Snow Angels and Santa Gifts

How to Make A Snow Angel

1) Wake up to a gorgeous snowfall on Christmas Day

2) Get tempted by the fresh snow and decide it looks soft enough to lay down in

3) Realize your tights are neither lined nor water proof and that snow is COLD

4) Quickly admire your handiwork before running inside for some hot chocolate

Belated Merry Christmas to everyone! Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, I hope your day was filled with good friends, family, and lots of cheer. Mr C and I are in MN braving the cold (you know it's tough when you start to believe 20 degrees is "warm"). We're spending time catching up with family, playing in the snow, and eating waaay too much food.

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Thanks to some very exciting gifts from Santa and some well-timed holiday sales, I also added some much needed items to my closet:

One-Down Coat to Brave the Cold

Two-Wool Sweaters from Madewell (this one and this one)

One-Silk Blouse (Santa brought me this one from Everlane)

One-Pleated Skirt that will be perfect for spring, summer, and even fall

And, most exciting of all . . .

THREE-new pairs of shoes, including, (drumroll please) a pair of riding boots.

I'll post more on these later, but for now, I hope you're enjoying the last of 2013 wherever you are!

Jeans: A Cost-Per-Wear Analysis

Do you ever do a "cost-per-wear" estimate before buying an item? It's where you take the the value of your item and divide it by how many times you think you'll wear it to see if it's "worth it". There's even a calculator to help you with it if you don't feel like doing math.

As a quick way to judge whether or not a purchase is "worth it", it isn't bad. However, it has some definite short-comings. First, it can distort the idea of cost, After all, even if your jeans only cost you $5 per wear, you still spent  $100 on them. Secondly, in the heat of the moment you can definitely rationalize that you will wear something more often than you really do. (This is why I own the world's most uncomfortable pair of sparkly heels). Also, if you wear something to death, the cost-per-wear becomes so negligible that it's hard to put into context with the rest of your wardrobe. For example, it's hard to compare the cost-per-wear on a winter coat with your favorite shirt.

All that said, cost-per-wear can be useful in understanding value--which i'm defining as the benefit you get out of owning/wearing item versus it's price. In light of my most recent jeans purchase, I wanted to take a look at a select sample of jeans from my closet and see if I could develop a metric for understanding whether or not they were worth the price.  A little bit on my methodology:

• I took 4 jeans of varying price points (two inexpensive and two high-end) as well as different styles (two are more everyday jeans, one is super casual, and one is dressy). I did not include the Ayr jeans I just purchased because this is an historical look at value.
• I chose to first look at how much I wore the jeans in the first 6 months--I often find that I wear a new item a lot in the first few weeks of purchase, but over time, the frequency of wear decreases if it's not an item I really love. Six months is kind of a good gage for me and it also gets you through at least two seasons.
• I then estimated what the jeans were worth today--this is obviously a rough estimate, but it's based on how much wear and tear they've experienced and what I'd pay for them today (in their current state)
• I then estimated how much longer I could continue to wear them before they fell apart and how often I thought I would wear them (per month).

Disclaimer: Obviously the accounting terms are a little tongue-in-cheek. But, I couldn't help myself.

Obviously, from a pure cost perspective the AG jeans and the Gap jeans got the most wear. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the AG jeans got more wear simply because they are a skinny style that I can wear to school or on casual fridays at work (I do wear these jeans at 2-3 times a week). The Gap jeans, on the other hand, are a light wash bootcut that I use for running errands, moving, anything involving outdoors and hiking etc. I definitely don't wear them every week, but they're a good style to have. The BR jeans didn't get nearly as much wear as I expected because I realized that I just didn't love the straight fit or fabric.

The Paige jeans . . . OUCH . . . $63 per wear. . . that number kind of hurts. These jeans are actually a lesson in why you shouldn't let sales clerks talk you into things. I let the clerk persuaded me to leave them long because she claimed they would shrink over time and that I would always wear them with 4 inch heels. Neither of these things has proved to be true. And, I'm sad to report I've been too lazy to get them properly hemmed.

The next step was to look at where I think the jeans are today:

Note: Remember all of these values, especially depreciation and current value are pretty subjective. 

The BR jeans, at this point, are a waste of space and I'm donating them to Goodwill (excuse the nerdy accounting jokes).  Considering how little I wore them, in terms of value, they were clearly not a good purchase. The AG jeans, which I've loved to death, sadly didn't last as long as I would have expected for the price. Because of that, I only anticipate them lasting another 8 months.  I'm not sure if the faster wear is due to overuse or if the jeans aren't as durable (they're really soft but also a bit thinner than other jeans). That said, I think I certainly got my moneys worth out of them. I'm curious to see how the Ayr jeans wear over time in comparison.

