November 2015: What I bought, watched and read
WHAT I READ
Vogue on Ralph Lauren
I really loved this short, super fast read on Ralph Lauren. To me, he is the quintessential marketer. His branding, his lifestyle, his whole vision and view on the world that is so singular, directed & unwavering is incredible.
I have the utmost respect for him as a marketer & businessman, but his designs are also great, to boot! I’m a huge fan of tweeds, menswear and tartans/plaids. I really want a tweed jacket, a grey flannel jacket and a plaid one now!!!
The Count of Monte Cristo
This is an excellent book. SUCH A CLASSIC. A great tale of revenge that ends not quite how everyone expected. At least, I didn’t expect it.
It is long though. Over 1000 pages. It’s all I could read this month along with my career & personal obligations.
WHAT I WATCHED
ALL of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries seasons 1-3
It took me a full season to get into the show. It’s understated and very Australian in that sense and after a while I started to lust after a luxurious white wool coat with a (faux of course) fur lining. And a cloche. And red lips.
Seriously.
I like the series but I wouldn’t re-watch them again the way I do obsessively with Castle, Elementary, or Sherlock. I just enjoyed watching them and the storylines, character development in each passing episode.
I would recommend it if you are into murder mysteries, but it is not a: OMG YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT.. kind of series for me the way the others are.
WHAT I BOUGHT
So much. I bought so much this month. I blame it all on work, being sick and Black Friday.
#excusesexcuses
Until I get the itmes though, I won’t post about them. So even though they were bought in November, you won’t see them until December.
ALL CLAD D5 1.5 QUART POT – $240
It was a replacement because I literally BURNED WATER by not hearing the timer. I did this to the old one:
*sobs* I’m so stupid. In a few minutes, it cost me $240. Literally, MINUTES.
HANKETTE ORGANIC COTTON HANDKERCHIEFS – $126
I bought 32 of them. A nice big stock for me and Baby Bun. I kept running out when we were sick, so I really needed them.
ANTHROPOLOGIE PORTSMOUTH APRON IN GREY MOTIF – $50
I really needed an apron for when I cook and clean. I hate having to change and wash my clothes each time, so I broke down and bought an apron. Anthropologie has cute ones but they are sometimes too cute like a thin material, and more of a hostess dress apron than a real one. This one has pockets, leather around the ties… it looks great, simple, and yet chic & not too thick to the point where it feels constrictive. Looks just like a market apron.
The material is thin but not cotton paper thin. It still protects and absorbs some of the spray of water, but it will not have water bead off it like a very thick cotton apron from let’s say Williams-Sonoma.
It’s just a simple, great apron that is light and comfortable enough to work around and cook in. They even had matching potholders.. I almost bought them. Then decided against it.
PLUG BUG MAC BOOK TRAVEL ADAPTER – $45
We are going to be traveling with a Macbook Air and I will be charging my iPod Touch and all the other things, so this is a brilliant solution seeing as I only really use travel adapters with my Macbook Air when I travel and to charge my iPod (with a USB).
CONVERTER FOR THE IPOD TOUCH – $45
I have an old iPod Touch and a new one. I needed an adapter to be able to use my old cables with my old and new ones.
Brilliant!
SKETCHA DESIGN CITY SKYLINE NECKLACES IN PARIS & NYC – $150 USD
Picked up two more city skyline necklaces.
A bold, wild, NYC one (LOVE IT!)
..and then one for Paris. <3
m0851 SAMPLE SALE: OMG
I shopped the sample sale and bought the following items:
m0851 is terrible for clear, BIG, PROPER photos of items, so I knew I had to go into a little detail about these pieces and the sizes which you can see in my Instagram shots below.
m0851 Ziparound Organizer Travel Organizer – $100
Original price was $210; I paid 47% of retail price
It has a lot of pockets, is a nice size for euros and the passport would fit perfectly in it.
I HATE that their things don’t always come with zipper pulls (you can buy a keychain for $20) but I just made my own pull out of a bracelet instead.
I like the leather. It is stiff at first but I can attest to the fact that after you use it a few times, it becomes buttery soft.
m0851 Flat Front Zip Pouch – $75
Original price was $210; I paid 35% of the retail price
This travel pouch goes well with the travel portfolio above. PERFECT combo:
Can’t wait. Going to use it like CRAZY and I love matching colours.
m0851 Medium Postman in Khaki – $195
Original price was $415; I paid 47% of the retail price
It’s a nice khaki suede, very soft and casual.
I LOVE it. It’s a nice medium size without being oversized or too small.
It is a nice size because it is big enough to hold my wallet & basic things, but then I can stuff some spare diapers in there and really fill it up without having to worry about it not taking the stuff in properly.
