre-maternity clothes and getting to rediscover my own wardrobe again. But I will definitely keep RTR in mind the next time I want to try a bunch of things without accumulating new stuff! I should also mention that if you really love something you rented, you can buy it directly from them for about 50% off their retail price. But to be honest if you can find it either online on sale, through TheRealReal (like the Vince coat I like), or through eBay it’s a much better deal since the stuff from RTR gets worn a lot and it’s probably a lot more worn than if you can find it secondhand elsewhere. If you’re interested, this referral link gets you $30 off your first rental (and fyi I will also be getting a $30 off promo code for my next subscription).

Would you guys rent clothes from RTR?

Weekend Update/Ramblings

Found this gem on Insta, lol this is totally ME

I’ve been watching a bit more Netflix recently, knowing that I won’t be watching nearly as much (or at all) once baby comes. I liked Russian Doll (but I’ve always loved Natasha Lyonne and I’m so happy to see her in the main role for once) and also The Breaker Uppers (it’s like a New Zealand Kristen Wiig and a half-Indian Tina Fey in a Bridesmaids type film. It made me lol a couple times, which is rare for me). If you have Amazon Prime, I liked Alex James documentary Slowing Down Fast Fashion (which really didn’t have too much new information for me, but is a great beginner’s guide about fast fashion). I also watched on Amazon Prime Inside the Billionaire’s Closet about the exotic skin and fur industry, and I did learn a lot from that one (it was quite hard to watch at times).

On the FIRE (financial independence, retire early) front, we have our first month (January) of expenses in and having never tracked my spending before I was surprised to learn I was spending a lot more than I thought (well duh, isn’t that always the story). But really, I thought I was being super good because I’m limiting my purchases to just one item a month for the blog (and that was the $130 spent on RTR— and I’ll be reviewing my experience with their service this week). So I was not expecting such a large sum under the shopping category (over $1000), and a lot of that was buying things on Amazon. Granted January was the month of the move ($1000 moving cost alone) and we did buy some supplies and 1 piece of furniture for the house, so I don’t categorize it as needless spending. But it’s still amazing (and a tad disheartening) how the money just flows out even when you’re trying to be thrifty (no fun shopping, zero meals out, and made my husband bring lunch from home most days). I kind of wish I had done a better job at tracking spending when I wasn’t being “good” just so I could see the improvement. Ah well, better late than never.

And this month will also probably be a big spending month since we are finishing up purchasing the rest of the items on our baby registry. Oh and shout out to Henny for being the sweetest and most thoughtful reader, who gifted me with a stroller bag/organizer from my registry! Thank you so much Henny!! Anyway, we’re trying to be super frugal about what to buy, but it’s so hard when there are so many lists, people, marketing materials telling you what you “need” for your baby. We’re trying to be uber conservative and using discounts as much as possible (a lot of places like Amazon and Buybuybaby have a 15% registry completion discount). But well, we knew having a kid was going to be expensive. Luckily we got a lot of hand-me-downs in the clothing department (and we got a stroller from a friend). This timely article about how to save money with kids had some pretty good basic pointers.

Well 2 more weeks til D-day (due date)!

My Best and Worst Designer Bag Purchases {Updated January 2022}

Though my luxury bag obsession has died down a bit in the last couple of years (thanks to being a bit more conscious about my consumption habits and also getting into slow fashion), I’ve still purchased (and sold) a lot of designer bags in my lifetime. So why not share my experience of the 5 worst and 5 best designer bags I’ve ever purchased and used.

Worst

1) Goyard St. Louis GM bag: I reviewed the Goyard St. Louis tote here and even in the review I stated all the things I didn't like about it.  My main gripe was the fragile and floppy canvas.  Also the straps were quite thin and would dig into my shoulder when the tote was filled up (which is something one does with a tote). This tote was only for the brand-name looks. If you’re looking for a cheaper practical workhorse of a tote I recommend Everlane’s Day Market tote or if you’re looking for a more upscale tote but one that’s still practical, I would go with the Celine cabas phantom tote (which is on the “Best” list below). If you absolutely love the Goyard print and have to have one, the PM size might be better since it won’t flop around as much nor can it be weighed down with too much stuff.

2) Loewe Hammock bag (reviewed here): When I got it, I just really loved the unique shape of the bag.  But because it doesn't close very securely (which my mom demonstrated to me once by pick-pocketing me without my knowledge), I was hesitant to use it as much.  You could clasp the inner hooks together but then it becomes a really awkward shape to carry. The flat handles were also not that comfortable if you were carrying the bag on your arm (and the handles were a bit tight so that if you were wearing a coat, you wouldn’t be able to really carry it in that way). Also, if you aren't careful with how you store it, the leather starts to bend in weird ways.  I sold it for about a $200 loss (for about a year of use).

3) Celine Small Trotteur bag (reviewed here): The problem for me is that it was just too small for my needs.  If I wanted a small going out bag, I’d reach more for my Chanel, so this Celine didn’t get used much.  Plus the metal hardware as a closure isn't as secure as I would like. Looked cute but not super functional in the small size.

4) Valentino Glam Lock bag (reviewed here): Sort of the same problem as the Celine small Trotteur, this Valentino bag was just too small.  Also the leather on this is super delicate and fragile, while the studs would poke and damage my other bags adjacent to it in storage (so it had to be stored separately—what a pain).  Also the look of the bag is so specific to a certain time that it can look outdated fast. I ended up selling it through Fashiophile and got a trade-in bag that made the “Best List” below!)

5) Gucci WOC (reviewed here): I was following the crowd on this one, getting the newest "IT" bag.  The construction was meh and I regretted it pretty much as soon as I got it.  I'm glad I sold it fairly quickly so there was still a lot of buzz around the bag, so I didn't lose much money on the purchase.  I think that was the last trendy bag I've purchased and I'm glad I'm finally starting to learn to buy bags for their quality and not for their name.

Best

1) Celine soft Cube Bag (reviewed here): This is the bag that I traded my Valentino Glam Lock Bag for and it was the best bag decision I ever made (I did the trade over at Fashionphile, which sometimes has a soft cube bag now and then). I used this Celine soft cube bag so much that it was my number 3 most used item in 2018 (and I only got it in September). This bag has held up like a champ and you know how I abuse my bags (case in point). I can throw all my essentials into this bag and then some. It’s the perfect size between a small bag and a mid-size one. The top handle straps are easy to use when carrying the bag on my arm and the crossbody strap is convenient for carrying the bag over the shoulder but it’s thin enough to not get in the way.

