Hey all! Srah here... I've been lurking but not posting for a while, and I was feeling in need of a new name. It's been a very full year so far. Good, but full.

I think this was first time shopping the NAS, and I'm pretty excited about my haul. I hadn't been planning to take advantage of the sale, but there were a few things I couldn't resist, including a couple of pairs of shoes to upgrade things that I'm letting go of.

1: Technically not NAS, but a Nordstrom Rack Clear the Rack purchase from the same timeframe. I've been needing a new watch, and the subtle little skull makes me happy.

2: Old gray Chucks (left), replaced by NAS platinum metallic leather Joseph Seibel Caspian sneakers (right). I adore my beat-up Chucks, but I've worn them to death, and if I'm honest, they're heavy and not particularly comfortable. I haven't given the Seibels a really long walk yet, but so far they're much more comfortable and can be worn sans socks.

3: Old faux-leather combat boots, replaced by NAS Born Cardi boots in black. I got a lot of wear out of my cheap old boots, but I haven't worn them in a long time because they feel cheap and flimsy. I'm so glad Angie highlighted the Born boots; they feel solid and look lovely.

4 (not pictured): The Kut from the Kloth Diana (or Donna?) plaid pants that so many people bought. I should stop buying bottoms and focus on tops for a while (bottoms are easier for me than tops), but I can't resist a good plaid, and gray and black fits seamlessly into my wardrobe.

5 (not pictured): Free People Studio City Wraparound Bootie. These will replace either my Fryes (which are great, but the zipper and buckle jangle loudly with every step, and I haven't figured out a good fix and I end up not wearing them because it's embarrassing to be so noisy when I walk) and/or an old pair of Skechers heeled booties (which I still love but have beaten up badly... the heel started to separate and I fixed it with superglue, but that won't last forever, and I also had to replace the insole after I wore them down until I could feel a hard lump under my heels).

I'm going to try to take a shopping pause for the rest of the year, with a couple of possible exceptions for specific holes:

 1) 1-2 new suits. My current two Express suits are at least 12 years old, and they're acceptable (I'm seriously impressed that they've held up well despite a lot of wear), but I'd like something higher quality and more current... I'm a lot further in my career and in my sense of style than I was 12 years ago. I'm prepared to invest a bit in a perfect suit or two... I just need to find them.

 2) Perfect black work pants. I have an ancient pair (half of one of the aforementioned 12+ year old suits) and a newer okay pair of ankle pants, but I'd really like one perfect-fitting sleek pair.

 3) Black/gray/silver watch. I often end up in outfits that are entirely black, white, gray, and silver, so having a watch that coordinates with these would be nice.

And eventually, I want to focus on a couple of non-black tops for work. Much as I love black, I'd like a few other options to wear with black toppers without being completely funereal on my top half.