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This year, Racked refined its mission statement to hone in on shopping: what to buy, where to buy it, how to get it, and why you should care. As our shopping director, my job, essentially, is all about stuff. I write about stuff, I buy stuff, I think about buying stuff and maybe don’t. Unsurprisingly, I accumulated a lot of stuff this year.
It would be impossible to recall everything I bought because this year has truly been the longest in history; last January was somehow only 12 months ago, but it feels more like 36. And because of that, it was a year when buying stuff — important stuff, but also dumb stuff — felt really good.
Here are the things I bought this year that I 10/10 would buy again, with their appropriate accolades.
Most Practical: Everlane Turtlenecks
I have a habit of piling onto things years after everyone else (I just watched Lost, and am now watching The Good Wife), which was also the case with Everlane. I wrote about Everlane and talked about Everlane and tweeted about Everlane so much this year that our EIC Britt had to politely ask me to stop for a little. But, I stand by my man — Everlane is a great brand! I decided to lean into a turtleneck look pretty heavily this year, so I bought a few, including the Ribbed Wool Turtleneck ($85) and the Cotton Double-Knit Turtleneck ($80) and the Cashmere Square Turtleneck ($155).
Most Sort of Practical But Not Really: LOQ Villa Heels
I first saw the shoe brand LOQ on Sincerely, Tommy’s Instagram and bought the Villa heels ($325) almost instantly. (And then Solange wore them and I felt VINDICATED for having spent more than three hundred dollars on one pair of shoes!) I got them in orange after deciding over the summer that a red shoe would be my new neutral (I had bought the Mansur Gavriel red mules over the summer and wore them to death.)
Most Out of My Comfort Zone: Michael Michael Kors Thigh-High Boots
Also out of character for me this year were a pair of thigh-high leather boots from Michael Michael Kors ($140). These found their way to me via Net-a-Porter’s sale, which is the only way I would have purchased this pair of boots. They make me feel like a different person? And I love it?
Most Ambitious: Four Dramatic Skirts
Though I rarely wear skirts, I bought four of them this year — two of which were very on brand for me (a leather pencil skirt from Zara and a suede pencil skirt from Aritzia) and another that wasn’t: an A-line wool mod-looking skirt that made me feel like a Jetson. I still don’t really know how to wear this, but it’s a fun puzzle to try to figure out each time I take it out of the closet. Before that, I bought a dramatic C/meo Collective skirt (that’s now sold out, but is sort of like this only BIGGER) that made me feel like one of these. Wearing it was also the only time I was ever asked to be photographed at Fashion Week.
Most Necessary: Cover Fx Foundation
Mid-year, I had a reaction to a new bronzer, so I ended up spending bank at Sephora on more makeup to cover it all up, which resulted in a purchase of the entire Cover FX arsenal, from the foundation to the primer to the spot concealer to the powder. I was miserable until I found the foundation — it helped me hide my blemishes without aggravating them further.
Most Worn Every Single Day: Levi’s 501 Skinny Jeans
I was given a pair of the new Levi’s 501 Skinny Jeans ($98) that I definitely would not have picked for myself — they’re tight, a little stiff, and when I first put them on they were terribly uncomfortable. But I was promised they would soften up once I started moving around. They did, and now I wear them almost every day.
Most Expensive: Anna Sheffield Luna Ring
The first expensive item of jewelry I ever gifted myself was from Anna Sheffield when I first got this job; over the summer, I went to the massive Bona Drag sale in Milwaukee while on vacation and found a similar style, the Luna Band, for half off. I’m still not sure why it was on sale, but I didn’t ask any questions. This is now the second wedding band I have purchased for myself — I’m aiming for three in 2017.
Most Surprising Thing That I Wore Again: Aldo Polesia Sandals
I had my first black tie event this year and didn’t have any shoes to wear, so I did what anyone would do and ran to Aldo. I bought the Polesia Sandals ($80) in black and ended up wearing them to a wedding a few months later. I was relatively comfortable in them all night, and I’m still not really sure how.
Best Value: M.Gemi Lato Boots
I was really skeptical of the brand M.Gemi for one very dumb reason — the name. Idk why! It’s an abbreviation of the founder’s name, Maria Gangemi, but for some reason I just could not get behind it. I was given a pair to try, though, and I picked The Lato ($195), and they’re actually the best pair of ankle boots I’ve ever owned — they’re surprisingly comfortable and the heel height hits that sweet spot between work and a night out.