2) Celine Small Cabas Phantom (reviewed here): This bag was also one of my top 20 most worn items of 2018. This is a really well-made high-end leather tote. The leather is soft but not floppy and it can stand on its own base. I like that you have the option of pulling the straps and tying them to make the bag smaller and more secure. The small size is the perfect size without being too big and the bag itself doesn’t weigh a ton. Hands-down my favorite luxury tote ever. You can usually find a great selection of authentic used Celine Cabas Phantoms at my favorite consignment site, Fashionphile here. If you’re looking for a more affordable but similar option, I recommend Cuyana’s Classic Structured Tote.

Celine Micro Belt

Celine Nano Belt

3) Celine Micro and Nano Belt bag (Micro reviewed here and Nano reviewed here): The Celine belt bag is so nice I bought it thrice, lol. Yep I started with the mini size (the first size to have the crossbody strap—the small size has just the top handle). And when the Micro size came out, I got that one new at the Celine store in Hawaii (that’s the black one in the pics above). As much as I love that size, it still was too big for my everyday needs and ended up weighing a lot more than I wanted to (mostly because I would fill it up, but also because it was just bigger, had more leather to it and thus weighed more). So the following year I upgraded by downsizing to the newest smallest size, the Nano, and I’ve finally found the right belt bag size for me (that was a classic goldilocks story right there lol). As I stated in the review, I love the Nano size because it’s lighter but also because it has a regular clasp for the front (instead of the finnicky hook thing that all the other belt bags have) and the crossbody strap is adjustable. The Nano is harder to find on any consignment site, though Fashionphile usually has a pretty good selection of Micro belt bags here.

4) Fendi By The Way Bag (reviewed here): This is currently the oldest bag in my collection and is probably one of my most practical bags. I love the foldable handles for when I want to carry the bag crossbody and the three compartments on the inside that make finding things super easy. Even though this was never a popular style, I’m never going to give this bag up. And since this was never an It bag, you can find them for really good prices used.

5) Hermes Lindy 30 (reviewed here): This was my “holy grail” bag for a long time even though it’s such an obscure bag (at least for Hermes). I first heard about it through a purseblog or bagsnob post in the height of my bag obsession days. But ever since then I’ve always thought this would be the first Hermes bag I buy. And so two years ago, when I saw a used one at a decent sale price at the Fashionphile I bit the bullet and have no regrets. I love the way the bag slouches like a duffle (thanks to the soft Clemence Taurillon leather). I also love that I can carry it by the handles or sling over my shoulder. It’s surprisingly roomy and can fit a lot of things if I need to. This was the bag that made me realize that even though the Loewe hammock bag above had a similar concept, it just wasn’t the same (and whenever possible it’s best to go with what you really want over some kind of substitute).

So I should note that I obviously have a favorite type of bag and these kinds of bags make up 4 out of the 5 on my “Best” list: it’s the bag with both top handles and a long shoulder or crossbody strap. I love the convenience of these bags because it makes it easy for me to grab things from my bag by holding on to the handles or I like to sometimes carry it on my arm by the handles, but when I want to go hands-free, I can sling the bag over my shoulder. I have other favorite bags, like my classic Chanel flaps (which I use only when going out or special occasions), my Balenciaga work bag (for when I need to carry a lot of stuff), and my Longchamp nylon bags (for travel). But these bags are not my most used bags, instead they each have their specific use case scenario. So of course take this best and worst list with a grain of salt but in general I can attest to the quality of Celine bags (or at least old Celine bags), and would not recommend the Goyard totes, trendy Gucci bags, or delicate Valentino bags.

{Januaury 2022 Update: Here are my best and worst luxury purchases as of 2022, and I also did it for 2021.}

Vince Blair Sneakers Review and 100 Wears Later

I never originally reviewed these Vince Blair slip-on sneakers (similar here) because they’re not particularly ethically made so I thought it didn’t fit within the realm of my blog (though I did do a comparison post about it here and you can see how they first looked brand new). But as a reader reminded me, an ethical closet is not just about buying secondhand or from companies that tout themselves as ethical and sustainable, but it’s also about slowing down your consumption and really using what’s already in your wardrobe. And you want what you have to be durable and worth it, so I really like doing these “100 wears later” posts (the first one was the Everlane Day Market Tote) to showcase how some of my favorite items have lasted. And since starting to use the Stylebook App (since Jan 2018) to keep track of my wear and cost per wear, it’s easier now than ever to see when I reach this 100 wear milestone. So how have these Vince Blair sneakers fared? They’ve held up like a champ!

These are my first pair of Vince shoes but I’ve eyed their shoes in the past (oh and just to note, these run true to size for me. I got these in a 7.5 but I wear an 8 in Everlane and other narrow shoes. But if you have narrow feet I think they run large so you would want to go a half size down). Yet I could never bite the bullet and purchase them because of their somewhat steep prices. But when I found these at a Nordstrom rack (while shopping with a Nordstrom employee so I got even more of a discount), I couldn’t resist! And I’m glad I didn’t because these are my most worn shoes in my closet (other than my Everlane street sandals which are sadly no longer sold). I got a gray pair of Blairs, similar to this one or this one, and they hide the dirt well. Even the white parts of the shoe don’t look that bad. They’re super comfortable to slip on and off, and have a great rubber sole for grip. I wear these without socks and even 100 wear later, there’s no smell (granted I don’t wear them that often in the summer because it can get quite warm and I hate sweaty feet)! The inside are lined with leather and that might be why there are no smells (and definitely why they’re so expensive). The inner leather lining is so luxurious but comfortable and it would be awesome if all slip-on sneakers came this way.

I’ve tried other similar slip-on sneakers, like the M.Gemi Cerchio (reviewed here) and the Rothy’s slip-on sneakers (reviewed here), but none can hold a candle to my Vince Blairs. The M.Gemi ones were too heavy and the Rothy’s are okay but just don’t feel as comfy as the Blairs and they’re also a tad heavier than the Blair.

I also wear my Blair sneakers out in light rain and it does fine (though this might not be true of the ones that are all leather on the outside as well. I think my pair has a synthetic gray material for the top). The elastic pieces make the shoe fitted but not too snug and the inner sole is padded just right so I can walk in them for hours. These have been my go-to shoe especially during the last 6 months of pregnancy because they’re so easy to slip on (no shoe-laces baby) and they have such a great grip so I feel safe walking around them in even the most slippery of situations.

Just like my last 100 wears post, I hope to write another review for these Blairs titled 200 wears later!

Weekend Update/Ramblings

Scene from last weekend’s baby shower, 20 days left till my due date!

In preparation for the baby and thus a decrease in my blog posts indefinitely, I’m writing up some posts ahead of time. I really just want to get a lot of these ideas and posts out before my mind becomes all consumed with all things baby. So to anticipate this maternity leave of sorts I’m going to be shifting my blog post schedule to Tuesday and Thursday (so just twice a week) with a Weekend post on Sundays so that it might be awhile before you get any radio silence on this blog. But I’m sure I’ll be posting snippets on Insta story still if you guys are interested in my life with baby.

