march budget

Popping in with a very quick post about March purchases -- there weren't many, it was a quiet shopping month that absolutely flew by!

As is often the case, my purchases have a nice cohesive color palette and will surely make friends with all of the other black and white and stripey pieces in my closet.

clockwise from l to r:

Club Monaco Tweed Blazer ($153) -- just a perfect little French-y blazer that looks great with jeans.

Uniqlo x Lemaire Striped Sweater ($40) -- I was happy to get my hands on one piece from this fun collab

Old Navy Striped Dress ($15) -- a great summer basic

Uniqlo x IDLF Sweatshirt ($29) -- this one is a disappointment, and probably going back. It runs super small (just as reviewers said) and the torso is quite short. Too bad, such promise!

Total -- $208 (not including the Uniqlo sweatshirt)
Monthly budget -- $200

Scoring the tweed blazer on a good sale felt like a win, so I don't mind spending most of my budget on one great piece. The cost per wear will be so tiny, I can feel it.

Lots of things on my radar for April. I feel like I fall in love with something new almost daily, and I have fairly expensive tastes right now. Here are the things I can't seem to get off of my mind lately:

yes, I need another blazer // I'm always on the lookout for cute shoes with a reasonable heel // another striped t-shirt // this one is a little crazy, but isn't it fabulous? I have a high school reunion coming up and there is a part of me that wants to show up in this...

Linking up with Fran and the budget bloggers -- did you buy anything good this month?

this is not a drill

Last year the shoe of the summer was an adorable little black and white cap-toed espadrille, either the Chanel original or one of many very good inspired-by versions (you remember, like these and these). This year there are plenty of espadrilles to go around, and they're even more fun. Different shapes, different colors, different prints -- your whole summer shoe wardrobe is set. Here are some of my favorites:

top row: last year Target did one of the best versions of the Chanel espadrille, and their dv Tia Espadrille has very cute slipper-like quality // Boden's Betty Espadrille packs a lot of punch for a casual shoe

second row:  a peep-toe and a bright color and a little wedge -- this sweet little shoe has it all // last year's model updated with a subtle silver shimmer and a teeny platform

third row: pink python print offers lots of fun pattern-mixing options // nothing says summer like a rainbow stripe of popsicle hues

fourth row: black and white stripes work with everything // the perforations on this Loeffler Randall pair give a beachy wicker vibe.

coffee (table) talk

When I fantasize about hitting the jackpot in Vegas or scoring a lottery windfall, it's the possibility of little luxuries that excite me most: Chipotle for lunch every day (oh, I know guacamole is extra), weekly blowouts, and best of all, the ability to buy all of the books that my little heart desires.

I mean, I'm sure I'd buy a fancy house and expensive shoes and all of that stuff, but...I really love books (#sorrynotsorry Marie Kondo).

Right now I'm dreaming about coffee table books, because there are so many good ones coming out soon! Unfortunately my coffee table is always bigger than my book budget, but here's what's on my wish list...

Isaac Mizrahi

This gorgeous book is being released in conjunction with the Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly Life exhibit opening at The Jewish Museum next week. I can't say how exactly, but my job has involved working on this exhibit in a small way and it looks AMAZING. I've always loved Isaac's style and have a soft spot for him as he really blazed the trail for the modern high/low designer collaboration (RIP, Isaac Mizrahi for Target).

Things Neatly Organized

A fun read for those type-A obsessives who love keeping things tidy and organizing by color. The cover is sort of mesmerizing, isn't it?

Beaches

The colorful, wanderlust-inspiring photographs of Gray Malin collected in one lovely place. I'd never thought about changing my coffee table books seasonally, but this would be a great one for the top of the pile once May rolls around (or for my beach house, definitely #4 on my list of things to spend my lottery winnings on).

Hamilton: The Revolution

I have known about Hamilton: The Musical for years, and I knew it would be great but never could have predicted this level of hysteria (why, why, why didn't I buy tickets months ago??). Until I finally get to see the show, this behind-the-scenes look will have to hold me over.

Botticelli Reimagined

I'm not necessarily a huge Botticelli fan, but l love the idea of looking at the way one great artist has influenced some of my favorite contemporary artists, musicians, and designers.

Painting Central Park

I spotted this sweet looking book in the gift shop last time I was at The Met. Central Park has always been a bit of a mystery to me (I always, always, always get lost), but I'd like to know it better. Maybe there's a pretty little map in here somewhere...

Love Style Life

This has been out for a few months, but I'm dying to read it and dying to display it. Blush, black, and gold - is there a more perfect color palette?

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We made it through another week (some of us -- me -- just barely). On this Friday, I am feeling some cool, fresh colors and a skirt that might raise a few eyebrows around the office but will definitely take you to happy hour, dinner, and beyond.

This won't be a frivolous spending month for me, but it is were, I'd pick this skirt up in a heartbeat. Does anyone need a silver metallic pencil skirt? Probably not, but it's pretty cool and it's the kind of thing you'd have in your closet for-ever (like, in 20 years your teenage daughter will be begging to borrow it).

lavender is the perfect cool shade to tie this look together, and I think these sweet tassel earrings are fun but not too over the top for the workday // I love a classic white button down to balance a much fancier skirt // that silver leather pencil skirt you never knew you needed in your life // a soft, slightly purplish lip gloss is flattering on a lot of skin tones // a creamy leather tote is on my wishlist for spring // crazy floral pumps are so much more versatile than they seem (pops of yellow work in almost every look)