What I Bought This Month: February Haul

Can you tell I like pink and pastels? I think I've worn more pink in the past month (see here, here) than I have in a long time. I guess it's how I'm transitioning my wardrobe from winter to spring.

Budget status= After eBay and Plato's closet sales (and considering I purchased the bag with some of my tax return) I was only $20 over. I blame the Peter Pilotto bikini top since it was the last thing I bought. I'm not going to sweat $20, though. I got a lot of great items.

Here are the details:

1. Peter Pilotto Wrap Skirt (Target)- Hands down my favorite piece from the Peter Pilotto collection.

2. White Dress (Asos)- After seeing all the sheer stripe details on the Spring 2014 runways, I knew I wanted to find a wearable way to incorporate it into my wardrobe. Since I don't have a white dress, I figured this was the perfect option.

3. Pink Bag (Kate Spade)- I feel like I might get myself in trouble after I ventured in designer bags with my olive Michael Kors... I treated myself to this Kate Spade thanks to my tax return. It'll be my everyday bag for spring!

4. Pink Shift Dress (Dorothy Perkins)- I bought this with an outfit already in mind...see it here!

5. Embellished Sweater (J.Crew, sold out)- I think I've said a million times, I'm obsessed with pastels! I watched this sweater all the way until it was sold out, and then checked back everyday for returns so I could snag one!

6. Striped Top (Piperlime, sold out)- I love the rhinestone detailing on this top. Makes it easy to dress up or down! Plus I got it on super sale and used Gap Rewards.

7. Pink Tipped Blouse (J.Crew, sold out)- I've loved this blouse for a while, and when I saw someone selling it on Instagram I had to snatch it up!

8. Blue Blazer (Zara, sold out)- The color of this blazer was what got me. Unfortunately, it was almost sold out at Zara when I came across it, so I had to go a few sizes up. It totally works for the oversized blazer look, but I'm thinking of getting it tailored just a bit.

9. Blush Pink Coat (H&M)- Finally found the perfect pink coat for my budget.

10. Peter Pilotto Swim Top (Target)- I have perfect fitting black swimsuit bottoms that I like to mix and match with different tops each summer. I love the retro shape of this one!

11. Silver Heels (Asos)- These are so incredibly versatile, and something I've been looking for for a while. I went with this pair since it only has a 3 inch heel. They aren't too tall to wear all day to work, but they can also dress up a tee and jeans look after hours.

Want to see last month's haul? Click here.

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Ashley Madekwe Style

 Dress- Dorothy Perkins, Jacket- H&M, Heels- Lulu's (same pair), Earrings- Forever 21

This was the outfit I wore for Valentine's day, and I wore it again to church this week. I've been a little obsessed with the shift dress/leather jacket combo ever since I saw it on Ashley Madekwe. It's a great mix of edgy and girly which is a vibe I try to channel often. I have been more than a little obsessed with pink lately, and even though this dress is bright, I figured it could totally be work appropriate with a black blazer since it's a very modest length.

I found these earrings at Forever 21 and thought they looked just like something you would find at Baublebar for a lot less! I don't have a lot of silver earrings so they were a no-brainer, and they worked really well with the silver details on my jacket and my silver heels.

I have to give a shoutout to my boyfriend who agreed to shoot a few outfits for me that I loved but didn't have a chance to shoot when I wore them. We found some really neat walls around his apartment that look a lot cooler than the scenery around mine! It'll be easier to do on-the-fly photo shoots after Daylight Savings Time when its still light out after I get home from work, but I enjoyed spending some time with him shooting for a few hours on Sunday.

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Wheeler Dealer

Top- Piperlime (similar), Jacket- H&M, Jeans- c/o Aeropostale, Heels- Asos

So spring kinda already sprung last week in Dallas. We're talking 70 degrees and sunny. I am all for that, but sometimes I just want to be able to wear a jacket. Does that make any sense? I'm sure people who still have snow are wondering what my problem is. I just love coats and jackets and have quite a few, and I really want to get a chance to wear them. When you go from 40 degrees to 70, you skip light jacket weather and go straight to short sleeves (#texasgirlproblems). I don't know why I'm even complaining, because I'll wear my leather jacket regardless. At least after it gets dark and a little chilly out, it kinda makes sense...

Now I have to tell you the story of this top. I frequently set up sale alerts on Shopstyle so I get an email if item gets marked down. This top was originally $60. Thanks, but no thanks. When it was marked down to $39.99, I decided to go ahead and buy it since I had a 15% off code and $20 in rewards to spend. The next day, I get an email from Piperlime that they had 40% off their sale items. I hate when that happens.

As my mom says, I am a "wheeler dealer," and probably not even a good one. If I buy something and later see it on sale within the exchange period, I've been known to buy a second one and return the first. Apparently I hadn't ever heard of price adjustments before (turns out, a lot of stores do them). This time, I decided to just make the call to customer service and ask for the extra 40% off the item. Well, the girl I spoke with was super nice, but she couldn't get the price adjustment to work. She did give me a 15% off code that could be used in combination with any other promos they had going on, so that was nice.

But I didn't stop there. I realized that I could get the shirt for $19 with the new 40% off promo, so I bought a second one... one day after I bought the first one. And then I immediately thought, "I paid less out of pocket on the first one with my Gap rewards, why did I just buy another?" I'm crazy, that's why.