Anyway I’ve been reading a lot of great things around the web lately, which I had planned to mention last weekend but I forgot. So here they all are for your viewing pleasure:

Grechen’s post about privilege is a good reminder that we “ethical style” bloggers are extremely privileged to be able to do what we do (to even have the mindspace to be able to think about what we think about and to have the financial security to buy what we want). In Hawaii, we say “If can, can; if no can, no can” lol and I think that applies to us here in that if we can buy better/go vegan/use less plastic we should but if you can’t, you just can’t and there’s no judgement for that. And those that can, need to do more than just buy their way to better. There needs to be action (which I’m still thinking about).

Luxe posted about some tough lessons learned while renting a car without personal auto insurance (but she had coverage through her Chase card). Being in Cali I’ve always had a car and thus car insurance so I never take the rental car insurance. But there’s plenty of good reminders on what to do when you are ever found with rental car damage.

I loved Leah’s truly honest and authentic post about her assumptions: “And so, as a white woman reared in an Evangelical Christian, politically conservative culture, I tend to share "aha" moments and theoretical explorations as they happen to me. I've talked about colonialism, Capitalism, privilege, Christian hypocrisy, ignorance, and humility with a framing that assumes that my reader needs to hear about those things, because, of course, *I* need to hear about those things. But I am now recognizing that my reader can be anyone at all. And sometimes my framing, while useful for an audience that is some iteration of "me," can read as trite to someone who has not only explored these questions in greater depth but may, in fact, have been born into a reality that has forced them to absorb and answer to these negative paradigms since birth. I apologize for assumptions that belittle those experiences.” Dang her writing is so good!

Andrea’s tips on keeping your white/light colored clothes clean looking is so great. I second her high opinion of the Oxiclean Maxforce gel stick and have used it consistently myself to get stains out.

I’m really liking the look of this tie-dye skirt and have even gone so far as to look up how to dye silk in order to try to do a DIY version of this using some Grana silk items I have. But realistically, I don’t think I have time for that.

I was very curious myself of the difference between the Alice & Whittles rain boots with Everlane’s rain boots so I was glad to see Karin do a comparison post of them here.

And finally I love Ceely’s Marvelous Woman Monday series, and this past week she featured an everyday hero who took action to help the homeless in her community.

Rothy's Giveaway Winner

via GIPHY

Happy Valentine’s Day you guys! Just wanted to announce the winner for the $200 Rothy’s gift card is Lisa A (you’ve been notified)!

As for me, I’m just taking a tour of labor and delivery later today and have been busy with a bunch of Kaiser baby classes so no post yesterday and no post tomorrow!

See you guys next week!

Gifted Everlane Items: Where Are They Now?

So I rarely see other bloggers talk about what happens to their gifted items. I guess we are supposed to assume that each piece that we raved about when we first got it, is still an amazing workhorse in our closet. But we all know that’s not true because that’s not true about most items that enter our wardrobe (gifted or not). Also I’m sure bloggers don’t want to look a gift-horse in the mouth (I had to look that idiom up to get it right and what an interesting phrase) and burn bridges with future sponsorship/gifts. Buuuut since I’m not looking for any sponsors or gifts this year I’m going to tell it to you straight: not all the gifts I got from Everlane were a winner. Here’s a list of things I was gifted and what were the winners and losers.

Winners

Everlane Easy Chinos (reviewed here): These were easily my favorite pair of pants from Everlane and I wore them a ton. They made it to my most worn items of 2018 list as well as lowest cost per wear Everlane list. Can’t wait to wear them again post pregnancy!

Polka dot shirt dress (reviewed here): I really love this dress and the cupro material, and the only reason why I stopped wearing it was because the baby bump was making it a tad too short. But again I plan to rock this once my body shrinks back to it’s normal size.

Renew lightweight puffer (reviewed here): This was my last gifted item from Everlane and I’m glad I was able to try it out. I love how lightweight it is but still keeps me warm. I can no longer zip it up currently but that hasn’t stopped me from wearing it layered over sweaters or with a scarf.

Losers

The Academy Blazer (reviewed here): As much as I wanted to love this blazer, I think I just have to admit I’m no longer a blazer-wearing person. Also the shorter style just isn’t as on trend or as cute as the oversized one. I sold this on eBay and kept the $65 to go towards my hospital bills (I was feeling a bit poor at the time so I sold a bunch of things to go towards the hospital bill).

Short Sleeve Popover Shirt (reviewed here): As much as I liked the shirt in theory, I ended up not wearing it as much as I had hoped. I think in the end it reminded me too much of my Episcopalian school uniform (from when I was in K-5) and I never felt stylish in it. Also the collar kept getting makeup on it which is a pet peeve. Also sold it on eBay.

Mixed Bag

Day Glove Flats (reviewed here): I think I was one of the very few people that didn’t love love these flats. Even in the review I disclosed the fact that I ended up selling these (and donated the sale money) due to the fact they gave me blisters. But every time I see a pair on Insta or on a blog I get a twinge of regret and wonder if I should’ve just slapped on some bandaids and worked harder to break them in. I’m debating on repurchasing these or possibly going for the original Martiniano Glove shoes that these are “inspired by.”

Form Bag (reviewed here): This was something I boldly asked Everlane for, without them asking me if I wanted anything that month. And I was super thrilled when they said yes. But I put it in this mixed bag category here because even though I still love it (love how it looks and how I can carry it), I find that I don’t wear it as often as I thought I would. It might be because I’m still sans baby so I can get away with carrying small bags (which I rather do since they’re lighter and don’t get in the way). I’m keeping it around since it’s a great mid-size bag and am hoping it would work as a minimal diaper bag.

What I have left

And I think that’s it. I was gifted about one item per month from about March to October, so a total of 7 items. I’m extremely grateful to have had this partnership, especially when I think about all the winner items I keep wearing on repeat (or will get to wear once baby comes). Currently I’m putting a hold on the partnership since I’m trying to decrease my clothing consumption and also because I don’t want to be buying things for my pregnant body, just in case I don’t wear them once my body settles back to its “regular” shape (in whatever form that’s going to be—I’m trying to keep expectations low lol). So I might hit them up later to see if they’d be interesting in partnering again, but if not that’s okay too. I’m just grateful for the things I did receive!

Weekend Update/Ramblings

If you have Amazon Prime, please do yourself a favor and watch Generation Wealth. It touched on so many topics revolving around how our society views money from the greed culture, porn culture, and the all-around misconception of money (and having more) being the end-all be-all. I’m going to watch it at least one more time because I feel like I haven’t fully absorbed it all yet. And then I’m going to go back to Eckhart Tolle’s New Earth to remember how to overcome that materialistic greed ego within me and to remind myself of what happiness really is (for me that starts with being present with gratitude).

