Sale PSA: A faux leather black moto jacket from BLANKNYC (a great inexpensive option), now just under $60, a great chunky black cashmere scarf from Madeleine Thompson, now 50% off (I’m very tempted by this), a bell sleeved flounce hem dress from Theory, now 60% off, and a simple and versatile cashmere zip front cardigan from Saks, now under $100.
Happy 2017! I wish you all a wonderful year and hope you had a great holiday season. Here are my 2017 wardrobe resolutions and as always, I’d love to hear yours.
The always tempting Pomellato Nudo, $2350
1. Buy myself a nice trinket. 2016 was the year of mommy guilt for me. It was the year we calculated preschool costs, the year we realized that we might want to move into a new place down the line, and thus the year I freaked out about our never ending litany of expenses and luxury shopping lost some of its fun. But I’ve realized that while our lifestyle has changed, I can still treat myself once in a while. And you know what’s impervious to sticky hands, that you never have to worry about moths eating away at simply because you haven’t worn it in four months? Jewelry! So I vow to get myself a nice new piece of jewelry which I can treasure and enjoy.
2. Add 25-30 items to my closet, maximum. I debated getting rid of this line item, simply because I stopped tracking my purchasing so closely in 2016. But I realized that I actually kind of kept to around this number anyway, just by virtue of habit…some months I went overboard yes, but others came and went where I didn’t buy anything. This seems to be the right number for me, and of course I get rid of the same amount (or more) every year so my closet doesn’t overflow. So I’m carrying this over.
3. Fill in my missing closet staples. The perfect trench, pair of flat loafers, simple gold bracelet…I’m not asking to find all of these, just one, or two (or okay, all). I vow to buy the perfect piece when I see it, whether or not it’s on sale (unless I’m quite sure it’ll make it to sale, which in that case it’d be stupid not to wait), so that I can finally stop my eternal search. I’ve come to realize I’d rather pay full price to get that perfect something than to have a closet full of 70% off substitutes. But those 70% off sales are so tempting, no?
What are your closet resolutions for 2017?
26 Comments
Belen Ortiz
January 3, 2017 at 8:59 amHappy New Year Katherine!
I bought that BLANKNYC jacket in green a couple weeks ago and love it!
Cassie
January 3, 2017 at 9:43 amLove your resolutions, especially the third one. Personally, I’m aiming to only add a single clothing item a month to my wardrobe. It seems years of purchasing lots of clothing has miraculously not made it any easier to get dressed. So, I’m reigning it back and planning out my purchases for 2017.
Happy New Year!
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 7:59 am12 items a year is a great resolution…one day I will try to make it here!
TC
January 3, 2017 at 12:09 pmI don’t bother with sales anymore. My secret weapon is the Price Protection perk that comes with Chase and Citibank credit cards. If a purchase made with the card is advertised for a lower price within 60 days (Citi) or 90 days (Chase), they will credit the difference up to $500 per item and $2500 per year. I’ve gotten $450+ back on a sweater bought at presale but was freakishly on saks.com for 80% off.
I usually use Citi because their Price Rewind automatically tracks prices for me; I just upload scans of my receipts.
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 8:00 amThis is a fabulous tip! I am going to try this out…I used to use my Amex for everything due to Purchase Protection but the Price Protection sounds better.
sherry @ save. spend. splurge.
January 3, 2017 at 12:52 pmI don’t bother with resolutions any more, although this year I am trying to add less but without looking at the cost of it. The perfect jacket, etc.
Right now I am obsessed with shearling jackets like the Acne Velocite!
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 8:00 amI have eyed the Velocite multiple times too. It’s a great jacket!
Jill
January 3, 2017 at 1:20 pmI will be joining you in Resolution No. 1 ha ha! I hope to acquire my first piece of VCA, something to wear almost daily (probably a pendant and I go back and forth between Alhambra and Frivole, it’s the best/worst indecision ever). I hope you can leave all your Mom Guilt behind, I tell you that is never-ending, I have to remind myself of it all the time–along with the fact that raising children is a marathon not a sprint and to pace myself. You are doing a great job so I hope you treat yourself to a piece of jewelry. Happy 2017 to your whole family.
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 8:01 amThanks so much Jill! I’ve owned the Frivole and Alhambra and I’d advise for the Alhambra…it’s a little easier to wear with multiple outfits, and I’ve found that everyone needs a piece of Alhambra 🙂
Jill
January 3, 2017 at 1:22 pmI am turning a milestone age this year, and I’ve been thinking about it since I turned one-year-less-than-a-milestone-age *last* year. It’s time to revamp, to let go, to be open to changes – in my body, my lifestyle, my wardrobe. I did a big closet purge in the fall when I changed the clothes out, and realized that, though I have many lovely items in the wardrobe, I am missing some basics. And I need more black (I can hardly believe I’m writing this, as I live for color!). But I do. So I’m going to start hunting it down. And I’m a jewelry lover (and maker!) so I’m definitely thinking about a milestone age-oriented gift. 😉
I’m finding that I want to shop less often and I want to get out more often (I work from home, and my husband has just been back to work last April after 18 months of being laid off, so we have been living a fairly Spartan lifestyle for some time). I want more experiences, more shared happy moments with my guy, my friends, my friends I haven’t yet met. It’s not like I feel that time is running out by any means. But my perspective seems to be shifting. And I’m not minding that at all. 🙂
Wishing you a marvelous 2017!!!
