i've been thinking lately about transformative purchases. you know when you find an item that suddenly straightens everything out in your life and suddenly you understand yourself so much better?
the more i thought about it last night the more i thought, "hey! i should blog about this!" which is just the risk you take, you know. here are some of the transformative purchases i've made in the last six months. for whatever it's worth.
1. nina z clogs
my nina zs were a gift, and they are the most excitement my feet have ever known. i love how clunky they are. i love how they look with high-waisted skinny jeans and thick rimmed glasses. i love how nerdy i feel in them. they have made my whole life complete, and they look stupid, stupid good with chunky socks.
2. my crazy t.j. maxx hobo international wallet score
i was exchanging a christmas gift at the t.j.maxx last week when i found this sucker for $40. i think it may have been put there just for me by god. or santa maybe.
you can buy one here.
3. various forever 21 items, blarg
ugh, forever 21, why can't i quit you? forever 21 is so good lately. it's kind of a joke, any time anyone on instagram asks me where i got something, it's 97% of the time from forever 21. linked below are some of my best f21 scores lately, including that very sexy wool number up top:
4. colored skinny jeans
i'm a jeans and tee girl all the way and sometimes it can feel rather boring and lonely (especially with all these style blogs in skirts to make you feel lame). but i've fallen really hard for colored skinnies, which are like flirty skirts in pants form. at target right now you can score a pair of colored skinnies for $20 a pop, meaning one could (theoretically) buy all of them for the price of one really nice pair of pants. and thus we see how, once again, quantity wins over quality in my closet. so sad. i mean, have you seen my stripe situation? (do not worry brandon, i did not buy all of them.) worth repeating: way wonky sizing. try two sizes up, be pleasantly surprised if you only need one size up.
(related: target is also killing it with baseball tees right now.)
5. stella and dot on the mark necklace
my personal policy on items under $50 is that if you ask for it for more than three consecutive gift-giving holidays and do not get it but still want it badly, you're allowed to buy it for yourself. so, i did. i've had it for about six months and i'm madly in love with it.
get one here.
6. lookmatic fdr frames
aside from the vintage frames i found at the brooklyn flea, these have been the only frames to ever fit my tiny face.
fdr frames
fdr frames
since i've been driving around in the suburbs i've noticed i need them even more than usual. yikes, old age.
p.s. those cheesy crackers from the other day were also life changers, fyi.
you look so good in those frames! daaaaang.
ReplyDeleteI thought that sweater was from f21!! I asked you about it on instagram and you told me anthropologie (?) and I was bummed. Yay for it being cheap!
ReplyDelete@j. i must have thought you were asking about a different sweater! whoops!
ReplyDeleteShut up! You're telling me you got that sweater at Forever 21? Shut UP! I want that. I'm getting that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Hi. I'm Miranda and after a year or two of reading your blog I suppose I'll comment now. :)
no worries!
ReplyDeletei spend all my money at forever 21. and its so worth it. higher quality clothes just don't fit right! and after six months of wear i'm usually over most my clothes anyways! quantity, it is!
ReplyDeletei'm not quite shaped correctly for forever21, but i do quite admire that sweater!
ReplyDeleteand also those glasses are cute. : )
Unfortunately all my transformative purchase are dry clean only! SO annoying. I don't look at the tags before purchasing and it always happens. I bought a beautiful cardigan with owls on it and of course dry clean only. Does that stop me from wearing it everyday? No. Will I dry clean it? Hmmm. Debatable.
ReplyDeleteP.S. LOVE those glasses on you. Lucky.
omg i love steals at tj maxx! lucky girl.
ReplyDeleteand those jeans are to die for.
xoxox
Looks like you got some great deals. Thanks for sharing! Everything is way adorable.
ReplyDeleteI am so buying some of those shoes!!! GAH!
ReplyDeletelove the necklace! right up my alley. i'm also seriously lusting after some clogs, but they look so uncomfortable! can you walk okay in them? long distances?
ReplyDelete@brittany, they are SUPER comfortable. especially since i have high arches. two thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteI love all of your fashiony choices, because they are you and that's what fashion is all about, right? But what I really need to comment about is the hilarious ad that is on the right side of your blog this very moment. It has a pleasantly plump cartoon face with the caption: "What would you look like fat?" And is advertising something called FatFX. Hi-larious. It made my day : )
ReplyDeleteNat, I am officially convinced that we are in a kismet fashion situation at the moment. Oh, yes. I have had CRAZY transformative fashion experiences lately, involving forever 21 AND red (rust-colored) skinny jeans AND clogs! Only mine are more like chunk heeled booties. I got them for 12 bucks - I know, right?! Such a fan of my closet right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to throw this out there, but your style is just as good (if not better!) as all the style blogs! These are all fantastic finds, and I'm crushing on that necklace pretty hard. And your clogs experience is similar to my experience recently with a pair of wannabe Isabel Marant boots. Love it when one purchase seems to validate the past 6 months of shopping!
ReplyDeleteOh I am loving the colored skinnies too, but my legs are not as thin as yours are and i'm afraid that it's going to make them look more bulky...esp since I would more than likely be wearing my toms with them! Obsessed with toms, yes I am...That may be one life altering purchase for me! Then the stripes, I agree, Lately I am starting to become addicted...I think you may be partly to blame for that since you always look so darn cute in your stripes!
