Wednesday, January 11, 2012

“You look fabulous. And you smell great too.” -Zac Posen

I had a wonderful day with my mom in Manhattan yesterday. We went to several stores, but we spent most of our time at Saks. Louis Vuitton finally had the agenda refills I needed, and I'm very pleased with them! I also got the most amazing Zac Posen blouse, a lovely Kate Spade cardigan, and two pairs of Prada shoes.
Let's start off with the Louis Vuitton agenda refills. I have to say, I am immensely glad that I purchased my agenda. It is so durable, and it still looks brand new. It makes me smile every time I use it, and it's so useful! I love to write stuff down and I have used agendas/planners for most of my life, so I think I made a wise investment in something that I will use for years to come. I had previously owned (well, I still own it) a Kate Spade agenda, but the quality of the two is honestly just incomparable. The KS agenda had problems with the rings and it got super dirty very easily.
Here is the packet the refills came in, along with my receipt:
The inside of the packet looks like this:
and here is my agenda with the old refills in it:
I was pleasantly surprised that I got a new bookmark, a new ruler, and new stickers. I was previously kind of apprehensive about using up my stickers (lol) but now that I know I will get new ones with every refill, I will use them a whole lot more! :) I also will be less meticulous and crazy about getting the ruler dirty with pencil marks. Rulers are meant to be used!
(Yes, those are Chinese New Year envelopes lol!)
Here are the new stickers and the older ones:
 
The older bookmark was actually two bookmarks - a bag and a trunk. This year, it's a hot air balloon.
The old agenda papers had a very handbag/luggage feel to them, with drawings of handbags and trunks in between some of the pages, while the new ones have more travel-oriented photos, and lots of hot air balloons!
 Overall, I am really happy with my agenda and these refills. I have the medium sized agenda with rings, for those of you who are curious. When I purchased it last January or February, I believe the agenda cover was $500 (you buy the refills separately). Now it's closer to $600. What a difference a year can make! :/

Moving on to my beloved new pairs of shoes from Prada....
One item was a definite save and one was a splurge. But hey, I can't help it that this is me:

Let's start off with the item I saved on! I got Prada Sport sandals....for $25. I discovered a new thrift store in Brooklyn that has sparked my interest, and I will definitely be going back there, though they have a mixture of good and not so great stuff.
I don't have any black sandals (I have lots of brown sandals, and white and gray sandals, but surprisingly no black ones) so it's awesome that I found these. They are super nice, and who can complain about that price? :)
When I got to Saks, I browsed the entire fourth floor before finally going to the Prada section. They had some really funny shoes on sale, like Prada flats with a fuzzy pom pom on them. The SA that helped us brought me a bunch of Prada bow flats. They didn't have the nylon bow ones in my size in all black, but I wasn't planning on purchasing those anyway. I tried on the cream ones, and I think I might get those later on. The nylon bow is a little childish, but they are quirky so I kind of like them. The two pairs on the left are the nappa leather and patent leather bow flats. The patent leather bow looked awkward, so I decided on the nappa ones! (Also, those are my suede brown Dolce Vita boots in the background, and my mom's boots on the couch haha.)
Here they are (sorry that my scarf is in the way!):
 
 They're sleeping in their little box haha:

In case anyone is interested in buying these, here is the information. They run small in my opinion - I can be anywhere from a 38.5 to a 39, and I got these in a 39.5. I could fit into the 39s but they were not nearly as comfortable. They were $390, and about $420 after taxes. I love them - they look absolutely darling!
Here are my two new pairs of Prada shoes together:
And here is a photo of both of them on me - please excuse the horrendous nails! Lol. I need a pedicure:
Okay, now moving on to clothes. Both of these were purchased from Buffalo Exchange. This is the Zac Posen blouse. It didn't photograph too well because I didn't have great lighting - it's a bit lighter than in these photos and it looks so beautiful and delicate. My mom actually spotted it, and she brought it to me and was like "You have to get this." I immediately loved it, because, hello, this is right up my alley....and then I saw it was by Zac Posen. Amazing! This was only $28 - Zac Posen blouses can run anywhere from $300 - $700, and probably even more.



 The next item of clothing I got was a Kate Spade cardigan. It is actually on sale online right now at Kate Spade - it is called the Bow Ellis cardigan and it was $295 (now $177): http://www.katespade.com/designer-clothing/womens-tops-and-sweaters/kate-spade-gifting-ellis-cardigan/NJMU1470,default,pd.html?dwvar_NJMU1470_color=001&start=25&cgid=kate-spade&q=cardigan&navid=search
I got it for $38. ;D

 This is my second Kate Spade cardigan so far. They are very warm and cute!
It is embellished with crystals that form a lovely bow at the front and go around the collar. I know I told myself not to get any more cardigans, but this one was too cute to pass up! I'm such a cardigan fanatic. 
I have Chanel Vamp on my nails right now and I absolutely love this shade! It's perfect for fall/winter.