Lessons Learned

1) Fit and tailoring matter. If I want to get more value out of my Paige jeans, I really need to get them hemmed. Who knows, maybe they'll become my go-to going out jeans and I can give my beloved skinnies a rest.

2) Spending more on an item makes more sense (from a cost perspective) when it's something that you're going to wear a ton. On the other hand, it's not clear that spending a ton on more special occasion items (like going out jeans) is best from a purely cost-per-wear perspective.

3) Using Cost-Per-Wear is an interesting metric, but if you want to get a better idea of an items potential value, think about how much you'll wear it in the first 6 months. If it's only a couple of times, then it might not be the best purchase. However, if it's an item you'll wear all the time, it might be worth a splurge. 

Please note, that I don't think you have to spend a ton on jeans to feel great. You can definitely find great jeans at places like Gap or BR . . . it's all about finding the right fit and style for you regardless of what price point you're shopping in. But, buying a "cheaper" pair of jeans that you don't love and won't wear is less cost-effective than an expensive pair you'll get a ton of use out of. 

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What do you think? Do you think about cost-per-wear when you buy an item? Would you rather splurge on something you wear everyday or a special occasion item?

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P.S. want more cubicle catwalk? Follow me on twitter @cubicle_catwalk, on Pinterest (I also contribute to the Corporate Fashionasta style board", or on Instagram @MrsVonC.  

Home Sweet Home (and new jeans)

It's amazing how quickly we forget things. Despite the fact that I spent 7 years living in DC. I still somehow got lost on the metro on Wednesday after arriving from New York. Definitely missed my transfer stop. It didn't really matter though 'cause I was so happy to be on break and to see Mr. C.  (If you saw a girl wandering the metro with a huge smile on her face, that was me.) On another note, to the girl tweezing her eyebrows while riding the train. That seems like a really bad idea. Also, if you're worried about personal grooming, I would take care of the grown-out highlights first. Just a thought. 

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Speaking of how quickly we forget things. I have a small confession. Despite the fact that I've talked over and over again about how I own too much denim, I may have added a new pair of jeans to my collection. But, wait!!! It's not just any pair of jeans. On Monday, attended an event hosted by our Luxury Retail club to give us a sneak preview of Ayr, the new women's line Bonobos is launching with two female designers, Maggie Winter and Jac Cameron. (On a side note, if you've never been to the Bonobos Headquarters, definitely make an appointment and check them out. If you're a man, it seems like it would be a really cool shopping experience.) I was the first person to show up and so I got to spend a lot of time talking to the designers and the Ayr whole team, which was really cool. 

The concept behind Ayr is to create simple, timeless pieces that women can wear year-round. As someone who is focusing on adding strong, foundation pieces to her wardrobe, this definitely resonated with me. It reminded me a lot of the philosophy behind Everlane.  Jac Cameron talked to me about all the work they did to create premium jeans, that would hold their stretch (aka you don't ever have to throw them into the dryer to shrink them), and would be so comfortable that "you could do yoga in them". 

If you don't already know from reading this blog, all those things basically combine to form my own personal cryptonite. And, I knew that I had to try them on. (I mean how often do you get to model jeans in front of the designer?) However, as a jeans hoarder connoisseur, I was slightly skeptical about the emphasis on stretch. Typically really stretchy jeans or pants aren't flattering on me. If you have muscular legs AND small calves, you know that a lot of pants can pool at your knees or give your quads an odd amount of definition. 

The Ayr jeans defied all of that. They currently have two styles: the "skinny" (exactly what it sounds like) and the "ciggy", which is a cropped style that has a very slight flare. I ended up trying on both. First, and I don't know how else to say this. These might be the most comfortable things I've ever put on my body. Normally, when I come home I change into PJs or sweatpants to lounge around in. But, I wore these all day yesterday and even took a nap with them on. It was only the strange looks from Mr. C that made me decide to take them off before I went to bed

Secondly, check all of your/mine prejudices against stretchy jeans at the door. These are not at all like jeggings. I don't know how they do this, but somehow they're both structured and stretchy. It's like magic. As much as I love my AG jeans, I have found that they've stretched out a lot and haven't held their shape (possibly because I wear them too much). The Ayr jeans definitely conform to your figure and don't seem to stretch out, even after wearing them all day.  I'm really curious to see how they wear in the long-run.

I ended up falling in love with the ciggy (though I am strongly considering the "skinny" when my beloved AG jeans bite the dust). First, it has a little bit more of the structured feel that personally I really like.  Plus it also comes in the most amazing indigo color that you don't see a lot. One thing that really sold me on these jeans was the material. Even my lightest jeans don't get a lot of wear in the summer. But these felt really breathable and I'm excited to test them out over the summer months. On the downside, I'm also slightly concerned about them being warm enough for NY winters, but I'll have to test that after break.

