I came home with a loaded suitcase from our recent family oriented trip. Every day was packed full of visits with family and old friends but I managed to squeeze in some shopping around the edges. The Buffalo Exchange near Penn Station was my friend. Anyway, I went with a relatively large budget and here are some of the spoils of my pillage of Manhattan:

1. Helmut Lang crossover top (TJ Maxx designer clearance rack), All Saints silk harem shorts (consignment), Angie's shoes! (as I think of them - Nordstrom).
2. Zara clearance crossover top (I visited Zara in Rome and two NYC locations for some cross cultural comparison and to scoop up some end of sale bargains), TR jeans shorts (old and thrifted), brand new Tibi shoes Buffalo Exchange (it pays to ask for the stuff behind the counter).
3. Unstyled (no I won't wear it with the tank) Murad jacket. I think it looks better than it shows here but I was too hot to do much with it.
4 and 5. Yigal Azrouel NWT trousers (they need shortening and look better in person I think) and new addition to my loafers capsule - vintage Chanel loafers at a consignment shop on Long Island.

Some thoughts on NAS. I arrived to my mother's with a pile of boxes from Nordstrom. What fun! But I had nearly exhausted my shopping budget already and had to be very, very picky about what I kept. The Murad jacket was a no-brainer for me - I love how it bookends the front of my hair, it fits well in the shoulders, takes care of my craving for a bomber and something quilted as per Angie's blogs and is a good weight for my climate.

The shoes took a little longer to decide. I loved them at first sight here and also in person and when I put them on I knew they were just as comfortable and well designed as Angie claimed. But where would I wear them? Not really for clomping down the street are they? I was really torn until I remembered that September is full of holidays! We are talking about up to 14 dress up occasions! Justification found and into the suitcase they went.

Thanks for reading. The only actual outfit I wore here is #2 and I will be very happy to get any styling suggestions. And if anything looks awful please tell me!