Photography by Mary Hafner
Happy Thursday Friends! Hope y’all are having a wonderful week. Last weekend, we did a whole lot of hanging out, which is one of my favorite things to do with my two men. For Valentine’s Day, Mr. S grilled steaks, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner al fresco. Honestly, I’d choose to stay in with my men versus going out to a fancy dinner any day! I’m reading for the weekend already!
THIS was my ACTUAL outfit of the day when the gals and I met up for lunch earlier this month. (We wore the Spring outfits for the shoot, and then I changed into something a little more comfy for Tanya’s rebrand luncheon.)
The jacket is one that I coveted for a long time… a CHANEL. When I found it with a matching skirt at Last Call Neiman Marcus years ago, I couldn’t hand my Neiman’s card to the sales associate fast enough. THAT was a real problem. The suit set was a crazy amount of cash, and I almost didn’t think twice about spending that amount of money that I DIDN’T have in the bank. (I thought about it for a nanosecond.)
I justified the purchase because I work and would pay it off… eventually (with about 20% interest accruing). It was MY problem because I made the purchase and I would be paying it off. But I am part of a WE team, and the fact that I was hiding debt from Mr. S was a very dishonest thing. Notice all of the “me” in that. It was a selfish and irresponsible way to think.
My father had stressed the importance of responsibly using a credit card… to build up credit and only if you ACTUALLY had the money to purchase whatever item. That lesson evaded me for years, or basically, I chose to ignore it. That problem followed me throughout college and marriage. I’m embarrassed and ashamed because this problem has caused heartache between me and Mr. S. He is the last person that I would ever want to hurt, but my irresponsibility and “dishonesty” was a big slap in the face. I won’t get into the nitty gritty, but Mr. S and I came to an understanding and agreement. I obviously had a problem with shopping. Earlier this month, I closed my Neiman Marcus account after YEARS of being a loyal customer and accruing points and then cut the credit card into pieces. #gasp
After going through items in my closet via the KonMari method, I found the jacket again. It’s been sitting there unworn for years after I went through all of that nonsense to purchase it. This jacket is so beautiful, but there’s an ugly truth behind it. It’s a good reminder for me to keep it real, and that not everything is as glamorous as it seems.
I told y’all that there was going to be a lot of honesty going on here this year! I’m sharing this to show y’all how everyone is human, and no one is perfect (except for God).
THE STYLE Rx: It’s NOT stylish to build a wardrobe based on debt and deceit. Honesty is always the best policy. Take a cue from me. (Okay, here is some real style advice. You can wear a fancy tweed jacket with boyfriend jeans and heels to go for a dressy casual aka “cool girl casual” look.)
Sorry for the serious subject today. I always want rainbows, glitter, and unicorns, but sometimes, life is serious. Thanks for letting me share my story. By the way, I will ALWAYS be a devoted Neiman Marcus customer, especially now that they take all forms of payment! I just use my debit card now! ;)
GET THE LOOK
jacket CHANEL* {similar Chanel or for less} || top 3.1 PHILLIP LIM* {similar} || boyfriend jeans TARGET || gold d’Orsay heels JCREW {on major sale, runs big} || ring VITA FEDE* || bracelets JULIE VOS gigi & baroque || boy bag CHANEL || sunglasses QUAY || lips CHANEL saga lipstick + desire gloss
