Joie

Mix List: My Picks from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

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Guys, one of the best sales all year is upon us– the Nordstrom  Anniversary Sale, giving us the opportunity to get a head start on our fall wardrobes (there are also plenty of wearable-now, summer-ish items to shop as well!) for a lot less– prices go up when the sale ends, and some of the discounts are pretty awesome.  I’ve rounded up my fave picks, a few of which are already ordered and on their way (ahem, gold boots!!!)…
Classics-wise, now is a great time to get the Topshop genuine leather jacket, a wardrobe MUST– if you’ve always done a cheaper faux version, this sale is a great way to grab a real leather moto at a great price.  The Nixon gold watch, Kate Spade gold cuff and faux leather leggings and mini skirt are also wardrobe staples for me– I constantly wear items like these, so yearly upgrades are necessary! The floral midi dress just screams fall to me– I’ll wear it early with laceup sandals now, and with booties come fall.  The denim jumper dress can be worn now with an off the shoulder top underneath, and in the cooler months with a slim turtleneck and tights.  White sneaks are still going strong year round– I need new ones for summer, and these Stan Smiths will take me right into fall, anchoring all my almost-too-feminine looks with a boyish flair. The 3.1 Phillip Lim bag–!!– Can you believe this awesome designer classic is under $300 on sale!? Need. Bombers are still gonna be important this fall, and an olive one like the one I’ve picked below will go with everything you own.  Every girl needs at least one oversized plaid shirt in her rotation, and in my opinion, Madewell does them best–and now that Nordstrom sells Madewell, really, what are you waiting for? The Topshop lightning bolt sweater is just super fun and makes me smile, and the Adidas tank is perf for layering under a blazer come fall, or under overalls now during the warmer months.  Lastly, I chose for you guys two awesome beauty buys– a MAC brush set which includes all the basics, and a Bobbi Brown bronze eye pallet, flattering on all skin tones. So, get ready, set, shop! Enjoy my picks; use the links below to buy!
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xo, ❤

Christine

Mix Must: Chic, but Functional Winter Boots

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Coat: Andrew Marc via Bloomingdales (last season, similar one here)|Grey Sweater: Madewell|Boots: Sorel Caribou|Beanie: Nordstrom BP| Sunnies: Saint Laurent

Many times, fashion and function are like oil and water– they just don’t mix.  Take the ubiquitous pair of Uggs– not glamorous, often associated with tweens or your “basic”, Starbucks sucking, leggings wearing suburban girl (insert raised hand emoji here; no shame in my game). However, I triple dog dare anyone who has once owned and worn Uggs to bear a fall/winter season without them– we all have them, and will continue to wear them, even in secret, running to the store for milk or to the diner on weekends in sweats…
Enter the resurgence of the “duck boot”, which my sister and I used to make fun of my dear old mom for wearing for the past twenty years.  Companies like L.L.Bean, Sorel, and Sperry, which have been around way longer than we have at this point, must be rejoicing in the fact that these once “ugly” looking boots have become a must have in the closets of fashion girls everywhere! Finally– fashion and function come together, due the strong sense of IRONY (English teacher alert!) in fashion over the past oh, I’d say five or so years– if you ask me, this is a kind of pushback response to the in-your-face, flashy and tawdry “fashion” (think Juicy sweatsuits, logo-ed everything, low rise sparkly jeans, Britney Spears inspired looks) from the early 2000s.  Now, everything is “heritage” looking– even in home decor– “rustic”, make that “rustic chic” is an actual term (applaud or gag, not sure), mason jars are no longer for canning sauce but are hung from ceilings of expensive NYC restaurants as lighting fixtures; wood that is not “reclaimed” is out, out, out, and stores like Madewell can’t keep buffalo plaid in stock.  Even the plain white sneaker that I, like 95756389505 other girls are OBSESSED WITH, is a manifestation of this era in fashion.  I could go on for pages (but I won’t– fashion blog, not English essay…)
Anyway, so the point is, if you don’t have a pair of these “rustic-chic”, “heritage” boots, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? This is one classic, now a trend, that has stood the test of time, and will continue to keep our feet warm and dry, cute and comfy for many blizzards to come.
I organized my faves below in height order– the Sorel Caribou boots that I’m wearing above are what I’d call mid-height boots– for a petite chick like me, they are the perfect height.  Tall enough to be warm and keep snow from coming in, but not too tall so that I look like a five year old playing dress up.  The top row are short boots, mid height in the middle, and tall boots (I’d say for girls 5’5 and up!) are on the bottom.
Happy shopping!
xo, ❤
Christine
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Mix List: Summer Wishlist

