Hey everyone! Right about now all of our favorite stores are coming out with their Spring collections, and rather than bombard you with all the cute styles they have to offer, I wanted to take a minute and share my #whatnottobuy list of this season. These are items that are oh-so-tempting but I just can’t justify for one reason or another. I try to “ban” items before diving into a new season so that I stay organized and smart about my purchases. In the winter, I ban nude-colored sweaters as they clash with my skin tone. In the summer, I ban spaghetti strap dresses as my chest is a freckle-fest and I’m just not comfortable in them. You get the picture. I hope while reading this you consider your own banned items for each season, too!
1) Colorful blazers
I bought a pink blazer a few years back. It’s cute! I posted a photo of it last week. Truth be told, I rarely wear it. Not every day is a pink blazer kind of day. Not even close. But that yellow one at Gap!! What about the emerald green one from Loft!! And it’s free shipping!! ….no. It’s hard to resist these as they are perfectly styled on the model and, for a fleeting moment, I feel like I just might suddenly become a colorful blazer girl, opening my closet and happily deciding which part of the rainbow I’d like to be that day. I guess the lesson I learned here is don’t overdo the statement pieces.
There can only be one…
2) New flats
I have a pretty large collection of what I consider medium quality flats ($35 range) and I take good care of them. Flats aren’t my vice (if you must know, wedges are my vice) and I feel they can only be designed so many ways. Designers aren’t coming out with some revolutionary must-have style year after year. So, new flats….tempting….but a want, not a need.
3) Midi length skirts or dresses
The word “midi” makes me physically shudder. I have short legs and every midi dress, no matter how flattering from the waist up, looks like a mumu on me. Midi length skirts and dresses are my one stop shop to a nice self esteem blow. Point being: recognize what you don’t feel good in, and eliminate it! Even if the model looks amazing in it, because let’s be serious, that’s the point. You probably have that style that just doesn’t flatter you, maybe it’s midi, or ruffles, or turtle neck, etc. but there’s no need to try to push a square peg in a round hole. Wear what you feel good in!
4) Fashion jewelry >$10
Yes, J Crew’s necklace selection is drool worthy. But admittedly, I am a bit of a quantity over quality person when it comes to jewelry. I buy my jewelry on the clearance racks of department stores. Von Maur, specifically, but Macy’s and Nordstrom Rack also have great selections. My general rule is no more than $5 for earrings, $10 for a necklace or bracelet. Sounds crazy, but it works. Oh, and I very rarely buy jewelry online. It’s just never the same as in photos!
I realize this photo is overwhelming. It’s the result of years and years of accumulating clearance jewelry from Von Maur and Nordstrom Rack!
5) Cheap springy accessories
You know what I’m talking about. The $5 plastic pastel phone case staring at you in the checkout line, the $3 floral notebook, the $8 umbrella with rubber duckies on it, endless new scents in Bath & Body Works candles (and these honestly aren’t that cheap!) and the list goes on. Poor purchase choices in so many ways. (To be clear, one candle is ok. Two is probably alright. Seven? A bit excessive.)
I hope you found this list helpful!! Yours likely isn’t identical, but the idea is to get you thinking about what items are going to stare you in the face this spring compared with what you’ll actually get use out of. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.