Phillip Lim for Target, again.

Ever since the Phillip Lim for Target line launched, I have been obsessing over this dress.

But I have never been able to find my size in stores & ordering online seemed risky with such mixed reviews. 

I was so excited the other day when I found it at Target... and on a clearance rack!

I was with a friend and I grabbed the dress, checked the size, and gave it a nice hug

I think my exact words to her were "I need this dress! I have been wanting it for so long & it's on sale! I am buying it!"

She didn't argue, but I don't think she was thrilled with the purchase- her facial expressions gave her away. 

When I tried it on at home, I loved it by itself but it didn't feel too office appropriate and there is no way this dress was only getting pulled out on date nights and weekends. 

Adding the blazer and rolling up the sleeves seemed to give it a more "office feel" and I was giddy over the pops of mint & red. 

(The dress pre blazer) 

What do you guys think? 

A: does the blazer make it office appropriate? 

and 

B: is it office appropriate without the blazer?

Have a great day!

Xoxo,

Nicole

Linking up: What We Wore and Trend Spin Linkup and Because Shanna Said So
The Pleated Poppy and Kiki Women Style

Mixing Reds

I love, love, love mixing reds.
In my opinion, the key is not mixing the same red- but instead, a brighter or lighter red with a deeper red.
I also love that this sweater is child size XL from Old Navy. I had never thought about ordering a kids size due to weird fits, but sweaters seem to be a different story because they are a little more snug.

However, be warned, if you wear a sweater that relates to a popular parody, people will stop and tell you.

I never want to hear "what does the fox say?" EVER again.

Jeans: JcPenney

Sweater: Old Navy

Glitter Plaid Button Up: Target

That's all I have for today!

Happy Monday!! 

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.

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! 

 

Shirt: my favorite Kohl's shirt

 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 Lemonade & Hunters of Happiness

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: 

Linking up: Everyday Fashion & Finance

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:
 

Just another lazy Monday

Mondays are by far my most lazy day when I am getting dressed.
After 25 years of life, you would think that I would begin to anticipate that Monday comes after Sunday, but I never seem to quite make that connection.
Monday morning always hits me like a ton of bricks- thrown at my face.

Luckily, dresses exist and they are a quick way to get dressed on lazy Mondays.
Throw on a dress and a necklace & you are done! 

 

Dress: Target (very recent, on clearance)

Bag: Phillip Lim- Target 

What is everyone else's lazy Monday cure?

The story of my $8 Phillip Lim purse

For weeks I have been watching everyone on blogland post about their 3-1 Phillip Lim purchases at Target.
I've window shopped online a few times and one time this little baby made its way into my imaginary cart.
However, like all online window shopping experiences go, the shopping ended when I hit that little red exit in the corner and carried on with life. 

I was at Target today and, like all good Target trips, I ended up browsing through the purses. 
As I was looking through some clearance purses, my eyes drifted to the purse I remembered from my online experience, but I instantly assumed it was just placed in the clearance section by mistake and kept walking.
15 seconds later, my natural curiosity kicked in and I slowly reversed.
I held my breath as I flipped over the price tag; confident that there would be no red tag.
I literally squealed when I saw the red tag and when I saw the price, I squinted my eyes and looked closer; surely I was reading the tag wrong and this $45 purse wasn't on sale for $8.

While checking out, the cashier loudly gasped at the tag and I thought she was going to tell me that the purse had been terribly mismatched.
But she didn't. She simply rang it up and we both watched as $8.76 popped up on the screen.
After lots of oohing and aahing from her and other employees, I was told that online items are marked down when returned to stores because there is no place for them.
I was also told that deals like this are not rare and that in fact, the grey one has popped up a few times in the last couple of weeks.
Moral of the story?

Run to Target. Every Target. And go every day.

New to the blog? Thanks for swinging by & be sure to follow me for more helpful ways to save! Linking up here:

Comfy work pants.

Yesterday I spent the best $11 I have ever spent on these "work" pants.
The quotation marks exist because I felt like I was doing something wrong all day by wearing them.
I was sure I was breaking a dress code, somewhere.

I literally tried to hide as I walked in the office behind the director, but was surprised when she noted how much she loved them.
Work pants that are fashionable, comfy, and outside-of-work wearable?
Yep, best $11 ever.

Shirt: Old Navy (similar here)

Pants: Target (in stores, on sale) (similar here)

Heels: GoJane 

Necklace: Forever 21 (find here) (& similar here)

Would your dress code allow for these pants?