Friday, October 25, 2013

so sorry!

Hi friends,

So sorry that I haven't posted in almost TWO whole weeks! The funny part about being a fashion blogger is that when you  lose your camera charger, you are pretty much helpless until your replacement arrives. That's exactly where I am at.

But I want to thank you all so much  for consistently checking back every day. I promise that a new charger is in the mail and good stuff is ahead!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

High item replicas

Before making a purchase, especially a larger one, it's important to understand what options you have available to you.
So many times I have fallen in love with an item in the $150-$400 price range, only to find a very similar item for about a quarter of the price.

Tonight I was looking through blogs and fell in love with these little booties.
& instantly I recognized that I had seen these $130 shoes before, but with a much cheaper price tag.

Dolce Vita $130

 Mossimo $35


That's almost a $100 difference. 
And yes, there are differences between the shoes- but not enough to pay 100 extra dollars. 

So before you buy a higher priced item, shop around a little for a potential replica.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Legging Loophole

I've said it once & I'll say it again- casual Friday is where it's at. 
I don't know what "it" is- but I'm confident it involves the option to dress casually.
Don't get me wrong- I love dressing up just as much as the next girl... but I want it to be by choice.
You can find me in professional attire from Monday to Thursday and on Friday, I refuse to wear anything that is acceptable on professional attire days.

However, casual Friday strictly excludes leggings.
And much against my pleading, it doesn't look like leggings will ever be approved.
When I found these pants at H&M, I knew I found a loophole to the no legging rule.
Technically- these aren't leggings, they are just really tight pants.
Do my legs know any difference?
Nope. They share the same comfort as my trusted leggings.
& here we have it folks, the leggings loophole. 





Shirt: Old Navy 
Pants: H&M (12.95 right now!)

Happy weekend, lovies!

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Thrifting. Part I

Thrifting is one of my favorite subjects in the world.
Yes, in the world.
It's just like Pringles- once you start, the fun don't stop. (Is that how the saying goes?)

But, there are a few rules to thrifting- because if not done properly, you could end up spending a lot more money than retail.

Thrifting Rule #1: Buy nice pieces. 
Sounds simple right? Right.
Buying nice pieces will ensure that you you are still buying quality pieces that won't fall apart after one wash.
I get really excited when I find Banana Republic and JCrew pieces; and to date, some of my thrifted items are still my favorite & most worn.
But within this rule, there is another rule- don't buy something simply for the names sake.
I have fallen victim to buying pieces simply for the name and I never wear them because I don't really like them- I just like the name.
Moral of the story: look for items that you like & that are from a known store. 

**Exceptions do apply- sweaters, skirts & sometimes dresses may be exempt from this rule. This rule is really important for all shirts. 


This sweater was $7 from Goodwill. Scroll down and check the tag to see where it originally was from.






Do you have any thrifting secrets to share??

Xoxo,
Nicole

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Rainy Days and Tights.

I live in the land of sunshine. The sun is with us all year long & if we are lucky, we get about 6 days of rain.
I have never seen Hunters in real life and our stores don't carry jackets that are too heavy. 
I will never forget the winter that Donnie & I spent in Boston- I thought that pea coats were the thickest forms of jackets and sales people laughed at me when I asked what "down-filled jacket" meant; it was something else. 

I had a completely different outfit planned for today, but when I woke up to the smell of rain- I jumped out of bed and ran straight to my tights. 
You see, when you live in San Diego, you have to take advantage of these rainy days.
I listened to Christmas music all day long, I drank hot cocoa from a Christmas mug; I even bought myself some Christmas gifts at lunch. 
The forecast goes back to normal tomorrow and the tights get tucked back away. 
But as for right now- I sip my tea, cuddle in a blanket, and listen to the unfamiliar sound of rain. 








Do tights make anyone else feel absolutely giddy? 

Xoxo,
Nicole

P.S. Tomorrow, we chat about thrifting. Stay tuned.


