one | two | three (glitter color)
Hello 2019! I have been very slack about posting on the blog. Apologies all around! It’s been pretty much sheer laziness so I have nothing else to blame for it! But I am still keeping up with my clothing budget so wanted to share a roundup of December and how I did YTD for 2018!
See by Chloe Small Olga (November purchase) | Chanel Boy Card Holder
Celine Mini Belt Bag (or here) | Jeans-New Fave Brand
Rockstud Kitten Heel Dupes (Christmas Gift) (real Valentino ones)
See by Chloe Olga Bag | Sweater Cardigan | Koolaburra Boots
Gold Carryon | One Shoulder Swim
Rockstud Jelly Dupes | Valentino Jelly Sandals
See by Chloe Olga | Mules-old (similar)
One Shoulder Swim | Denim Shorts | Rockstud Flip Flop Dupes- only $20
THOUGHTS ON WHAT I BOUGHT
- Valentino Rockstud Flip Flops–$258 (I used $185 earned from blogging towards these so I spent $73 on them): Size 37-I normally wear size 36.5 but these came in whole sizes so go up 1/2 size for the perfect fit. I got these dupes over the summer and loved them that when I saw Valentinos go on sale in the Poudre color, I snagged them asap as this color never goes on sale!! Super comfy and I know I’ll wear these all summer to elevate my casual outfits.
- Jcrew One Shoulder Swimsuit – $52 We went on a family holiday trip to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic after Christmas and I wanted a one piece that was cute yet covered up my holiday belly 🙂 This was perfect as I love the asymmetrical cut and cutest adjustable bow tie which created a perfect fit. The suit was a little highcut for my taste so I did alter the bottom a tad to be more modest. But this is only of my fave suit styles by far!
- Jcrew Mercantile Chelsea Rain boots–$39 (I used a $25 Jcrew credit so I spent $14): Size 7. I have always wanted rain boots but they are so bulky! When I saw these that were slim fit and fashionable, I grabbed them right away! The only con I would say is the fabric side does let in some rain if it’s blowing sideways but for the most part my feet are dry 🙂
- Uniqlo Leggings– $10: Size Medium. These leggings are the bomb for the price! I have 3 of these and love the stretchy fabric, how they fit my thin legs, and the price is right!! Definitely if you like leggings, these are the best basic ones with a slim fit!
- Jcrew Tech Mittens-$15: These pink ones are 5% cashmere and I needed a pair of tech gloves that I could wear outside when I’m meeting with clients. These are perfect as I can still hold a pen and drive while keeping my hands toasty!
- Jcrew Sweater Cardigan-$52: Size S. I probably could have sized down to a XS in this cardigan, but was in a hurry as I was shopping in store. This cardigan is very warm and thick and could serve as a light coat especially here in the South. Love the pockets!
LV Neverful MM in Damier Ebene with Rose Ballerine Interior | Chanel Caviar Boy WOC
Gucci Princetown | Camo Sweatshirt-old (similar, similar only $15)
THOUGHTS ON MY 2018 LUXURY ITEMS
Sold
- LV Alma-Ya’ll I ending up selling several items that I just didn’t love or worked for me. I sold my 1st LV Alma bag (this was my very first luxury item so I felt bad for selling it but every time I looked at it, the dark vachetta bothered me. I have thought many times about changing out the vachetta but at the end of the day, I just didn’t love the silhouette enough to invest the money into it. So it went to a lovely new home and I actually made money off of it-so woohoo!
- Chanel PST-I thought I’d love beige claire but do you know how hard it was to pair anything with that color. The beige has more yellow undertones and it just didn’t work for me. It was a cute bag for sure! And I made money off of this one too 🙂
- Dior J’aDior Slingbacks-This I feel silly for selling or rather buying in the first place. I was totally smitten by them and knew the heel height was perfect but the slingback part got me! The band pushes my feet forward and it squashed my toes all the time and created blisters. The patent leather had zero give so unfortunately I sold them at a big loss but lesson learned. I’m not a slingback type of girl 🙁
- Gucci Marmont-Although I loved this bag especially in white, I couldn’t get over the fact that it would get dirty over time. The soft leather seemed prone to attract dirt from my hand and I knew this was not going to be a good investment bag long term.
LV Speedy 25 Bandouliere in Monogram
Bought
Let me preface this as I was baaad this year! Looking at this list makes me want to limit my lux items in 2019. I went over my allotment of accessories-eek-but I did sell quite a few items to use towards my new purchases.
- Dior J’Adior Slingback Kitten Heels (Accessory 1) These were a HUGE and costly mistake as they checked all the items on my list for heels. Unfortunately they didn’t’ work for me so I sold them as shown in the SOLD column above.
