New Year's Day in NYC

I decided that in 2017 I was going to make an effort to shop my closet. I have a lot of beautiful things that often sit for years until I wear them. Part of the reason is that my size goes up and down, and part of it is that I just have a lot of stuff. My family was already in the car waiting for me when I threw this ensemble together. My inspiration usually stems from a single piece - in this case my $1,895 Vera Wang wool coat that I scored at the sample sale for $100.

A bunch of these pieces are actually sample sale scores and were taken out for the first time. I've been on the fence about this Tamara Mellon grommeted bag for a while but it was just what this outfit needed. Looking this outfit over, it's probably a little less fun than I'd like. Next time (if I have more than 5 minutes to get dressed LOL) I'd probably wear a higher heel or a shorter dress (as the proportions feel off for me) and add a few more accessories. I guess you can say that this is how I do basic.

From head to toe:

• Hat: H&M, sale rack, $1
• Sunglasses: Moschino, Century 21, free with $60 rewards (RV $295)
• Jacket: Vera Wang Collection, sample sale, $100 (RV $1,895)
• Sweater: J Crew Cashmere, thrift store, $8
• Dress: Tobi midi dress, gifted (it's paper thin but a good layer)
• Gloves: Carolina Amato, sample sale, $15
• Bag: Tamara Mellon Speed Date, sample sale, $250 (RV $2,195)
• Boots: Rebecca Minkoff Sari, sample sale, $25 (RV $495)

In case you missed it - note the different color chains on the gloves. Sometime you get a great deal at a sample sale because of a tiny flaw. I honestly didn't notice it until the designer pointed it out but one chain is silver and the other is gunmetal. All I know is there are super warm, cashmere lined leather gloves - and I needed something for the times I didn't want to wear my favorite gold studded leather gloves (seen here).

Just wanted to add that this is what my hair looks like when I roll out of bed. I didn't have time to put in beach waves so I just used a little dry shampoo (Right now I'm using Suave from Target - I like it better than some fancy ones I've tried) and ran out the door.

Linking up my look for you to shop here:

Thank you to my 11 year old son Keva who was this round's photographer. Kids are amazing photographers because they don't get embarrassed easily, take direction, and are willing to lie down on a City street to help you get the shot (or at least mine do). I'm a lucky momma. I've already started to put together a post on photography tips - for the blogger who doesn't use a professional photographer. While someday I aspire to having someone follow me around and take gorgeous shots of me - for now all I have are my kids and some basic editing skills.

Every New Year's Day for the past several years, I've headed to the American Girl Store with the kids and their matching dolls to meet their new girl of the year. They always have activities and freebies so if you're a mom on a budget this is the day to visit that otherwise really expensive store. I wouldn't say I've never spent a penny in the store but most of our 50+ AG dolls and accessories have been thrifted. Ava brought her doll Saige with her and wore the matching dress that we found in the thrift store for $5. Most of my kids clothing is thrifted - thou her boots were just a penny at Nordstrom Rack :)

I just got her these super cute purple glasses at Zenni for less than $40 on Black Friday when they had 20% off the site. I've always been a Zenni fan - they have glasses starting at just $6.95 plus $4.95 shipping. I often place an order for my several family members to take advantage of the flat rate shipping LOL. Ava has a strong prescription but with insurance I still have to pay $50 OOP - these were cheaper and are better quality then the ones she just got from Target. I still have to share my new oversized green glasses with you - so fun!

The kids have a pasttime of sitting on top of the car while waiting for me to shoot. Ava is usually the first one on the car.

Ella has been sick for the past couple weeks and will hopefully go back to school tomorrow. This was shot right before she started to stay home  - you can already see in her face that something was off. Nothing is more difficult than taking pics of a sick kid, but Ella is a pro at this point and she pushed thru to get a few snaps. I should mention that Ella had a sleepover the night before and I forgot to bring her matching doll dress when I picked her up. Oops.

Ella is wearing a leather bomber jacket that is easily 30+ years old. It was given to my brothers as a hand me down a bajillion years ago - and my aunt who gave it to them had it handed to her before that. Classic and quality seriously last forever. She stole my furry fingerless Carolina Amato gloves and my new favorite Be Mine NYC hat, and is wearing Justice jeans and her favorite Nina Kids Carmyn boots (which are now on sale at Nordstrom).

She's been sleeping in braids recently - it gives her these fun, crazy waves. So cute, right?

