A lot of things started at las week school, including starting to get involved in the Graduate Marketing Association Board, networking events, group projects, and prepping for a consulting project I'm going to be working on this semester. Basically, sh*t got real. Which all added up to one extremely exhausted MBA student. So what did I do Saturday?
Absolutely Nothing. And it was GLORIOUS ;)
Well, not exactly nothing. I finally worked out for the first time since moving to NY (well, unless you count walking up 5 flights of stairs every day). Got my nails done. Watched a chick flick. And, had amazing Hu Mei noodles from Spicy Village. There were a less pleasant hours devoted to homework, but we're glossing over those. Some weekends are for dance parties at the Bowery Electric and some are for being a homebody.
Happy Monday!
P.S. Happy Birthday to my big brother TJ!!!
Monday, September 30, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Falling Forward
Fall is, hands-down, my favorite season. Don't get me wrong, summer is a close second (I am from California after all), but I've realized that summer-time on the east coast, where you're far from the beach and have to deal with things like walking to work in the humidity, is not always so awesome. But, Fall . . . is perfect. You can wear things like sweaters and puffer vests, but it's not so cold that you have to bundle up all the time. You get crisp mornings without the slush that people out here call snow. And, you instantly feel more scholastic. Just the change in weather makes me more excited about my accounting homework (#saidnooneever)
I love it all--the cozy cable knit sweaters, riding boots, the move to more subdued colors, the crisp mornings, the fact that you can curl up in front of the yule log video with a cup of soup . . . like I said, My. Favorite. Season.
The one dangerous thing about a change in seasons, especially to a season that I love, is that I become more susceptible to seasonal amnesia disorder (SAD). Have you suffered from this? It's that feeling that the weather's changing and all of a sudden YOU HAVE NO CLOTHES. Which means that you NEED ALL THE THINGS!!! It usually takes me a week of drooling over all the emails I get from retailers to remember that, wait, I have a closet full of fall clothes that I bought last year.
This year, I'm determined to combat SAD, by being a more savvy, analytical shopper. So, I decided to take a look at what's in my closet right now--filtering out items that are only for spring or summer. (oh yeah, going old school with the excel spreadsheet)
I love it all--the cozy cable knit sweaters, riding boots, the move to more subdued colors, the crisp mornings, the fact that you can curl up in front of the yule log video with a cup of soup . . . like I said, My. Favorite. Season.
The one dangerous thing about a change in seasons, especially to a season that I love, is that I become more susceptible to seasonal amnesia disorder (SAD). Have you suffered from this? It's that feeling that the weather's changing and all of a sudden YOU HAVE NO CLOTHES. Which means that you NEED ALL THE THINGS!!! It usually takes me a week of drooling over all the emails I get from retailers to remember that, wait, I have a closet full of fall clothes that I bought last year.
This year, I'm determined to combat SAD, by being a more savvy, analytical shopper. So, I decided to take a look at what's in my closet right now--filtering out items that are only for spring or summer. (oh yeah, going old school with the excel spreadsheet)
Not going to lie, it really doesn't feel like I have 83 items in my closet to wear. I'm going to remind my "monday-morning" self of that number the next time I feel like I have nothing to wear. Also, I did a double take when I saw the number of t-shirts and had to go back and recount them to make sure that was correct and that I wasn't including things like my "Willie's Weenie Wagon" shirt. Sadly, the number was right, but I am realizing I probably don't wear t-shirts often enough to justify owning that many. Interestingly, in total, I have 29 bottoms and only 22 blouses and sweaters, which supports my feeling that I don't have nearly enough tops . . . I know what you're thinking, 22 seems like a lot, but not all of those are school/professional appropriate. Also, it's still not cool enough to wear sweaters everyday, which means I really only have 12 blouses. (I'm not counting the t-shirts for now, since I have found that I really wear my blouses and sweaters during the week)
* * *
What does all this mean?
- I have more clothes than I realized (though I am also going to go back and make sure I didn't include any of the items I "purged" when I left D.C.)
- Some categories skew heavily in the "work" category--particularly dresses (over 50%), pants, and skirts. This means I have less that's appropriate for school.
- I need to check out this whole "t-shirt" situation. I might be like my jeans collection.
