I did quite a bit in shopping in May, mostly to shore up my summer wardrobe, which was pretty flimsy. I never needed much in the way of summer clothes in San Francisco because of our constant and temperate weather (freak heat waves notwithstanding). But I know New York summers will be much different.
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Wardrobe Buys
Pact Harbour Tabbed Short, Harbour Midi Dress, Field Racerback Dress, and Field Reversible Tank. I reviewed all of these Pact pieces in a recent post. I want the shorts and tank top (shown in the photo above) in other colors now. If only they would restock sizes!
J. Crew Dotted Brocade Pencil Skirt. I already own this skirt, which I bought back in 2012. (It’s pictured in this post about skirt hangers and in an outfit in this Vetta review.) But, I can no longer fit comfortably in it with my added pandemic pounds. One Sunday I walked into a thrift store, and there it was in the next size up! Was this meant to be or what?
Eileen Fisher Washable Crepe Skirt. This was a case of an Instagram ad making a successful strike. The ad was for Eileen Fisher Renew, which sells gently used Eileen Fisher pieces. Honestly, the site does not make for a good shopping experience. There’s only one photo of the item and no garment measurements. When that item is black, it’s hard to see any details or get an idea of what the material is like. I ordered three black skirts in my ongoing quest for a black midi skirt and kept one, even though the fabric was a bit thicker than I imagined.
Wearing some new buys: Field Tank Top // Eileen Fisher Skirt
Gap Denim Jacket (very similar to this). I stooped this in front of someone’s home. They had put out a clothing rack of free clothes. I didn’t have a denim jacket on my Wardrobe Wants list, but free stuff is a great way to test out if something is your style.
I also bought a few things that I’m returning. My Everlane Memorial Day sale order was a dud. I was excited about the Air Tank for its cut, but after trying it on for a while, it stretched out quite a bit. (Here’s my review.) I also bought the Everlane Way-High Jean in Folsom Blue. But it fits tighter than the same jeans in black (my review here), so I’m going to see how the next size up fits before deciding whether to exchange. Or maybe I’ll just return it. The wash is out of my all-dark-denim comfort zone.
Lastly, I found one of my favorite tank tops, the Ryan Tank (discontinued by Everlane so I’ll link to this review by Jamie-Lee) on ThredUp. But, it has a hole in it! It’s going back.
That’s 7 items acquired total. Three of them are secondhand, which is progress. I’m trying to shop secondhand more. I also removed a few items from my closet in May due to fit issues. But not enough to balance out what I brought in.
Welcome Objects 2022 Wardrobe Count To Date
Additions: 9
Number of Additions That Are Secondhand: 3
Subtractions: 13
Housewares Buys
Folding patio chairs and table – $30-$40 // Hanging planter – $10
Bought a few things for the home as well, also warm weather related.
Midea 8,000 BTU U-Shaped AC Window Units. This was the Wirecutter’s top pick for window A/C units and I second their recommendation. It has an unusual U shape, which allows you to open the window if you’d like. Plus, it’s much quieter than other A/C units. Amazon has the lowest price on these, but in an effort to buy as little from Amazon as possible, I asked Home Depot, which also had it in stock, to match Amazon’s price. They even beat it.
Room Essentials Metal Mesh Folding Patio Chair and matching side table. We’re lucky to have some outdoor space at our apartment. I specifically looked for folding furniture so that I can store them indoors during the winter. I got these during a 40% off patio sale at Target the other week. But it seems like they’re having issues with stock, because these quickly went from in stock to barely in stock, with no shipping option. (I rely on shipping so much more now that I live in NYC without a car.)
Obtaining these required some determination. I found a Target 40 minutes away that had both items, bought them online for in-store pickup, then borrowed a car and took the morning off to retrieve them. Pro-Tip: Always check your pick-up items. The table had some discoloration on top, but luckily there were others on the floor, so I just swapped it out.
Room Essentials Planters and Hanging Planters. For the outdoor space. I like the wide shape of the hanging planters, but they get bad reviews for the wires breaking. So I reinforced them by adding stainless steel picture wire. Hopefully that will do the trick and prevent disaster.
I also bought a door mirror, but it turns out I can’t install it because none of my doors are flat. Now I’m trying to figure out how to return a mirror to Target with no car. (Or whether it’s even worth the hassle of taking a mirror on transit to get $17 back). I have 90 days to figure it out. (Actually, 120 because I used my RedCard.)
Some Random Observations
The other day I was wearing my favorite T-shirt dress (pictured in this post), which is from the Prologue line at Target. That led me to wonder what was new with the line. But it’s gone! Looks like Target did away with it in 2021. It was marketed as a work wear line, and with few people going into the office, it probably sold poorly. But I thought of it more as a fashion-forward minimalist line, like Target’s version of COS. Even though I only bought one piece from this line (and criticized its heavy use of synthetics) I’m bummed it didn’t survive the pandemic.
Speaking of Target, got momentarily sucked into the Tabitha Brown collaboration that launched yesterday. I didn’t even know who she was, just saw other people talking about it online. I had to remind myself that the bold prints are not my style. This lemon wedge clutch is calling to me, though. But I know I’d rarely use it. The one thing I might actually wear are these lemon print shorts, but they sold out by the time I woke up. (I was not staying up until 3 am to shop the collection as soon as it went live.)
Also walked into Uniqlo for the first time in a long time, since before the pandemic. They now have these self check kiosks where you just pile your clothes in, and it knows from the sensors what’s in the bin. I also learned that they changed their return policy. You have to make returns to the store that you purchased something from, not any location. Wow, that is so consumer unfriendly!
I LOVE Uniqlo’s new self checkout bins! They are the most user friendly checkout process imaginable. Disappointed to hear about the return policy – that’s bizarre. Thanks for the heads up!
This return policy makes me really not want to shop at Uniqlo at all. Here’s the exact language from a receipt: Merchandise purchased in stores must be returned to the original purchase store location for a full refund to the original form of payment up to 30 days from the purchase date. Exchanges will be accepted at any store location for only the same item in a different color or size.”
It’s been a pretty long time since I’ve been to Uniqlo, sounds like things are pretty different now with that self-checkout system! Though ack about the return policy, that probably means I am even less likely to shop there now. (I haven’t really shopped there for a pretty long time now, and difficulties with returns would definitely not help.)
I still have my Everlane Ryan tanks from years ago, and I’m pretty fond of them! I miss so many of their items from back then. And that’s so lucky, finding the J.Crew skirt you had in a more suitable size!
I miss some of the earlier Everlane items as well. Their product line feels more trendy these days.