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If you want to check the Ayr collection out for yourself, you can take a look at the on-line denim pop-up shop or you can shop the full line in February. This is definitely a company that I'm going to be watching over the next year.  I'm excited to see what they come up with next.

P.S. Thanks to Ayr, Bonobos and the Luxury Retail club for hosting this event!

Gift Guide: For the Stressed Out Grad Student in Your Life

I love gift guides. Inevitably, I find something that I never even knew existed. And, it's great for drumming up unique ideas for hard-to-shop for friends and family (ahem, I'm looking at you Mr. C).  Some of my favorites are from A Cup of Joe. I never knew I needed a bayleaf wreath until I saw one on her blog.  (I mean seriously, once it drys you can use the leaves for cooking. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?!?!?) 

So, in honor of the holiday season, here is the first official Cubicle Catwalk Gift Guide . . . for that special, stressed-out, neurotic grad student in your life:

GiftGuide1 by kpcullen featuring Jonathan Adler

1. A Crockpot,because she/he never has time to cook anymore and can't afford constant takeout. It's even better when it has an awesome design

2. An Everlane Backpack, because if you have to carry a backpack so that you don't permanently injure yourself, it might as well be one as adorably simple as this one.  

3. A Fun Charging Dock. She'll be less tempted to throw her phone across the room when her alarm goes off if it's sitting in something like this. (I know, because I have this one already and it's the only thing that protects my iphone from my early morning wrath) 

4. Urban Decay, Naked 3 Palette. You can't go wrong with the season's most coveted eye shadow palette. 

5. Coasters. Because even cheap wine can stain an ikea coffee table. 

6 and 7. Fun notebooks and pens. Ok, maybe I'm a little strange on this front, but I care alot about my paper and pens. Probably too much. My favorite notebooks are from Russel + Hazel and, don't mock till you try it, but it's really different writing on nice paper. It takes some of the pain out of doing accounting homework.

8. Beverage holders. Because staying hydrated and caffeinated are essential to surviving the day.  This one from Kate Spade is adorable (and only $18) and I love the CamelBak water bottles because the straw keeps you liquids from spilling out even if you knock it over. 

9. A quirky throw pillow. Just because their salary has taken a serious dive and they've downsized into an apartment the size of a postage stamp doesn't mean your grad student doesn't want their place to feel like home. Something like this will help brighten even the dingiest of NY rooms. On the plus side, it gives them something to hug in terror in case they sight one of the asian super roaches that are supposedly appearing in NYC. 

Of course . . . if none of these stand out to you, wine is always a good choice too.

Drink This Read This + A new logo!

Happy friday everyone! This is a particularly exciting day for the blog. Thanks to my awesome friend, Kevin Borders Cubicle Catwalk officially has a logo!!!! (You should check out Kevin's company, www.collage.com for last minute holiday gifts and cards.)

   

When, Kevin approached me a few months ago and offered to design something for the blog, I jumped on the opportunity. But had no idea how awesome the results would be. I can't give his process away, but it made it even better that there was some data analytics that went into the logo design. 

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Now on to business. Winter has officially come to NY, which means that it's officially time for some winter cocktails. As I've mentioned, Negronis are my go-to drink year round, but I'm thinking of trying to branch out a little bit.

The New York Times has a list of DIY Cocktails that sound guaranteed to bring you holiday cheer. I'm know I'm definitely going to try the Red Rooster and also the Campari with Orange Juice, which sounds like a nice twist on a mimosa. 

I was also inspired by A Beautiful Mess's recipe for a Winter Whiskey Smash. Brown sugar simple syrup? Yes, please! 

Of course, there's always homemade irish coffees. Even though they're insanely easy, somehow making your own whipped cream astonishes people and gives you instant host/hostess points. Plus, that same whipped cream is really good on top of hot chocolate if you don't feel like making it boozy.

And, while you're sipping on one of these drinks, you might want to check out some of the things that have been on my reading list, lately.

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I recently discovered the Brightest Bulb In the Box. Not only does she have great make-up tips, but she's also heavily analytical. My favorite post so far has been an analysis of two beauty box subscriptions. She even used a  Chi-Square test to compare their value. It's definitely given me some inspiration for my own closet project.

It's really exciting to see some of the stuff that's going on in the retail space right now and the New York Times had a great article a few weeks ago how retailers are re-thinking their social media strategies. It made me think, can you remember a time before Pinterest? I have trouble remembering how I survived without that site. It's amazing how quickly it's become a part of our social fabric. This was a particularly interesting statistic from the article: "And while shoppers referred from Pinterest to retailers spent more . . . those referred from Facebook were buying more frequently."

Finally, the season would not be complete without at least one viewing of "Love Actually" and Mashable is helping us all out by compiling a list of 11 Holiday Survival Tips from the film. My favorite is number 11 "Say it's carol singers. No matter what the situation is. Carol singers."