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 8:02 amWonderful post. Happy 2017 to you and your family, and I hope you can add a few great black pieces 🙂
Revanche @ A Gai Shan Life
January 3, 2017 at 10:51 pmHappy new year!
It’s not my New Year resolution but my closet resolution starting from when I realized my closet is a hopeless jumble. My body is pretty much the size it’s going to stay now, post-pregnancy, so I’ve given myself permission to ruthlessly purge, revert back to an all-neutrals closet because I’m terrible at colors, and fill in some basics gaps. I yearn to do color well but it’s just not happening and it’s time to stop wasting brainpower on it.
Out of curiosity, if you move about the same number of items out as you buy each year, what do you do with your purged things?
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 8:03 amI used to sell some items but now I just donate it all…time saver. I agree with you on the color…I have trouble with it, it’s way easier for me to stick to neutrals.
Wendy
January 3, 2017 at 11:51 pmHappy New Year! I really enjoy your blog! For jewelry, I most always buy earrings! I especially love the skyscraper studs by Deborah Pagani at Barneys’s! I want those in a bad way! Also, the 3 star cluster earrings by H.Stern from the Genesis Collection. Please check out my nascent blog
http://www.wannabeliz.com. It’s nowhere near as nice as yours. But I do give good advice on purchasing earrings!
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 8:05 amHi Liz, you have gorgeous taste! I hope you add some fabulous earrings in 2017!
Anonymous
January 4, 2017 at 10:58 amThank you Katherine, so do you! You can find Pomellato at good prices
On http://www.oakgem.com and http://www.lastcall.com.
Anonymous
January 4, 2017 at 9:27 amKatherine–happy new year!! Love your blog! Do you have any thoughts on which gold bracelet you might want? Ive been thinking that i want one too….not the love bracelet though 🙂
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 11:24 amI have been eyeing the VCA Perles D’Or 🙂 I’d also check out the Perlee bangle if you are interested in a Love alternative!
Kim
January 4, 2017 at 3:10 pmHi Katherine,
I just read about you in Virtuoso Life Magazine (My Travel Essentials). I did not you were the author of this blog and the designer of the wonderful Sabbi shawls on Passage 88. I own the pink one. I love your blog and your shawls!
It was such a great article. Happy New Year!
Katherine
January 4, 2017 at 9:36 pmThanks so much! I’m honored that you love the shawl. Happy New Year to you!
Amy C
January 5, 2017 at 11:45 pmHappy New Year Katherine!
My closet goals this year are carrying over from the past year, when I began a ruthless purge/replacement so that I would have much higher-quality “staple” items going forward. This meant investing in good-quality t-shirts and button-downs, as well as having a love affair with Everlane cashmere (thanks to you!) and donating a number of sweaters. I am at a great place with handbags (all the bases covered), so I am going to attempt to refrain from any purchases in that area this year! With jewelry, I have a love for H leather and enamel bracelets, and have acquired some classic pieces this past year that I plan to have forever. Over the last two years, I have added some “investment” shoes and just pulled the trigger on the Gucci Marmont flats around Christmas. I am determined to purchase only shoes (and bags!) that I will realistically wear/use. I enjoy a curated closet and am not a “collector”. As a stay at home mom of 3, it simply doesn’t make sense for me to own 10 pairs of heels. They won’t see any use! Having fewer pairs of higher quality works for me.
I have to thank you! Your blog has made me believe in the power of less closet “filler” and better-quality items. I have enjoyed the thoughtful tone of your blog for several years now, and appreciate the fact that you enjoy fine clothing, shoes, and handbags, but aren’t braggy or over-the-top about it. Good taste loses its luster, I find, when people forget what is *really* important and get lost in the “stuff”. I never sense that reading here. 🙂
Katherine
January 8, 2017 at 12:46 pmThank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad you like the Everlane and I hope you enjoy the Marmonts as well (they are still my favorites!)
D
January 8, 2017 at 8:53 amHappy New Year! The limit on items is admirable. I hosted a clothing swap for the new year and anything not claimed would be donated. It was easier for me to donate items I had hemmed and hawed about after 6 other women I trust were all like – I don’t want this, haha.
-D
http://www.styledtour.blogspot.com
Katherine
January 8, 2017 at 12:47 pmThat’s hilarious (your last line!) and I can totally see it working.
JJ
January 8, 2017 at 10:28 amI really should join you for resolution #2. Over the years I’ve accumulated so much stuff I don’t need from impulse purchases. I’m going to try this thing where I will wishlist an item for at least 2-3 months. If I still want it really bad then I will consider buying; otherwise I will let it go. Also I propose the buddy system so neither of us will fall off the wagon haha.
Katherine
January 8, 2017 at 12:47 pmOK let’s do it! Buddy system all the way my friend.