Speaking of gratitude, I’m very grateful for a reader who emailed me this week making me aware of some of the negative self-talk about my body on this blog (e.g. when I say my short stubby legs). I’m pretty self-deprecating in nature and this kind of talk doesn’t really bother me (my legs are short, so what?) but I can see how it’s not healthy nor is it helpful. I do believe in dressing proportionately for my petite stature so I don’t like when clothes cut off at awkward places (like tops right at the hips or midi dresses right at the calves) but I should be aware it’s the clothing and not me. So I just want to apologize to all those who’ve noticed my negative self-talk because I really don’t have anything to complain about (I love my body just the way it is and for the miracles it can do—like make a human for goodness sake). And thanks to K for bringing this to my attention!

Rothy's $200 Giveaway {closed}

via

It’s that time again where I’ve accumulated enough Rothy credit to do another giveaway! My two pairs of Rothy’s (the original points and my newer sneakers) are both going strong so there’s no need for me to get more. So as a thank you to all my readers (and a happy Valentine’s day), I want to pass along the promo code! To enter the giveaway just fill out the form below (one entry per person please). Giveaway ends on Wednesday the 13th midnight and a winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day.

Hatch Maternity Review: Is it really worth it?

Hatch was one of those brands I heard about even before I got pregnant, so when I did get pregnant I decided I wanted to try them out to see what all the hype was about. But have you seen their prices?! Their tops range in the $100s while their bottoms and dresses are in the $200s. And I could not just see myself spending that much on maternity clothes, even if their slogan is For Before, During, and After. Who are we kidding, I won’t be wearing maternity clothes after the baby is born, I’m going to jump back into my Elizabeth Suzann Clydes and Everlane-everything-else. So The RealReal to the rescue (you can read about my TRR purchasing experience here). So by purchasing Hatch items secondhand on TRR, I was able to try out pants and 2 dresses for about $40-$60 apiece.

{Also I should note that I purchased and tried a pair of Hatch leggings that I reviewed (and compared to with Storq, PACT, and Target’s). You can read that review here. I got the Hatch leggings in a size 2 and found that it was a smidge too small for my third trimester body even if they were under the belly leggings and I’m usually a size medium.}

{Wearing: Hatch Nantucket Dress, Everlane Boss Mules (reviewed here), Celine soft cube bag (similar here, reviewed here)}

So I’m not even going to show you the pants because it was dang awful. The fit was bad, the material was bad, everything was bad. But I will show you the two dresses I tried on. First up the striped Nantucket Dress, which I kind of loved until I took outfit shots with it. I’m a bit too short for this dress and it makes my legs look stubby especially from the side and back because of the dipped back hem. Wearing heels would make this dress fit better proportionately but I’m not about to wear heels when pregnant. And since I didn’t love it, back this dress went. But the construction was really good and it was made from a very thick and sturdy 100% cotton material. This particular dress was made in New York and thus presumably made ethically (if following US law) though not all of Hatch’s current items are (more on this below).

The next dress I tried on was an older silk piece from when Hatch was an offshoot of the Hatch founder’s first line, TwoBirds. I’ve noticed that most of the offerings on Hatch currently are blended with plastic (polyester) which makes the garments cheaper to produce. But the prices are still quite high for garments blended with such “fillers”. Since shopping mostly ethical and slow fashion, I’ve really paid attention to fabric content and only buy clothes made of 100% natural fibers (cotton, silk, wool, etc.) since not only does that mean the garment is of a higher quality, but they are also fully biodegradable at the end of its life (100% natural fibers are also more expensive so you’re getting better bang for your buck). There are very few pieces in Hatch’s current collection that’s 100% silk so I jumped at the chance to try this very old Hatch piece from The RealReal.

I would say the silk quality here is pretty good, at about the same level as Cuyana’s silk items (but not as good as say Elizabeth Suzann’s silk). This item was also made in New York. But I’ve noticed that many pieces from Hatch’s current collection are no longer made in New York, and instead are made in China (so I don’t get why such the high prices like this dress, the one Meghan Markle wore). A polyester viscose dress made in China at most cost them around $30 to make (loosely based on Everlane’s transparent pricing of their triacetate dress here), so charging over $200 seems excessive.

Anyway I liked this silk dress for the interesting details of the sleeves and the quality of the silk even though the overall shape isn’t the most flattering. But layered with some of my other ethical pieces, I was able to transition it in a winter outfit below:

{Wearing: Grana cropped cashmere (sold out, similar), Hatch silk dress, PACT leggings (reviewed here), Vince Blair Sneakers (similar), Celine Soft Cube Bag (similar, reviewed here)}

So would I recommend Hatch clothing for expecting mothers? No, to me it’s not worth the price. Like I said before getting it secondhand makes it slightly more worth it, but I think there are other maternity clothes designers out there that produce better items at better prices (especially since Hatch is not necessarily producing their items in a social or environmentally responsible way—which you know is important to me). I think when you buy something from Hatch, you’re paying a lot for the brand name and not for the quality and design of the product. Stay tuned for another review of a maternity brand that I liked much better and found to be of a better value!

Have you guys tried Hatch and what did you think?

Everlane Try-On: The Cashmere V-Neck Midi Dress

First of all, I just want to say please excuse the quality of the photos in this post. I had just gotten out of the hospital and was preparing for a big move so I didn’t really have time to style photos or even do makeup (thus the headless shots). I hope to be getting back to better quality photos soon. Anyway I had ordered this cashmere V-neck midi dress from Everlane back in November because I wanted a warm and stretchy dress. I sized up to a medium to accommodate the growing bump but I feel like I could have gotten away with the small (it just would have been more form fitting). Also because of the bump the midi length gets shortened a little to be just below the knees for me, which I think is a good length for this kind of dress. Without the bump, the dress would probably be more of a true midi length and thus make my legs look stumpier without heels (though the pointed flats of my favorite Everlane Boss Mules helps lengthen the leg a little).

So why is this post just a try-on and why didn’t I keep it? In the end I decided that the size was a tad too large and I wasn’t sure I would wear it post pregnancy. Also a dress like this has very limited layering options and it’s just too warm for California winters. If I got overheated in this I would just have to grin and bear it. So as much as I love the look and feel of this sweater dress, the prudent thing to do (especially if I’m trying to keep my closet minimal this year) was to send it back. This might be better for those who have to brave snowy winters and frigid temperatures.

Anyway that’s the last Everlane review for awhile since I’m on my one-purchase-a-month resolution now. But I still have some other reviews left from my last December purchases. Also moving away from the clothes-reviewing-posts has helped me come up with some future posts that I think you’ll find interesting and helpful (I hope), so stay tuned for those!