- LV Neverfull MM Damier Ebene Rose Ballerine Lining-this bag is mostly a work travel bag and was purchased for business use/expensed (I didn’t count this towards my bag allowance). I am very glad I bought this bag as it’s been perfect for travel holding my Swell water bottle, Ipad Pro, and travel accessories. Love the pink lining and the DE print is tough and I don’t mind putting it under the seat in front of me on a plane. I feel like this was a good, classic, purchase.
- Christian Louboutin Iriza 70mm-(I sold a bunch of items in my closet for these heels) size 36.5 I love everything about this heel! The height, the color is a perfect pinkish nude patent, and the d’orsay style is very feminine. But honestly I am still breaking them in. I don’t wear heels too often and my feet are wide so that is where I get pinched. Other than that, I am hoping I can stretch them wider for a more comfortable fit. I also learned that d’orsay style isn’t my friend. Haha! I thought it would be but I slip out of this style more than a regular closed heel. So, no more d’orsay or slingbacks for me. Also, on my first day wearing these, the heel got caught in the escalator groove and ended up stripping the leather up. Waaaaa! So sad! I haven’t gotten them repaired yet as I’m still waiting to break them in 🙂
- Celine Mini Belt Lt Taupe-(Sold the above items to buy this) Ya’ll, this is one of my most favorite bags!! I love everything about it. The structure, the color with gold accents, the cool belt whiskers, and love the shoulder strap is the perfect length! I will say the leather is quite heavy but I don’t carry too much so it’s very spacious for my essentials.
- Chanel Caviar Boy WOC (Bag 1, I actually used the funds from the items I sold to buy 2/3rd of this bag)-I loved my nude WOC so much I knew I needed one in black caviar leather. This one popped up and the leather is so deliciously puffy this year and I love the matte gold color! And I don’t have any Boy items yet so I went for this! Great investment bag! I have seen this one reselling for above retail.
- Chanel Caviar Cardholder (Used my cashback from a credit card to get this)-I have a pink lamb cardholder that is gorgeous but the lamb is already rubbing off a little in the corners. So I grabbed this one and I have exclusively used it all year! Great workhorse and will hold some value in the future.
- Gucci Princetown White Mules (Accessory 2, used cashback towards half of these mules)– size 37. I have been obsessing over these forever. I love the off white color and let’s face it, I’m a mule lover. So this made sense and I’ve worn them alot as they go with everything!
- Valentino Rockstud Jelly Sandals (Accessory 3)-size 37. These were a great price for Rockstud sandals and I think more durable as I got some water on them during a rainstorm. They wipe off easily and love the Rockstuds on them! Very comfy and they look like the leather ones as they have this faux stitching. They are like candy for the feet 🙂
- LV Speedy 25 Bandouliere Monogram (Bag 2)-Ok, I knew in my mind that I wanted this in mono ultimately one day. Speedys are literally my all time favorite bag! Well my friend went to Europe and long story short, I got this one! LV has been making them in limited stock so I thought I better grab one with the VAT refund while I could. I love new vachetta -ahhhh and adore this bag. You can shorten the straps for shoulder carry. Yay!
- Hermes H-Clic Gold and White Enamel (Accessory 4)– I was at Fashionphile in Carlsbad this summer and I couldn’t resist! I have wanted a Clic Clac and this was purchased pre-owned but with no wear at all! The clasp took a bit of a learning curve but I have the hang of it now. Glad to have it in my luxury collection!
2018 Budget Summary
Total Budget: $2400
This month: $216
Spent Year to Date: $2440
I went over my yearly budget by $40**
Luxury Handbags (2 per year): 1.5 bought
Luxury Accessories (2 per year): 4 bought-oops!
Upon reflecting on 2018, it looks like it was very busy (CRAZY) in the luxury purchase category and I think I need to cut back this year to even it out (ya think-haha!). I do have a personal savings goal that when I reach it, I am rewarding myself with my holy grail bag the Chanel Chevron Reissue -preowned something like this in a nude color as retail pricing is crazy high! But that may be in awhile due to waiting for the resale values to fall and gotta put that money in the savings account! We shall see how this goes with the slower economy predicted for 2019.
As far as clothing, I am happy with where I landed on my budget. I do feel that I have slipped a little in purchasing items that are lower quality as I get drawn in by the sale pricing. And lower quality isn’t bad but I know it won’t last me more than a season or 2 and I could have used it towards higher quality classic items. But overall, it’s been a good year and my goal is to get back to the higher quality, LOVING what I buy, and assessing what I need vs the “oh that’s cute” routine I tend to fall for-haha! This budget helps me keep in check as I HAVE to return items I don’t love or will use.
If you’d like to keep a clothing budget with me this year, create your own budget and let’s do it together! I will post what I bought at the end of each month. Please join me and link up what you bought! This will be so fun! Click on the Link Party below!
Thanks for visiting my blog!!
xxoo, Chau
If you are a first time visitor to my Style on a Budget posts, welcome!!