Spring Lust List.

I love clothes. And shoes. And bags. And jewelry (duh). And buying things.

Yes, I admit it, I'm a clothes horse, a consumer, a material girl, a retail therapy addict, a shopaholic, a bargain hunter, a super-justifier, a woman with a deep desire to be a trendsetting fashionista - or at least to look fabulous, unique, and more or less put together at all times. Since I'm 25, and still defining and evolving my personal style (and of course by no means have an excessive amount of disposable income at any time), I am constantly in need of something... something new.

Sometimes I think it's just the thrill of the chase - especially of a good deal. God I love to get 50% off or more on something. I love to buy something on clearance. With every fiber of my being. And I love to tell people who complement my purchase what a great deal I got on it. (I think this really has to do with guilt and not wanting people who see me regularly and may have an idea of the excessive and vastness of my wardrobe to think I spend a fortune on clothes - the truth is I probably do spend more than most, but I also keep everything forever and of course try to always buy on sale.)

What I love the MOST is to buy that something on clearance that I wanted as soon as I saw it (at full price), resisted buying, pined over for months, completely (eventually) forgot about, then stumbled upon with the .99 or .97 or FINAL SALE on the tag (or online listing), had a coupon, or a rewards card, got free shipping and voilà! I own the $200 dress for $48.99, less my $10 coupon and free shipping, of course. (I hate to pay for shipping. ever. Even when I do pay for shipping, I make sure I got some kind of discount on the item equal to or greater than the cost of shipping, thus negating the shipping payment.) Of course the bottom line is, I still spent $40, and probably wasted countless hours of my life debating and obsessing over whether or not I could should might afford/buy said dress before I finally did. But I really like the dress. Yes, I am talking about an actual example and dress which I now own. :)

Needless to say, my dear fiancé has a few concerns about me, my closet, and my general consumerist nature. He is (clearly) the more financially responsible partner in this relationship. There always is one. Because if you both suck at budgeting and saving and being, you know, financially responsible, let's face it, you're screwed. With our new plan - now officially put into action as I sent out 30 days notice with our last months' rent yesterday (sad face) - he is quite concerned that the sudden availability of additional funds may result in shall we say... an irresponsible surge in spending. (well my spring & summer wardrobes need updating honey! just a few things!) He's probably not entirely off base. I have to admit that my main issue is that I am so used to just adjusting - week to week, month to month, paycheck to paycheck - I'm one of those people who when I have money, I spend it. When I don't, I'm great about "being on a budget" - but when I do, I have a hard time seeing the bigger picture and staying on top of the budget I should be maintaining all the time - not just the tight weeks of the month.

So I've been thinking about this a lot. It's funny because we just started watching Dexter which is an odd analogy to make to this situation, but it kind of works. Dexter has to kill people, he has to satisfy that urge. So he kills people that deserve to die. He meticulously researches and prepares for each kill, so he makes no mistake, doesn't kill someone who doesn't deserve it, and doesn't get caught. Similarly, I have to shop. I have to buy things. I love to buy things. I love to treat myself to something, whether a small pick me up like a $10 pretty-smelling candle or a $3 latte, or a large purchase of something truly special, a pair of boots or a facial, that I save for and plan for the spend. I can't go any particularly long period without allowing myself some form of "splurge," which I usually can, of course, justify on some level, but that also just makes me feel good. I actually had a therapist once who encouraged me to shop, because it was something that made me happy and apparently some form of coping mechanism. I feel like she wasn't really doing her job - I mean, yeah shopping may have helped take my mind off certain issues, but isn't the point of therapy to work through those issues so we don't *have* to use the coping mechanism anymore? I'm sure my parents (or were still partially supporting me at the time) would have been thrilled with her advice.

Okay, back to the point. Since I have to keep myself on a limited budget - we've got BIG things to save for here - wedding, house, LIFE - and I certainly don't want to let my man down - I've decided to start a list. A lust list. In addition to wedding posts, I'm going to post about what I want to buy each season - BEFORE I actually buy it. I'll limit myself to a few major purchases, and probably fewer "little" splurges, because let's be honest, my closet is overflowing with cheap basics and impulse purchases, previous splurges, and some pretty decent quality pieces, that haven't seen that much wear (due to the size of the collection), and given my personal preference for fairly classic styles, can definitely be recycled from season to season, year to year. I think I'll get more enjoyment, satisfaction, and wear out of investing in quality pieces for specific purposes or occasions, but things that I carefully plan for and decide I really really really want. I haven't decided my "budget" or how many items I'll allow on this lust list per season, but I guess the point is to just write down what I want, think of about, weigh the pros and cons of spending money on that item, and make more responsible decisions about satisfying my shopping urge.