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Even though its only been in the 60s this past week (in New York at least), school is winding down (only three more weeks, fellow teachers!), and it’ll be summer before we know it! I always say that during the summertime is when I feel most like myself– in terms of being carefree, like a kid again, happy to run around in cut-offs and sandals.  And in order to prepare for the ease of the next few months, I’ve rounded up some of the items on my personal summer style wishlist– some, like the metallic J.Crew sandals and One Teaspoon cut-offs (by far, the BEST DENIM SHORTS EVER!!!!!) are pillars of my hot weather wardrobe, and have proven themselves worthy of repeat buys this time every year!  There’s kind of a blue, white and gold theme going on here, which only became apparent and intentional when I was three quarters of the way done selecting these items for you…again, the denim-on-more-than-just-jeans trend continues from spring, with a heavy 70s influence, and white is pretty much synonymous with summertime and Popsicle stains, right? Gold is just, well…is there literally anything better than shiny gold on sunned skin on a night out with a drink in your hand and a warm breeze in the air?! No, there isn’t.
Shop the exact items below, and enjoy the countdown to salt in the air and sand in your hair!
xo,
Christine
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Madewell shift dress
madewell.com

Abercrombie Fitch romper
abercrombie.com

Joie sandals
shopbop.com

Schutz shoes
shopbop.com

J Crew  jewelry
jcrew.com

Shashi gold jewelry
shopbop.com

Back in the Mix: My Classic Chloes + 70s Platform Sandal Revival

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Every spring, I try to do a closet clean-out– I sell clothing, shoes and bags in good condition on either Poshmark (user name is ccomer6) or in person at a local Buffalo Exchange.  When it comes to deciding whether to keep or toss a particular piece, I use this rule of three:
1) Can I remember the last time I wore this piece? (in season, within the year usually)
2) What outfits do I build around this piece?
3) Is the piece either CURRENT (meaning on trend, modern, feels fresh- style wise, not referring to level of cleanliness lol) or CLASSIC (meaning it will never really go out of style.)
As I perused my shoe closet, I came upon these Chloe wooden platform sandals.  I remember buying these sandals very vividly– at a Bergdorf summer shoe sale way back in maybe 2005 or 2006.  This was just near the end of Phoebe Philo’s time at Chloe; and in my opinion, the height of Chloe’s success and notability as a fashion house.  They were doing lots of babydoll everything, flowy, feminine, very 60s and 70s style short dresses, all paired with chunky platforms like these.  It was literally love at first sight with these guys– they are my favorite kind of mix– masculine and feminine, sweet and fashion forward, reminiscent of the 1970s, yet modern paired with all my favorite short dresses.  I have so many good memories in them…My 24th and 25th birthdays were both spent in these shoes; one of my best girlfriends and I “shared” them on a tipsy walk home during a girls’ weekend getaway, when she couldn’t wear her shoes any longer because her feet hurt, yet we couldn’t bear the thought of her walking barefoot.  They are comfortable as any sneaker could be, and extra plus— they add a good 5 inches to my small frame!
So what was there to decide you ask (as I cleaned out my closet)? Why weren’t they automatic keepers?
For the past few seasons, after reigning as the shoe style of choice for the first decade of the 2000s, platforms were “out”.  Single sole, flat, streamlined, simple and clean shoes — minimalist in nature– completely took over.  Platforms became synonymous with the cheesiness of a Real Housewife’s over highlighted style.  If you were well-versed and well-heeled in fashion, you wore single soled shoes. Period.
Then, this season, the 70s came back– in a big way.  Chloe, Gucci and Valentino all showed platforms– paired with flared pants, short dresses, A-line minis and maxis.  All the shoes that came down the runway were similar to my cherished Chloes! These were not going anywhere.
So what’s the moral of this shoe story? No, it’s not to be a slave to trends, and keep only what’s in style– after all , I’ve cleaned out my closet every spring for the past 5 years, and haven’t gotten rid of the wooden Chloes just yet.  Some pieces, like people, will always be in your life.  They just make you feel good, and even though you don’t visit them every day, they show up just in time when you need them. So if a piece feels like it hits that rare sweet spot between trendy and classic, hang on to it!
What are your most cherished pieces? What pieces have come “back” and you’re glad you kept? Leave a comment sharing below!
Since my Chloes have been sold out for years, I linked several similar styles in various price ranges below– happy platform shopping!
xo,
Christine
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