Linking up:  Mix Match Fashion 

Leopard Lovin'

I have always loved leopard in a "add a pop of detail" kind of way.
I typically use it as a neutral or combine it with stripes for a "safe" way to pattern mix.
But lately, I have felt so inspired to wear it past my normal ways of just adding a scarf or shoes.
An entire leopard dress or sweater seems so bold to me, but I also can see where it could instantly dress up an outfit without having to add too many other details.
I am all for pieces that would help me save time in the morning and throwing on a statement piece seems like a great time saver.
Here's a few things I am loving that are currently for sale- I am trying not to buy them all.
P.s. #2, #3, and #8 are all on sale. 


1  / 2  / 3  / 4
5  / 6  /  7  / 8

I am loving #2 and #5 and think that they need to make their way to my wardrobe. 
Which pieces are you loving?


Xoxo,
Nicole

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

1 Dress, 3 ways

I am in love with this dress from Target, but since it is sleeveless, I always have to wear a cardigan over it and it gets pretty annoying.

I have been obsessed with the jumpers popping up all over this fall, and decided I could very easily use this dress as a jumper.

So here it is, my little target dress- 3 ways.

Find the dress here







Which way is your favorite?
What are some other ways to wear this dress?

P.S. I took away the "follow" button and added a "subscribe by email" option for those who were writing to me about not being able to follow :)

Monday, October 7, 2013

Love it or List it: Clothing Edition.

For years I have read the "rules" of cleaning out your closet.
"If you haven't worn it in x amount of months, get rid of it"
"Turn your hangers around when you wear the shirt..."'
These methods have never worked for me and I finally realized why...
Because I need to understand WHY I need to get rid of something.
Placing a time limit on my clothing was never a good enough reason to purge an item so my clothes would continue to pile up.

Now I have adopted a new method that works for me; it's based off one of my favorite shows- Love it or List it.
It's a fun way for me to clean out my closet and create some outfits, and in the end, I have to make the decision of if I am going to "love" an item and keep it,
or if I am going to "list" it, which really just means get rid of it. 
To help make the decision, I have to create at least 3 different outfits with the item that I love.
If I can't, it gets listed and is out of my closet forever.

Today's item: A sweater that I bought for $10 about a year ago.









So, after a couple outfits I usually begin to develop a pattern & can ask myself:
Are you going to love it? Or are you going to list it?

Today's verdict: List it. 
The cut is wrong, it does nothing for me & it's not versatile at all. 
This decision was really easy and I only had to create 3 outfits to understand that it's not worth holding onto. 

Does anyone else create weird games for themselves to complete tasks they don't really want to?


Saturday, October 5, 2013

Neutral Sweaters

I am loving the neutral sweaters right now.
They are so versatile & will run you all the way through fall & winter- and these ones have such cute details.

Which are your favorites?
I think I have to buy #6- I never knew that buffalo could be so cute. 

 

one// two// three 
four// five// six

Friday, October 4, 2013

From Casual Friday to a Concert

Casual Friday is my favorite day of the work week; I seriously get upset if I miss casual Friday and have to wait a whole week to wear jeans to work.
But, since I am still at work, I try not to go too casual.
Today was going to be an even bigger challenge because the hubby & I are going to the John Mayer concert right after work (with no chance to change), so I needed an outfit that I could wear to work, but easily converted to a casual vibe without having to change.




Work:




Night: Throw on a camel bomber, pull a teal clutch out of my purse & I am ready for the night! 




 Scarf: Old Navy/old: similar
Jeans: Forever 21 Skinny Jeans
Shoes: Steve Madden Pumps via Ross 
Camel Bomber: Target (can't find online, but very recent purchase) 



What is your favorite casual Friday outfit?? 

Happy weekend time, lovies!


