I’m two months into my newfound budget restrictions and I’m still going strong! (Albeit with a $4 deficit.) This month was all about adding a few lightweight dresses to my collection, including one I’ve crushed on since its debut, which made my wish list go down to just one single item: this Jenny Bird pendant. I’m not sure if I’ll pull the trigger this month, though. We have a trip to Portland on the books for the end of the month and I feel like all of my disposable income is going to go to Schoolhouse Electric when I visit the store!

TOTAL SPENT: $235
(Budget: $200; $31 added from last month; subtracting $4 next month)

PURCHASED
See all of this year’s sartorial additions here.

• Tory Burch silk scarf ($18) – I received a $50 coupon to use for my birthday month and decided to put it toward this adorable silk square. The four different patterns make it so that you can change the look from a floral design to a geometric one based on how you tie it.
• Leith racerback shift dress in navy ($29; worn here) – I love the black version of this dress (worn here) that I had to buy it in navy. I’ve been wearing these two dresses to work just about every week. They’re machine washable, too!
• J.Crew Mercantile faux wrap dress in fresh daisies ($60; worn here) – This little number runs true to size. The bust is a bit on the larger side, though, and it falls open if you don’t maintain good posture despite the hook and eye closure. I love it with slip-on espadrilles and sneakers, but it’s adorable with ballet flats, too.
• Madewell denim pintuck cami dress ($128) – I had been crushing on this dress ever since I first saw it on the Madewell site. I was waiting for it to go on sale, but once I realized the size run was selling out at both Nordstrom and Shopbop, I had to hit “add to cart” to see how I felt about it in person. Love. It. The pintuck pleats and bust detailing make it so much more interesting than your run-of-the-mill sun dress. It runs true to size.
• Warby Parker ‘Nancy’ sunglasses in pink & no-name gold and white hoop earrings in Austin ($0) – Birthday gifts! Dave bought the earrings for me while we were out and about. (I’ll post them in an outfit post soon!) The sunglasses are from my parents — sort of. They send me a birthday check each year, and this year my mom specifically requested that I buy something for myself and not the household. I put part of the check toward the sunglasses while we were in Austin and deposited the rest into my travel savings account.

DIDN’T WORK OUT
Things I tried and didn’t love.

• BB Dakota ‘Luciana’ maxi dress – The polyester lining felt like it would oppressively hot on steamy days.
• Soludos espadrille wedges – I’ve been thinking about buying these for a couple of years now and really hoped that they’d be a comfortable option when I want a bit of height. I followed the recommendations to go down a half size and found the toe box too tight and uncomfortable. Back they went.
• Deepa Gurnani ‘Petaloop’ earrings – I love big earrings, but these were too much even for me.