Thrifting w/Friends

My sister called me last night just as I was brushing my teeth before I went to bed. It wasn’t all that late — just 10 and she was hanging out with a girlfriend watching the snow come down. I love my sis – she’s my very best friend and I love most of her friends so it was nice to see them hanging out and having fun in the snow. I miss that. I miss having friends who come over to my house on the reg just to hang out, drink wine, and play cards or binge watch #goodfuckingtv. I also miss the snow. 🙂

I’ve always had great friends. I met my best friends in college and we’re all still friends today. When I lived in NYC, I was lucky to find an apartment next to best man I’ve ever met. He still lives in NYC and he’s still my bff. In South Dakota I met wonderful people, but I’ve lost touch with some of them and I’d like to reconnect, but it’s so easy to be lazy about reconnecting. Sending a text or an FB message is a lazy way to reconnect. I’ve got to be more proactive. I know for sure that my friend Coral from Yankton bought a new house last year and she has a great boyfriend, but I haven’t talked to her about any of that stuff. And I also know my friends, Cathy & Les built a new house too, but I haven’t talked to them since they moved in. This is all to say that I’m lonely here in Charlotte. I’ve got friends, but no BEST friends. I’ve got workout buddies, but not wine buddies (there is a very specific difference). And it’s probably my fault. I’m not an introvert. I like to go out for dinner and drinks. I like the movies and breweries. Even so, I find myself doing a lot of solitary activities like running and walking my dog. Thrifting can also be a pretty lonely adventure, although I know there are other people out there who like to do it. I have a moonlight gig – I ref field hockey & lacrosse, but let me tell you — NO ONE wants to be friends with the ref. 🙂

It would be so much easier to meet people if I had kids, but I don’t so I miss out on all the meet-ups with kids and parents. I’ve done some volunteering in my neighborhood and there are nice people that live around me, but I often feel like the odd man out: I’m single; I have no children. I’m not complaining about how my life turned out (not right now anyway), but I have to put more effort into finding my peeps when I’m in a new place.

Today I paired a #LOFT sweatshirt with a denim skirt, black tights, and a pair of flat, red booties. It’s a comfortable outfit that doesn’t look sloppy. My sister hates these boots. She thinks they’re faintly geriatric, but they’re comfortable. My toes can settle the way they’re meant to settle all day, which is so enjoyable after trying to break in new-to-me shoes.

sweats

Sample Sizes

I’m not a sample size. It irks me so much when I’m going through second hand offerings on a website and see mostly size 00, 2, and 4 in designer clothes. I get it, but it still irks me. So as someone who straddles the 8/10 divide, I understand that I need to be active in order to find used clothing that I like, in my size.

I love yoga and my New Years resolution (*insert eye-roll emoji*) is to go to a yoga class at least twice a week. I’ve been able to do that for the last 3 out of 5 weeks. I travelled twice in January and that always screws up my work-out flow. Charlotte is a hotbed for yoga enthusiasts, but unfortunately, most of the studios charge quite a but more than I’m willing to pay for a monthly membership. NCYogaBar, https://www.ncyogabar.com/, a pop up yoga studio, is an alternative to expensive yoga in the #clt. I pay $100 for 20 classes (which works out to be $5 a class woo hoo) and usually go to the Hop Shop yoga session on Sundays at 11:00 with Emily Berger (@emilyofalltrades). I’d like to go to another one of these classes during the week, but many are quite a ways away from where I live and most of the classes start at 6:30 or later. I haven’t yet found a second NCYogaBar class that I like as much as the one at Hop Shop. I’ve got to keep looking.

Groupon has a lot of yoga savings, especially in January, and I was able to purchase a 10-class pass to Okra Yoga, https://www.okracharlotte.com/yoga/, in Plaza Midwood for just $45. I LOVE this studio. The classes are challenging and I never feel middle-aged, which is getting harder and harder to avoid these days. The instructors are funky and fabulous and the poses often push me to my limit. I’ve considered buying another 10-class pass to Okra, but it’ll be $120, which also pushes me to my limit. 🙂 We’ll see. I’ve got a 20-class pass (a wicked steal from @Groupon again) to Arrichion Yoga, https://arrichion.com/, that I’ll start after my Okra pass is done. I’ll keep you posted about it.

I also run & swim & ride my bike — sometimes consistently, sometimes not. Another resolution is to run 3-4 times a week. I’m headed out now for my 4 mile lunch break (my second run this week) and I think I’ll do intervals. I keep track of my runs with #runkeeper and I’ve got an interval app on my phone that works for me. It’s 65 degrees and sunny out so even if I feel terrible, it’ll be worth it.

Before I go, I want to give a shout-out to Linda’s Stuff, http://www.ebaystores.com/Lindas-Stuff, which is where I got my #RachelComey loafers I wore yesterday. They gave me blisters so they’re at home with socks stuffed into the toes. I still love them.

Since it’s so warm today, I’m wearing some JCrew navy khakis that I purchased from @thredup when I needed new work pants. They’re not vintage for sure, but the style does take me back. My shoes are #dansko clogs and I got the cardigan at a discount store across the street from UNC Charlotte.

Monday, Monday

One of the reasons I started this blog is to improve my style, but to do that, I need to understand what my current style is and I want to put it out there for those of you who might have a similar aesthetic. I’m a very jeans & comfy shirt kind of girl. I LOVE designer jeans and hope to add some to my collection by finding them used on sites like #ebay, #poshmark, and #thredup. Mother jeans are my current obsession.

I like skinny jeans, and flared leg jeans, boyfriend jeans and capris (pronounced CAP-rees for my girl James). I like black jeans, grey jeans, and dark blue jeans. The last pair I bought were Everlane mid-rise skinnies, https://tinyurl.com/yc5un8kv, and I really, really like them.

What to wear with my jeans is always a struggle for me. I’m busty and feel uncomfortable when I wear anything fitted on top so I usually go for baggier shirts. Tops I’d like to add to my closet include good quality t-shirts in white, grey, and black, a long(ish) blazer, and a cashmere turtleneck, although I won’t be able to wear it much since I live it the south.

Anyway, I’m looking for capsule wardrobe items of good quality that will match my aesthetic. And I’m not going to buy any new clothes or shoes or accessories. Anything I buy in those categories this year will be used, rehomed, thrifted, etc. Charlotte, NC has a few consignment stores that I have to start shopping at and there are a ton of Goodwill stores and estate sales in the area. I think this experiment will be fun!

Today I’m wearing a JCrew top in bright yellow (my favorite color), Lululemon black pants (for only $49), and a new-to-me pair of Rachel Comey loafers that I’m super psyched about.

40something

This blog is not exclusively about style and/or fashion; the next post will be about something else, I promise!