I had no idea what a shopping mecca Seattle would be! I mean, the SF Bay Area is not exactly a retail desert. But I rarely drag myself to the big San Jose mall or up to SF for shopping, so staying in downtown Seattle was a treat.

My trip is only half over but I'm posting now because I have spent enough already! I used up my mental splurge fund, as you'll see below.

1) I had planned to wear my teal floral jeans with a new asymmetrical black top to dinner with Anna (who is an absolute dear) on Wednesday. But I forgot to pack a necklace to fill in the empty V-neckline... Pike Place Market came to the rescue with this gorgeous handmade silver and pyrite pendant. I got it with a 14" chain to wear as a choker, which is a length that I don't currently have in my jewelry collection.

2) Tried on tons of shoes at the downtown Nordstrom. They were already running low in my size though, in many styles. All of the lace up flats had one issue or another, until I finally tried on this $60 pair by BP. Super comfy with no pressure points (although very flat), not too much toe cleavage, an interesting neutral pattern. The size 6 didn't feel enormous, so I ordered a 5.5 and am hopeful it will work out.

3) I almost didn't bother to walk over to Club Monaco, but Angie's toffee trench had been on my mind for a while. Well... in person it is just as AMAZING as she claimed. Luxurious and perfectly fitting on me in size XS, even the sleeves. I think the color looks OK too; take a look at my fitting room photos and feel free to tell me that I'm wrong, because it'd save me a lot of money I ordered online with a 20% discount code, but even so it will beat out my JC lady day coat as the most expensive coat (or single piece of clothing/footwear) that I own. I hope to have it for the next 10 years, no kidding. Even though my style is not especially classic, I fell hard for this trench coat. So much better than the (cheaper) Halogen trench I almost settled for this year.

A lesson in PPP, for me. I'm motivated now to review my shopping wishlist more rigorously--I had done a seasonal purge but not really prioritized hole-filling--to purchase fewer items at better quality.