- Finally, is there a magic number for how many clothes someone should own? Is 83 too many? I think I might have to go back and dig into those numbers a little bit and see how many of those items I wear because there seems to be a pretty big disconnect between perception and reality in my mind.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
(Data) Models-Revisited
Way back when in February (you know, when I lived in another city and had a job), I tried to come up with a model for what my ideal closet would look like. The whole premise was that, similar to when you're creating something like a database, you need an idea of what your "perfect"system would look like. Basically, it serves as a guide to use in determining what criteria your system needs to meet, what features it should include etc. It also keeps you on track to make sure you accomplish your actual goal. I wanted to do something similar for my closet--come up with a blueprint of what my ideal closet would look like and then see how well my real-life wardrobe measured up.
At that point, I didn't really have a good idea of what my model closet would look like so I decided to focus on function.
It wasn't the worst model to start with, but it certainly wasn't the best either. Let me rephrase that . . . it wasn't complete. Sure, a wardrobe needs to be functional. But it's got to be more, right? Else, my ideal wardrobe would be the same as every other student's at NYU and then where would be the fun in that?
These are the kind of deep issues you think about on your flight back from Cincinnati when you're tired of doing homework. And, this is your sleep-deprived brain comes up with:
Yes, my ideal closet still has to be functional (else I'd still be wearing beach cover-ups and board shorts, pretending I still lived in California). Secondly, as I've learned so very publicly . . . you have to like what you own (whether you have a 5 point rating system to figure that out or not). And, finally, it should reflect your personal style, whatever that might be.
You might ask if "personal style" and "zazziness" (sorry for the Big Bang references, I can't help myself) are the same thing. But, I would argue that they're related but different. As I've talked about before, I really believe you should love/feel awesome in everything you own. And, you're probably more likely to feel that way about items that fit within your personal style. But, you can certainly buy things that you feel great in that don't fit perfectly with your style and visa versa.
I feel pretty comfortable with knowing what that means in terms of function and "zazziness"so I'm going to spend some time over the next couple of weeks taking a look at what my personal style is,
So, there you have it! And updated model!!!! What do you think? Are there other criteria you would include? Anything I've missed? This is a work in progress so I'm open to tweaking it!
At that point, I didn't really have a good idea of what my model closet would look like so I decided to focus on function.
- How well did my closet meet my needs as a busy professional?
- Did I have enough clothes to wear through all four seasons?
- And, did I have a good balance of items to make sure that I got the most value (i.e. enough tops to go with all my pants and skirts)?
It wasn't the worst model to start with, but it certainly wasn't the best either. Let me rephrase that . . . it wasn't complete. Sure, a wardrobe needs to be functional. But it's got to be more, right? Else, my ideal wardrobe would be the same as every other student's at NYU and then where would be the fun in that?
These are the kind of deep issues you think about on your flight back from Cincinnati when you're tired of doing homework. And, this is your sleep-deprived brain comes up with:
Yes, my ideal closet still has to be functional (else I'd still be wearing beach cover-ups and board shorts, pretending I still lived in California). Secondly, as I've learned so very publicly . . . you have to like what you own (whether you have a 5 point rating system to figure that out or not). And, finally, it should reflect your personal style, whatever that might be.
You might ask if "personal style" and "zazziness" (sorry for the Big Bang references, I can't help myself) are the same thing. But, I would argue that they're related but different. As I've talked about before, I really believe you should love/feel awesome in everything you own. And, you're probably more likely to feel that way about items that fit within your personal style. But, you can certainly buy things that you feel great in that don't fit perfectly with your style and visa versa.
I feel pretty comfortable with knowing what that means in terms of function and "zazziness"so I'm going to spend some time over the next couple of weeks taking a look at what my personal style is,
* * *
Monday, September 16, 2013
Monda Funday: New York to Cincinnati
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| Getting caught in a massive downpour, A drink with cracked pepper in it, A cool bar in the LES, Recovering from the weekend with Chipotle |
How was your weekend? It was a busy one for the Mr. and Mrs C household. On friday I flew to Cincinnati for a wedding. It was only my second time going to Cincinnati. The first was for a fraternity formal . . . needless to say this was quite a different experience of the city (the first one involved some folks breaking into our room at 3 in the morning, a 4 hour impromptu lecture on american history from my date, and I think there was a wrestling match in the hallway).
