It's The Final Countdown!

Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. -Greg Anderson

Two days and counting! It is true, my hour of triumph and reward is drawing near after so many months of restraint and strong will. Well….maybe not really. In addition to my slacking on my posts the last two months (mea culpa, mea culpa), I also am guilty of seeing the light of temptation at the end of the tunnel, and it was all just too much to bear. But let’s not jump ahead too quickly. I shall start where I left off in mid-October….

My big “fashion event” in October was my work’s Fall Gala. Having already attended my fair share at this point, the new frock supply was running thin, though not enough time has gone by to begin recycling past worn dresses. So back to the borrowing board I went and thanks to my lovely friend J, I was able to wear the most stunning, flowy Yves Saint Laurent number and topped (or bottomed as the case may be) it off with some Prada shoes from my darling friend M. Thanks ladies! So do I plan to lay down some serious cash for the next gala in the spring? Oh contraire, my friends, I have another plan. I have discovered that often times vintage boutiques will loan out formal wear for just such occasions for a small portion of the cost of purchasing the dress. Brilliant!

As the time of allowed shopping was more and more within my reach, I began to plan and research what purchases, or investments as I now like to refer to them, I might make in January and early 2011. Not a good idea. November was somewhat torturous in this regard, but due to planning a fund-raising event in addition to my normally cramped schedule, I was able to stay strong. Thanksgiving came and went without a hitch. Then it was December and the holiday season began. A time of year when one is forced into stores in order to acquire gifts for friends and family. I have always spent way too much at this time of year as I inevitably picked up a few items for myself during these missions. Though this year’s shopping included no major guffaws, there was a lovely long beaded necklace and a fab vintage dress that I will inevitably wear to one of the four, yes four, weddings we will be attending in the coming year. In efforts of honesty, not justification, these illegal purchases totaled less than $100.

After December 25th, I concluded that my year had pretty much ended. Come on! It’s so close! I jumped on the “jeggings” bandwagon and picked up a cheap solid black pair that I have worn pretty much every other day since they were purchased. And then there was my self-issued reward for a year (ok, 11 months) of restraint. After much time spent thinking about exactly what I wanted, I am in possession of what I call my “big-girl-bag”. Oh the softness of the leather and the intoxicating smell. It is beautiful…simple, structured, classic.

A big thank-you to everyone who voiced their support and offered encouragement during this experiment. In a previous blog, I stated what I felt I had learned from this. So how will I go forward from here? Well, I have decided that I should have a fashion motto and I think I found it while reading an article in Vogue regarding what a young American woman learned during her time in France and Italy in the 1970’s. “Be crisp, tailored, and simple. Never skimp on shoes. Always wear perfume.”

Merci mon ami! A Bientot!