Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Fall Outfit Inspiration


There's nothing like a season change to really get me excited about clothes again. I've been itching to get back to doing outfit posts, but after a two month break, I needed a bit of direction. I've been scouring the web for outfits to gain inspiration from. My goal is to use these photos to spark my creativity in upcoming outfit posts. I want to challenge myself to come up with something new and different than I have before.

One thing I've found that's different about the styles I've been drawn too lately is that I'm finally getting in to menswear and tomboy inspired looks. I consider myself a girly girl through and through, but this season I'm really interested to try the pinstripes and sharp collars of menswear, and the plaid shirts and boyfriend jeans of tomboy-ish looks. The sporty trend is another I've been intrigued by since the summer; a bomber jacket and a baseball tee have made their way into my closet recently and I'm just waiting for cooler weather so I can wear them!

I've seen a lot of "model off duty" looks lately, you know, the outfits models throw on so effortlessly to get from one fashion show to the next during NYFW. I really want to try and channel their easy layers, and I can't wait to wear my Forever 21 fur jacket to recreate a look similar to Liu Wen's above. I'm also dying to try layering in the form of sweaters over skirts.

Of course, I couldn't possibly leave out the ever popular dark florals trend! I rediscovered some pieces in my closet to help me emulate the dark floral print and collar of that gorgeous Erin Featherston dress from her 2014 fall collection.

I'm very inspired and excited to post new outfits, and I hope you'll stick around to see what I come up with!

Friday, September 26, 2014

What I Bought This Month: September Haul


I had a weird moment a few weeks ago when I was getting dressed for work. I had just purchased a burgundy striped tee from Old Navy, and had decided to wear it half tucked in to my black trousers for work. At the exact moment I was putting the shirt on, I felt really excited for cold weather. I have no idea why. I think it had something to do with the color of the shirt.

That always seems to happen as a season change comes closer. When I start reading about fall clothes on blogs and seeing them in stores, I'm still loving summer and wearing tanks and shorts and easy things. I can't even imagine being excited to wear jackets and layers and all that. Until a switch flips, and all of a sudden I am.  Then I get really excited to change from the same stuff I've been wearing for months into something more seasonally or weather appropriate. I feel instantly more inspired.

Okay, enough of my seriously too philosophical description of how clothes make me feel, blah blah blah. My point was to say that I really haven't been excited about fall yet until that exact moment, and now I'm over here pinning to my Fall/Winter Wishlist Pinterest board like there's no tomorrow. Oh, and shopping of course!

Most of my purchases are pretty self explanatory; darker tops, booties, a bomber jacket. Those fur things and the coat? Straight up impulse buys. I have a tendency to lay in bed and play on my phone when I don't have anywhere to be on Saturdays, and I saw that Forever 21 had come out with their outerwear edit, and started browsing. That led to me purchasing three items that I won't be able to wear for a good long while because its still in the high eighties and nineties here. But they are so cute and I love them and that's my rationale! Ha.

In other news, with my new found fall inspiration (and clothes), I'm hoping to get some outfit posts up starting next week!

Here are the details:

1. Houndstooth Crop Top (Francesca's) - I've worn this twice already- tucked in to a skirt, and with a white button up under it. I'm not into showing my stomach, but this will be a great layering piece.
2. Gray Zip Sweatshirt (Forever 21) - I love the side zipper detail on this sweatshirt. As soon as the weather cools down this will be part of my weekend uniform for sure.
3. Floral Bomber Jacket (Forever 21) - I've been wanting a bomber jacket since the became popular in the spring. I love that this one is floral, but still looks sporty with the stripes at the neckline and waist.
4. Black Sandals (Forever 21, sold out) - I'll be able to wear open toed shoes at least through the month of October, and I'd been wanting a pair of black block heeled sandals. These are really comfy, and actually go with a lot of my "fall" outfits since they aren't as strappy as some of my other heels.
5. Lariat Necklace (Express) - This is a fun little piece that looks great over a flowy top.
6. Black Jeans (Francesca's) - I loved the white stripe on these jeans. It looks very menswear and sporty, two trends I want to try out this fall.
7. Black Tank (Express) - I am hooked on this tank. I want it in all the colors...but since its fall I'll stick with black for now. I love that it's reversible and that the other side is gray too!
8. Maroon Booties (Old Navy) - I looked for a pair of maroon booties last fall but never found any I liked. These are really cute (the ankle in the picture doesn't do them justice), and I got them for $17 after using my Gap rewards.
9. Gray Booties (Express) - I was surprised I didn't have any gray booties, and at 40% these seemed like a great buy. I've already been wearing this a lot this month.
10. Silver Necklace (Express, sold out) - I've been wearing this almost everyday. I love it!
11. Faux Fur Jacket (Forever 21) - This purchase is a little ridiculous, I'll admit. But ever since trying on a faux fur jacket at Topshop last winter, I've really wanted one! That one was $170, and this one is only $50. I want to try it with black skinny jeans, a tee shirt, and ankle boots to dress it down.
12. Faux Fur Vest (Forever 21) - I have a faux fur vest, but I don't really like the texture very much (i.e. it looks cheap). I figured it was time to retire the old one and try this one out!
13. Gold Necklace (J.Crew) - I don't have any J.Crew jewelry, surprisingly. I'm really cheap when it comes to jewelry, especially statement necklaces. Most of the time I don't even want to pay Baublebar prices unless there is a sale. When I saw the colors of this, and that it was 40% off the sale price (making it $30), I figured it was a good time to try something of a little nicer quality. Now I may be hooked...
14. Sheer Stripe Tee (Forever 21) - I'm still really into the sheer stripe trend we started to see this spring, so this seemed like a no brainer.
15. Gray Coat (Forever 21) - Ummm, yeah so I already have a gray coat too...like I said, my Forever 21 order was a total impulse purchase! My rationale was to see if I like this one better than the one I have now, and either return this one or sell the other on Poshmark since its still in great condition.

