The Wants

As an average cusp-Millennial with access to social media, I am susceptible to getting a Case of the Wants every so often. You know what I mean: when you become convinced that a product – be it a piece of clothing, skincare, or some random doodad – is the only thing standing in the way of your being the Best You That You Can Be. I don’t know about you, but my mental image of the Best Me That I Can Be is a less intimidating version of Tilda Swinton. I am several light years away from any remotely similar incarnation, but let me put it this way: if Tilda Swinton published a 24 hour product diary, I would be parsing that shizz like a holy text. Hope springs eternal in this bosom.

The fun part of being an adult is that, sometimes, I get to indulge my Wants. The less fun part is that I also have to make the hard decisions about which Wants can be indulged responsibly, and which can’t.

I keep a rough mental list of the Wants, mostly in the hope that I will, someday, find them for a bargain basement price, preferably at a thrift store. This rarely happens but you know what I said about hope. I’ve never written down this list, assuming it would be a fairly depressing exercise, but you know what? I’ve done it now, and it made me realize that there are actually not that many things on it (all things considered – I am a sucker for pretty things), and that’s because I’m damn lucky to already have most of the things I’ve ever coveted. I know I sound like a broken record, but thrifting has opened up a world of self-indulging (and self-indulgent?) possibilities. One woman’s trash truly can be another’s treasure.

I decided to share my “Wanted” list here as a bit of an experiment. A year from now, I want to see how many of these items I can check off the list – either because I no longer want them, or because I was able to get them (and, in the latter case, how I got them). We’ll see if this Law of Attraction business works.

In no particular order:

1. Diptique candles. I love fancy candles; I just can’t deal with the price. The only way I could bring myself to buy a $80 candle is if it came with an envelope containing $70. A friend of mine recently found some Jo Malone soap (new in box) at the thrift store, which gives me hope. People throw out all kinds of expensive s**t; why not fancy candles? To be perfectly honest, I would take an empty Diptique glass container (candle holder?) for the Instagram potential alone.

2. Alexis Bittar jewelry. Love their stuff, but the brand is hard to find in Edmonton and, needless to say, it’s even harder to score at bargain prices. I always keep an eye out for this whenever I travel, especially in places like Nordstrom Rack.

3. Alex & Ani bracelets. I actually fell in love with these after thrifting a bunch at Goodwill. I want more, but I also don’t want to pay $30 or more for a simple metal bangle. Edited to add: I actually found another one recently, with a letter “A” charm. OMG, this might actually work!

4. Hermès scarf. I know their bags are ridiculously sought after, but those are not really my style. [Listen, I wouldn’t kick one out of my thrift store cart if it landed there, but I’m not actively looking for it either.] Their scarves, on the other hand: yes, please. The prints are truly stunning, and if I ever got my hands on one, it would likely end up framed on my wall.

5. Miu Miu patent leather lace-up oxfords. When I worked at my old job, I used to see a young woman at my train station from time to time. She always wore head-to-toe black and rocked an aesthetic that I have since come to adopt to a certain extent (relaxed Scandi minimalist). Even then, I became obsessed with her clothes, but especially the black lace-up loafers she wore most of the time. I never summoned the courage to ask her where they were from, which was as unfortunate as it was/is typical of my MO (to wit, admire from afar, hoping not to come across like a creep). The closest thing I’ve found online is a Miu Miu pair I spotted on eBay. I keep trying to find a thriftier alternative, but I may give up at some point and splurge instead.

6. Anything patterned from Dries Van Noten. My relationship with prints is slightly different now; I don’t wear them as much as I used to, but I still enjoy an unusual pattern. Nobody does prints like Dries; it would be like owning a piece of wearable art.

7. Rick Owens velvet dress. There once was a mushroom grey, asymmetrical, velvet Rick Owens dress at Swish. I fell in love with it, and tried in on, oh, at least 2 or 3 times; but it was about $150, and I chickened out of buying it every time. This was about a year before my aesthetic (r)evolution and, at the time, it felt too much out of my comfort zone for the price tag. Needless to say, I deeply regret not getting it. I have not been able to find it online since, but I am forever looking for it.

8. Anthropologie flower vases. I already have this one:

… but Anthro came out with a bunch of different versions, and I want them all. I don’t want to take my chances with eBay, so I keep hoping the local thrift stores will deliver. Edited to add: my friend Jenn (thrifter and reseller extraordinaire) found me a second one from the series! I am on a roll!

9. Marc by Marc Jacobs Iridescent Q Hillier bag. I have a lot of MbMJ bags already, I know. But this is the one I’m specifically talking about:

O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. There is a small version currently listed on eBay for $300CAD+ but that seems excessive, all things considered.

10. Zero+Maria Cornejo, Sarah Pacini, Marni … basically, anything. I’m not picky because these brands’ aesthetic is 100% my jam.

11. Loro Piana cashmere. This stuff is baby angel soft, I hear. I wants it.

12. Isabel Marant Lecce belt. I blame Sherry from Save, Spend, Splurge for introducing me to this belt I Absolutely. Need. Right. Now.

Honestly, I love it enough to actually consider paying full price for it, but it doesn’t seem to be available at regular retail sites or on the secondary resale market, yet. Sigh.

13. Rachel Comey shoes and/or jewelry. Sometimes, browsing the Anthro website is really dangerous. Actually, it’s always dangerous. I do love the minimalist/quirky look of RC accessories though. Haven’t thrift spotted this brand in the “wild” yet, but I feel like it’s only a matter of time. Optimism for the win!

14. Aritzia Daria (p)leather leggings. These are really not that expensive in the scheme of things, but I am sometimes unreasonably cheap, OK? I cannot bring myself to spend $130 on a pair of leggings (whether Aritzia or Commando or Spanx) and I’m also too unmotivated to hunt around for a decent sale. [Actually, I generally try to avoid online sale-stalking, because I find it fuels my feelings of Wantiness.] So, I’m just gonna put them on the list and hope that they will somehow, magically, end up in my closet.

15. Celine Belt bag. I haven’t paid much attention to designer bags in the last year or so, and there aren’t any other ones out there that I covet (new or old), but this Celine is the exception. I love the casual elegance of the belted flap; it’s epitome of effortless cool to me. It’s an impractical bag for my day-to-day life, but it still makes my heart flutter every time I see it.

Actually, I take that back. There are two other designer bags I covet – the Polene No. 1:

And the Chloe Faye:

Siiiiiiiiigh.

Tell me: do you have a Me Want List? What’s on yours?