Mr. C was a groomsman so most of our time there was spent attending the different wedding festivities, but we did manage to sample brunch at Nada. If you ever find yourself in Cincinnati, I highly recommend checking it out. Eggs Benedict with crab, avocado, and pico de gallo. Need I say more? Also, I'm realizing that I have a slight obsession with eggs benedict and am contemplating learning to make it myself, but hollandaise sauce kind of scares me.
Mr. C also sampled Cincinnati's famous Skyline Chili (apparently it comes served over noodles). I'm not a huge chili fan, so I passed and from the reviews I got, it sounds like I made the right decision. Mr. C has a stomach of steel and even he felt queasy afterwards.
Week 3 of school is starting and I'm sorta finding my groove. Though still not used to this whole "homework thing" ;) Check back later in the week for some updates on my closet "model" and some of the items I'm craving for fall!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Data Confessions
I'd originally planned on updating you all on what was actually left in my closet after the "great moving purge of 2013" but as I found my mind wandering in class Monday (don't judge, it was accounting), I realized that before I delve back into analyzing my closet, I needed to take a step back and talk about some of the things I've been doing wrong.
Mistake Number 1: Conflating my rating system
Remember the five point rating scale that I came up with at the beginning of this project? Well, it turns out, that I mighta-kinda-sorta made a mistake in coming up with those categories (that's what I get for trying to be all fancy).
It took me a while to realize that numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5 were all based on an emotion--how I feel about my clothes. But number 4 "Wardrobe Staple" was a description of an item's function. What did this mean for my project? Well . . . other than making me feeling slightly stupid, it made "4" a meaningless rating. It quickly became a catch-all for any item that I felt was slightly higher than a "3" but not quite amazing enough to warrant a "5". BUT (and this is where it started causing more problems), I was also using it to it to categorize things that were legitimate wardrobe staples--like my favorite white t-shirts.
You can see the issue . . . not only did the category not fit within my scale, but it was also being used as a measure for two different things. Rookie Data Mistake 101
So, what's the solution? honestly, I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking about just getting rid of the "4" category all together. I'm not sure it really adds anything and it's kind of become a way for me to be indecisive about my clothes, which leads to my next point.
Mistake Number 2: Not being completely honest with myself about what I do and do not wear
As I realized when I started packing my clothes up in D.C., there were a lot of items in my wardrobe that I hadn't really been honest with myself about when I initially rated them. I think a lot of conversations in my head went like this: "If I rate these pants as a 4, then I don't really have to think about getting rid of them . . . 4, it is!"
As I've mentioned in the past, I get waaaay to emotionally attached to my stuff and I need to be a little more brutal. Either I look good in something or I don't. Either I wear it or I hide it in my closet pretending I'll use it someday.
Mistake Number 3: Not spending enough time refining my "model" closet
I haven't really spent much time refining the original model that I came up with back in February. Probably because it's the hardest part of my project (or, in my opinion any data project) and I have a tendency to put off difficult things. (Note, I also do this with other things I find unpleasant/difficult, like going to the dentist or calling Ikea)
One reason it's been difficult is that my entire lifestyle has changed over the last few months. But, the other, bigger reason is that it really means defining what an ideal closet/wardrobe looks like for me. And, it requires determining not just what I need in terms of my lifestyle, but also my personal style (which, being me, somehow also involves some soul searching).
But, figuring out what this model is (or at least the next iteration of it) is really critical. Data analytics 101: without a good model, you have no idea what you're measuring.
So look for some posts on this over the next few weeks (and give me a hard time about it if I don't live up to that!)
Thank you for sticking with me through my data analyticsnaval-gazing soul searching. Hopefully, I can use this to develop some better metrics for figuring out what I need in time for some fall/winter shopping . . .
Mistake Number 1: Conflating my rating system
Remember the five point rating scale that I came up with at the beginning of this project? Well, it turns out, that I mighta-kinda-sorta made a mistake in coming up with those categories (that's what I get for trying to be all fancy).