Xoxo,
Nicole


Linking up: Vodka Infused LemonadeHunters of Happiness

Thursday, October 3, 2013

The evolution of the outfit

When I found this sweater at Target, I loved it and instantly thought of pairing it with my cobalt blue peplum skirt.
I put the outfit on together & realized that it failed miserably; I actually gasped when I put it on and realized how bad it looked.
(**I originally wasn't going to post a picture, but decided that it is part of the process & it's important to see that clothes can be very unflattering if you let them be. It's important to keep trying until you get the look that you originally wanted) 





1. This was the outfit that looked great in my head. On me, it looked miserable & was completely unflattering. I identified the skirt as the part that wasn't working, so I kept the sweater on & switched pants.

2. I added a pair of light blue corduroy pants and blue flats and knew I was on the right track, but I still wasn't convinced of the outfit.  I decided to see if it was the shoes or the pants I wasn't liking, so I tried to swap out the pants first.

3. I instantly knew I liked the jeans better because it made the sweater look less juvenile, but still felt a little matchy-matchy so I added the bubble necklace for some contrast. I liked the direction I was heading, but I wanted to make one more adjustment--- the competing shoes.

4. I swapped the blue shoes for some nude pumps and loved the chic look it created. The blue shoes were competing with the necklace and sweater and the dark denim with nude pumps allow for full focus on the sweater detail. 


By identifying pieces along the way that I wasn't crazy about, I was able to end up with an outfit that I love. When an outfit doesn't look the way you intended it to look- keep trying!


Have you ever ended up with an outfit that you loved as a result of evolving your closet? 

P.S. I am loving the comments and support--- you guys are amazing!!


Xoxo, Nicole  


Here's a sneak peak of tomorrow's post: 



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Sequins & Plaid- A girl's best friend

My heart dropped when I saw this shirt in Target.
Sequins and plaid? It's a girls dream shirt.
I instantly grabbed it, but then stopped to try to justify the purchase & one of the biggest questions I was asking myself was "can I wear this to work?"
I knew it would be tricky and that I risked the chance of being too matchy-matchy or looking like a business farmer; but I was willing to take the chance.
& boy am I glad I did.
I love this shirt paired with this satin light pink skirt- it takes it away from looking too much like Christmas and adds a nice feminine touch.
I can't wait to wear this pair this shirt with weekend wear; boots, sweaters, chambray- the possibilities are endless!

Can you wear sequins and plaid to work?
Thanks for visiting! Make sure to follow for more outfits, and daily savings tips!


I just brainstormed some topics that I was thinking of posting in the next few weeks:
-Love it or List it, Closet Edition: A new way of cleaning out your closet
-Ways to save on JCrew, The Limited, Banana Republic, etc
-How I stick to my small Dave Ramsey clothing budget
-How I brainstorm before making new purchases
-What to do with inspiration images instead of buying new clothes

What are your thoughts? Anything stand out?




Shirt: Target (here)
Skirt: H&M (thrifted for $3)

Linking up here:
All Things Thursday Link PartyMIX MATCH vodkainfusedlemonade.com

Perfectly Coutured

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Old Navy Sweaters

Every Tuesday night, Donnie & I have our Dave Ramsey classes.
I usually have to go straight from work & after sitting in my work clothes all day, I don't want to spend another 3 hours in them- so I need something easy to change into before leaving work.
When I saw these cute graphic sweaters at Old Navy, I knew these would be something easy to change into or just something easy to throw on during the weekends.

When I first bought one of these sweaters, the Old Navy worker asked if I needed help about 743534 times- he probably thought I was crazy as I went back and forth; grabbing a sweater and putting it back, grabbing another sweater, walking around with it, putting it back, grabbing the sweater from before- it was quite the process!
I bought a different one in the store, but it paid off because this one was on sale at Old Navy! It looks like all of the rest are on sale right now & they are all SO cute.



Sweater: Old Navy (on sale here)
Jeans: Forever 21 (here)
Necklace: Forever 21 (here)
Flats: Target/old (similar)



I think I may need to buy this one for $12....

Are you as crazy about these sweaters as I am?
Linking up here:
pleated poppy
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