Weekend Update/Ramblings

Happy February y’all! Did January feel as long for you as it did for me? It’s hard to believe that just a month ago I was in the hospital discussing with doctors about the potential for an early C-section delivery. And since then we’ve moved to a new city and I’m looking at a C-section on my actual due date. I feel so very grateful on how things have turned out thus far. The C-section is scheduled for about a month from now and sh*t’s getting real! I have a ton of appointments and education classes lined up with Kaiser, so I’m lucky to live only 5 minutes away (for the week of Feb 11 alone I have appointments scheduled on 4 out of the 5 weekdays, including a tour of labor and delivery on Valentine’s day-lol how romantic). Also recently I got my style groove back, despite feeling like an absolute whale, thanks to Rent the Runway (more about that at the bottom of this past week’s post here). I’ve come to realize, it doesn’t really matter what your shape is, there’s ways to be stylish no matter what and it’s just about having the mindset to try and care. And no it doesn’t pay to care all the time but making an effort once in awhile is a good mood booster, especially when you feel like you’re in a rut.

On the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) front, we’ve really worked to cut down on our spending despite the move and buying a couple new pieces for the new apartment. But we didn’t get much, just a shoe bench and some shelves from Wayfair. We also installed some light fixtures we got from Lowe’s and it’s made a huge difference in the space. We realized too that it’s worth spending some money on things that you use daily (like light fixtures) and save in areas that are temporary/intangible (eating out, movies, etc.). Now we’re looking into investing our savings into ETFs/mutual funds that will give us that 7% annual return (the cornerstone of FIRE). Also we recently watched this video to keep the FIRE inspo going.

Some inspiration from Instagram this week:

I like the message and all, but then when it comes to what are some actionable steps (which I asked in the comments but didn’t get a response), I’m kind of at a loss. I guess it takes political activism but I’m not too sure where to start and voting alone is not enough. I did look up how to reduce income inequality and really it’s all about policies, changing laws and tax systems—all of which the US is currently not doing.

Some things I read this week: This post by Jess for Less is a great primer in thrifting and this article about the Kardashians makes me sad/angry (imagine if they put their power behind sustainable or ethical fashion instead of items that fuel fast fashion).

Maternity Leggings Review: Storq vs Hatch vs PACT vs Target vs Uniqlo

L to R: Uniqlo, Target, PACT, Hatch, Storq

Since the majority of my pregnancy is during the Fall, Winter and Spring months I needed some leggings to keep me warm under dresses (I’m just not a fan of maternity pants/jeans, though I did purchase a pair of overalls that act as go-to my jeans). I’ve just been on a waistband ban since pretty much the beginning of the pregnancy and have been wearing dresses as long as I could get away with them. But with the cold weather I need some leggings and so I tried a bunch out, both maternity and not. And here’s a comprehensive review of them all:

First of all there are two kinds of maternity leggings: over the belly and under the belly types. Over the belly is great when you want a bit of extra warmth and support around your mid-section. But for me personally, I like the under-belly types since I’m just not a fan of anything putting pressure on the belly. Also some leggings can technically be worn alone as pants, but the ones I wanted were more like opaque tights that I could wear under dresses. So without further ado…

Storq Basic Leggings ($60) made of 92% modal and 8% spandex

For a full review of them, go here. But a quick summary: these are great over the belly leggings if you’re tall (at least 5’6” and above). Otherwise the legs are way too long and the torso portion comes up to right under my bra (and there’s a seam that goes up that irritated my belly every time I wore them). However if you are tall and are looking for a pair of super soft, stretchy, fully opaque and ethically-made over the belly leggings these are probably your best bet.

Hatch Premium Leggings ($128) made of 88% nylon and 12% lycra

These are under the belly leggings that are thick enough to wear alone as pants if you choose to do so. They run a tad small and the size 2 (medium) was a bit tight for me though I’m normally a medium. I also found that the waistband folds and bends, which is a pet peeve of mine. At $128 these are the most expensive of the bunch, and I think the worst value. They weren’t the softest and I found they had a bit of a scratchiness to them. They are however made in New York and so if we assume they are following all US laws (and why not), then they are ethically made and workers are paid a fair wage. This is also presumably why they are the most expensive.

PACT Leggings ($30) made of 92% organic cotton and 8% elastane

These are not maternity specific leggings but since I knew I was looking for some under the belly leggings, I thought these might work. So I purchased them in a large (I’m regularly a medium) and I think they work fine. Since they are on the thicker side, you can wear them as stand alone pants and they are fully opaque. I did find the large were a bit too big in the leg area for me and they bagged a bit, but they weren’t too long (I’m 5’4”) so they’re probably too short for those who are a bit taller and want to keep their ankles covered. As for me, I found them to be the perfect length and they hit right at the ankles. The seams are a bit more noticeable than the Storq leggings and the PACT leggings aren’t as soft as the Storq ones, but for half the price I found them to be of pretty good value. So far these have held up great though I’ve heard mixed reviews about these leggings and some people have found that they don’t last very long (I personally don’t wear leggings all that often, maybe about once a week max and these aren’t my favorite so I’m probably not wearing them more than once a month right now).

Target Isabel Maternity Leggings by Ingrid & Isabel ($20) made of 87% polyester and 13% spandex

I decided to try these undoubtedly unethical line of leggings because after doing some research on the internet, a couple of mommy forums were raving about how great these leggings were. And as much as I wanted to stick to ethical clothing during my pregnancy, I wanted to keep an open mind about what’s out there (who knows, maybe the cheapest option really is the most comfortable). Well even though these leggings promised to be seamless they weren’t. I definitely felt the large seams running up and down my leg and that made it uncomfortable. Also I tried both the over the belly and under the belly versions of these and both were too long in the legs for me. The material for these were the most athletic and had a sheen to them, which is not what I was looking for in my leggings. In the end I returned them and at least I know I wasn’t missing out.

Uniqlo Heat Tech Leggings ($14.90) made of 38% polyester, 32% acrylic, 21% rayon and 9% spandex

So these were my go-to pair of leggings I was wearing under dresses and skirts pre-pregnancy and are several years old. I don’t know why I just didn’t try these out first since I already had them, but for some reason I had it in my head that maternity leggings had to be over the belly. Only after trying out the various leggings up top did I realize that I, one, dislike over the belly leggings and that, two, these heat tech leggings worked just as well during pregnancy (I just have to roll over the waistband a couple times to make them fit under the belly). And this was the most ethical and cost-effective solution since I’ve already had these for several years. Too bad I only discovered this after already going through all the ones above facepalm.

Ah well so lesson learned: try what you have first (the first lesson in ethical closets, right?). So that’s what I recommend: if you already have a favorite pair of leggings, see if they work for you by rolling the waistband to make them under the belly leggings (especially if you’re only briefly pregnant in the winter/spring months). If not, then depending on your height and what you may need I recommend either the Storq ones or the PACT ones.

