Why My Spring/Summer Edit Caps at $500 (and Why I'm Building a New Shoe Closet).....
....and Why I'm Building a New Shoe Closet
I love spring and summer. Always have. I've built warm-weather wardrobes in more cities than I can count, and at this point, I know what works.
Here's the thing about spring/summer pricing: contemporary starts at around $300. Good pieces - well-made, well-designed, from brands worth knowing - routinely landed between $300-500. With covid, gas prices, tariffs, etc the prices are only moving up and many times I have found that the quality is going down. But, I am determined to find the brands that can deliver. Mix in your designer with quality brands and contemporary price points. There are companies doing it well. So that's where I build this edit.
The Under $500 Edit isn't a budget edit. It's a quality edit.
I didn't set the ceiling to keep it cheap. I set it because under $500 is where you find pieces that are worth owning - not throwaway, not fast fashion, not landfill-in-waiting. Pieces that wash well, wear beautifully, and still feel right three seasons from now. This is wear working with me, following my posts, signing up comes in. I do the hard work and you enjoy shopping the curation that I did for you. The goal isn't to buy more; it's to buy well, in a range that lets you build something real.
That's why everything in this edie - every jacket, every dress, every pair of shoes lives under $500. A handful of anchors might sit at the top of that range; most come in well below. All of them earn their place.
And because it's spring/summer, I prioritized fabrics that wash easy. Life in warm weather involves beach bags, outdoor lunches, sunscreen, the occasional spilled vinho verde. Your clothes should be able to handle it without a trip to the dry cleaner.
A note on the shoes
Feet First is its own section in this edit for a reason.
used to be a heel person. Hundreds of pairs, a lifetime of them. Before I moved to Portugal i sold 90% of that closet - heels and cobblestones don't get along, and neither to heels and a life built around walking. I kept a few pairs for dressy occasions and let the rest go.
Now I'm building a new shoe wardrobe from the ground up: flats, sandals, the occasional loafer. Shoes I'd put on for a 10-mile day without thinking. This section is a preview of what that looks like.
The rest of the edit
Beyond the shoes, the edit breaks into five look book stories (be sure to click look book when you follow the links) - Blooms, Modern Plaid, Shake It, The sheer Thing, and Chocolate Hour (brown is the color shift I'm here for) - plus a full shop-by-category selection from outerwear to earrings.
No filler. No pieces I don't believe in. Just the wardrobe I'd want in my own closet (it may already be there), priced for the way most of us live.
A quick note: only add items to your cart when you're ready to check out. Saving things for later breaks the affiliate link - which costs me my commission - and I'd rather continue curating edits than chase links. Thank you