Recent Purchases and Looks: How I Make My Wardrobe Work for Different Situations

by admin May 10, 2022

You may have noticed my absence last week due to a family emergency. Unfortunately, that family emergency was my husband. As you may recall, back in 2021, he was rushed to the hospital when his heart suddenly started beating very quickly at around 200 beats per minute. I shared the story in this post. Back then, we considered it all behind us, but in April last year, he had another event, followed by another ablation in November when, again, we considered this all behind us. So, we were both shocked when in the middle of the day last Monday, on Frank’s day off, while heading to our deli to get us lunch, he noticed familiar feelings and checked his heart rate with his own Apple Watch (yes, he finally got one), and it was beating at about 187 beats per minute. In an instant, we were off to the emergency room.

Despite being frequent fliers, as I called us, at our now familiar hospital, the next four days Frank spent at the hospital were tremendously challenging. This was longer than past experiences, and in addition to receiving another ablation to get his heart under control, he was diagnosed with a cardiac anomaly that occurs in about 5% of the population that isn’t life-threatening but needs to be monitored and may eventually require a pacemaker a long way down the road. Overall, despite the difficult experience, we are both incredibly grateful.

Suffice it to say, as everything came to a screeching halt last week, I find myself catching up this week. Last week’s experience, in a loud, buzzing ER, where we spent six hours, I bounced back and forth with my assistant Rachel as we postponed a ton of appointments, took care of open issues, and figured out how to handle things that needed to be settled, knowing that she was also heading on a planned vacation by week’s end. As I return this week after spending a week barely checking in and with Rachel on vacation this week, I will only be posting this blog post so I can go right back to getting caught up with client work. Oh, and did I also mention, that we’re in the process of updating our accounting and filing systems? It’s like the perfect storm if it took steroids.

Recent Purchases and Looks

A few weeks ago, I shared a post about my wardrobe and style for spring with plans to continue to update you on my purchases and looks. This felt like a good time to share an update because I made a remark in my Facebook Group about what I wore to the hospital while Frank was there. If you missed my original post about my spring and summer wardrobe, you can read it here to get caught up.

My Spring/Summer Wardrobe

Above is an overview of the pieces in my spring wardrobe. As summer evolves, some of these cooler things will drop off and it’s likely a few summer things will be added. You can read more about the pieces in that post I linked to above the capsule.

What I’ve added since my last post

Longchamp Le Pliage Neo Nylon Crossbody

Longchamp Le Pliage Neo Nylon Crossbody As planned, I found this bag on The RealReal and will be taking it on my trip to Toronto in June and will be using it as a more casual bag for when I need something roomier. Clearly, I love orange as a pop accessory color because I also bought my Tod’s bag in bright orange when I updated last you on my purchases in this post. The bag is in pristine condition despite getting it resale and I love Lonchamp’s durability and everlasting quality.

M.Gemi Felize Loafers in Midnight

I saw a pair of navy Felize loafers from M.Gemi, called Midnight, on Poshmark at a really good price and how could I resist? This brings the total I have of this style to four. Do I think that’s too many pairs? No. I still plan on getting a yellow pair and I’ll probably get a pair in red at some point. Is this logical? I don’t know, I don’t care. Here is my logic. If they are the only slip-ons I wear in the spring, they are different colors, it’s not like I have a bunch of other shoes lying around not getting worn. Bring on the rainbow of Felizes, I say!

Frank & Eileen Barry Shirt

A new passion of mine has become Frank & Eileen shirts. I love them hard. What I don’t particularly love is the price tag. Those babies are expensive and even though my love for them is equal to the price tag, I still resist it. So I just scan Poshmark every now and then for shirts in my size on Poshmark. I just picked up the Barry style in this navy and white stripe. I learned that this slimmer-fitting silhouette runs a bit smaller than the Joedy I have in white and next time I will size up. Given this was a Poshmark buy and the only place it’s a bit snug is across my bust, I will probably just have my tailor add an invisible clear snap to fix the gape. Otherwise, it’s a pretty perfect shirt.

M.Gemi Cericho Slip-On Sneakers

Despite putting almost every client in a pair of M.Gemi’s Cericho’s slip-on sneaker, I didn’t really have my sights on it until I was doing a casual scan on Poshmark one day and saw a pair in my size at a really good price. All my clients rave about them, so I figured I’d try them. Well, now I live in them. I used to avoid a more substantial slip-on sneaker, like the Cericho because my very small feet for my height in this always made my feet look like square blocks, and I never found them particularly comfortable or supportive. Well, of course, the perfection that M.Gemi is, they managed to solve both issues and have to be the finest looking slip-on sneakers I have ever seen on my feet. Plus, they’re comfortable, oh so comfortable. They have a supportive foam arch and a cupped heel feeling that makes them really walkable. I’m now looking for another pair in navy on Poshmark.

Hammitt 210 West Wallet

A very recent purchase I made is this minimalist wallet from Hammitt. Full disclosure, I haven’t received it yet. I ordered it last weekend after my husband mentioned that he needed a new card carrier and I ordered him a cool minimalist wallet from Ridge and noted that I’ve been carrying my old Etro wallet around for over 10 years. I searched for quite some time, wanting a minimalist wallet of quality. I scanned The RealReal, considered some Cuyana styles, and looked at some truly minimalist styles that achieved the minimalist goal but weren’t the quality I was looking for. Then I found Hammitt and their 210 West had everything I was looking for, small, flat, held things, had enough slots for cards, and seems like decent quality; in fact, much cheaper than I planned on spending. I’ll keep you posted.