P.S. I’ve just recently tried these faux leather leggings from Ingrid and Isabel (through Rent the Runway Unlimited and these are not the Target line but their own branded leggings) and I have to say I love these under the belly leggings. They’re very thick and warm and if you’re wearing a maternity tunic, it’s sort of like wearing pants. The medium size is very true to size and fit me perfectly. If you’re looking for something that’s a bit more than your regular ‘ole leggings I highly recommend these!

What I've Been Wanting In January

So as I had said I would in my New Year’s Resolution post, I collected all the things I’ve been wanting to buy this month and instead of impulsively buying anything, I waited and am allowing myself to buy one thing at the end of the month. Well this is my list for January:

(from the picture above, starting from the top and going clockwise)

J&M Davidson Gabby bag: Love this simple, clean looking bag in beige. I had never heard of this British brand before but stumbled upon them on Instagram. I love their quality-looking bags and the fact that their bags are lined in napa leather (something only high end designers usually do). But by waiting til the end of the month to purchase (and not sure I would have purchased anyway since they are not transparent about their production methods and ethics) it’s now sold out. So I’m glad I don’t have to think about that one anymore.

Tome Striped Shirt from The RealReal: I heard of TOME through a blog post about high-end sustainable brands and it really piqued my interest in their environmentally and socially conscious business. Plus I’m a sucker for stripes and so this quite affordable shirt from The RealReal has been on my wishlist this whole month. But I’m a little hesitant to pull the trigger since I really don’t want to be buying clothes for my current prego figure, only to not have it work out later this year. So I’m going to hold off.

Article & Goods No B2 bag: I also stumbled upon this leather camera bag whilst on Instagram (this is why Insta is so bad if you’re trying not to consume so it’s a good thing I have my resolution in place). This is a unisex brand, based locally in San Francisco, while all their leather goods are handcrafted consciously in China. I definitely fell in love with the brand’s mission and the founder’s story (his mother was a garment factory worker). Because of their small production practices, all their items have been sold out all month so that saves me as well.

Mansur Gavriel Ocean bag: So I no longer own any MG bags, but that doesn’t mean their newer styles like this Ocean bag (and most recently the mini travel bag below) doesn’t turn my head once in awhile. I probably won’t seriously buy anymore MG bags but I can still admire them from afar.

Mejuri Single Mini Hoop: So I’ve started wearing huggies on my ears since it’s the most comfortable earring to wear when side sleeping (thanks to pregnancy). I’ve been wearing these gold and diamond huggies I got in December from Saks Off Fifth but I have a second hole on my left ear lobe that could use this Mejuri single hoop. I think the plain gold along with the diamond and gold huggie would be a cute combo. Also this single hoop is so affordable for 14k gold (granted it’s tiny). Plus this fairly transparent brand has been on my radar for so long (due to ethical influencers) and I really want to give them a try.

So what did I buy?

None of these!

What?!

I know! This exercise in waiting and collecting a list of things to buy has really helped from impulsively purchasing anything. It’s kind of amazing. And yes I still want some of these things (like the earring and the Article & Goods bag), but I can wait. So instead of buying any of these things I decided to spend $120 for a Rent The Runway Unlimited subscription for a month (right now they’re going for even cheaper, for $99 darn it!). I decided to try out this service because in my ultra prego state (8 months + fibroids that make me look like I’m carrying twins) I’ve only been wearing 2 things: my maternity denim overalls from Gap and my Elizabeth Suzann Georgia Midi dress (what a lifesaver!). And in general I felt like I’ve been in a style rut, but I’m not about to splurge on new clothes. So what better than to rent, and RTR offers rental of maternity clothes! Anyway once I’ve tried out the service, of course I’ll be doing a review and will let you know if it’s worth it.

So how’s your new year’s resolutions going? For those doing the #byebuychallenge on Insta, were you able to go without buying?

P.S. Also I was tempted by Everlane’s texture cardigan this past week, which I wrote about in my weekend update. I’m actually really glad I set this resolution into place because I feel like the cardigan would have been something I really wanted in theory but would not have worn as much in practice.

Ethical Chambray Shirt Round-up

A round-up like this is a first for me on this blog, but since it was requested by a new reader I thought “Why not?” (so Dr. Nguyen, this one’s for you! lol). But actually I found this to be a fun exercise in really flexing my ethical brand knowledge. After years of personally reviewing ethical brands and reading other blogs that review these brands, I even surprised myself with how many great brands I could talk about here. Now I normally don’t feature items I haven’t tried on myself, however these are all ethical brands that I’m either familiar with or have seen other bloggers’ reviews of them and they have all been vouched for by trustworthy sources. I’m not much of a chambray shirt person myself (or a button-down shirt kind of person in general) but if I were in the market to buy one, these are the ones I’d look at:

Everlane

Duh, I have to start with what I know best. I haven’t personally tried this particular Relaxed Jean Shirt ($60) but I’ve tried a ton of other Everlane’s button-down tops and can vouch for their generally good quality (especially when it comes to their cotton and linen versions, not so much their old silk versions). This is a chambray shirt at its simplest and most classic form.

Tradlands

Another tried and true ethical company that gets a lot of attention in the ethical blogosphere is Tradlands and their version of the chambray shirt is called The Clare ($167). I’ve tried their items in the past and really loved the quality of their cotton button-down shirt (reviewed here). Yes the tops are pricey, but the quality is unbeatable and so is their attention to detail. Also here’s a great review of some of Tradlands tops from Andrea, one of my favorite bloggers. P.S. If you’re an XXS you can score a great used one on Slowre right now!

Power of My People

I haven’t personally tried this ethical Canadian brand but I’ve heard a lot of good things about them from numerous bloggers, and have been tempted get something from them myself. Their version of the chambray shirt, called The Wordsmith ($85.84), is a beautiful steel blue color though not a traditional chambray look. They also have a chambray-looking shirt called The Pillar ($139.30) that’s actually 100% linen and probably a great summer option. Though I can’t personally vouch for this brand, all these trustworthy and excellent bloggers can: Lee from Style Bee, Grechen from Grechen’s Closet, and again Andrea from Seasons+Salt.

Bridge and Burn

I really love this ethical, small-production Oregonian brand and I’ve been a past Bridge and Burn customer so I can vouch for the quality of their items. I personally purchased a dress in this material (reviewed here) and love it for the summer. It was super lightweight, soft, yet felt durable. It’s not your traditional chambray material but this Japan-made fabric is not only of premium quality but also a fun take on the usual chambray.