Only 2 things I am not thrilled about:
A) The clasp. I am not a fan of fiddling with clasps. I hate buckles, and this is kind of an easy buckle but .. annoying
B) The strap is too long / short. I think it’s meant for guys, so it actually looks too long on me unless I put it on the smallest setting, but then you get this strange over excess of leather strap hanging off the back.
Kind of annoying.
m0851 Triple Zip Travel Wallet, Flat wallet, and Medium Flat Wallet – ~$35 for each of them, for a total of $105 for all 3
Original price was $65; I paid 53% of the retail price for each of these
I bought these as gifts and as minimalist wallets. Just a few cards and (very important) SPACE FOR KEYS.
I need a section to zip up my keys, small coins / tokens, etc, and this is perfect.
“Minimalist” wallets NEVER really think about pockets or zipped sections so I really needed to make sure I got ones with zippers.
[RETURNED] ANN TAYLOR DENIM JACKET – $100
I took this denim jacket in a US 4 and it was HUGE on me.
I needed a US2 at the biggest because the US0 was too tight for my shoulders but it was perfect body-wise
*sigh* story of my inverted triangle shaped life.
Returned.
[RETURNED] ANN TAYLOR FAUX LEATHER SKIRTS – $100
The black felt a LOT more like leather, super supple, expensive leather than the coloured leather ones.
I returned them because the black one in a size US2 regular was way too big on me.
The perfect fit was the US0 PETITE… which was only available in the burgundy but not black.
The burgundy felt a little stiff, but still looked pretty realistic.
All returned. None kept.
TED BAKER LORILI COAT IN “PALE PURPLE” – $600
Pale purple? What a terrible name for this colour.
It’s more of a fuchsia and it is GORGEOUS.
The fabric is gorgeous.
Super soft, not at all even Autumn-weather without a sweater, but it is a PERFECT topper over your clothing when you don’t want to wear a winter coat.
Now I have a bright topper coat in a colour that looks fantastic on me.
I CANNOT WAIT TO GET IT.
Did I mention that I AM SO EXCITED TO GET THIS COAT!?!?!
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!
Beautiful. Can’t wait.
Update: I GOT IT AND I LOVE IT.
Super soft, colour is true to that colour you see in the photo above, and it is a real fresh pop of something on a cold, grey day when everyone is in black.
Full review coming in a separate post.
INSTAGRAM SHOTS:
#ootd #style The attention to detail in my new coat is fabulous. @ted_baker hits it out of the park with the floral lining. @nordstrom had it on sale… #shopping #shopaholic #shoppinghaul A photo posted by Sherry @ Save. Spend. Splurge. (@saverspender) on
m0851 POCHETTE IN CENDRE – $500
I have wanted a leather portfolio thingy like forever.. and I saw this one and it is perfect.
It is lined in leather, has magnetic clasps and is just GORGEOUS.
NEAT FREAK HANGING CLOSET ORGANIZER x 3 – $80
I bought 3 of these because I am running out of floor and shelf space to be able to hold things that can’t be hung up like mittens, hats, etc. Honestly, THIS IS NEEDED. I can’t believe I never got one before or used them before. I bought 3. One for my personal closet, one for the main hall closet and another just in case because I have a feeling I will use it for sweaters. I am using them to the fullest extent because I use it to hold my keys and my things when I get in the door (we don’t have a front hall table), and this thing is PERFECT for mittens, hats, little baby things…
[THRIFTED] JAMES PERSE LINEN BUTTON UP SHIRT – $39
Paid 17.25% of the original retail price
I bought this because it has side plackets in a stretchy knit for the sides and it is way more comfortable to have a knit side than to have just a shirt that is structured in linen and where it is uncomfortable to move your arms and do things. It’s 100% linen, comfortable, soft and wonderful. The retail price is $226 USD and I paid $39 USD or 17.25% of the original retail price. Things are going well in the Save. Spend. Splurge. thrifting world these days.
[THRIFTED] MANOLO BLAHNIK MLDARI BLACK PATENT MARY JANES – $178
Paid 13% of the original retail price
My beloved thrifted, secondhand Manolos for $60 have broken. I AM SO SO UPSET. They are officially unable to be repaired. The heel is twisted and it has snapped off. I need to replace them. Somehow. It was either to buy them at retail at $1019 USD, on eBay for like new at $505 USD or used for $135 USD with slight imperfections (ding! ding! ding!) I bought them at 13% of the retail price. If these ones work out & are awesome I will hunt on eBay for a backup new pair. I wish I could resurrect my old Manolos though. I sent them to The Leather Spa in NYC to be repaired and we’ll see how that goes.