What I Have Been Wearing

I like to use my wardrobe pieces in different ways to maximize its use. It’s not just that I have a small space and a tiny closet that I share with my husband, I actually prefer to mix things up and play around with things. Plus, I find less is easier for my brain to manage. As you will see in some of the looks I have been wearing below, I repeat pieces a lot and use them differently. Maybe these outfits will give you some ideas on how you can do it with your wardrobe.

This was an outfit I wore to attend my nephew’s high school play in April where he was playing the lead. I am subbing in my Stella McCartney navy blazer for the one I am wearing here but to date, I am still waiting for the tailoring to be complete on my Stella blazer. This is another one I have that I don’t have an image of, but you get the idea.

Even though it was just a high school play, I have enjoyed dressing more for things, even casual events, and I have embraced how much more comfortable I am wearing tailored looks, even casually. I wore my navy blazer with my BOSS Hugo Boss Bashina shirt—which has a fake front placket, side zips and goes over the head, hence the great shape and no gaping— a pair of skinny jeans, my cognac Felize loafers, cognac skinny belt from J.Crew, a cashmere scarf from Saks 5th Avenue I got at The RealReal, a gold link necklace from Etsy, and my orange resale Tod’s bag.

At the end of April, my husband and I met a friend for dinner and attended a live performance at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. I just tweaked the look slightly to create a more casual look. Instead of my BOSS shirt, I wore my Frank & Eilen Joedy shirt half-tucked with my M.Gemi Cericho slip-on sneakers and the rest of the outfit was the same.

These are two looks I changed up slightly for two different occasions. The outfit on the left is what I wore when I had an appointment with a client at the M.M. Lafleur showroom. I wore my Akris Punto navy and cognac trimmed cardigan I bought resale with a pair of skinny jeans that I dressed up slightly with my washable silk tee from Quince. I finished it with my gold link necklace, cognac Felize loafers, cognac skinny belt, and Tod’s bag. It was a cool day, so I added my cashmere Saks scarf.

For Sunday church services, I didn’t need or want to wear something as dressed up, so I simply swapped the silk tee for my white J.Crew vintage v-neck in white, removed the necklace, added a pair of chain hoops, and left the scarf at home because it was warmer outside.

How Your Appearance and Style Change Things

Moving on to last week. Since my husband has had a few stays in the hospital, I’ve developed a practice; I always dress for hospital visits. I don’t dress up necessarily, but I always dress. There is a reason. I believe that doctors, nurses and staff interact with you differently when you do and in critical situations, this matters. Certainly, there is a line. I don’t think the effort made should be so excessive that it implies such a level of self-involvement that it would indicate questionable priorities. However, I do believe just an effort that offers you a boost in morale, and gives off the image you want to those you interact with does matter and makes a difference.

To give you some examples, this is what I wore during my husband’s hospital stay.

In the look on the left, this was what I was wearing the day we rushed off to the hospital. Obviously, it wasn’t planned. I was at home working and wearing a pair of J.Crew skinny jeans, my comfy vintage J.Crew tee in navy, my merino Quince cardigan, M.Gemi slip-on sneakers, and my glasses. My Tod’s bag was the bag I had all my things in and I just grabbed it. I had no makeup on and my hair was dirty. The day anyone goes to the ER is one of the worst days of their lives. The bar is typically low.

Day two was a lot of sitting around in Frank’s hospital room. This would be the day with a lot of doctor and nurse visits to the room. When you strip away the jacket and bag, it’s really just a tee and jeans with driving loafers. I wore another J.Crew vintage tee with an old pair of high-waist Everlane kick crop jeans, my cognac skinny belt, cognac Felize loafers, Tod’s bag, and navy blazer. This way, when I sat around or helped Frank, I could be super casual, but I could still look more polished when I needed to be.

Day three was the day of Frank’s surgical procedure. This would be a day of a lot of sitting around in the cath lab. It was also rainy and pretty dreary. I wore my Frank & Eileen Joedy shirt half-tucked with skinny jeans and my M.Gemi slip-on sneakers, my glasses, a Max Mara parka I got from The RealReal, and my Tod’s bag. I spent four hours waiting around for an update so I found a cozy corner to hibernate with my noise-canceling AirPods. Who knows who I texted this selfie to.

On day four, it was time to pick Frank up and the clouds lifted and it was suddenly a sunny 70-degree day after the weeks we had of it barely being in the 60s. It was a happy day and I decided the no white after Labor Day rule is for chumps. I threw on my white J.Crew flare crop jeans, a navy vintage tee also from J.Crew (I have plenty), my magenta Felize driving loafers from M.Gemi, and my larger Everlane Form tote in case I had to put anything in my bag to take home. For the first time that week, I happily went to the hospital.

A Workable Wardrobe Allows Us to Focus on the Things That Actually Matter

Last week my life was nothing about fashion and, certainly, in times like this, it’s the last thing anyone should be thinking about. But sometimes, in these moments, it’s these little things that can keep us going and can provide some comfort, and familiarity, and can boost our spirits. These things can also give us ease. As weird as it may sound, for me, the ease of having a workable wardrobe during Frank’s hospital stay was just another thing I didn’t need to think about. It was just there for me to grab and wear, similar to having my assistant, Rachel, taking care of things in my absence did, or how my very dear cleaning lady enabled me to come home to a clean apartment after a long day at the hospital. A workable wardrobe isn’t just about having nice clothes, it’s about being able to focus on the things that actually matter.

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