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Purchases for the month of July. Shopping whilst travelling is always inevitable, and before leaving for Europe I put together a wishlist of things that I wanted to pick up or that were missing from my wardrobe. While I didn't manage to get everything that I had on my wishlist, I did manage to tick a number of boxes.

In a somewhat curious event, I managed to come home with a suitcase lighter than the one I went over with (having taken over a few things for my parents), which should give an indication of how little I actually did buy. Missing from above are a couple of light summer jackets and linen t-shirts, as well as a couple of jackets and skirts I managed to nab off eBay while I was away.

Instead of buying a number of small things to fill up my suitcase, I opted to hunt out a couple of quality items I'd been wanting instead - as well as continuing my love affair with the breton stripe top - to avoid post-holiday shopping regrets, something that has plagued me many times after a large trip. Now, I just need to wait for the weather to warm up and the rain to go away so I can get both those pairs of shoes on my feet!

 

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outfit 1: ASOS lace dress, T by Alexander Wang cardigan, Karen Walker belt, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, Triwa watch, Gorjana bracelet
outfit 2: Kate Sylvester top, Topshop jeans & loafers, Zara jacket, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, Triwa watch, Gorjana bracelet

Paris photo diary. Paris is one of those cities which just feels magical. I'm not sure if it is the tall shuttered buildings and grand parks, or the cliched romanticism that it just seems to exude, but it is one of those places that I would be happy to go back to over and over again. I'd say that considering the various obstacles that we came across, most notably, the guy whose apartment we were renting not showing up, we managed to squeeze in everything that I had planned over the two days in Paris.

Considering that it's the middle of summer, the weather didn't fare so well, with intermittent rain showers and slightly lower temperatures having me wishing I'd brought my jacket with me. Among some of the things that we did, was climb to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and get the lift to the very top, stop by the Tuileries, see the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa at the Louvre among other things, wander underground to the Arc de Triomphe, shop along the Champs Elysees (with a quick stop at Laduree), as well as drink a number of espressos along the way. Somehow I managed to buy three breton stripe tops in the space of a couple hours, as well as a couple of special things from Celine. Surely it's without any surprise that I'm already thinking about going back.

 

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Equipment blouse, T by Alexander Wang jumper, Topshop jeans, Karen Walker coat, Vintage boots, Diva necklace
Lady date. Yesterday in between running errands, I met up with Nina for a quick catch up over lunch at Six Barrel Soda - which I had been wanting to check out for a while. Prior to meeting up with Nina, I was running a bit early, and so I took it as an opportunity to check out the sale at Kate Sylvester, and clearly, could not resist buying a little something.. but I suppose at least now I can cross black skirt off my "to-find" list.

 

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Saint James breton stripe top, Tibi pink silk pants, Zadig&Voltaire parka (similar), Ksubi denim cut-offs, Iosselliani stacked rings, Alexander Wang shoes, Isabel Marant necklace
Travel wishlist. Holidays abroad generally involve shopping. Whether you mean it to or not - well, perhaps that's just how it works for me. Having experienced post-holiday shopping regret a number of times in the past, I've since discovered that putting together a wish list pre-travel not only helps with staying on track to fill gaps or wants missing in your wardrobe, but also carries with it a satisfaction of knowing you bought something that you had been looking for. In saying that, there is always room for spontaneous purchases, I just find this method reduces that number and makes me think a little bit more before I buy.

On my travels, I'm hoping to pick up the following:
1. A new wallet - My current one I've had for about 4 years now, and while I like it, I find it unneccesarily bulky, and inconvenient to open the coin pocket as the zipper is broken. I'm hoping to pick one up in a colour other than black, to make it easy to spot in my handbag, and one that has only two sections rather than three.

2. Breton stripe tops - As far as I'm concerned, a girl can never have too many striped tops. I've bought a number over the years, some I've kept and some I haven't, and am hoping to pick some up in a couple different colour combos. If possible, one from Saint James would be nice.

3. Military style parka - This closet essential eludes me every single time. Permanently attached to my wish list I'm yet to find one that I like, so maybe this time I will be lucky. Makes me regret not picking one up at Sportsgirl all those years ago.

4. Classic shoes for day to day wear - While I can't claim a shoe shortage, I'd love to pick up a nice pair of leather shoes for every day wear, in a classic style that can be taken from work to play

5. Denim shorts - I never seem to be able to find the right type of denim shorts, they always end up being too short, too tight, or not the right colour. I've spied a pair at Zara that are worth trying on but I won't hold my breath.

6. A pair of trousers - While I've recently picked up a couple pairs of 'capri' pants, trousers are always something that I have struggled to find. I'll be keeping a lookout for a nice pair of trousers in a tapered style that I can wear with ballet flats or heels. An interesting print would be an added bonus, but ideally, I just want to find something comfortable, that looks good, and fits me well.

7. Jewellery - Both statement pieces and fine jewellery are on my list. I seem to have discovered the wonders that a large statement necklace can do for an outfit, and as such would like to accumulate a couple more if I can. I'm also looking forward to dropping by Corpus Christi in Paris to pick up a new necklace or two - the jewellery there is gorgeous.

Do you make up a wishlist before you head on holiday, or do you prefer to feel inspired to buy things in the moment?

 

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Purchases for the month of May. The above image, or lack thereof of my personal purchases, should be a hint at how little restraint I appear to have had this month. One "small" Topshop order, and one Ashley Fogel sale were where most of the damage (in terms of numbers) was made. After this month, I've finally realised that I'm not the type of person who can just 'stop shopping', no matter how much I wish I was, as it appears to be just wishful thinking.

