I have this thing where I really love to know what people are shopping for. Not in the influencer way where you can’t make heads or tails of what is a genuine purchase vs. a convenient affiliate link. Like, I LOVE when a friend says “I just got this top” or my sister FaceTimes me and says “check out this jacket I bought.”
I eat up the thought process behind why someone buys something and find the genuine social network of shopping fascinating. Since the dawn of time women have been saying to each other “I love those pants, where’d you get them.” Hence influencers were born and it’s all the more heartbreaking that capitalism has ruined this, blah, blah, blah. I digress.
Anyways, I deleted my Instagram account almost 4 years ago now and I am still finding my way back to shopping based on what I am attracted to vs. what my favorite influencer posted about. That is to say that my source of shopping inspiration has evolved and I thought I’d do a little tour of recent purchases and how they came to be.
wishlist
I have written before about my Pinterest board organization of items that I want (which has evolved from the post) but my secret Pinterest board remains my favorite way to organize items that I am actively searching for or contemplating buying. There has been a lot of advice about making wishlists and building in waiting periods before you purchase which is something I already do because I can be indecisive. For example, I’ll have a “Denim” board and save from websites, TheRealReal, Poshmark, etc. Then I can compare the 5 pairs of denim across the different sites side by side in Pinterest.
I also just look at my Pinterest boards and cull my list from there which is easy to do when you can see the denim closer to each other and see which draw you in.
So here are a few pieces I’ve purchased recently from my wishlists;
WHAT: Metallic Flats
WHY: I saw, and loved, the Helsa pair but was not about to spend three figures on a pair of trendy shoes
HOW: I adore Poshmark and after searching for metallic flats I found these great glove flats from Zara that still had tags on!
WHAT: Brown denim pants. I wasn’t actively searching for this but they were always in the back of my mind whilst window-shopping-scrolling.
WHY: I am a jeans girl through and through. I own 4 pairs of black denim and wear each pair with fervor so I knew a colored denim would be well loved and I feel like brown is having a moment, no?
HOW: I had seen the Everlane Way High Curve in black but when I saw it in this Cocoa color, I was sold. The denim is sturdy and the cut is lovely.
WHAT: Sheer-ish long-sleeve top
WHY: I *really* wanted to play around more with layering (more thoughts on this coming soon) so I was actively hunting consignment websites for just this item.
HOW: I found this lovely number from H&M and scored it for under $20. At the end of the day, I’m a girl on a budget so once this item dropped in price it was a no-thought purchase.
she made me do it (IRL)
Not being online much has made me rely on the recommendations of friends who send along great items that they purchased. As I mentioned before, there is something so powerful about seeing someone wearing something that attracts you. This is made all the better, in my opinion, when you are seeing it in someone’s everyday life who can give you the honest scoop. Someone who you can ask the hard questions to and know they are giving you the honest answer.
WHAT: My friend, Nicole bought this insane necklace off Etsy. She saw it in the
chat but it was seeing it on her that totally sold it for me.WHY: I am lacking in the jewelry department but I stick to playing with inexpensive pieces (usually dupes of an item I can’t afford, there I said it!)
HOW: I think the time between Nicole sharing this necklace and me purchasing was roughly 0.5 seconds
online influence
Finally, I am not immune to being influenced by people on-line. However, seeing something via Substack feels less muddy than when it’s sent with an affiliate link. This community feels really safe and genuine and I hope it never changes.
WHAT:
posted this Zara dress last summer that I loved. Irene is a massive source of inspiration and that’s probably because she is in fact giving STYLING advice and when you see an item styled you can get a sense of whether it’s for you.WHY: I loved the drop-waist on this dress. PLUS it has pockets! PLUS it’s a non-fussy fabric (nylon)!
HOW: My Poshmark addiction helps again! I was able to track down the exact dress easily and there are plenty more (search Zara nylon dress and filter for black)
WHAT: I wanted a butter-yellow SOMETHING for Spring
WHY: I’ll admit that I get TOTALLY sucked into the color-of-the-moment items and this knit has been HOT in several Substack chats.
HOW: Banana Republic had a 40% off sale that really made me say “ok fine I’ll try it.”
Plot twist! I didn’t end up keeping the piece. I felt like the knit either needed to feel MORE intentionally sheer OR less. My nude bra looked muddy through the top and I decided, ultimately, it wasn’t for me.
So tell me; what was your latest purchase? What made you make it? I’m DYING to know.
I think you made the right call with BR top…I had one like that from Zara last year in cream and I never wore it for the same reason!
I just bought the brown suede Zara blazer I included in my ss24 ring 3 newsletter! What made me do it? I liked the colour! I remember trying on the mango knock off the suede Prada cognac blazer in September and although it looked good, it felt cheaply made. The Zara one is plush and lined and I like it :).
Thank you for the mention! I’m honoured!
This is exactly what I want to read… thank you for sharing! I feel the same way as you do about friends sending a little text-I always wanna see what my people are buying 😊also, excellent poshmarking!