I know it’s already 2024 but I’m giving myself this week to do a bit of a recap of 2023. Starting next week I’ll have all new reviews! So without further ado here are the top ten for 2023 and how I feel about these items now:
1) Why I Bought The Ridiculously Expensive Cartier Love Bracelet {Updated February 2022}
Year after year this has been my top post, and I can see why. People want to know if this bracelet is truly worth it. When I first wrote the post it was a heck yea, it’s worth it. But four years on, do I still feel the same? Eh, well not so much. I’ll still wear it occasionally but I haven’t worn it in months. One factor is because it’s a bit too snug on me right now (I probably shouldn’t have bought it when I was at my slimmest lol). But also nowadays it feels a bit (for a lack of a better word) basic to me. For the same price you can get at least two, if not three, gorgeous vintage gold bracelets that just have more character. However I don’t plan to sell the cartier love bracelet since it’s still a classic, and it’s my rainy day fund in the form of a bracelet. Also peek the interesting thought of Amy, the founder of Tibi, on this particular bracelet below. I have to admit, the strongest motivator for the bracelet was probably community (as she so nicely put it), but I’m keeping it and hoping to hand it down to my daughter for nostalgia.
2) Hermes Evelyne III PM Review {Updated June 2022}
This is new to the top ten posts this year because this is a relatively new post. The fact that it is now my number two post must mean there’s a lot of interest in the Evelyne right now. Is it the quiet luxury phase that did it? Well sadly, I never really liked the bag and I’ve come to realize it’s because of the game that Hermes plays (buy a bunch of stuff you don’t like as much just to be able to be offered something you actually want). Now that I’ve watched a lot more YouTube about the Hermes game, I’m quite put off. Give me a bag from The Row that’s less expensive and made from leather that feels as wonderful and I’m happy (granted The Row doesn’t have the aftercare policies that Hermes has). Anyway unless my future is substantially more financially flush, I don’t foresee myself purchasing more Hermes at retail. Also I will never again purchase a flimsy Evelyne ever again, at any size or price point.
3) Celine Nano Belt Bag Review & Comparison to the Micro Belt Bag {Updated March 2022}
This has traditionally been my number two post, and it’s still as popular as ever. I’m happy to see a Phoebe Philo era Celine bag is still so popular. As a side note, I’ve come to realize that I’m really just a Phobe Philo Era Celine fan, and not so much a Hedi Slimane one. And that’s what happens when you love a brand that’s owned by a conglomerate and the designer changes. Each new creative director really just brings their own vision of the brand and the brand itself can change quite a bit. Anyway bag to the Belt bags. I still have my Nano, and don’t intend to part with it. I haven’t been using it as much since I did get a bunch of new bags in (hello Loewe Puzzles and The Row Park totes). But I don’t ever plan to part with the Nano Belt and I still quite love it.
4) Unsponsored Polene Review: Beri Bag {Updated February 2022}
I’m also glad to see that this Polene review has ranked so high this year. I can tell that Polene is really on the rise and rightfully so. Their bags are of great quality (except for the one off lemon or two) at a reasonable price point. I still have my Beri, even though I don’t use it as much (I think I might be in my bigger bag era). But the Beri is so unique and yet still so functional, so I think it has a permanent place in my collection. If I hadn’t gotten so many new bags lately I would be tempted to add the Polene Cyme to my collection—maybe someday.
5) How to Authenticate a Celine Bag (Phoebe Philo era Celine only) {Updated December 2022}
I can see why this is a top ten post since Phoebe Philo Celine is still a favorite and authentication is always an important topic when purchasing old pieces online. Sadly there are a lot of fakes out there, but I guess on the bright side they’re no longer faking Phoebe Philo era Celine (just the current bags). And since those bags were faked during a certain time (2008-2018) there certainly won’t be superfakes of those kinds of Celine bags out there. So hopefully you should be able to catch a Phoebe Philo era Celine more easily.
6) My Best and Worst Designer Bag Purchases {Updated January 2022}
I don’t know why this 2018 version still keeps ranking at the top when I’ve made a 2019, 2020, and 2022 version (which is finally ranked in the number nine position below). It must be linked somewhere that makes it uber popular or maybe it’s the Celine bags picture. Anyway in general these types of posts are popular and that’s why I keep making them tbh. For 2023 I just published my Top 5 Luxury Purchases of 2023 (honestly I didn’t have any worsts that I could think of this year). As for the 2018 list, I still have all my “best” items except for the Celine phantom cabas (too heavy), which goes to show those 4 items were truly the best to me.
7) My Most Worn Quince Items in 2022 and 2023
Quince has definitely been gaining market share lately, and this post making the top ten shows it (along with my increasing affiliate revenue from Quince—thank you again to all those who choose to purchase through my links). And I’m happy to see it because Quince does make quality products for the most part and sells them for a reasonable price. Since I’ve been wearing the same Quince items in 2023 as I did in 2022 I decided to just add my 2023 thought to the end of this post. If you were to ask me what was absolutely my most worn items from Quince, it would be their long sleeve linen button down shirt. It’s a classic!
8) Birkenstock Boston Mules (Clogs) Review {Updated April 2023}
These Boston mules are hands down my most worn shoe. I wear them in all seasons and they’ve held up like a champ. It’s a tad sad to see them so dirty now, but that’s just what happens to a well loved shoe (in a light color). I’m happy to see the Birkenstock large clunky shoe trend isn’t going anywhere. It’s hard to go back to wearing any other shoe since these are the only shoes that I can walk miles in without my feet hurting (I do need to add a pair of good-looking sneakers to my closet, but until then Birkenstocks all the way).
9) My Best and Worst Luxury Purchases as of 2022
Like I said, these types of posts are popular and my 2022 version finally made it to the top in 2023. All my 2022 loves are still going strong (and oops I listed a few of them as 2023 purchases as well lol). Not much to say here that I haven’t already said 🤷🏻♀️.
10) Quince Sweater Review: Cashmere, Cardigan, Alpaca, and Wool
This is a brand new addition to the top ten list this year (since it was written in late 2022). Again it goes to show Quince is on the rise. In fact this post got so much traction, the team at Quince asked me to remove my referral link on there (something about referral links are meant only for personal referrals and not online ones 🙄, but I get it, I already make affiliate revenue from the post). Anyway as much as I love Quince I cannot in good conscious recommend their alpaca and even some of their cashmere sweaters because of the pilling (which I go over in that post). But I 100% love their organic cotton sweaters and those are in my top worn Quince list. This year I purchased the felted wool sweater from Everlane that’s been holding up much better (it still pills but much less).