When One Door Opens...

This is my first post of 2018, so I can officially wish all of my readers a Happy New Year! As the old adage goes: when one door closes, another one opens. This saying definitely holds true for the New Year. The door closing on the past year gives birth to a fresh start and a new beginning! Personally, I am not one for New Year's resolutions (let's face it, we never keep them!), however, I am excited for what 2018 has in store for me and my blog!

I am obviously using the aforementioned saying not only because it's applicable to the start of the New Year but it also relates quite nicely to the pictures in today's post! There is a great pink wall that adorns an Out of the Closet thrift store in Los Angeles. Recently, they painted a white door on the pink wall and I thought it would make for some fun pictures. Plus, it kind of ties into the whole New Year, new beginning theme, which was a happy accident!

I haven't yet said anything about my ensemble featured here! I would say it's one of my favorites of the year, but since this is my first post of 2018, that wouldn't be saying much! This sweater from Talbot's and my embroidered skirt from Boden came on the same day, much to the horror of my husband as pretty much everything I ordered for the month of December was delivered on the same day! Anyway, when I took both pieces out of the packaging, I noticed that they looked perfect together and thus an outfit was born! I hope it's a colorful and fun way to kick off the New Year at Hello Katie Girl!

Sweater: Talbot's rainbow sweater here
Skirt: Boden embroidered skirt here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel circle bag here
Boots: Nine West, similar velvet booties here, here, and here
Sunglasses: Celine
Earrings: Kendra Scott "Elle" earring here

Snapping Up Holiday Deals?

'Tis the season for holiday deals! This time of year is a great time to buy gifts for others (or yourself!) at great prices. Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday and everything leading up to Christmas, there are a lot of great sales going on! Unfortunately, the thing that frustrates me is that the sales change so frequently that it's hard to know when is a good time to buy something and when you should hold off and wait for a better discount to be offered by the retailer. It's sort of like the stock market in terms of knowing when to buy and striking while the iron is hot!

I actually didn't go out shopping on Black Friday, unless you count going to the grocery store for produce. Again, most of the sales that I saw offered on Black Friday didn't really seem any better than the ones offered recently and previously throughout the year. Instead of Black Friday shopping, I did some shopping the week before to avoid the crowds, which included getting this turtleneck dress from J. Crew in store for under $20! I bought it at the private sale they J. Crew held last Sunday, which, I think, was by invite only. Regardless, no one asked to look at my invitation, probably because, like most days, I looked like a walking ad for J. Crew! At the private sale, J. Crew was offering 40% off the entire store, plus free doughnuts and mimosas! A dress for less than $20 plus a doughnut and a mimosa (or two!) is a good deal in my book!

So overall, my conclusion is that shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday doesn't necessarily result in deals that are much better than those at other points during the year. Sure, tomorrow my inbox will be flooded by retailers begging me to check out their Cyber Monday deals and, possessing little will power, I'll probably cave, but I don't know how much I will actually buy. The good news is that I have everything I could possibly need (and more!), plus I've done almost all of my holiday shopping for others already. Maybe it's just best to turn a blind eye to all of the hype with the holiday sales.

Dress: J. Crew here
Jacket: Target similar denim jacket here
Boots: Christian Louboutin "Cate" budget version here
Earrings: Kendra Scott c/o Rocksbox (use code hellokatiegirlblogxoxo to get the first month free!)
Bag: Fendi  here
Sunglasses: Prada on sale here