We don't have a Nordstrom so I have been surfing the web trying to stick to my original well layed out shopping plan. You may wonder what that plan was, because I am also sitting here wondering as I stare in wonder at what I actually ended up purchasing for try -on!

The original plan was to look for the following: 1. Long sleeve dress appropriate to wear at a funeral, or in a place of worship. 2. Warm long down coat, to replace an old, well loved red Eddie Bauer coat that has seen better days. 3. Pocket-less boyfriend style grey sweater of some sort 4. Plaid Flannel shirts for lazy weekend days/lounge wear 5. One to two pairs of weatherproof booties (I purchase at least a couple pairs each year because they see heavy use in my location). 6. Blazers/Jackets/Toppers of any sort that might fit and work with the rest of my wardrobe, and if I find some sort of suit equivalent in my wardrobe color palette even better. 7. Trial pair of cropped slacks instead of jeans?? 8. Sleeveless tops

Style: My style is going towards wearing one or two neutrals plus a color, or I am wearing a solid color plus something smaller with a pattern. (I hope this makes sense to you. It does to me.) I fell in love with Zero and Maria Cornejo. I keep eyeing all her looks, and I bought a dress, and now, I want another....and another.....and....... However, my style remains true to my moniker of the two words Serene Elegant. Also Genuine Composed.

Here are my considerations. As is often the case, I am looking at more than I will keep. Much more. I tried to pick things that were in keeping with my style words. When I look at items, I try to picture a beach. I look for details that remind me of ocean waves, or colors that remind me of the sea or a beach. That gets me close to the serene element. It also keeps me in tune with my color palette.

1. TNF coats: I couldn't decide which color?? I already have a short version of the dove grey and love it. I ordered the blue, but am thinking about getting the dove grey as a back up. I wear coats September to May, so no coat goes unworn in my closet!

2. Shoes and Booties: I snuck in a pair of Paul Green Loafers. I ordered the graphite, not the black. I also love the Donald Pliner booties, but they are not weatherproof. That could be a deal breaker here in the snow belt. Fit is always an issue, so its a tossup as to whether any of these will work.

3. Plaid shirts: I found two that I like. I considered one from Current Elliot, it had some red and blue, but I had a red and blue plaid shirt previously and never wore it, I seem to prefer lower contrast plaid.

4. Handbags: These weren't even on my list right?! I ended up ordering two. A red bag is on my long term list of items to find, and I'm hoping the MZ Wallace bag is the correct color. I also need a new tote. My water bottle drained into my tote last week, and somehow it also seeped into my lunch which had carrot juice. You can imagine what that does to a bag and it's contents. I am also looking to replace my wallet, but I am getting the same one as before. Perhaps someone has a remedy for carrot stains? (My tote was a mix of canvas and leather.)

5. I am combining dresses, pants, blazers and something suitable for funerals and places of worship. I fell in love with the Boss separates, and ordered the jacket, sheath dress, and I believe I also ordered a pair of slacks. I didn't include them in my finds. I loved the shade of blue which I think will be in my palette, it looks to be a mid-tone blue, and I also love the cut. I think it can work for many different conservative venues, depending on what I wear with it. I found a Lafayette NY shell that I liked to pair with it, but I ordered the top they showed just for comparison. I also ordered a Max Mara jacket and crop pants for kicks, but I doubt I will keep them. I suspect they will be too dark toned. Oops, I forgot a pair of shoes. I have already tried a pair of the Stuart Weitzman Largo's. I ordered them in a larger size this time. They run small. If anyone else is ordering them, I recommend ordering 1/2 size larger than your typical size in this brand.

6. The boyfriend sweater: I'm not sure if this is even something that is still in style, but I wanted one because I have one that is very worn out and pilled. I didn't find one on sale, but I did find something that I really like. It's a Marc Jacobs sweater. It's a bit longer than a boyfriend sweater, but shorter than my long sweater jackets. I'm not exactly sure what cateogory it belongs to, but I really loved it. It is the color I wanted, and It has fun buttons! I has no luck finding one without pockets. There was one by Rag and Bone that I liked, but it was too light a grey.

7. Turtlenecks and cashmere: Hey! I wouldn't be me if I didn't look at these right?! So, I decided I would only look at something with interesting details and features that I don't already have. The hoodie is exaggerated in size and sleeveless, so it functions like a vest, but I love hoodie style. The funnel neck is just a beautiful sweater. I love the banded bottom, the type of stitch, the color. The Trouve sweater should be lighter weight and serve as a transitional piece. I don't need many of these, but it's nice to have one or two.

8. One of my favorite dresses is a BCBG Adele wrap. I keep trying to find another one in a pattern I love. I repeatedly fail, but maybe I will succeed with this one..........

I definitely didn't stick to my plan. I ordered handbags and shoes, and cashmere sweaters. I didn't find any long sleeve dresses appropriate for a funeral. However, I also found many items that were within my guidelines.

Any predictions about which will work best?