ReplyDeleteI am going to search for that minty button back top from f21! that looks anthro-esque! So cute!
speaking of f21 and stripes I bought this the other day and i'm in love...the back tie hole sold it for me:
http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?BR=f21&Category=top_sweatshirts_hoodie&ProductID=2087532647&VariantID=
were doing an aveda giveaway on our blog this week, come visit!
www.thehazelstreetdiaries.blogspot.com
pacsun clearance section = amazing colored/print skinny jeans for $5...$5!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy last transformative purchases involved red skinny jeans, rusty orange jeggings, and a long super thick scarf from Gap. Those target jeggings really bruised my vanity though, I tried them on in my size and couldn't even zip them!
ReplyDeleteoh forever 21. i love shopping there! unfortunately, my closet has somehow transitioned to more comfy clothes when I need it to be more Biz-Casual for work. I believe some j. crew therapy is in order
ReplyDeleteMy last transformative purchase was almost a new iphone, but it may have been this gorgeous charcoal gray cowl sweater on clearance at target. perfect for work, or a night out with friends :)
I'm still looking for a statement necklace or pendant. I seem adamant that finding the right one will make or break every outfit for life!
-Laura / lemonlaiime
There have been no real transformative buys lately although I went to Topshop and bought a couple of tops I wouldn't have normally and am loving the change--so maybe there has been.
ReplyDeleteI also think some clumpy shoe boot things would change my life and some fantastic big pearl earings.
Oh my goodness, Forever 21 is either the devil or straight heaven.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wish we had an H&M where I live because those two stores complete me. Lately, however, I've been having a lot of fun thrifting, and I totally know what you mean about clothes that suddenly make life make sense (I actually think that was what my post today was about?)
thank you for showcasing how affordable and tangible fashion can be! things don't have to be super expensive to be fashionable and you prove how perfect fashion is when chosen by the heart making the purchases. <333 amazing.
ReplyDeletemy answer is often forever 21, too. it's just so good! and there are people (like us) who have a forever 21 talent - to find the good stuff amongst all the bad stuff. i really think you have to born with it. i love that grey coat!
ReplyDeletewhen i first hunted for red skinnies over the summer i tried on those target ones and was HORRIFIED. i didn't even bother to try to size up; i ran out of that dressing room so fast... you're doing the community a service here, lady.
ReplyDeleteI think you need to do more posts like these. I love all of it! Especially the clogs and the glasses. Two things I can't live without!!
ReplyDeleteyay for you being so stylish and double yay for f21. sometimes I just can't even let me self go inside bec I don't have the strength to resist.
ReplyDeletegot myself some of the coral target skinnies. love love love em.
thx for sharing nat.
I'm heading to the Targets today to buy those jeans! Amazing.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I need that sweater. SO CUTE!
ReplyDeletei got my braces off yesterday (yes, i'm 24) (yes, it was a second awkward phase) and the FIRST THING i did was go to Mac and get me some red lipstick. it was time. i feel like a new woman. also, the whole teeth thing gives new meaning to your line about a purchase that "straightens everything out." bahaha.
ReplyDeleteoh hi. Can I just say how much joy you are bringing to my house lately? I am in the middle of reading your archives.. I am in July 2009. I love reading your new updates, and then comparing them to where you were 2-5 years ago. Like when you were using the secret to get what you wanted.. And all you did was talk about fat babies. I mean, you were always specific. You wanted a fat fat baby. How fab that he came right to you! Chunky Hucky in all his glory! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being my good read right now. Things in my reading life just haven't been the same since I finished breaking dawn. So. Thanks! Love ya, your fam, and your blog!
skinny jeans. i've finally joined the club. and my life has definitely transformed.
ReplyDeleteI bought a pair of cheap, thick, black glasses as a fun accessory for my New Year's Eve outfit and have been wearing them ever since! I sorta kinda realllly love them!
ReplyDeleteToootally bought myself the on the mark necklace. Which is funny, because its also the only jewelry I consistently wear...sorry boyfriend. Oh, and I'm apparently off to F21. Darn it.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin
I just bought a pair of boots on sale and am in looove! they are comfy, a gorgeous caramel colour and they were cheap! yay
ReplyDeleteLove this post! You nailed that phenomenon...the purchase that puts every thing else into context. For me it's been my jcrew navy puffer vest. Looks amazing belted over a gazillion different tops, paired with skinnies. Also, nude patent pumps did that for my work wardrobe last year. Why didn't that trend come out sooner???
ReplyDeleteI love that necklace...saw that in the catalog and was sorely tempted.
The frames look AMAZING on you! For me, I bought a hunter green purse that I fell in loveee with.
ReplyDeleteI got that necklace for Christmas (had also threatened to buy it for myself if nobody followed through), and I love it! It's perfect. Though I will warn you that it's very dainty and tiny and wonderful. I love this about it, but it almost seemed tinier than the picture. Just a head's up!
ReplyDeletebaseball tees! LOVE!
ReplyDeleteHeck to the yes to your personal policy in #5. Fortunately my birthday is a month before Christmas, which is only 1.5 (give or take) months before Valentines, so there's three gift-giving holidays in a row. Also, things go on major sale between November and February.
ReplyDeleteYou have just justified everything!
P.S. I'm a huge Hobo fan, too. Those surprise deals are the absolute best!
How did I just find your blog? I'm a little late to the party I see. Dumb. I like it. A lot. And really, I appreciate you not being one of those blog biatches who thinks they invented chunky glasses and therefore cannot discuss their style and/or where they bought stuff. That came out sounding rude. But basically I am trying to say that you are one of the awesome ones.
ReplyDelete1. Am putting "Skinny colored jeans" next to "diapers" on my Target shopping list.
ReplyDelete2. I thought I was the only girl with a tiny face who had problem finding glasses (I've actually tried on kids frames!). We should form a club.