what I bought (and wanted!) in May
cotton sweaters, leather jackets, and a perfectly weird pair of shoes
I’m shamelessly stealing this preamble idea from —thank you! According to Substack, 246 people who live in New York subscribe to this newsletter. I’m going to assume that a majority of that group are in New York City. If that’s you, listen up:
Early voting has begun for the New York City mayoral primary on June 24th. There’s a very real chance that we could go from bad (Eric Adams) to worse (Andrew Cuomo), but there’s also a chance to choose a Democratic candidate who is progressive, labor-aligned, and policy-driven—and the margin is really close right now! Here’s some info on the recent cross-endorsements (two of whom are also ranked by the Working Families Party) and ranked-choice voting—you can find your early voting site and regular polling site here.
May was full of IRL thrifting and vintage shopping—and while you’ll see my substantial thrift haul as you continue reading, I left behind just as many ‘almost perfect’ finds as I bought. Taking photographs to send to friends (and publish here) has helped curb that impulse!
Most of the things I wanted this month (and the main thing I bought) were heavily friend-inspired. There was always an air of drama and concern surrounding ‘copying’ people’s wardrobes in middle and high school, but I can’t remember caring much at all about that after high school graduation. Maybe this is fodder for a post on its own, but I’m curious about that dynamic among friend groups now—I love it when my friends are so into something I have that they want to wear it, too, and (as far as I know!) none of my friends seem to mind when I do the same to them. Do you find that your friends care about that? Is it different if you live in the same city/run in the same social circles/work at the same office?
Before I share my purchases with you… here are all the things I wanted to get:
Madewell jacket at thrift store: Only wanted this briefly—taking the photo helped me clarify that I didn’t want it. I like this color of cotton canvas pretty much only in the classic chore coat style; this was more shawl/blazer hybrid.
Cult Gaia x GAP cargo pants: My friend Anna has these pants and wore them while I was visiting her. There are a couple pairs online right now in my size, but all for more money than I want to pay—there’s a size 12 in green on the RealReal for under $100 right now, though!
These Loeffler Randall boots: Another one of my friend’s things that I’ve coveted for a long time! I’d asked her about the sizing on these multiple times so I could scoop up a pair on the RealReal when they came up, but she ended up just giving them to me while I was in SF! There are quite a few secondhand pairs out there, just not in my size—if the green-soled version shows up on the RealReal, though, I’m calling dibs.
Banana Republic Birkenstock-esque sandals: Got served an ad for these while I was looking for cobalt Birkenstock EVAs for this post. Google targeted ads will get you! I liked both the blue and the red, and was tempted until I checked the material and found that they were “vegan leather”, which was a relief, as the urge to purchase dissipated shortly thereafter.
Ganni shoes: My friend Anna loves a freaky ballet/sneaker hybrid more than anyone I know (compliment), and when I saw these on
I sent them to her because I knew she would be intrigued. They’re beautiful but too expensive for me, and at that price point I’d want them to be 100% leather (the composition varies depending on the color, but most are a mix of recycled leather, polyurethane, etc.) They’re still extremely cute—I’ll be keeping an eye out for any color in my size on the RealReal!
As for what I did buy…
Three shirts at the SFMoMA gift shop: Two from the Ruth Asawa exhibit and the raglan SFMoMA shirt. The Ruth Asawa ones are Comfort Colors (the best merch brand IMO—very glad more bands are starting to use it for concert tees!)
Classic French work jacket/chore coat from a vintage shop in SF: On my list of secondhand items I was hoping to find—it was the first and only one I tried on that day. No brand tag, but the ‘100% Baumwolle’ tag let me know it was the real deal (perhaps actually made in France).
Adidas Taekwondo Mei ballet sneakers via (my ‘official’ online purchase of the month): My friend Anna (yes, she heavily influenced my wants and purchases this month!) owns these in silver, and I was so impressed by the ease and versatility of these shoes when I saw them in action. I didn’t want to fully copy her, and I don’t know how often I’d wear the silver (it’s more like pencil-shaving grey, just a little bit of sheen), so I got the black and white ones instead. This is as close as I’ll get to Sambas! They’re incredibly comfortable and they came with three sets of laces, but I ended up buying a couple more pairs of laces from another website, too (the laces in the photo above are ones I subbed in).
Youswim top (via Poshmark) and Youswim bottom (also via Poshmark): Well, I influenced myself again… wore my Youswim suit while I was in Florida and remembered how much I love it compared to all my other swimsuits. I’ll wear the blue and purple together, but I can also mix and match them with the burgundy two-piece I already own.
Eric Javits bag via eBay (as a gift): I own this bag already, and I’m not deranged enough to think I need multiples of a purse (at least not yet). Each time I bring it to Florida, my mom comments on it, and I’ve tried to find her one for a while. This trip, I was able to find one on eBay in really good condition and it arrived before I left!
Thrifted: Okay… here comes the deluge! I was in Florida for a solid three weeks, though, which is really the only place I go thrifting. And thrifting is totally within the bounds of my (self-imposed, only occasionally adhered to) shopping constraints for the year! Everything in the image above cost me $81 total.
Top row: St. John’s Bay navy cotton sweater ($6), Claybrooke green and black cotton sweater ($6), L.L. Bean red cotton sweater ($6)
Middle row: Land’s End brown cotton sweater ($6), The Limited cream overall shorts ($5), Aldo brown leather contrast stitch coat ($10), GAP chambray shirt ($8)
Bottom row: Jaclyn Smith leather jacket ($8), Ellen Tracy red leather jacket ($8), GAP leather jacket ($18)
A bonus… remember last month when I said ‘the eternal search for a cotton midi skirt continues’—eternal no more! I found one: a black cotton poplin skirt with a smocked waistband from Madewell. (My sister was actually the one who found it, but after trying hers on I decided I wanted it, too.) My mom got it for me as a gift. I’m enjoying wearing it with a loose graphic t-shirt and my new Adidas ballet sneaker shoes. (You’ll see it in action in the next ‘what I wore’.)
As for what I’m eyeing for next month… perhaps another graphic t-shirt? We’re about to enter my least favorite season—I’m never truly excited to shop for summer clothing.
the preamble is for all!
Where did you get your adidas ballet sneakers? They are very sold out