See my previous hauls here: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August


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Thursday, September 4, 2014

What I Bought This Month: August Haul


Well, here's my slightly late, slightly large August Haul. I don't have any good excuse except that it was my birthday month, does that count? I haven't tallied up my budget, but I'm pretty sure I went over. Apparently this whole budgeting, tracking every purchase and posting about it isn't working for me to control my spending on clothes. I need to find a better way.

I was on a major dress kick, as well as a white kick. And I also wanted to pick up a few new outfits to wear for my birthday celebrations.

Here are the details:

1. Floral Layered Dress (Romwe) - I decided to place my first Romwe order after seeing this dress on their site. It's identical to one I saw in the Zara sale this summer that I didn't pick up because the price was still too high. This one was a great price since I found a 20% off coupon.
2. Blue Wrap Skirt (Forever 21) - This skirt is so much fun- love the blue and black combo and the asymmetrical wrap detail!
3. Rope Print Tee (Ann Taylor) - I picked up this fun top with my $15 off birthday coupon from Ann Taylor. Since it was on the sale rack I basically got it for free!
4. Khaki Trousers (H&M) - I have these pants in three colors since they fit me so well, and they are super affordable.
5. Black Romper (Boohoo) - I got this romper to wear to my birthday dinner with friends and I love it! It's very classy since the shorts are a lot longer than some other rompers I've seen. I ordered it in white too and promptly sent it back- it was incredibly sheer!
6. White Embroidered Dress (Romwe) - After seeing both Julia of Gal Meets Glam and Reese Witherspoon in this dress, I figured I couldn't go wrong with it!
7. Black Lace Peplum (Forever 21) - Just a fun little peplum tank. Forever 21 always gets me!
8. Lilac Lace Dress (Forever 21) - This was perfect for the last summer wedding I attended.
9. Striped Shirt Dress (Loft) - This is super soft and great for work, not to mention on sale for $30!
10. Polka Dot Button Up (Romwe) - A great workwear basic.
11. White Sheath Dress (Forever 21) - Forever 21 really got it right with this dress, its perfect!
12. Maroon Striped Tee (Old Navy) - Love this as an easy transition piece from summer to fall.
13. White Maxi Dress (Romwe) - Here's another dress I've seen on so many girls and loved! Why I decided to buy it at the end of summer is a good question...but it's still hot here so I can get away with summer dressing!
14. Black Sheath Dress (Forever 21) - This is another fun dress for work!
15. Embroidered Clutch (Anthropologie) - I love the clutches at Anthropologie, so I decided to spoil myself with one for my birthday!
16. White Boyfriend Jeans (Zara) - I returned the boyfriend jeans I bought from Old Navy last month. Every time I put them on to wear, I always ended up changing before leaving the house. These from Zara fit me much better and are a better length.
17. Black Trousers (Banana Republic) - I tried on a lot of black trousers last month and these were the only ones that were a perfect fit. I want to get them in every color.
18. Nude Wedges (Moddeals) - At only $10 I couldn't say no! These are cute and comfortable.
19. Floral Tank Dress (Forever 21) - I thought this would be so much fun with a leather jacket and booties as the weather starts cooling down.

See my previous hauls here: January | February | March | April | May | June | July



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