It will probably come as no surprise that I have little inclination to share the total number of purchases, although it could be argued for the sake of continuity that I should. It's had me contemplating the necessity of some, if not all my purchases, and the resilience to refrain from spending in what is essentially a consumer-driven world.

Some of my purchases, were things I had been keeping an eye out for, either for the purpose of wearing it over winter, or because I had missed out on it when it was in the stores. Others serve more as a novelty, injecting some extra colour or interesting prints to the generally muted palette in my wardrobe. I was also forced to once again pull from the depths of my wardrobe garments that I did not often wear, or was on the fence about, to sell so that I could make up some (or hopefully all) of the cost of my purchases.

It is times like these that I genuinely admire those who seldom buy things, or are extremely careful in their choices, considering all other options before finally pulling the trigger. This isn't to say that I regret buying the things that I did, but I do wish that I didn't want so much. I suppose you can't have everything!

 

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3.1 by Phillip Lim dress, Acne cardigan, ASOS jacket, Vintage boots (similar here), Proenza Schouler bag, Karen Walker sunglasses

Over the weekend I met up with Nina to do a little bit of vintage shopping in Newtown, as part of her buy only second-hand or vintage clothing for the month of May. Unfortunately our trip yielded neither of us any gems, although I did manage to find a cat jigsaw that kept me occupied for some time on Sunday night. Our expedition was followed by a spiced apple tea and treats at Baobab - hands down becoming my local in this borough.

While I wish that I was with Nina on her month of no "new" purchases, it appears that my purchases so far are anything but. So much for shopping less, perhaps I really do need to start telling myself "no". Either that or I gather some restraint for the next three weeks of May... yeah right.

 

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Karen Walker dress, Zara jumper, Country Rd ballet flats

When I was younger I used to have a friend who would insist on buying a new outfit for every party that we went to, as though everyone who had attended the previous ones would remember what she had worn two weeks prior. Or a month prior. The number of things that she had at her home with the tags still attached was innumerable. I never quite understood this mindset of buying a new garment for each event that was attended. In fact, I'm quite sure that this would inevitably result in a hugely overflowing wardrobe, or more likely, a floordrobe, that is completely unmanageable.

I've always preferred to take the alternate route, buying things that I could wear for a variety of different events, that can easily be dressed up or dressed down. It's so easily forgotten how versatile our wardrobes can be, with dresses easily acting as tops when tucked into skirts or pants, and alternatively as skirts when jumpers are thrown over top, as I've done today. Instead I've always opted to shop when I've wanted to fill a gap in my wardrobe, or just for the general enjoyment one has when passing the time browsing boutiques. Lately, I'm not sure I fit into either category, as while I am not shopping with purpose, I'm not shopping for fun either, as rather than be thrilled at the prospect of adding something new to my wardrobe, I'm considering things such as where will I keep it, and will this really add value to what I own already? I suppose the more substantial reading I have been doing lately has something to do with it...

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The trend of paring down, and culling one's wardrobes seems to be sweeping the internet. It's as though excessiveness has reached a ceiling point, and resulted in the resolve to pursue style in the opposite direction, in a more minimal fashion. Dead Fleurette and her well thought out and eloquently formed posts possibly had something to do with this, or at least they had an influence on me.

While I am conscious of an innate desire and willingness to shop smarter - which as I note, may not necessarily mean less - there is a voice within me, trying to compel me to shop, which is something that I no longer wish to subscribe to.

I've spent the past week reading, blogs, and books, about forging a more minimalist attitude in regards to shopping, which have changed my views, more so than any past reading had done at least. This now extends far beyond my wardrobe, although these other excessive items appear to be more difficult to let go of, such as: letters from old friends, memento's of trips abroad, recipes I would like to try and little trinkets I have collected over the years. It's interesting that my wish to have a more pared down wardrobe is having a trickle-down effect to the rest of my belongings, but I already feel better for the few things that I have since disposed of. I imagine this will be yet another thing I will slowly chip away at.I guess, like with wardrobes, have too many things can become a cause of stress or anxiety, and in reality a lot of it is unused or long forgotten.

While I'm not trying to espouse a minimal lifestyle, there are particular elements of it that I find intriguing, and would be interesting in adopting similar principles in my own day-to-day life. I like the concept of being able to quickly pack up your belongings and flit away to some interesting or unknown part of the world at the drop of the hat - not that this is ever likely to happen to me.

In this regard, I've been continuously whittling down my wardrobe, which I would think at this point should be close to nil, and have managed to come in at under 100 items, a number that while large to some, I feel suits me and my circumstances rather well. My shoes, number less than 24, although this high a number still concerns me. The problem here lies in the fact that I feel as though this part of my wardrobe is complete, and thus requires no further culling. Perhaps with a bit of resolve I may be able to cut out a further 2-3 pairs, but as my mother pointed out to me, if I love all these shoes, then there really is no need for me to attempt to cut it down any further. I have a feeling that perhaps, as that old saying goes, "mother knows best".

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Topshop heels, T by Alexander Wang cardigans, Karen Walker blouses

I recognise that purchasing in excess of what you need is not the best mentality to have when shopping, but one thing I find I can't help but do, is purchase certain items in more than one colour. I've been pretty lucky to nab things on sale, in particular both the burgundy and black pairs of heels above from Topshop, and also in the fact that I haven't neglected one or the other.

I've found that this usually works best when it's a staple item in your closet, one that is worn every day. For me, this is things like those T by Alexander Wang cardigans above, multiples of skinny jeans (I have converted!), or silky blouses. It probably goes without saying that this method has worked against me in the past, and prompted moments of regret, but what can I say, these things happen. Has anyone else had much success buying in multiples?