ABLE

If you’re looking for a short-sleeved version then look no further than ABLE’s (note: this referral link is for $20 off) classic chambray shirt called the Pilar Popover ($98) made in Mexico. I haven’t yet tried this brand though they’ve been on my radar for quite some time now and I’ve been itching to get something from them (I probably will this year, but since I’m on my one-new-item-only-per-month resolution, it’s probably going to be later in the year). I love that this company focuses on creating jobs for women in developing countries and their products are pretty classic as well. Some bloggers that have reviewed them include Caroline from Un-Fancy, Lee from Style Bee and Andrea from Seasons+Salt.

kowtow

If you’re looking for another untraditional take on the chambray shirt then kowtow has a really sleek looking black version for sale on their site right now ($109). Kowtow is an ethical brand I heard of through Grechen of Grechen’s closet and they’re a bit more obscure though upscale. You can also find their stuff on ASOS or on the Garmentory. They like to use high-quality organic materials and are very transparent about their production practices in other countries (mostly India). I can’t wait to add a kowtow piece to my wardrobe this year (like this dress or this dress) but probably post pregnancy!

Anyway I hope you enjoyed my first ever round-up. I know I enjoyed the challenge. I kind of felt like someone’s online ethical style consultant/online personal shopper. If you guys don’t have the time or just don’t want to do the research about an ethical option for an item, I’m open to suggestions for more round-ups! Just leave a comment below or let me know on Insta :)

Weekend Update/Ramblings

It’s been 1 week since the move and we’re still living in boxes but otherwise I feel good. I love our new apartment and how cozy it feels. Also our new location is fairly convenient and I can walk to a lot of places if I wanted to. I look forward to exploring my neighborhood more this year! Also another aspect of apartment living that I’ve noticed recently is the whole elevator vibe thing, which is new to me since I haven’t lived in an apartment complex in a long time nor in one this big. As an introvert I would rather not see anyone in the elevator, but even a brief pleasant exchange, a smile or hello with your apartment mates in the elevator can really lift the spirit. While being in an elevator with unfriendly or unhappy people can also send out a negative or heavy vibe (which I most likely encounter during the hours of 6-7pm from tired people coming back from work). What interesting social creatures we humans are, lol.

Anyway as you can see this is going to be more of a rambling post than anything. So please excuse me while I ramble on about Everlane’s texture cotton cardigan (aka the babaa knock-off). When I first saw this in their Coming Soon preview I was like “uh-oh, this is going to conflict with my new year’s resolution of only 1 new closet item at the end of the month.” Because of course who wouldn’t want the cheaper version of the cardigan that every ethical closet blogger has? But after reading Karen’s review, I’m not so sure I would have loved it. First of all it is 27% nylon (so over a quarter of it is made of plastic—I guess Everlane’s promise of no new virgin plastic in their products really is going into effect 2021 and they’re in no rush to make changes just yet), which I know is to keep the costs down and would help retain the sweater’s shape when using cheap cotton. But it is an inferior product to the 100% premium cotton babaa knits made with consciously harvested spanish cotton. Also at the end of its life, the babaa one is fully biodegradable since even the buttons are made of recycled cotton fiber, while you know that the over-quarter-plastic Everlane one will not fully biodegrade). Anyway I’ve been lucky enough to try the babaa cardigan before (thank you West Coast Craft) and I can attest to the quality of these really heavy cotton knits.

I can see how an item like this gives Everlane a “fast-fashion” reputation because right now they seem pretty Zara-like when it comes to this cardigan. And yes even though the styling looks the same, the cardigans themselves don’t look the same (the Everlane one looks flimsier and thinner). It seems to me that the whole point of buying ethically is to buy less but better (consume slowly and consciously), but this cardigan is just a substitute for those who want the look of the trend. If you really were going to consume ethically, then wouldn’t saving up all your pennies to buy the one coveted cardigan you’ve always wanted and that you’ll treasure forever be the way to go? You know the babaa sweater is not going to be in the donation pile anytime soon. But I get it, not everyone can spend several hundred dollars on one item of clothing (especially if its a trend or if they don’t know it will suit them). Also I can see the merit of the Everlane sweater being thinner so less bulky than the babaa one (I personally passed on the babaa at the time because I thought it was too bulky). Well it seems a bit of a gray area to me but I do expect to see this cardigan pop up more on Insta and other blogs and for it to be sold out in a month. Also if it weren’t for my resolution I know I would have tried this out to review so who am I to judge?

P.S. I found this post about the ethics behind purchasing fast fashion secondhand and liked some of the issues it raises. What do you think: is it ok to buy secondhand fast fashion?

My Unsponsored Experience Selling/Consigning with The RealReal Part 2: Commission, payments, and how it compares with selling on Fashionphile

So Part 1 of this post can be found here. This is a continuation because otherwise it would be one darn long blog post.

Ok so once your items reach the warehouse, they’re evaluated and processed. Jewelry takes a bit longer since a GIA specialist takes the time to look at each item. Clothes are processed much faster. And like I said in the last post, all selling prices are determined by them, so really only sell things you don’t care about. For my clothes, I had a current/elliot button down that I couldn’t sell that I got $26 for (this is the take home amount) and a Tory Burch dress I bought at crossroads for $42 sold for $80 so I got $40. So yep, they initially take a 50% commission off of what you consign (yikes, I know!). Only when you sell $1500 worth of stuff with them (of which you see $750), will your take home percentage bump up to 60% (so they take 40%). For items that they sell for over $1000, they take only 30% (which is great if you have valuable jewelry or purses—this is a standard commission rate across most consignment sites for high value items, including Fashionphile). I was able to surpass the $1500 in sales (since I was selling mostly jewelry), so my commission rate is now down to 40% but I have to reach $10,000 in sales for it to bump down to 30% (highly unlikely). But that 40% commission rate is good until 11/30/20. So you can see how they incentivize you to consign with them.

Oh and I should note for jewelry, unless it’s a well-known brand they will sell your items for much less than what you initially paid for them (I know this since I also decided to sell some items of jewelry that I purchased myself and regretted since I never wore them). But like I said, it’s better to have some cash in the pocket than to see these unused pieces staring back at you from your jewelry box. Of course if I still had the receipt and box for a piece of jewelry purchased from a reputable site (like Blue Nile), I was able to sell them via my eBay shop and recoup much more of the initial cost.

Payments

So payment happens at the 15th of the following month. I chose to be paid by check, though now you can do direct deposit (which wasn’t an option when I started selling them last year). Also, if you shop a lot TRR, you can choose to receive it as TRR credit and get 5% more of your selling price. That might be something I try out when I have a fairly low selling month (but for now I want the cold hard cash lol). The checks are cut in a timely manner and everything has been going fairly smooth.