So here begins my Spring 2011 Lust List:

#1  Those stupid (gorgeous) Frye boots always tempting me in the window of Footnotes. Actually, what I really want is a really classic, quality pair of cow(girl) boots - they don't have to be Frye but I've yet to find anything else up here (you know, in Yankee territory) that would qualify as both somewhat authentic and good quality, as well as the style I want. I have a pair of Fryes I bought at Footnotes on sale a few years ago, but they really weren't what I wanted - they were an impulse buy because they were such a good "deal" for Fryes - and they're not all that comfortable. Every time they change the window there I fall in love with a new pair of boots, but I think I am pretty set on the classic, brown, pointy-toed, embroidered cowboy boots that were recently replaced again with my previous lust - the red round-toed smooth leather boots pull on boots. Gorgeous but maybe less practical/wearable I think. The original lust were the over-the-knee flat riding boots - deep brown or black, couldn't decide - that were in there earlier in the winter. Couldn't afford and now they're gone, but I think for the price they wouldn't have been the right choice either. God I love boots. I might love them more than heels. And I love heels. The thing about boots is that they can dress up or down. Your can wear them over or under jeans, with dresses, skirts, and well, just about anything. They're easy to throw on, they're usually pretty darn comfortable, and they can complete or entirely change the tone of an outfit. They tend to make your legs (in my opinion) look skinnier and longer. But, regardless, they are a great way to proportion an outfit - balance volume on top, a particularly short skirt, or a pair of jeans that you don't love the cut of below the knee. Oh boots, how I love thee. So versatile, so classic, so fun.

#2  A super adorable white (or somewhat/mostly white) summer dress. Right now I'm obsessed with anything lace, eyelit, or embroidered (a lace top or tunic is another item seriously being considered for the lust list here), and anything at all that says, "I'm the Bride!" This dress is going to be for our engagement party, which we're planning on having as a clam/lobster bake, casual kind of thing sometime this summer. So I don't want anything too too dressy, but I definitely want it to be fabulous and make me stand out. And I want to be able to wear it again, of course. Haven't seen much in the way of what I'm looking for yet, but I'm keeping my eyes open!

#3  White jeans. I have been looking for the perfect pair of white jeans since Spring Break 2K6. Seriously. I did get some white cropped jeans (Joe's I think) from Bluefly a couple of summers ago, but what I really want is the perfect straight or skinny jean, not too tight but not baggy, they have to be a fabulous fit, good weight (so they're not too see through especially with the pockets - I hate when the pockets as all bunchy and the jeans are skin tight and you see the outline of the fabric, yuck.), and some stretch (because you always need a little stretch). Like I said, I've been trying on white jeans every year for at least 5, and I still haven't found them, the perfect, flattering, classic pair. Sad. Face. Oh, and they have to be within a reasonable price point. I pretty much only buy designer jeans, but in case you haven't been paying attention to this post, I never like to pay full price. (Some jeans are like $250-300 now...really?!?!) I hate to spend over $100. I mean, really. They're jeans. But in defense of the price tag, I still have jeans from 2005-06 and the ones I have gotten rid of I sold through Second Time Around, so after keeping and wearing them regularly for 4+ years, I made roughly $20-40 per pair back on 'em. Not bad, right? So if I paid $100, had them for 4 years ($25/year), and wore them roughly once a week (52 weeks in a year), they cost me less than 50 cents per wear. Except then I made $20... so they were only $80, that's more like... well I won't do the math, but I'm big into cost per wear. (remember the super justifier? yup, that's me! ) I think this is completely reasonable, though. :) Anyway, the perfect pair has eluded me, but this year I plan to find them! Maybe. I hope. We'll see.

So there are the top 3 items on my lust list (for now). I'll get back to you with more soon. In the meantime, what are YOU lusting after for spring and summer??? Not that I need any ideas...