March 2018 Shopping Reflections

Towards the end of the month, things got quite busy at the office, enough that it drove the thought of those Soludos llama slip-on sneakers right out of my head. That particular impulse might recur, however, as warmer weather finally sets in. (And there are more spring and summer-feeling pink ones too, though they may not come back in stock until June.) As I mentioned in February, this month was almost certain to be shopping-heavy as well, because many of this month's orders were already pending. I'm really hoping to ease up on the shopping for the rest of the year, and I don't anticipate any big obstacles to that until fall. Although I'm eager for warm weather, I don't get excited about warm weather clothes, for the most part.

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I likely have a new "wish list" for spring and summer, mostly including one or two cotton tees that fit well and look good, and which I'm willing to spend on. I'm pretty fussy about how tees fit over my chest, a lot of them make me really feel the lyrics of a certain Crazy Ex-Girlfriend song. I secretly want all my tops and dresses to have an optical illusion effect that deemphasizes my chest. Few tees are equal to that task though, as they're soft and unstructured. At the moment, I only own one cotton tee that I wear out of the house, an Everlane v-neck in black that's alright, but doesn't have the effect I'm looking for. It's also quite fitted on me, and I'd prefer something a little more relaxed. I think this goes slightly against common wisdom for busty people who want to deemphasize that feature, but a v-neck is not the best neckline for that goal on me. A scoop neck or round neck that doesn't go too high up and shows at least part of my collarbones, seems to be best, though I might need to try on quite a few styles to make sure.  

Fashion - (TOTAL: $333.74) 

• C by Bloomingdales Cashmere Open Asymmetric Cardigan - $79.00 - This is sold out, as they discounted it heavily for the end of the season. I totally didn't need this, as I have plenty of wool and cashmere cardigans for winter, but I was sucked in by the sale price. I don't think this is actually asymmetric, it just has a rather exaggerated, voluminous waterfall effect in front. It feels cozy, so I've enjoyed wearing it and it'll get plenty of use. 
• M.Gemi Felize, Gold Shimmer - $161.14 - I used someone's referral code for a $50 discount  on my first pair of M.Gemi shoes. These feel nice, a bit more refined in construction than the Everlane Modern Points or any given pair of Cole Haan shoes. Between the metallic shimmer finish and how these are my first pair of driving moccasins, with rubber stoppers instead of a traditional sole, I was nervous about the durability. They actually seem like they'll be fine, though, not worse than any other pair of ballet flats I've owned,  except that I'd be more cautious about exposure to rain. M. Gemi's business model, which relies on releasing limited-edition shoes, generally in fun colors, means that it couldn't ever be a brand I regularly look to for my footwear needs. 
• J.Crew Factory Open-Front Sweater Blazer, heather charcoal - $46.80 - I wrote about this and other "pretend blazers" or "almost jackets" recently, things with a blazer look, but that are machine-washable and preferably a bit softer and less structured-feeling.  I liked this one much better than J.Crew Factory's other sweater blazer, which was awkwardly long on me. There is a very similar J.Crew design, in merino wool instead of cotton, and dry clean-only instead of  machine-washable. The J.Crew one may have bigger lapels and an intentionally oversized fit. 
• J.Crew Factory Open-Front Sweater Blazer, heather oatmeal - $46.80 - I rarely get multiple colors of one item, but I have a use for both of these. Although I had plenty of winter cardigans, my collection of spring/summer ones (mostly cotton or linen from Ann Taylor or Loft) was getting very worn out and depleted. 

Is anyone else also far more into fall/winter clothes than spring/summer ones? Any recommendations for brands that do good tees? I think I'll be a bit absent as a blogger and regular reader and commenter elsewhere for a few weeks, as I've hit an unusually busy patch at the office, with two of my bigger projects serving up several important deadlines in a row, at the exact same time. I'm happy to be fully integrated into my projects at the new place, though!