Erica Kartak

tank: crush boutique; blazer: h&m; jeans: a pea in the pod; sneakers: nike; necklace: forever 21 (old, similar here); watch: shinola; bracelets: david yurman (here, here and here), alex and ani; ring: david yurman; clutch: clare v; sunglasses: kate spade; nail polish: essie coat couture cashmere matte

Our last girl’s night was right next to the cutest boutique in Scottsdale, Crush. The Holy Chic tank caught my eye and I wandered in right before closing. Heather, the owner, is the sweetest woman. Even though she was ready to close up, we started chatting and I tried on this tank. Before I knew it, I was walking out the door with a new purchase and a smile on my face.

I wore this outfit to a blog networking event last week hosted by Bloguettes (check them out if you haven’t already). I was comfortable with my sneakers and the graphic tank and blazer combination still felt chic.

A few weeks ago I shared my winter capsule collection. Since we’re about halfway through the winter season, I thought it would be a good time to give you an update on how it’s been going. For the most part, I’ve stuck to wearing the items I included. After a couple of weeks, I found myself longing to wear a different jacket or pair of shoes. Initially I felt like I shouldn’t, that it was against the “rules.” Then I remembered that I can make up my own rules. So I’ve been wearing my fatigue jacket and Sperry Topsiders.

It seems to be warmer than normal in Arizona for this time of year (sorry East Coasters that have been buried in snow and cold temps). That’s great for me as I love the warm weather, but I didn’t consider it when putting together my winter capsule. I have too many long-sleeve shirts and boots. I could have used another graphic tee, maxi dress and sandals.

Another issue I didn’t anticipate was growing out of clothes. Two pairs of jeans no longer button and my shirts are getting a little short. I did break down and buy the jeans in these photos as I was so tired of wearing the same two pairs over and over. Now I’m at the point where I don’t want to make any new purchases for the next 6 weeks so I’m working with what I’ve got.

My ultimate goal was to reduce the amount of money I spent on clothing during this period. I think that’s been working, although it could be because there are few things that fit me! I did pick up a denim vest and dress for post-pregnancy that were too good to pass up. And I’ve found myself wanting some new sandals, but so far I’ve held off the urge to buy them. I do love the idea of cultivating a wardrobe that I love and reducing those impulse purchases so I’ll have to see what spring brings!

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