Current "Wish List"

In the years since I started being more conscious about my shopping, I've found that the best way to be confident in my purchases is to plan them out well in advance, usually by at least a few weeks, if not months. The process that's preceded my best purchases, based on cost-per-wear and actual utility for price (different criteria from how I select my "best buys" each year, which is for items that were a successful experiment, something a little out of my comfort zone that ended up working well), generally involves mulling over an item for at least a few weeks until a good sale, or until I can no longer resist. I often have a running "wish list" written down somewhere, either in a Google Drive spreadsheet or, these days, in my notebook.

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Not everything on my "wish list" make it into my closet. Out of, say, the last sample of five such items I wrote about, in the guise of trying out a "Five Piece French Wardrobe" approach, I only followed through with probably three and a half: a down coat (though not either of the frontrunners), skinny jeans, the breton striped shirt (from J.Crew Factory), and black leather Vans instead of a leopard-printed slip-on sneaker, which I couldn't find. Sometimes, items that I consider for a long time end up completely forgotten and fall off my list, including that olive green parka for spring and fall. More recently, around Thanksgiving, I developed a sudden and irrational desire for the Lo & Sons Waverly bag, even though it was likely too small to be practical for me, and I have several other similarly-sized bags. That particular craving took weeks to subside.

My current "wish list" is as follows: 

• Dark Wash Skinny Jeans: My Rag & Bone skinny jeans (similar) lasted approximately two years before developing holes, and I've been in the market for a new pair of jeans since. Many people chimed in with helpful suggestions, and I ended up deciding to stick to Uniqlo or Gap. I'm not a huge fan of Uniqlo's current selection, so I'll be ordering and trying on Gap's selection of petite-length, dark wash, mid-rise skinny jeans (probably these or these), though one color I like was backordered, so the process has taken a while.
• Dainty Opal Ring: This has been on my shopping list for years, but I've never felt ready to purchase, even though I've bought other, similarly priced or more expensive items since. I originally wanted a simple opal solitaire like this one from Polamai on Etsy, which could have been around $200, but more recently, I've become interested in more elaborate (and expensive) designs like the Wwake organic triangle ring or the Wwake four-step ring, or maybe the Jennie Kwon Reese ring. 
• More Colorful Formal Dress: This particular item is not likely to pan out, but after wearing that blue Ann Taylor lace shift dress for no less than four different weddings last year, I started getting bored, and maybe feeling a little frumpy. (It's a pretty dress, but has no "wow" factor and fits a little loose. It's ultimately better suited for work than a party.) Except that, even after window-shopping for months, including by scouring through pages and pages of dresses on TheRealReal, I haven't seen anything I actually want to buy. Heck, I even had trouble finding one I liked solely as an illustration for this post, with no need to consider cost or practicality! I had other formal dress options in my closet, but none I was eager to wear. There was a bright purple Diane von Furstenberg Zarita dress I ended up sending to Thredup because I didn't like the way it fit (its very stretchy and body-skimming, and doesn't have much structure) and the Anthropologie Baikal dress, which maybe feels like too much "look", and isn't very "me" anymore. 
• Mansur Gavriel Large Tote: One of the changes at my new workplace is that I no longer bring a laptop to and from the office every day. The result is that my Everlane Petra Market tote, which was the perfect size for my old firm and has softened up a bit over time, now feels overly large and floppy to be my go-to work bag. A new work bag is an extravagance when I have other bags that still fulfill the purpose, but I think the Mansur Gavriel large tote, particularly in the fairly structured vegetable-tanned leather, would be the perfect size, as it looks a bit smaller and more compact than either the Petra Market or a Longchamp Le Pliage large (see other blog's comparison photos here). I think I'd get the black with ballerina pink interior, as that's more neutral than the more common red interior. 

What's on your closet "wish list" at the moment? How do you plan out your clothing purchases? Although this shopping process isn't new to me, I was inspired, several months ago now, to revisit this topic by Michelle's post about her then-current list. I then got distracted by other topics, and finally got around to finishing this draft.