Both the shirts arrived on the same day, and I immediately re-packaged the second one for a return. And then I checked to see if the shirt was still in stock at the sale price (now, it was marked down to $23.99). I returned the first one too. As soon as the return was processed and my rewards were back in my account, I bought the shirt a third time. This time for only $5.92.  Normally I would call that a success, but the whole deal was kind of a hassle. I do really like this top, though.

If you got through all of that, you now have a little insight into the mind of a frantic online shopper such as myself. A little scary huh?

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Southwestern

 Jacket- c/o Oasap, Shirt- Forever 21, Jeans- c/o Aeropostale, Boots- Kohl's, Bag- Michael Kors, Rings- Boutique to You, Forever 21

I realized that I'm starting to accumulate quite the collection of button-up shirts. In every color, every pattern, you name it, I've got it. This southwestern printed shirt is one of my latest. To edge it up, I styled it with a leather sleeved jacket on top. (I think this is spring's version of the button-up/sweater combo I wore all winter long). I love the idea of a cropped jacket as a piece that can transition you into warmer weater. I think my collection of those is growing steadily too, so get ready to see more.

What item do you have the most of in your closet?

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Pretty in Pink

Jacket- Forever 21 (similar), Top- Primark (similar), Skirt- Dorothy Perkins (similar), Booties- Dolce Vita, Bag- Michael Kors, Bracelet- J.Crew Factory

I am now fully convinced that short girls can wear midi skirts. I'm 5'3" with hips, so I try to be pretty conscious of wearing things that make me look shorter or wider. Regardless, I decided to try out the full midi trend with this skirt in pastel pink, and I love it! The skirt hits a little past my knees so I didn't feel totally overwhelmed by it.  I like that the waistband is tight and lays flat. I don't need anything that's going to poof out around my hips! For me, the key to successful styling was to wear it pretty high on my waist, and I said no to flats and went with a shoe that has about a 4 inch heel.

I'm not sure I'll be picking up any more fuller midi skirts as they aren't the most versatile pieces, but I am no longer afraid of the length. The secret to pulling it off really is in the styling. I'm excited to see what other outfit combinations I can create with this skirt!

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Pink Coat

Coat- H&M, Dress- Loft (similar on sale), Tights- Target, Heels- Asos, Bag- Michael Kors, Necklace- Shop Lately, Ring- Boutique to You

I've seen pink coats all over the place this winter and loved them but I never found one that was in my price range. I recently signed up to get H&M catalogs, and when I opened the one I received last Monday, this coat immediately caught my eye. Under $50? Check. Remembering that H&M had a 30% off code valid until midnight? Double check. I placed my order right then and got my coat in the mail on Saturday.

I'm always a little nervous to order from H&M online since I have a lot of sizing issues with their clothing (any else have this problem?), but in this case of this coat, it fit perfectly. I'm in love with the feminine cut of it with its little puffy sleeves and lack of a collar. I thought about styling it with lighter neutral shades, maybe a white or cream dress, but I settled on all black with a silver heel. These pumps were another recent purchase from Asos that I'm looking forward to wearing nonstop.

Next winter, I think I'll be a little more adventurous and look for a brighter pink or apricot-colored coat like this, this or this. You'd think this Dallas-ite would put a stop to her outerwear obsession considering our winter lasts about a month, but I can't help it! I just love colorful coats!

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What I Want This Month: February Wishlist

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 & 6 (on sale Feb. 9) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

My wishlist this month is a little random. No major themes going on here. With new spring items coming out in stores, I've been a pinning fool lately. This is a collection of the things on my Pinterest wish list that were reasonable, versatile, or that I just really, really liked. The pink dress is in the mail, and the blue top has already made its way into my closet thanks to some Gap credit card reward dollars.

I'm pretty excited for the Peter Pilotto for Target collection, coming to stores Febuary 9th. I like a lot of the pieces, but I want to make sure I only buy things that I would buy regardless of the label, and things I will actually wear. I love the wrap skirt, so that is a no brainer. The dress is a maybe, but I can't help but think how great it would look with my white leather jacket and pair of silver pumps... We'll see what I decide when I place my order on Sunday.

What's on your wishlist this month? Do you plan on picking up anything from the Peter Pilotto collection?

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Winter White

Sweater- Aeropostale (similar), Shirt- Zara boys (similar), Jeans- American Eagle, Booties- Dolce Vita, Bag- purchased in Italy, 
Sunglasses- Forever 21 (similar), Rings- Boutique to You, Forever 21, Watch- Fossil

I was so excited to add some new white jeans to my wardrobe last month. I love white on white looks, and with my old, ill-fitting pair, I hadn't been able to style any in a while. I reworked one of my favorite combos (the sweater and button-up shirt) for a Saturday of lunch out and errands. I convinced the bf to stop along the way and take some pictures in a location other than right outside my apartment. Variety :)

These booties were one of my last purchases in December, and I'm excited that I've already gotten to wear them. I really like the concept of a peep-toe bootie. I mean, they aren't exactly super warm, but they aren't an open-toed sandal either. I thought they would be perfect for transitioning into spring. And sometimes in Dallas, it feels like spring is already  here.

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