Last month, Fonz and I dressed to the nines and went to one of our favorite spots, Steak 48.

We always love the bar. The people watching, the conversation, the whole atmosphere.

A lovely woman in her seventies sat in the open seat next to us. Next thing you know, we are talking about relationships, travel, life.

This woman was full of joie de vivre.

And somewhere in the middle of it, she set down her glass and said, almost to herself:

“You know what. I love me.”

She said it the way you’d say, “The weather is gorgeous today.” Matter-of-fact. No apology, no qualification, no hedge.

It felt like brushing up against a future version of myself at a bar on an ordinary Thursday.

Here’s the part I didn’t tell her.

As she said it, I was looking down at my belt. A little thing I’d found in Milan months ago. 

Leather, beautifully worn, the buckle tarnished in exactly the right way. Not a logo. Just a quiet, perfect piece that had been waiting for me on a shelf in a shop I almost didn’t walk into.

And the same sentence landed in my chest. I love me. I love who I’ve become. And, I love, without apology, my love of style.

Clothes have never been shallow to me. They are one of the most immediate self-image tools a woman has. 

And how a woman shops – not what she spends, but how she chooses – is one of the quietest tells of her self-image.

There’s one specific shift I’ve made in how I shop that’s rearranged everything.

And I’m talking about it on today’s podcast. Listen here.

In love & style,

I shop to express myself, not to impress others.

There’s a world of difference between buying something because it feels like me and buying something because I think it will make me acceptable.

Veronica Beard Dash Leather Belt

OK, this is not the belt I found in Milan, but the Veronica Beard Dash Leather Belt is one of my current closet staples.

The leather has a beautiful weight to it, while the hardware feels substantial without being flashy. If I could only add one belt to my shopping bag right now, this would be it.

The Shopping Secret That Changed My Self-Image

There’s a difference between shopping out of habit and shopping with intention. Between buying what you think you should want and choosing what actually calls to you.

I made one specific shift in how I shop that changed my relationship with my closet. It has saved me money and helped me create a wardrobe I love.  It’s not about spending more or less… it’s about choosing differently.

This episode is about that shift and how it affects the way I get dressed every morning.

// TheEDIT

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