Hermes Cafe Bon Temps~Good Times Cafe

[prepster]

Oh yes coach leather. It was fabulous. It's an absolute tragedy that happened to that company. I saw someone with a vintage bag in natural leather recently. She bought it for $10 in a thrift store. It was still beautiful.

Genie it's smart to not buy more of the same. Tastes change over time so you want your style to evolve and you might tire of these things over time.

My little experiment of moving 30% of my wardrobe to my guest room closet is working well. I'm not missing any of those things and I think I'm dressing better by concentrating on using my best pieces.

For anyone who is interested, I noticed that the Alexander McQueen leather jacket that I bought in Paris is on clearance on their website for a very good price. Only a few sizes are left. I can't wait for fall to wear it again.

My Dior alterations arrive this week. So excited to see how they turned out.

This is really interesting about your closet experiment. I love the idea of only wearing your best things and looking your best.

Thanks again to those who've chimed in on Barenia/VN. The outlier in my limited research is the single SA who is quoted as saying Barenia (Faubourg) can't get wet. I suppose it's possible that this new Barenia has different properties than the old, but it's also very likely (unfortunately) that the SA didn't know what he/she was talking about. Wouldn't be the first time.
So, I think Barenia is okay with water; VN and other "naked" un-oiled leathers are not. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

How do you feel about Apple Gard for VN?

Here is most of my active closet. I have forgotten to enter some - this is about 80% and I also have a rehome/alter/donate section. Interesting that I have so many outerwear (some have not yet been entered) - I included cardigans there because that is how I wear them when it's not jacket/coat weather. My sub categories seem to be very evenly broken down - summer/winter/evening, etc.

I love that you use the app. I have downloaded it, but have done nothing with it so far. I am daunted by all of the photographing. And what is with women and outerwear? I could have an entire dressing room just for my coats and jackets! The funny thing is that usually I skip a coat because I say to myself that I'm just dashing from car to building.

 

[Mindi B]

Part of me wants to try to use an app to figure out my wardrobe. More of me is totally terrified to do so. The quantities alone are daunting. But the idea that I could remind myself "YOU ALREADY HAVE FOUR VERSIONS OF THIS, DUMMY!" or words to that effect, seems a great tool to curb unnecessary shopping. Huh. Is shopping ever really necessary for me? No, no it is not. Sigh.

 

[Mindi B]

Prepster, my sistah! Coats and jackets. My downfall.

 

[Genie27]

Prepster, The photographing is not that bad - it goes quickly once you get started. And if you have a lot of designer items google search is great even for previous seasons.

I took pics of everything and then sorted and data-entered at my own pace. Over lunch breaks etc.

 

[dharma]

This is really interesting about your closet experiment. I love the idea of only wearing your best things and looking your best.



How do you feel about Apple Gard for VN?



I love that you use the app. I have downloaded it, but have done nothing with it so far. I am daunted by all of the photographing. And what is with women and outerwear? I could have an entire dressing room just for my coats and jackets!

I am an outerwear addict. Probably because I like to be comfortable and my job requires me to be fairly active. So a daily uniform of tee shirt or cashmere sweater with skinnies gets pretty boring. Jackets, coats, cardis and jewelry make my outfit.
On another note, a pair of doves have made my garage their home. We have been watching them teach the new baby how to fly for several days. Luckily the whippets are slow these days. Wildlife in the city is such a thrill, lol. Especially when it doesn't involve rodents.

 

[dharma]

Part of me wants to try to use an app to figure out my wardrobe. More of me is totally terrified to do so. The quantities alone are daunting. But the idea that I could remind myself "YOU ALREADY HAVE FOUR VERSIONS OF THIS, DUMMY!" or words to that effect, seems a great tool to curb unnecessary shopping. Huh. Is shopping ever really necessary for me? No, no it is not. Sigh.

I need the app that says that out loud to me in public places.

 

[prepster]

I need the app that says that out loud to me in public places.

Lolololol!

 

[EmileH]

I was thinking: maybe Siri could be programmed to tell me this. [emoji23]

I'm terrible with outerwear and I live in New England. I have one or two black or navy that are good and thats it. I really need to focus on my coat situation but I never get around to it. It's on the list.

The photographing seems overwhelming. And removing the background, I started it a few years back and gave up. Maybe if I whittle my wardrobe down to more reasonable numbers.

 

[Mindi B]

This is really interesting about your closet experiment. I love the idea of only wearing your best things and looking your best.

Ah, I love this idea too. Says Mindi, unshowered, wearing the tank top she slept in and an ancient pair of camo sweatpants with caninely chewed waist ties.

 

[HavLab]

Thank you! It's good for you to be a commercial for Japan because I really have no clue what I'd be getting myself into and I want to make an informed decision. Is three weeks enough land time to see all three cities? I think I need to pick up a few travel guides and plan on a few guided tours. I dislike tour groups for entire trips but some guidance would be a stress reliever.

Hi! Crashing in here (usually a reader/lurker) to also vouch for Japan. It is a very nice destination and I echo the other comments in that it is very easy to navigate, super safe and the people are very friendly. It's been about ten years since I went. I would like to go back again. I found that I liked it more after I went than when I was there. Not that I didnt like it when I was there, but it I found it kept growing on me when I looked back on the trip. There is something very special about the place and the people.
Here's my two cents:
Flights: I took JAL. It is a long flight from USA, no way around that. If you don't live in a city with a non-stop you can overnight in a city with one. I did this when I went to Korea recently. I think it helped. The other way to look at the flight is that it is 12-14 hours of 100 percent "me" time. When does a person get that?! You can read, watch a ton of movies, sleep, whatever. It is time when you dont have to do anything. I remember reading Monica Seles book and she said she used to love the long flights because it was like a little cocoon where no one bothered you. I have tried to convince myself of the same. My husband has the same outlook (he has taken 14 hour + flights since he was a kid) and it really does help to think this way.

