NOTEPAD No. 71

Question: I remember discovering your site and style way back in 2011. Your style was amazing and all of the pieces were so accessible. I still enjoy your site but I find a lot of the items you wear now are totally out of my price range. Is there a reason for this? Can you share more budget finds and how to style them?

Answer: First of all, thank you so much for being such a long time follower. You have no idea how much it means to me when readers tell me they have stuck around after all these years! I totally hear you on the price points of some of the pieces that I wear. I still shop many of the same places I did when I started Atlantic-Pacific, such as ASOS, J.Crew, and a Banana Republic piece here and there, but my style and tastes have simply evolved. I think that is totally natural with age and experience. When I started in 2010, I was in my very early twenties. At the time, I was on a much tighter budget, and not at the point in life to be ‘investing’ in pieces that I wanted to keep forever, or even to be buying trend driven items. As I have grown, both in age and in my own personal style, I have a better sense of the items and styles that are timeless and classic to me, as well as those items I am willing to splurge on. Of course, that growth comes from more experiences and learned and acquired tastes, but of course, also changes in income. I have always wished for Atlantic-Pacific to be a place for people to visit for style inspiration, fashion escapism, and trustworthy content and shopping. I will certainly make more of an effort to infuse items at multiple price points – such as this week’s high-low series – but I would also hope that my readers would push for me to progress, change, and inspire in new and exciting ways.

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” –  Margaret Thatcher