[THRIFTED] ROBERT NOBLE BLUE HERRINGBONE BLAZER – $100
Paid 25% of the original retail price as I think a similar blazer today is $400
I bought this blazer again from J. Crew – Robert Noble Herringbone tweed, but in blue and one size larger to accomodate my shoulders. The quality is HIGH on this blazer. I REALLY liked it but it was too small (size 0) for my shoulders 🙁 I needed a size 2 or a size 4. Update: I just received it and it is PERFECT in the US4. It’s odd because I’m a US0 today in J. Crew modern sizing (As of 2009) but the previous years, I am a US 4 (which is my normal / regular size) Vanity sizing at work I guess. I also have larger shoulders than most body types (am an inverted triangle), so I always take a size bigger than my “normal” size. Most of you would be fine in ONE size larger than what you would wear in a modern J. Crew sizing today, if you wanted to buy these Robert Noble blazers on Ebay.
INSTAGRAM SHOTS OF THE J. CREW NOBLE BLAZER
[RETURNED] ZARA HERRINGBONE PRINT DRESS – $70
This dress is great, just needs tailoring in the bust and to hem it. I wonder if I should keep it and hem it.
Not sure if I am going to keep it yet, but it is a nice enough dress.
Update: I returned it. I can’t justify the tailoring required for this dress. If it goes on sale, I’ll buy it again.
INSTAGRAM SHOTS OF THE HERRINGBONE DRESS
ZARA FAUX FUR MAXI STOLE IN GREY – $90
I have been SO INSPIRED by Phryne Fisher’s wardrobe from the 1920s that I have been researching how to best re-create her gorgeous outfits, particularly her coats. Her coats are just divine, particularly THIS ONE: 
.. I also have been looking for this amazing coat Amy Adams wore in American Hustle from the 1970s as well: 
Similar to the one above right!? …except I really don’t want to buy real fur. Vintage is borderline for me only beause I can understand it for sentimental reasons if passed down from one grandmother to a daughter or granddaughter, but I really don’t want to buy it. I still feel strange with the idea of fur. Anyway, then I came across this GORGEOUS faux fur maxi stole in grey from Zara. 
It also comes in mauve & black. It is just GORGEOUS over a coat, a leather jacket, a wrap sweater and then belted… It looks incredible. I’m pretty pleased.
Claire says:
What are your favourite online “thrift” stores?
sherry@savespendsplurge.com says:
Sharyn Scott (Montreal)
Mine & Yours (Vancouver)
Vestiare Collective (Global, though more European)
Ebay
Lab Consignment (Toronto Based)
That’s it for now.. there are others I sort of go to from time to time but they never have anything I like.
raluca says:
Miss Fisher’s shop: http://www.everycloudonlineshop.com/collections/missfishercollection-marionboyce
save. spend. splurge. says:
ENABLER!
Yetunde says:
I actually saw a leather pencil skirt in the Brooks Brothers Fall 2015 catalog yesterday and thought of you. Didn’t see it in store but the model had on a burgundy/oxblood color which I’ve always liked and worn as a neutral.
Is it bad that I enjoy your shopping sprees 🙂
save. spend. splurge. says:
Yes it is terrible you enjoy my sprees because I’m $_$ at the end…
The Asian Pear says:
I’m so glad you liked The Count of Monte Cristo as well! I read it earlier this year too. While indeed long, it’s very well written with so many subplots and everyone with an interior motive.
save. spend. splurge. says:
I LOVED the ending. It was not what I expected but it was exactly what I wanted.
Kyle says:
I burned a saucepant recently (forgot I had turned the burner on and got distracted) and literally cried. So, so heartbreaking. I love all of your buys this month though – that coat is amazing on you.
save. spend. splurge. says:
I heard a “CRACK” and then a feeling of dread settled in my stomach. $240 later, my wallet is crying.
Cassie says:
Oh wow, that was quite a month! Really sucks to hear about your pot though. I did that to a tea kettle when I was a kid and it ended up welding itself to the burner (at a baby sitter’s no less – oops).
You picked up so many great items this month! That Ted Baker lining is gorgeous, and the detail shots of that herringbone tweed blazer really make it pop. If I had only seen the overview shots I would have been meh on the blazer, but it really is gorgeous. Awesome job on the Manolos! Hopefully the Leather Spa will be able to work some magic on your old ones and you’ll be able to swap them out.
save. spend. splurge. says:
Tell me about it. I’m banging my head against the desk. My budget is going to be nasty this month.
Oh yeah, my whole shopping bug has been scratched to oblivion. I went nuts on Black Friday too. *sigh* December what I bought will be a SPENDY MONTH.