It took me a while to realize that numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5 were all based on an emotion--how I feel about my clothes. But number 4 "Wardrobe Staple" was a description of an item's function. What did this mean for my project? Well . . . other than making me feeling slightly stupid, it made "4" a meaningless rating. It quickly became a catch-all for any item that I felt was slightly higher than a "3" but not quite amazing enough to warrant a "5". BUT (and this is where it started causing more problems), I was also using it to it to categorize things that were legitimate wardrobe staples--like my favorite white t-shirts.
You can see the issue . . . not only did the category not fit within my scale, but it was also being used as a measure for two different things. Rookie Data Mistake 101
So, what's the solution? honestly, I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking about just getting rid of the "4" category all together. I'm not sure it really adds anything and it's kind of become a way for me to be indecisive about my clothes, which leads to my next point.
Mistake Number 2: Not being completely honest with myself about what I do and do not wear
As I realized when I started packing my clothes up in D.C., there were a lot of items in my wardrobe that I hadn't really been honest with myself about when I initially rated them. I think a lot of conversations in my head went like this: "If I rate these pants as a 4, then I don't really have to think about getting rid of them . . . 4, it is!"
As I've mentioned in the past, I get waaaay to emotionally attached to my stuff and I need to be a little more brutal. Either I look good in something or I don't. Either I wear it or I hide it in my closet pretending I'll use it someday.
Mistake Number 3: Not spending enough time refining my "model" closet
I haven't really spent much time refining the original model that I came up with back in February. Probably because it's the hardest part of my project (or, in my opinion any data project) and I have a tendency to put off difficult things. (Note, I also do this with other things I find unpleasant/difficult, like going to the dentist or calling Ikea)
One reason it's been difficult is that my entire lifestyle has changed over the last few months. But, the other, bigger reason is that it really means defining what an ideal closet/wardrobe looks like for me. And, it requires determining not just what I need in terms of my lifestyle, but also my personal style (which, being me, somehow also involves some soul searching).
But, figuring out what this model is (or at least the next iteration of it) is really critical. Data analytics 101: without a good model, you have no idea what you're measuring.
So look for some posts on this over the next few weeks (and give me a hard time about it if I don't live up to that!)
* * *
Thank you for sticking with me through my data analytics
Monday, September 9, 2013
Monday Funday
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| Brunch at Esperanto, Huevos Loisada, Drinks in the LES, Tacos at the Chelsea Market) |
Maybe we should just skip all that and you can trust me that it was a fabulous time (well aside from the not really talking part). Week 2 of school is starting, but check back later in the week for some posts on my closet and some thoughts on what I'm looking to add to my wardrobe this fall!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Bag Review: Michael Kors North/South Tote
Drumroll please . . . introducing the official school bag! The Michael Kors large North/South Tote in Saffiano Leather. (and the angels rejoiced, as did Mr. C who was tired of me agonizing over bags)
Let me start by saying that this was NOT the bag I was planning on getting. Feeling a little desperate after so many misses, I actually decided that finding the perfect bag that was roomy, stylish, and practical was about as likely as finding a unicorn. I wanted to just make a decision and stop obsessing thinking about it. So, I decided to bite the bullet and just get the Rebecca Minkoff M.A.B. tote. It was a little plain, but at 16 inches wide and 6 inches deep, it was by far the biggest bag I'd found.
So, the decision had been made. The bag was sitting in my Nordstrom online shopping cart. I could stop trolling the internet late at night looking at purses, and yet, somehow I kept putting off pulling the trigger. I was happy with my decision but I just wasn't excited about it. I wanted that rush that I'd felt when I fell for the Tory Burch boots.
Fast forward to the weekend before school started (yes, I was that unexcited about it, which should have been a clue). Mr. C and I were taking a much needed break from arguing with Ikea to walk around Soho and we decided to pop into the Michael Kors store. I explained to the sales clerk what I was looking for and she brought out a tote that was very similar in size and style to the Minkoff M.A.B.. Ok, so good so far, I could get an idea of whether or not the bag would work for me. It was roomy, check. Pretty, check. So good, so far . . . until I looked up and saw myself in the mirror.
