Style - January 25, 2017

5 Investment Pieces You Need In Your Life

brighton the day black pants, lace up flats and peplum top

Eventually I want to do a major “wardrobe classics” blog post dedicated to all the pieces I think are worth investing in, BUT as I was putting this outfit together I realized this outfit wouldn’t be the same without a few of my go-to investment items. AS such, I decided to do a little mini blog post on the investment pieces I’m wearing in this outfit. Namely, my black pants (high-waisted #duh), Stuart Weitzman lace up d’orsay flats, leather handbag, stainless steel watch and a nice pair of sunglasses.

5 Wardrobe Items Worth Investing In

There are things worth spending (several of) your sweet dollars on – aka worth “investing” in. And there are things that just **aren’t**. Like, especially when it comes to trendy items or fun “new” things like tops for going out or a fun pair of statement earrings. You know? Like I said above, I want to write about this more, but this outfit proved fitting for discussing 5 items I think are worth investing in.

brighton the day peplum sleeve top and black pants with Stewart Weitzman lace up flats

1. Flattering Black Pants

Skinny black pants remind me of classic women like Audrey Hepburn – you know, those little, cute cigarette pants she always styled so effortlessly? A great pair of black pants is essential to your wardrobe. But I bet you already knew that, right? (ha!) Even still, it’s worth stating again here because they really are. I have several pairs in different fabrics and with different waist heights – high-waisted are my favorite!

Whether it’s a pair of cropped skinnies for work* (hayyyy short gals!) or wide leg flat-front pants (eye-roll to you tall gals), black pants should be in your closet FOR SURE-skis. Besides the color being flattering on EVERYONE, black goes with just about everything and can easily be worn from day to night. I was going for a daytime, running-errands-kind-of-look, but I easily could have switched out my shoes for pumps + a sexier top and gone out on the town (insert red dress emoji girl here)!

*linked BR’s “Sloan” fit pant. These are great and are $88. In my experience, they run TTS and are similar sizing-wise to J. Crew’s 00 pixie pant or a J.Brand/AG Jeans/CoH size 25 in jeans.

brighton the day peplum sleeve top with tassel necklace

2. A (silver or gold) fancy-ish Watch

I’m not saying you need to go out and get a Cartier or something (although that would totes be ideal slash awesome), but I do think it’s important to have at least one nice-looking watch in your accessories arsenal. I’ve been a long-time wearer of Michael Kors, but I’ll admit that LATELY they’ve been feeling a little chunky for days when I want to look (and feel) a more sophisticated and polished and less trendy.

I’d consider this outfit (above) one of those; it’s simple and refined and sticks to the basics yet the peplum detailing on the top gives it some spunk. I love the tunic-length of this top, too. Also, the material is perfect because it’s thick enough to where it doesn’t stick to your butt (ha! if you know what I mean??).

Anyway, back to watches. I’d recommend the Kate Spade gramercy watch if you’re looking for something simple and classic that’s pretty for everyday wear – it comes in both colors (and rose gold!).

brighton the day peplum sleeve top and black pants with lace up flats
brighton the day peplum sleeve top with tassel necklace
brighton the day sharing how to fill your cup, peplum sleeve top and prada bag

3. Suede Flats You Can Dress Up & Down

In case you’ve been following me for awhile, you probably know I’m not a huge fan of flats – mostly, sneakers though. I’m pretty casual most of the time. But I do think having a few pairs of nice flats is necessary – although you don’t always see me wearing them here on the blog (tbh flats sometimes make me feel thicker than I am – I know it’s weird, but just being honest).

Being petite makes it hard to find flats that elongate your legs – much less a pair that’s also comfortable. I bought these Stuart Weitzman flats last year and immediately fell in love (currently 50% OFF + come in several colors!) I’ll admit, it took a little walking to break these suckers in (and maybe a few blisters too), but now they’re some of my faves.

When you find a good pair of flats, hold onto them and buy them in every color (ha!). You’ll be wearing them all the time for casual outfits and feel just as confident as when you’re wearing your sassy pumps. Speaking of flats I love, I’m also pretty partial to the Chloe scalloped flats – they come in SEVERAL colors and are super comfortable.

brighton the day peplum sleeve top and black pants with lace up flats
brighton the day peplum sleeve tunic-length top with baublebar pendant tassel necklace

4. Work Tote/Wear Anywhere Handbag

I have a confession…I am a bag-aholic. Yeah, I admit it. But I definitely go through phases. It’s weird. Like, I’ll go crazy and buy 2 bags at once and then I won’t buy another for a year or so. But whatever the case, I’ve always been a lover of well-made accessories – primarily handbags.

I think a nice-looking, leather handbag can perfectly elevate an outfit in a way that no other accessory can. If you’re not a bag hoarder like me though, it’s still great to invest in at least one (or 5 – depending on your personality ha!) great bag that you can use 24/7 without the worry of it falling apart. I try and look for a bag that is spacious enough to fit all my work and everyday items that I carry around – which is A LOT, even on a “simple” day. But it’s so worth the search because you will love your handbag and carry it everywhere. Now I just need to figure out how to keep that damn thing organized (**rolls eyes**).

I call **this bag** (the white prada one I’m wearing in today’s post) my “Olivia Pope bag” because she has it and she’s awesome and so cool and I love her (#duh). And when I saw her wearing it, I fell in love. At first sight. And decided I needed it. So I started saving my dollar bills for this exact bag back in 2015 and purchased it this past February while I was in NYC for meetings and such. It’s one of my absolute FAVORITES – that saffiano leather tho, YASSS.

5. A Nice Pair of Sunglasses

I’m sure everyone here has lost a pair of sunglasses, I know I have (maybe 3 or 4). So it’s really hard to say to invest in a nice pair of shades. My solution has been to find a pair that I truly love, go with every outfit, and are classic and invest in that one pair. Then whenever I am looking at trendier styles like reflective or oddly shaped I try to look for inexpensive versions that I won’t feel bad giving away or selling later on. I try to remember that classic style will outlast decades and those cute glasses I’m obsessed with now will be forgotten later.

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How about you?

What items do you think are worth investing in? And do you agree with these 5 I’ve covered here?

Let’s chat in the comments below!

 

Outfit Details: Halogen Peplum Sleeve Top (wearing size XS, also super similar style here) // Citizens of Humanity ‘Rocket’ Jeans (LOVE how high-waisted these are + SO Comfortable!) // Stuart Weitzman Lace Up Flats (50% OFF + come in several colors!) // Prada Saffiano Tote // Baublebar Tassel Necklace (sold out but similar HERE)