Our tree is still up, as you can see. My mom and I kept seeing abandoned trees outside on the sidewalk, which was kind of sad. I would honestly keep my tree up all year and just decorate it differently for every season. They just make me happy. We walked by this beautiful tree yesterday:


I hope everyone is having a great week!


24 comments :

  1. How much was the Kate Spade cardigan when you bought it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. the prada flats are so cute. i was actually looking into those, and i see that you say they're comfortable. i have a pair of CL sonietta black nappa flats that aren't so comfortable that i am looking to replace. thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It says in the post haha - I got the cardigan for $38. :)
    I've been kinda wanting Louboutin flats for a while but I feel like if I'm getting Loubs, I ought to get heels. I don't even wear heels much though :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. Is that the medium refill that's online for $100? I really wanted to invest in a Louis Vuitton organizer, but $100 is a bit steep to pay every year! Yikes. I have a Coach agenda now that I found on sale about 4 years ago and it's held up surprisingly well. (I sort of planned on it being all junky by now LOL!) So now I find it hard to justify spending so much when I still have a nice one with refills for under $30.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The first refills you buy will be $100 and they will have lots of stuff besides the regular refills (like travel info, just lots of interesting and useful stuff). After that, you can just buy the refills without the address book and other stuff - those are like $50. You can get Coach refills for the LV agenda too, though, you can get any refills - they will fit! If your Coach agenda is still in good condition, then you probably don't need another one haha, but if you plan on getting one sometime in the future, the earlier you save up, the better. They love to increase their prices =(

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think if you have the Prada flats, those should be sufficient enough. The CL's, i love because of the toe cleavage (weird i know), but comfort is more important. Btw, I just got Kate Spade agenda refills for my small LV agenda. they're so much colorful than the LV refills. I just posted them on my tumblr. :]

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yana, the Zac Posen blouse is so beautiful! I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you go to the Buffalo Exchange in Chelsea (the one on 26th St.) or the one in East Village? I'm curious to check it out, but I'm not really sure which one I should go to! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Gabrielle - those refills are fabulous!
    Anon - I go to both. It doesn't really matter which one you go to, it's all really a matter of luck!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Why do you have Chinese New year envelopes? Hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  10. Because I have lots of Chinese friends! Lol :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Prada flats are so adorable! I have the rose/beige nylon bow flats and they get dirty quickly so I rarely wear them. The refills for 2012 are adorable. I haven't been using my agenda so I haven't bought any refills but the stickers are so cute. Love the purchases!

    richelle
    www.rarepersona.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Aw no, do they really? :( I was thinking of getting those. Do you think they'll come out with a different color? Lol. I'd love some red ones! ;D
    And thank you<33

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ooh you got some great stuff! I see you passed by the Christmas tree at the New York Palace. That's where I stayed over Christmas break. :3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Audrey! (Btw I love your name, my best friend is named Audrey! :D) Yes I did haha. Did you enjoy your stay? :)

      Delete
  14. First I wanted to say that I love your blog and tumblr. Then I wanted to ask how you know all these store with big brands for cheap prices?! I'm so jealous of these prada flats and the tiffany&co bracelet that you bought for so much cheaper!!

    Love your style & your blog xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks sweetheart! <3
      Well, the flats I got for full price at Saks :( which sucks because it was pricey, but it was worth it because I really wanted them and saved for them. Usually I find good deals at thrift stores or discount stores (like Nordstrom Rack!) :) <3

      Delete
  15. OMG I love everything but notebook is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  16. hey! i just have a quick question, how much was your LV agenda...? I'm looking into buying one and would like to know how much it is! I ADORE your purchases and tumblr! xxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I got mine, the cover was $500 USD and the papers were $100. I think now the cover is closer to $600 (for the medium). LV's website should have exact prices for your country though! And thank you<3

      Delete
  17. OMG Yana! I'm so jelaous of you girl!
    I want the Patent Leather Bow Ballet Flats but in Ivory
    but i can't afford it and my parents think it's dumb to pay 400dls for a pair of shoes
    that makes me sad
    but you lucky your mom bought them for you :)
    i love your style
    and i love all your purchases!!!!! have a wonderful 2012!!!!!!
    XXXXXX

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually bought them for myself :) If you really like them, save up for them like I did! :) And thank you<3

      Delete
  18. Wooow you defenitily make such a good bargain!.. i dream to go to ny so bad!..
    im from monterrey mexico..
    great to find your blog! so much interesting info here..
    I already follow your tumblr and instagram!

    xoxo


    karlaGG.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You got a really useful blog I have been here reading for about an hour. I am a newbie and your success is very much an inspiration for me.
    click here

    ReplyDelete

Your feedback is appreciated! I love reading your comments! :)