I'm still a little sick too but at least I'm semi-functional. My husband got us tickets to Florida for the kids winter break next week so at least we have some sun and fun to look forward to.

On the sample sale front, nothing too exciting to report. I hope you guys went to Rachel Zoe this week like I suggested. They had $40 gowns - and some of those retail for $500-1,000 easy. Junk Food has a sale today and tomorrow with $5 tees but I personally have not been there to vouch for it. Ivy Kirzhner also has a sale with shoes for $50-120 this weekend which is good but not amazing. I also heard that Bergdorf Goodman will have an extra 20% off their sale merchandise starting Friday (thru the weekend) so if you're in the City, it's worth checking out.

JUNK FOOD
January 11-12, W 1-5 Th 11-5
525 Seventh Avenue (38-39 Streets) Suite 308

IVY KIRZHNER 
January 13-16, F-Sat 11-8 Sun 12-6 M 11-8
750 Greenwich Street

Happy shopping! If anyone has any suggestions for activities near Ft. Lauderdale I'd love to hear them - kid or shopping related :)

XO
Michelle

PS Last call to enter my Rebecca Minkoff Insta giveaway - I'm choosing a winner this weekend! Enter here!

On the Fringe.

If you've seen me about town lately, I'm sure you've spotted me in this super cute green jacket. It's the perfect lightweight jacket, and I decided to take it from day to night for a family birthday dinner. Tobi recently sent me a few pieces to try (thanks guys!) and in addition to this jacket, they also sent me this fringed dress and midi dress (already seen here).

You know I'm a sucker for fringe so I just couldn't resist this dress. I always planned on layering with it but the entire back is open (sides too LOL) and it's on the sheer side - so the jacket stayed on my shoulders all night.

It was getting dark and raining so this was the best I could get of my #OOTD. Plus my photographer was my 10 year old niece. It helps to have a large family with lots of kids willing to play photographer :)

From head to toe:

• Necklace: Rebecca Minkoff, sample sale, $5, RV $108
• Jacket: Tobi, gifted, RV $132 - currently on sale for $92
• Dress: Tobi, gifted, RV $68 - currently on sale for $34
• Bracelets: Dannijo, sample sale, $25 each (these retail for a few hundred)
• Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim Mini Pashli, $245, RV $775
• Tights: Spanx, Burlington Coat Factory, $13
• Boots: Sergio Rossi Rockstar Boots, sample sale, $25!!! (RV $1,260)

You can shop my look here:

So this week was a little crazy. Sample sale season in effect and my feet are killing me. Note to self - wear sneakers next week. On Thursday I popped into Teri Jon to preview their sample sale that is taking place this Sunday & Monday, 11/20-21. (I posted details in my last post, here.) I was there for about 20 minutes when I heard that Charlotte Olympia had $100 kitty flats - so I literally ran in my Rockstuds over 10 blocks. Lucky I got there when I did because within minutes the line wrapped around the hotel floor. After scoring a single pair of cute flats I went downtown and crashed the private Balenciaga sample sale but walked out empty handed. At this point my next Bal has to be a blue/purple/green & have oversized hardware but they didn't have my combo :( Plus bags were still $350-450 which is a great price but only if it's exactly what I want. You can take a peek on my Facebook page at what I saw/got that day :)

On Friday I left my house at the crack of dawn to hit the Eddie Borgo sample sale at 8am. Got there at 7:30 and there was already 3 people ahead of me. Last round they had a huge box of $5 damages. This time nada. I picked up a couple pieces (prices went up...) and hung around for a couple hours before running over to Alexander Wang where I heard they had $150 bucket bags. I snapped up a couple bags at Wang and then started walking back to Borgo when I saw a text from a friend that they had put out a few damages right as I left. Great. Then I get a text from a friend at Wang that he had a couple mini Rockie bags for me so I ran back there. So the lesson is - even if you expect to hit a sale or two, you never know what will pop up or how far you'll have to run. Always wear comfortable flats!!

As for this coming week, stay home and shop online. That's where the deals are. Most places have rolled out their Black Friday deals early so keep an eye out on Slickdeals. If I see anything amazing, I'll add it to my Insta stories. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you're not following me on Insta and watching my stories, you are missing my behind the scenes live shopping adventures. I do from time to time add my stories (like I did this week) to my Shoppinggalnyc Facebook page so they don't disappear - so be sure you're following me there too.

Happy shopping!

XO
Shoppinggalnyc