Rent free! The sequel!

Come on girls, it’s time for a try on

The other day I was getting dressed for a work event at the (very fancy) St. Regis hotel in the city. I was going to wear a black blazer but then I was like - duh! If today isn’t the day to wear my new jacket™️©️, then I don’t know what is! Now, in case you’re SO deeply over me droning on and on about this jacket, I made this to lighten the mood:

And in case you’re confused, this is the jacket I’m talking about:

TL;DR, I tried it on in-person back in April at the new Printemps “department store” (I use sarcastic air quotes because I’m salty it doesn’t have a lingerie department and refuse to acknowledge it in the ranks of my beloved Bergdorf Goodman) and fell in love, but it was $770 so it wasn’t happening. Then it went on 50% sale, I bought it, and subsequently won’t shut up about it!

Anyways, I’ll talk (even) more about it below in the try-on portion of this newsletter, but I just wanted to preface this whole post on the fact that I have added a fourth word to my “three words.” Breaking news, I know! But wearing this jacket the other day was the catalyst for my realization that I want more fabulous stuff in my life. So now, my framework has expanded to:

Minimal (my “realistic” word)

Comfortable (my “aspirational” word)

Cool (my “emotional” word)

Fabulous (my “dash-of” word.. as in, “I want a dash of something fab in every outfit”)

There you have it!

Before I launch into the next part of this newsletter, I do want to mention that I’ve decided to try using affiliate links when sharing here. I’ve started the process of linking some items from my closet to ShopMy, and will utilize their platform when linking below. I really want to be fully transparent, so I’m listing the price and commission rate in this format “$X | X%.”This newsletter will stay free for all for the time being - if you are one of the kind souls who have paid anyways, I thank you a million times over. Ok, that’s it for housekeeping!

Now! Let’s get to the try-on which expands on the framework established in my previous post.

ITEM ONE - B SIDES JEANS! (and ITEM TWO a new top, and ITEM THREE a new bag, and ITEM FOUR a new pair of earrings)

The jeans!!!! I have had these on my vision board for over a year, but I wanted to wait to get my tummy tuck and recover for at least 12 weeks before buying any denim. And here I am, 13 weeks out! If anyone out there has questions re: my TT, feel free to DM me, I’m an open book - it was a mini one to deal with some old c-section complications :)

But these jeans!! Ok, so I found them on TRR and they were final sale and a size up, so it was a gamble. They came new with tags, which was a total surprise. Luckily they fit perfectly. I washed and dried them and have worn them once, and they were so comfortable and awesome to run around in. Can’t wait to wear them again soon!

As a reminder, this ☝🏻was the vibe I was going for. I LOVE this whole look and could easily “recreate” it with my new earrings from Chan Luu and my new shirt from BR.

This shirt from BR ($45 | 8%) is immediately a new favorite. It’s cotton poplin, which I love, and is easy to French tuck. The little sleeves and ties are so fun too! I took a pic of the back so you can see it sits really nicely when tucked in the front:

And how sweet are these earrings? I’ve been wearing them non-stop since they arrived and they’re so pretty and lightweight. I can’t even tell I’m wearing earrings! They are sold out, but these are similar! ($96 on sale | 0%)

I didn’t get a great pic of this bag ($99 | 12%) above when I took the photos, so I snapped this on a different day. But I love her! It’s not an everyday bag, but it’s fun for summery outings. I also felt very cool when Allison Bornstein linked to it in her recent Mermaid post. I was like, hey! She likes something I like! I’m onto something 😂

Super cute, right??

ITEM FIVE - MADEWELL NEEKA SANDALS

I am a big Madewell shoe fan - and these ($99 | 12%) are no exception. I love when a sandal is adjustable across the toes, and I wore these the other day and clocked 6,000 steps and NO BLISTERS, no pain. Just so comfortable from the beginning.

The above was definitely inspired by this, btw:

Back to the shoes - they’re a wine color, which is almost a neutral but a bit more FABULOUS, if I do say so myself.

And one second for this blazer ($589 | 0%) that I almost didn’t keep because it felt bigger than I’m used to. Well, let me tell you- I’m SO glad I kept it. It’s so comfortable and flattering and I am obsessed with the adjustable buttons on the back. The color is between navy and black, very hard to pin down.

My feather clutch is making me want a feather brooch! Full disclosure, this bag doesn’t fit my cell phone unless I take the cover off, which is super annoying. I do love her though. And she’s fab. My little dash-of!

Take away the impractical feather bag and toss on a workhorse black purse and the vibe shifts immediately. Office approved!

ITEM SIX - THE JACKET©️™️

Bury me in this ($385 | 12%).

I quite literally have never loved an item of clothing more, but a close second would be my black Toteme pants I’ve talked about a ton before. Or, actually my wedding dress was pretty awesome too.

The t-shirt is this one from Everlane, and it’s great. It’s on sale too ($25 | 16%)! I have it in black and white and love both.

These black sandals are very old Vince, and I wore through the toe of the right shoe. I need to go get them re-soled. Anyone in NY have a good cobbler recommendation?

And here she is dressed up with my aforementioned Toteme pants (they were a TRR score a few years ago). This is how I wore it to my work event the other day, but with the black Vince shoes (that’s when I noticed the toe problem…).

ITEM SEVEN - NISOLO SHOES (and ITEM EIGHT?? Help me decide…)

10/10 Summer work outfit, IMO. Cotton shirt, check ($25 | 16%). Loose pant, check. Nude shoe to break up the black, check ($170 | 10%). I wore these shoes for the first time yesterday and did 7,000 steps in them. They were a litttttle tight across the toe but I can tell they will break in, and other than that they were super comfortable and easy to walk in. I didn’t get a blister, so that’s a win in my book!

Calling back to my last post, this goddess was my inspo for buying a nude sandal:

I was also inspired by this Anouk look and wanted to recreate it, but with a paperbag linen skirt I found at BR. However, when it arrived and I tried it on, I realized it’s really sheer. I put it on with a bathing suit ($79 | 12%) here because I honestly wasn’t sure how it would photograph and if you would see straight through to my knickers. It did NOT photograph as being as sheer as it is in person, and sadly I feel like it’s really cute with the bathing suit and now I’m torn! But honestly, a maybe is a no, and I need to return it. Sigh!

Attempting to show how sheer it is…

I also had brought up olive shorts in my last post, and I found a GREAT pair on TRR from Tibi but they were too big so I had to return. I also felt meh about the color so I’m going to pause my hunt for that piece.

Ok, that’s all for me today, folks! Have a great weekend, and may all your outfits make you feel like this …

Cheese!

Emily

P.S. one more thing - in case you’re curious, here’s a screenshot of my May outfits!

Bye for real!