Turns out, if you're under 5'3", gigantic bags look kind of ridiculous next to you. I'm pretty sure I could have stood in that bag and Mr. C could have just carried me to class everyday. It kind of makes sense though, right? Carrying something that's about a quarter of your height should look a bit disproportionate. Soooooo, back to square one . . . and that's when I saw the North/South tote. I'd actually looked at this bag waaay back in June, but had thought it would be too small for school. But, once I saw it in person, I realized that it's actually quite roomy. It's 13 inches high and 5.5 inches deep but because it's a taller bag (14 inches high), it actually fits a lot more than some of the others that I was looking at. In addition, the strap at the top unbuckles, giving you more room on the sides. Here's how it looks on a typical school day:
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| Michael Kors North/South Tote |
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| Minkoff M.A.B. Tote |
Fast forward to the weekend before school started (yes, I was that unexcited about it, which should have been a clue). Mr. C and I were taking a much needed break from arguing with Ikea to walk around Soho and we decided to pop into the Michael Kors store. I explained to the sales clerk what I was looking for and she brought out a tote that was very similar in size and style to the Minkoff M.A.B.. Ok, so good so far, I could get an idea of whether or not the bag would work for me. It was roomy, check. Pretty, check. So good, so far . . . until I looked up and saw myself in the mirror.
Turns out, if you're under 5'3", gigantic bags look kind of ridiculous next to you. I'm pretty sure I could have stood in that bag and Mr. C could have just carried me to class everyday. It kind of makes sense though, right? Carrying something that's about a quarter of your height should look a bit disproportionate. Soooooo, back to square one . . . and that's when I saw the North/South tote. I'd actually looked at this bag waaay back in June, but had thought it would be too small for school. But, once I saw it in person, I realized that it's actually quite roomy. It's 13 inches high and 5.5 inches deep but because it's a taller bag (14 inches high), it actually fits a lot more than some of the others that I was looking at. In addition, the strap at the top unbuckles, giving you more room on the sides. Here's how it looks on a typical school day:
The shoulder strap is one of my favorite features. Also, it's hard to see in the photos, but the leather has a cross-hatch texture (apparently that's what makes it "saffiano") and is a lot sturdier and easier to clean than typical leather. Case in point, one of my first days, I spilled a glass of wine on it was worried there'd be some slight discoloration, but everything wiped off with a damp cloth. (I've also realized I should drink white wine at nice functions . . . )
My one issue with the bag is that it is a little heavy, even before I put my laptop and books in it, it's already 3.5 pounds. But that's also forcing me to be a little more judicious with what I bring to school instead of toting around a bunch of stuff that I don't need. I may get a backpack for more casual days when I'm carting around more items than usual . . . but I'm still undecided on that.
So there you have it! A bag that I can take to school and that would also work well in the professional world!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
MBA Update! (hint: I'm alive)
After a slight hiatus while moving to New York and going through orientation, I'm finally trying to get back to my normal posting schedule. Also, in case you missed last week's posts, you can catch up on: A note from my closet diaries and some thoughts on J.Crew's Fall Lookbook. Thanks for being patient and still reading while I went through this move!
MBA orientation is officially over and the reality of classes, homework, and a student budget is slowly setting in. (ok, I'm not sure the student budget part has really hit me yet) To be honest, the last couple of weeks are a complete blur. I was having trouble putting how I felt into complete sentences so I decided to just show you:
MBA orientation is officially over and the reality of classes, homework, and a student budget is slowly setting in. (ok, I'm not sure the student budget part has really hit me yet) To be honest, the last couple of weeks are a complete blur. I was having trouble putting how I felt into complete sentences so I decided to just show you:
You'll notice exhausted is in there multiple times . . . I met people, sat in talks (Some really inspiring and fun. Some much less so), went to social events, met more people, promptly forgot their names, almost fell asleep in lectures and so on and so on. It was fun, tiring, overwhelming, and inspiring all at once and I'm still trying to figure it all out. All I know is that I'm pretty excited to spend two years in this city, surrounded by some pretty awesome people, and getting to learn a ton and, hopefully still having time to blog and work on this project. 'Cause let's face it, it's much more fun to think and talk about clothes ;)
On that note, I have some exciting news!!! I DID find a school bag (ok, maybe that's only exciting for me). Check back later in the week to see what I decided on and my reviews.
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