Wardrobe Rebuild 006 | Summer this & thats ☀️

My first clothing purchase of the year — and a few accessories.

Welcome back to Wardrobe Rebuild, a series documenting my adventures in filling gaps and adding joy to my closet… after the pandemic, after having a baby, forever exploring personal style.

After a winter of basically only buying stuff for my fast-growing baby, I finally got a few things for myself this spring — and, hooray, I like everything.

Let me tell you about them.

I continue to hang out on the Staple side! My theory is that if I had more opportunities to shop in person, I may venture more into Experimental territory. But online shopping? Way riskier.

• Naturalizer Bristol sandals
  
  I pretty much had no heels (besides a pair of low block-heel mules) and have been wanting to fill this gap for wedding-attending purposes. I wanted to invest in a pair of really nice heels— Gianvito Rossi, I kept thinking¹ — but in the end, splurging here didn’t feel right at the moment because 1) I just don’t have many occasions to wear them and 2) if I’m gonna splurge, I’d really love to try options on in person and I just don’t have time for that right now.
  
  When I asked for recs for “actually comfy” heels on Instagram, one of the responses was the Naturalizer Bristol, which is a classic ankle-strap sandal with mid-height chunky heels. The rec came from my wedding florist turned friend Vivian Pang (we sometimes joke we’re style twins because we keep finding out we have similar stuff in our wardrobes). So I trusted Vivian! And it worked out. The sandals, which I got in nude, were really comfortable. So very glad to check Default Wedding Shoes off my list. 

• Casio F91W watch
  
  My trusty Cluse silver mesh watch died recently (it’s 7 years old now, with one battery change already). I honestly couldn’t imagine liking another everyday watch more than that one… until I got this Casio. I’ve had this classic model on my radar for a while and I figured I can finally try it while I take my time getting around to changing the battery on the Cluse. The clear/silver colorway feels very “barely there” and summer-friendly, and what do you know, it’s helpful to have the day and date right there.

• SOJOS square frame sunglasses
  
  I got a pair of these $15 polarized shades in an orange/brown gradient colorway last year and was impressed with the quality, so I decided to get another pair in black for more versatility. It’s a nice shape, sturdy, and doesn’t slip off my nose. I’m partial to inexpensive sunglasses because I don’t want to baby them or have a sunglasses case taking up extra space in my bag. Anyone else feel the same? 

• AYR black linen shorts
  
  I’ll be honest, I was maybe most swayed to order something from AYR because I recently listened to a Glossy podcast episode on which founder Maggie Winter described AYR as a rejection of fast fashion. Consider this quote, which spoke to me:
  
  “We love taking a slow approach to [product] development. One of the things I’ve learned is how important it is to live with samples and to live with samples at different stages of development. If it’s not something you’re reaching for over and over and over again, there’s no sense in [producing it]. The world doesn’t need more stuff. Being in a place where we can be independent, set our own goals and our own timeline, and not respond to any external pressure frees us up to be allowed to make things that we find fulfilling and purposeful and that we feel very proud of.”

  
  Maggie also talked about how they’ve been focusing on making nice catalogs, which have been working great for them. And as a brand catalog nerd of sorts, I really wanted to get on their mailing list lol. Still, this is an item that fills a gap in my closet, which is a simple pair of shorts that’s not too tight or short. Something a bit nondescript but still high quality² (this is 100% Irish linen). Something I can wear to daycare drop-off multiple times a week and it wouldn’t be obvious 😉 (Already been doing that.) I was basically hoping for a summer version of the black Storq maternity joggers I’ve been wearing nonstop since second trimester (winter 2023). And I think this is that :)

So clean, isn’t it?

Fun in the sun :) The shorts and the watch.

P.S. This update is all neutrals but I swear I do love color! In fact, I’m finally starting to put together my thoughts on wearing color, and I’m curious: What do you think is missing from the conversation about wearing color? What are you interested in seeing? Reply directly to this email or comment below to share your thoughts. 

Previously…

Wardrobe Rebuild 005 | Everyday jewelry

Wardrobe Rebuild 004 | Postpartum athleisure

Wardrobe Rebuild 003 | Maternity?!

1. I was also quite tempted by these from M.Gemi mostly because the chunky heels and platform seem like a comfy combo, but I decided I just didn't love them enough for the price.

2. I wore it to a park hang with my parents and my mom immediately commented on how she can tell these are high quality because it's woven very tightly.