Except…

Some of my jewelry items I sent in November were held in limbo by quality control. So for the longest time I saw two pendants and a ring not move along in the process. I finally contacted a consignment rep after a month and she has been able to push TRR team to get it processed. And she’s been periodically updating me through email which has been great (they finally are listed 6 weeks after arrival to their warehouse). And they gave me site credit for $50 because of the inconvenience so I’m pretty happy. So no, things weren’t 100% smooth but I don’t have any major complaints.

If your item doesn’t sell at all and you’re ready to take it back, you can just email their customer service and let them know you’d like the item returned. They pay for return shipping back. I have one rag & bone top listed since October so I might give it a couple more months before taking it back and tying my luck at Crossroads.

So how would I compare selling to Fashionphile (my other favorite consignment site)? Well if you’re selling a purse or designer jewelry, even though Fashionphile’s initial photo submission process is a bit more of a pain, at least you know what your payment will be before you send your item in. So you can make the choice whether or not it’s worth it to sell it. But with TRR, it’s really a crapshoot, and you’re most likely going to be way underpaid. Also Fashionphile will pay you as soon as they receive your item since they outright buy your item if it’s less than $5000. So for my high end designer items, I would go with Fashionphile (if I choose not to sell on my eBay store). But if you’re selling clothes or unbranded fine jewelry that you don’t really care about and just want to get some money for (and you don’t have an eBay store), then I would go with TRR. It’s convenient, easy, and about 80% of my stuff sold within the first 2 weeks. For anyone looking for an easy way to get rid of their stuff and earn some cash, TheRealReal is a great option!

My Unsponsored Experience Selling/Consigning with The RealReal Part 1: Why and How

So I’ve talked about purchasing from TheRealReal here (overall it’s a great way to buy some designer preowned stuff, despite the exorbitant shipping and returning fees). But what is it like selling on TheRealReal? I decided to test the waters for you guys so you don’t have to (and by the way this is not sponsored in any way).

But let me just first note that I’m a long time eBay seller and have sold most of my stuff on this platform (including really expensive bags) since 2005. And because I work hard to have a 100% rating with over 1000 reviews, I’m a pretty trusted seller. So my go-to will always be eBay first to sell items since they take the least amount of commission (about 10-15% depending on what you’re selling). Also I’ve sold a purse with Fashionphile before and you can read my experience with that here.

So why would I bother consigning with TRR? Well first I’ve been very lucky to have been handed down some fine jewelry from my mom and aunts, but they have no sentimental value for me. They pass it on to me to alleviate their own guilt of purchasing jewelry that they ended up not wearing. And I don’t want to be carrying around these items with me forever for no good reason other than that they’re worth something. For awhile I was taking it to my jeweler as scrap metal but the value I got from that was so pitiful that it really was a waste (part of the value of jewelry comes from the workmanship the jeweler puts into it). So then I decided to sell in on TRR, especially since I didn’t know the value of these items (are they 14k gold? 18k gold? is that a white sapphire or a diamond or just a crystal?). Since I didn’t have that info, listing through eBay would have been difficult. I also decided to sell some clothes that just weren’t moving on my eBay store. TRR has a much larger market than my one eBay shop so I figure why not try and see if it sells there.

So how does it work?

Well I like to use the app version of TRR for both my buying and selling (it’s a great app!). Just go to the consign tab on the bottom right and start listing what you want to consign (I use the self-service “Ship To Us” option instead of an appointment). All you have to fill out is the brand of the item (this is also where you will find out which brands TRR sells and which they will not. If your brand is not listed in their drop down menu, they don’t accept it). For fine jewelry you can select unbranded. Then you just select what kind of item it is and add item to the list.

Once you’ve added all your items, you submit your name and address and they will email you a packing list and free shipping label. Then you have to pack up your own items in whatever box you have lying around, stick the label on, and drop it off at your nearest UPS store. It’s super easy! (For awhile it was so easy I kept going through my jewelry drawer every week and finding more things to part with and sent off 4 shipments in November, probably wasting their shipping costs but hey they charge me an arm and a leg when buying. But also I wanted to break up the shipments in the off-chance that one of them went missing; I didn’t want all that valuable jewelry to get lost—but everything made it to their warehouse fine).

Anyway once it gets to their warehouse, it will show up as shipments received and they will send you periodic emails letting you know when your items are being processed. In the meantime usually a consigner rep will call and email you to see if you have any questions (I avoided all their calls but they’re readily available through email). So if anything doesn’t meet their standard (clothing with stains or jewelry that’s either too scratched up, made of less than 14K gold, or made from sterling silver—they only take brand name jewelry made of sterling silver like Tiffany’s) they will take the time to ship the item back to you for free.

Also they set all the prices so just be prepared to be low-balled. And yes sometimes the prices don’t make sense (but that means as a TRR buyer you can snag some real deals). But if these are items you wouldn’t have been able to sell yourself anyway, getting anything for them would be a win right?

If you’re still interested, part 2 is here and it details their commission structure, some of the difficulties I’ve had with them, and how it compares to selling with Fashionphile.

Weekend Update/Rambling

moving the dogs, lol

We made it! We’ve officially moved to Walnut Creek (on the fringes of the East Bay in the Bay Area). We’re still currently living out of boxes and getting used to apartment living. But we looooove apartment living—it’s like living in a trailer (which we did up until just last year), but with 5x the space. Yet, it’s not the 2000 sq feet of the house we just moved out of that was frankly too big for us. And even though we downsized, because of our many moves into and out of trailers, our actual trash and goodwill pile was quite minimal (which I was proud of). But the actual number of boxes and belongings we moved with us definitely does not qualify us as minimalist. So even after 3 years of trailer living, I can fill a walk-in closet and then some (also thanks to 2018 being the year of careless spending and gifted items). Time to downsize mindfully which for me means 1) selling it on eBay or on my closet sale page, 2) selling it through TheRealReal (which if you’re interested, I’ll be detailing for you the whole process this week), 3) selling it at Crossroads, 4) Donating, 5) cutting it up and making it into rags (in that order). I know everyone and their mom is Marie Kondo-ing their stuff right now and many are not in the market to buy (hello #byebuychallenge) so we’ll see how all the selling goes. Also note to self, not moving again for at least 5 years! I’m tired of moving!

Also I’m so glad we made it to Walnut Creek because now I’m okay with delivering the baby at any time now. We were worried that if I had another bleed episode before the move I’d have to deliver in San Jose and then our baby would be stuck in the NICU in San Jose (and we’d have to temporarily live back in SJ). But now everything’s set and I have all my doctor’s appointments lined up at Walnut Creek. It’s such a weight off my shoulders!

Anyway, no post tomorrow since it’s MLK holiday here in the US. But if you entered my Outdoor Voices promo giveaway (today’s the last day to enter), I’ll be emailing you with your $20 off codes but no announcements will be made in this space. Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend and see you on Wednesday!