Impulse Buys

The best thing about following other fashion/style blogs is seeing so many cool women look so uniquely put together.  This is what made me want to start my own (somewhat) style blog, in addition to the fact that I've had a thing about clothing since the 9th grade.  Back then I wanted to have at least a modicum of cool.  I wanted to look just as stylish as all the other girls.  This is still me (trying to be extraordinary too), except now I never truly lament about outfit fails...I just roll my eyes or cringe and then keep it movin'.  Next time...

The (sometimes) not so cool thing about following other fashion/style blogs is the mighty power of consumerism.  See a pair of fantastic shoes or coat on Instagram or a blog post and oh how we covet!  And now that nearly every fashion blogger includes direct links to the exact items they're wearing, it's just a done deal.  Oh, let me not forget the shopping haul videos on YouTube, also complete with links.  Whether or not these links are brand-sponsored and commission-earning, they all foster inspiration.  Inspiration that may give way to simple replication.  But that's another story I don't have the details for.

It's pretty easy to talk myself out of going beyond online window shopping.  First, having things requires money and I ain't got it like that (yet).  Second, while whatever it is looks awesome, I wouldn't wear it in real life and I don't need it.  Third, life is less about things, more about people and experiences.  More things won't necessarily make anything better.  These three reasons kept me in check, until I read someone's blog post reminding me about the Zara winter sale. 

Sales are probably the worst part of consumerism.  Sometimes Lulu's or Forever21 will send emails reading "Free shipping TODAY only!" or "15% off Happy Hour Sale!"  These ads will have a girl buying something she never planned to buy.  Like I mentioned, I can say "no" 99% of the time.  But ya'll, this Zara winter sale... This is how I acquired this burgundy clutch and iPhone case. $24 mas o menos.  Looking at what I'm wearing now, I just remembered that the jeans and flats were also impulse buys.  Damn!  Maybe I'm not as strong against the sway as I thought.

What I'm wearing:

H&M oatmeal tank // The Limited navy blazer // American Eagle ripped jeans // Mossimo Vikki patent flats // Zara clutch 

(oh yeah, the jewelry details...) Africa necklace, from Nigeria (thanks dad!) // JewelMint spiky bangle (which I accidentally spiked the clutch with) // BCBG gold arrow earrings