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P.S. want more cubicle catwalk? Follow me on twitter @cubicle_catwalk, on Pinterest (I also contribute to the Corporate Fashionasta style board", or on Instagram @MrsVonC.  

Four finals down!

It's official, guys. in 5 days, my first semester of grad school will be done. As you might have guessed from my sporadic posting . . . it's been a crazy semester last few weeks. Thankfully, I turned in my 4th final last night and have a little bit of a break before the last one. I have a lot of fun posts planned for my winter break so keep tuned . . . I want to talk about:

• The state of my closet, 
• How to dress for that MBA interview (or any interview)
• Understanding value when you're shopping/Navigating those sales
• And, easy tips for analyzing your own closet  (don't worry, I don't think everyone should create a database of their wardrobe)

I also have an exciting new logo that I'll be posting in the next couple of weeks. In between, I'll be catching up on my favorite shows, eating waaaaay too many holiday cookies, and probably playing in the snow. Before I get a jump-start on all of that, I wanted to talk about some of the non-school-related things that I've learned over the last few months.

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1. Booties, Booties, Booties, Booties, Rockin everywhere

My best/most worn purchases of the last two months were two pairs of booties--one black, one brown. First, they give this 5'3" quarter asian a little bit of much needed height. Secondly, they're insanely comfortable. And, finally, they're soooo versatile. I literally where them with everything. In fact, I'm pretty sure I went to sleep in them one night. (booties go with pink polka dot PJs right? Right) Seriously, if you look at value on a per-wear basis, these are the cheapest thing I own. It's especially helped me deal with the fact that I can't find any riding or winter boots that I like and navigate the awkward period where the weather couldn't decide if was September or January.

2. Simple is Better

In my pre-MBA days, I had a lot of time to think about what I was going to wear each day (that was also when I got 9 hours of sleep a night, worked out regularly, and vegetables were still a word in my vocabulary). The reality is, when life gets busy, you have to streamline. This may offend some sleepless parents out there, but I imagine it's somewhat analogous to adjusting to life with a baby. (ok, maybe you're not taking care of another human, but you get no sleep, your hair is in a bun constantly, you're on your feet all day . . . ). Out of sheer necessity, I've come up with a bit of an MBA uniform: 

Some sort of skinny pant + A Sweater or Loose Silk Blouse + Necklace or Scarf + Booties = Successful Outfit

(Well throw showering and brushing your teeth in there too. It's the little things, guys). This is what works for me, but I've definitely seen a lot of variations on this from my classmates. It runs the gamut from skinny jeans and blazers to a lot of loose dresses, boots, and tights combinations.

3. Back to Basics

I've referred to the fact that my shopping style has really changed since I started this project. The biggest switch is that I'm much more focused on finding really good, quality basics that are versatile and multi-season. When you don't have a lot of time to think about what you're wearing or on a grad school budget, having good foundation pieces is the difference between showing up effortlessly put together and dashing into class at the last minute like a crazy woman. Plus, it makes it easier to do that whole mysterious "day to night" transition that magazines and fashion blogs are always talking about.

4. Skinny Ponte Pants Are Your Best Friends

One of my last purchases before I left DC was an impulse buy (I know, I know it goes against everything I stand for) at T.J. Maxx. I found these really inexpensive skinny black pants with some cute moto detail and bought them on a whim. I had no idea how much I would end up wearing them. Did I say booties were  the best-per-wear item in my closet? I lied. It's these pants, which I picked up for $25 and have worn at least once a week for the last 3 months ($25/(3 months x 4 weeks) = $2.08 and I still have another 4 months where I can where them before it starts to get warm. Diminishing marginal returns, I scoff at you). I have no idea where to find the ones I have, but these Madewell ones are pretty similar. Though as a heads up, if you have a more muscular lower body, they might not work on you. They were too stretchy for me. 

The key to the right skinny pants is obviously fit. You don't want something so tight or stretchy that it looks like you're wearing leggings or, even worse, gives you camel toe (don't snort, I have seen it and shuddered). I found that pants that actually have less spandex/stretch in them and a little more structure work best for me. I'm actually hoping to pick up some more of these in different sytles

Why skinny pants over just jeans? For one thing, it instantly looks like you put a little more effort into your outfit. And, it's infinitely easy to dress up or down. As much as I love my favorite jeans, they're not always appropriate for some school functions. I keep a blazer in my locker at school and an extra pair of heels so that if something pops up last minute, I can change out of my beloved booties and look perfectly appropriate. I've also been dressing them down with some loafers and rolling up the cuffs for a fun menswear inspired look.

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There you have it. The key to me dressed in the morning.  What do you think? Do you have a uniform (if so, please share it. I feel like I need to start mixing it up a little bit)