I've Spent $1134 on Clothing Since August: Read My Honest Reviews

As any fashion editor will tell you, there is a lot of gifted gear up in this gig. But what about the pieces we buy? I thought it would be interesting to focus for a minute on which items were deemed worthy of cold, hard cash, no PR strings attached. Accordingly, I combed through my online bank statements since August to identify the six fashion purchases I've made in the last three months. On average, I spent $189 an item, ranging from fast-fashion picks to an indie designer The New York Times deems a person to know. Ahead, find my honest reviews of each, plus multiple pictures of how they look IRL.

Girlfriend Bodysuit: $58

My Review: I bought this bodysuit after seeing it on Jen Gotch's Instagram Stories. The $58 tag qualified as an impulse buy I was way down for. I've worn it twice total, but hopefully waxing about its positive attributes here will inspire me to give this little number more airtime.

Pro:

- The rust color and the athletic cut with the barely there mock turtleneck!

- Double-lined over the bust

- Thong back (necessary to wear with this silk skirt)

Con:

- You have to stand up really straight to avoid stomach wrinkles. I thought I was standing up straight in these pictures, hah.

Neither here nor there: 

- The head hole is pretty small, so if you're planning on wearing makeup, put it on after. 

- Despite the double lining, there is occasional nip action, but I'm pro nip, so.

AlexaChung Pants: $425

My Review: I bought these pants in a last-minute "oh my god, how do I look cute at fashion week?" panic. A month earlier, on a press trip in Copenhagen, I saw Lucy Williams wearing a yellow top and AlexaChung snakeskin pants, so I bought a yellow top and AlexaChung snakeskin pants (said in Mean Girls voice). At least I'm honest if not original? My pants seem to be a different season, as Lucy's are jean material, and mine are silk.

Pro: 

- Yellow snakeskin pants make you feel fly as hell.

- The point above cannot be overstated.

Con: 

- They wrinkle pretty quickly at the thighs and don't lie entirely flat over my hips. You can see this in both pictures.

Neither here nor there: 

- At said fashion week, Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What was sitting in front of me at a show. When she saw the pants, she promptly ordered them online from her phone. Unclear if she kept the purchase.

Zara Shoes: $70

My Review: Another fashion week purchase! Spoiler: It's not the last one. I bought these because my best friend got them first, and I figured I should just buy my own damn pair instead of bothering her to borrow them. It turns out that was a wise decision because I clocked over 10 miles in these bad boys in NYC. 

Pro: 

- A 7/10 on the comfort scale, which for cheap shoes ain't bad at all. By the third day, I had to preemptively Band-Aid one of my baby toes, but that's just being shoe smart.

- Between the color and the minimal straps, they go with ev-er-y-thing. Hence why I packed tons of shoes for fashion week and ended up wearing these 3/4 of the days I was there. 

Con: 

- The slingback does sometimes slides down. I would either adjust it or just keep walking and carry on as if they were mules. 

Mondo Mondo Ring: $155

My Review: This ring is my third Mondo Mondo jewelry purchase, and I doubt it's stopping there, y'all. The obsession began with these silver earrings two and a half years ago, and more recently I inducted these rhinestone sun earrings to the collection. 

Pro:

- Pinky rings, and especially gemstone pinky rings, are inherently jazzy. Similar feeling to snakeskin pants.  

Con: 

- Because the ring is brass, it leaves a green mark on my finger, and I have to avoid getting it wet. I'd definitely pay for a fine jewelry version—hit me up, Mondo Mondo?

Ovelia Transtoto Top: $391

My Review: Welcome to the final desperate fashion week purchase! I thought to myself: Self, how do I look cool? It was then that spirit took the wheel and whisked me to Maryam Nassir Zadeh's e-commerce site. In the blink of an eye, I had a confirmation email that this top would be shipped to me shortly.

Pro:

- This 1000% does not look like I got it from any major retailer, which is inherently cool.

- The on-purpose wrinkles blend with real wrinkles.

- I like the dinky collar and pocket.

Con:

- The shirt pulls a little around the bust, and I have a smaller chest. Maybe I got too small of a size, though?

Neither Here Nor There

- The sheerness is tricky bra-wise. I wore a nude bra here and felt it was a tad basic. But sheerness is also integral to the top, so I'd better just get my act together in the bra department. I fear no bra is the designer's intent, but despite my aforementioned pro-nip bravado, I'm not comfortable with super-sheer uncovered nip for myself (yet).

- When searching to see if the top was still available, I discovered Bella Hadid wore the number this past spring. Twins!

H&M Top: $35

My Review: This top has one thing to say to you: Do not sleep on the H&M Studio collection. It features premier designs, releases but a few times a year, and gets major press push, meaning that it sells out wicked fast. This top was a star player. I hesitated at first, and then after the encouragement of my colleagues (see below), I pulled the trigger in time to snag one of the last tops.

Pro:

- Printed turtlenecks were recently dubbed "the coolest top to wear with jeans right now"—by our own publication, but still.

- The burnout wood print feels vaguely zebra adjacent, thus aligning with the animal-print trend, yet a bit more distinct.

- It's sheer but not so sheer that you can't wear it to work with a nude bra underneath.

- Someone asked me if this top was a bodysuit, which is a testament to how seamless it looks tucked in.

Con:

- TBH, none.

Neither here nor there:

- PS: The black jacket I wore in the photo above is $50 from our Who What Wear collection. Sources say you shouldn't sleep on that either.