If you can, get business or premium economy. Not only is it more comfortable the service breaks up the flight. Pick your airline, routing and seats carefully. Get a day flight if you can on the way there. I dont know if its possible to Japan but I took a day flight to Korea and it was a lot easier with the jet lag (at least for me). You can also book into Tokyo and out of Osaka or vice versa.

Tours: It is super organized in Japan. You could literally not have anything planned and show up at your hotel concierge and have it organized in five minutes. I ended up using JAL for some of the day trips, when I booked my flights they put me through to a vacation person and she was amazing. Basically there is sort of a bus depot for the tours out of Tokyo. You go there and get on the bus to wherever. I usually prefer to do things on my own or private tour but this was fine for the first few days and the main sights near Tokyo. In Osaka and Kyoto we did everything ourselves.

I think three weeks is more than enough!

 

[tabbi001]

Thank you! It's good for you to be a commercial for Japan because I really have no clue what I'd be getting myself into and I want to make an informed decision. Is three weeks enough land time to see all three cities? I think I need to pick up a few travel guides and plan on a few guided tours. I dislike tour groups for entire trips but some guidance would be a stress reliever.

I think that's enough time to enjoy the cities. If you've settled on the places you want to see, try to squeeze in Nagoya if you can, they have the most delicious tebasaki and miso nikomi udon. If you enjoy temples, spend a long time in Kyoto. It all depends on your preferences. Also, if you plan to travel through all those cities, get a JR pass as it will be more cost efficient since you will be riding the shinkansen a lot.

 

[dharma]

I think that's enough time to enjoy the cities. If you've settled on the places you want to see, try to squeeze in Nagoya if you can, they have the most delicious tebasaki and miso nikomi udon. If you enjoy temples, spend a long time in Kyoto. It all depends on your preferences. Also, if you plan to travel through all those cities, get a JR pass as it will be more cost efficient since you will be riding the shinkansen a lot.

Hi! Crashing in here (usually a reader/lurker) to also vouch for Japan. It is a very nice destination and I echo the other comments in that it is very easy to navigate, super safe and the people are very friendly. It's been about ten years since I went. I would like to go back again. I found that I liked it more after I went than when I was there. Not that I didnt like it when I was there, but it I found it kept growing on me when I looked back on the trip. There is something very special about the place and the people.
Here's my two cents:
Flights: I took JAL. It is a long flight from USA, no way around that. If you don't live in a city with a non-stop you can overnight in a city with one. I did this when I went to Korea recently. I think it helped. The other way to look at the flight is that it is 12-14 hours of 100 percent "me" time. When does a person get that?! You can read, watch a ton of movies, sleep, whatever. It is time when you dont have to do anything. I remember reading Monica Seles book and she said she used to love the long flights because it was like a little cocoon where no one bothered you. I have tried to convince myself of the same. My husband has the same outlook (he has taken 14 hour + flights since he was a kid) and it really does help to think this way.

If you can, get business or premium economy. Not only is it more comfortable the service breaks up the flight. Pick your airline, routing and seats carefully. Get a day flight if you can. I am a OneWorld alliance person so I take everything on AA, JAL or Cathay Pacific. You can also book into Tokyo and out of Osaka or vice versa.

Tours: It is super organized in Japan. You could literally not have anything planned and show up at your hotel concierge and have it organized in five minutes. I ended up using JAL for some of the day trips, when I booked my flights they put me through to a vacation person and she was amazing. Basically there is sort of a bus depot for the tours out of Tokyo. You go there and get on the bus to wherever. I usually prefer to do things on my own or private tour but this was fine for the first few days and the main sights near Tokyo. In Osaka and Kyoto we did everything ourselves.

I think three weeks is more than enough!

Thank you both! I'm taking screen shots of your advice for later. Especially the food!!
My miles are with ANA, I have enough for first class round trip but it's half the amount for business and that might be comfortable enough. Then I'll have miles left over another trip. The full bed situation in first is intriguing though! I also thought of doing first on the way there and business back since it's shorter. DD is equally excited about the swanky plane ride as she is the destination I get the "me time" thing, on a recent flight, I watched all the Oscar movies I had missed and read a fun trashy novel. ( crazy rich asians, lol,)
I'm happy to hear that organizing tours while there is easy. We like temples, art, history and Japanese pop culture. A real mix. Shopping is not high on the list except for fun stuff, I think designer prices are higher there and not a priority for us. You guys are helping me get excited about this. My DD is going out on her own soon and I will really cherish this trip and it's memories.

 

[prepster]

Part of me wants to try to use an app to figure out my wardrobe. More of me is totally terrified to do so. The quantities alone are daunting. But the idea that I could remind myself "YOU ALREADY HAVE FOUR VERSIONS OF THIS, DUMMY!" or words to that effect, seems a great tool to curb unnecessary shopping. Huh. Is shopping ever really necessary for me? No, no it is not. Sigh.

One problem that has come to light (and who says TPF is not a place of enlightenment?!?) in all of this discussion of 18 hour flights and wardrobe apps is the significant disparity between my self-concept, and my current reality.

Self-concept:



Current reality (note the hacksaw that she is using to cut the bread) :

 

[prepster]

Apologies for the technical image problems. Sometimes they load properly and sometimes they don't.

 

[Genie27]

I've only gotten upgraded on a long haul once - BA business class pod from heathrow to Dubai - it was a fully reclining seat that became a bed. If I could afford it, that would make flying bearable. Champagne and lobster was nice too.

The whole section was full of expat kids going to their parents for Xmas hols and an entire family of 5 who took a whole centre bank.


Hahaha, prepster- you look so glamorous. What's wrong with that?