Happy Saturday! Boy, did this week feel ever-so-long after last week’s holiday. Despite feeling a tad under the weather this week, I’ve still managed to have a pretty productive week of travel planning. I even took a salsa dancing class with Michael! Have you ever taken dance classes? Though we attended as a couple, we ended up spending much more time rotating through the other partners in class. Good for experience, I suppose, but a tad awkward…
Other than that, here’s what I’ve been reading, watching, and discovering this week:
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Travel
Haven’t decided where to travel yet this summer? Here’s an interesting way to choose: Where to Go on Vacation by Sign.
I’ve been updating my post on films + shows to watch before you travel as I have been preparing for our upcoming trips to Mexico City, The Netherlands, and Belgium. What is your favorite show or film set in a beloved destination?
United has joined Delta in their smart luggage policy – when flying with smart luggage you must be able to remove the battery from its housing before boarding. (Own an Away suitcase? You can check out my tutorial for replacing the battery housing here).
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Life
What are your thoughts on Starbucks’ new sippy-cup lids as a means to replace straws? I would think the lid is composed of more plastic than a straw, but maybe not?
My birthday already passed but if yours is coming up any time soon, here is a guide to getting all the things for free on your special day. Go out and get it – and then maybe call your mom to say thanks for birthing you.
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Food
It’s Bastille Day! Michael and I are eating lots of French foods today, like crepes, croque monsieurs, and of course, enjoying plenty of rosé.
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Style
Finally, something positive out of the world of fast fashion. Retail giant ASOS partners up to create a wheelchair-friendly jumpsuit.
This Pinterest board is everything I want to wear when the temperature dips (Also – if you’re not following wayward on Pinterest, you’re missing out! Okay, /shamelessplug).
The sale over at SSENSE is getting out of hand and I’m having such a hard time resisting. When I’m in trip-planning mode I tend to make my computer background an image of the destination as a reminder to keep saving! What are your favorite tips for resisting good marketing and sales?
What I bought this week
Not pictured: I reordered a T-Top from the Jamie + the Jones Secret Shop, which hopefully will arrive in the correct length, and sized down for the second time in the black suede Day Heels (they arrived, but the fit just doesn’t work for me). I also reordered the Easy Chinos in Ochre in a Size 2 as I saw they were briefly restocked and they are supposed to arrive on Monday. I’m pretty much over Summer at this point and am thinking ahead to our upcoming trip to The Netherlands and Belgium, which is why my purchases skewed black-and-white this week. The silk Everlane button-down looked like it would fit the bill, but the size 4 ended up being too large in the shoulders/waist and too small in the bust. I stumbled on the above waterproof leather ballet flats* after posting my Summer Shoe Roundup, and am awaiting the next size up to arrive. The quality is not top-notch but I’m so tough on my ballet flats that I can’t quite justify the cost of a pair of Aquatalias (also waterproof), as they’d also need to be replaced sooner rather than later. I managed to snag an Alta top* (on my list for at least nine months) at the Only Child Sample Sale on Tuesday, and I hope it works! One of the good things (of which there are many) about purchasing from small makers is that there is usually a decent resale market.
A quick note: These weekly shopping roundups definitely make my shopping habits appear excessive (and lately to some extent, more packages have been arriving at my doorstep than usual), but the reality is I end up returning maybe four-fifths of my purchases, and last week I returned everything. This isn’t because I’m an impulse shopper, but it has more to do with the fact that I’m really picky about what earns its keep in my closet. I don’t enjoy in-person shopping the way that I used to, which means I end up ordering nearly everything online without the chance to try it on. I’m tempted to give a service like Amazon’s Try Before You Buy program a try to help slow down the charge, return, and credit sequence as many online returns take more than one billing cycle to credit back to my card. Have you tried their service (or one like it) before?
*this item is no longer available and a similar product is linked
Are you off to anywhere exciting this weekend?
I’ll be taking a mini-break this week, but will be back next weekend!
