Some Early Spring Shopping

 

sara new shirts #zara
sara new shirts #zara

Zara Draped Front Blouse | Zara Side Split Top | H&M Shaping Jeans | H&M Distressed Jeans
Frye Engineer Boots | Hat (similar) | Beanie (similar)

There is something about when Christmas winds down and you enter the colder winter days (except this year, it has been way warmer. At least as far as winter temperatures go) that makes me want to revamp my wardrobe. It is usually around this time of year I always go through my closet to take an inventory. Kind of like a pre spring cleaning. I check out what I have worn, what I haven’t, conditions of items,  and generally do a small purge. I have purged really well over the last year and a half, but I know there is still stuff that I can get rid of. I only get access to half of the closet so my side is really crammed since it holds all seasonal clothes, shoes, and accessories. I bought some nice new wooden hangers from Ikea and I am having a hell of a time transferring everything over to them. It’s so crammed and they are so much thicker than plastic hangers that it isn’t working very well, which is another reason for a purge again.

So while I am purging I am also wrapping my head around what I want to get for spring and summer. This process includes looking to see if anything needs replacing, re-evaluating my choices from earlier seasons, and just a general idea of what should go and what I would like to add. I realized that one of my favourite oversized linen t-shirts has a hole. It’s like one of those mysteriously large holes that just seem to appear in your shirt for no reason. I  am disappointed that I have to replace it but the hole is about the size of a quarter so mending it will be really obvious.

On Boxing Day I did some online shopping. I don’t think you could have paid me enough money to go into a mall on Boxing Day. I worked in retail for many, many years and Boxing Day was hell on earth. It was that day every year without fail that you swore you were going to quit your job at least 25 times throughout the long, shitty shift. It was also a day that was a mandatory work day. No one could book it off so everyone was just as screwed as everyone else. No favouritism was ever shown that day. So I stayed home and shopped online this year and ended up buying a couple of pieces from Zara’s big sale. I ordered a draped front blouse and a black long sleeve shirt with side slits. I wasn’t sure about the side slits at first but it works when I wear my high-waisted jeans. Not so much peeking out that it makes me self-conscious. The draped blouse I also really like, but it needs to have a camisole worn under it or I need to sew a small stitch to keep the drape from gaping open when standing/sitting in certain positions. You get a full bra flash if I am not careful. I ended up paying $39 for the blouse and $13 for the black shirt with free shipping so it was a pretty good deal. Zara also packs their items really nicely so when it arrives you almost feel like you are opening a gift. That was a nice surprise.

These are the first two pieces that I am planning on adding to my spring wardrobe. Have you starting thinking about buying for spring/summer yet to are you just transitioning into winter? 

There is nothing wrong with showing a little skin at age 36 via distressed denim and peek-a-boo tops and this goes along with my new mantra #iwillwearwhatilike.

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Sara

Sara is the founder and creative behind livelovesara. A George Brown College Fashion Styling Graduate, she provides advice on finding your personal style regardless of age and budget. She is always on the hunt for the perfect wardrobe piece and is a vintage and thrifting enthusiast who can't wait to share her newest finds. She is also trying to learn French.

6 Comments

  1. Holy smokes, you look great. Love your spring picks. I’ve yet to think about spring clothing; still looking forward to some actual coat days here in Texas. Cheers, Ardith

    • Thanks Ardith 🙂 It was one of those “feel okay about myself, might as well take picture days”. I swear it’s the jeans though. Higher rise, shaping denim from H&M. They are my new favourites and I live in them. I wish I was still waiting for an actual coat day here. I just had to break out the parka 🙁

  2. I agree with Ardith- you look fabulous!!! And you got me to go purchase the higher rise jeans. Question for you- any black semi-bodycon midi dresses that you would recommend? I have a bit of a pooch from my kiddos- and given that they are in elementary school I have learned to embrace it- hide it, but embrace it. I want a more fitted dress to pair with some longer vests that I have. Recently found your blog and love your style so I thought I would throw it out there. Thanks for all of your inspiration.

    • Thank you! The higher rise jeans are like a gift from god. I didn’t think I would ever go there, but it helps to keep the pooch tame. I’m not going to lie to you, my favourite bodycon dress I have is one that I bought while pregnant. I still wear it today. I think it is the ruching on it that goes across the mid section that makes it still very flattering. Any time I am trying on a dress that is more fitted I tend to gravitate for something with ruching, a small horizontal stripe, or a print. I find the pooch gets lost in a pattern because it tricks the eyes in to seeing the pattern instead of the bulge. Kind of like those pictures that were in the mall that you had to stare at to see the image, you need to stare hard enough to be able to see the pooch through the print 😉 I also tend to stick to black, it is the most flattering (at least on me).

      • Thanks Sara. I agree- black is a must. I have a great cashmere dress by James Perse. It doesn’t have ruching, but the fabric is such that it naturally sort of leaves horizontal folds across my pooch. But that is a dress I save for date night- I want one that is one I can wear each day. Back to searching for it. Love your style and appreciate your suggestions!

        • I was looking on ASOS last night and they had a lot of different styles in varying prices. You might find something there. I saw a few I liked but I’m not in the market right now, but you might find a style you want to try out.

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