Some cheap fixes to get you ready for hot weather:
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shopping
I hate those offers of free shipping on orders over $____. They get me every time! I ordered those floral sunglasses and damned if I can’t get anything from F21 without meeting the $50 free shipping minimum!
This is the 2nd horse top I’ve ordered from them. As soon as I’ve washed the 1st one, it’s back on immediately. $12.80
I hope to do some pattern mixing with that blue & white striped maxi skirt I got. $12.80
I mean, c’mon! $3.80
Will wear the hell out of this. $17.80
and because I was pennies away from $50 – puppy ankle socks $0.95
So that, my friends, is how I got $5.80 sunglasses with free shipping!
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The birthday coupons have been rolling in and I had managed to hoard $30 off at DSW so, on Friday I popped in and had a terrible time finding a pair of shoes! Can you believe it!?
I saw gorgeous heels but I’m still on a sensible shoe kick. Nothing was suiting or comfortable or in my size so after wandering around for an hour trying on everything, I settled on these pewter sandals. These damn coupons make me spend when I don’t really need anything! Are you a sucker for them too?
These come in 6 colors and have skid-proof soles. I wore them all day Saturday and loved them, although they weren’t great to drive in for 4 hours… had a knot digging in my right big toe the whole time.
I also grabbed the bf some new Adidas flip flops for the summer (should’ve put his old ones in a bio-hazard bin) and paid $24 total for both pairs! Hot damn!
I still have $10 off at Victoria’s Secret that of course expires before this mystery card I have ($10 – $500 off) , and a free body wash coupon at Sephora. It’s almost not worth the trip to the mall. They used to give $20 gift certs for b-days. Oh well.
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I can’t believe it. I bought sensible heels!
Last Tuesday, while the bf was at the dentist, I went to the nearby DSW and perused. I actually took a pair to the register but the checkout chick was on her cell, never even made eye contact with me and left me standing there like a chump for a few. I hate shit like that. HATE IT! I put them back and left. Like, “take that DSW and your crap service! You’re not getting my money!”
Well, I couldn’t get the damn shoes off my mind and went back today and bought them, only to experience a new wave of horrible service. I actually went looking for the manager only to find that the new horrible was the manager. I’m writing to corporate about this. Seriously. Anyhow, they were still there and I bought them.
They’re Etienne Aigner, always an old-lady brand in my mind, but I love them! The sole is rubbery for getting around, they’re grey suede with wingtip details, and under the holes are subtle sparkles (you can’t see in my bad pic). They looked great with skinnies and a modern slouchy sweatshirt. Only $25 on clearance!
My birthday is coming up and if you don’t already know, my mom is disabled with MS and used to be a shopping maniac. You have no idea. It used to be our favorite pastime – a day of shopping, a movie, lunch, dinner… She’s the most generous person I know and I have to tell her “no” to things constantly but for holidays, she gives me a rough budget (that I never meet) to shop for myself. I grabbed 2 other pairs of sensible summer heeled sandals while I was there. I can’t have these until my b-day.
It still blows my mind that I picked these out but I think I’m wising up to this whole comfortable heel thing. These will be endlessly versatile for a long time to come. Loving the cone heel.
I think the thing that bugs me about shorter heels is that they have always kinda seemed old to me… like what an older lady wears when she can’t handle the sky high heels anymore. It was almost like admitting defeat. Well, I can’t handle the sky high heels anymore for days I need to walk a lot either! Maybe I was numbed by booze back in the clubbing days, or it was stubbornness of form over function but a few years ago, I could walk 30 blocks, dance all night and it wouldn’t phase me until the next day, but I was too hungover to care.
I don’t always want to rely on ballet flats, flat sandals, flat boots, or sneakers on the days that require a bit of walking. It always makes me feel more casual than I want to be. I also don’t want to feel like my feet are in a vice and have to hobble to my car and have random aches all over the next day when I wear crazy heels.
So many bloggers are embracing this heel height. I’ve been watching them for years elevating their outfits to being a wee bit more dressed up and I’ve envied that subtle difference. If I see something long enough, it starts to grow on me. Is it maturity? Saturation? I don’t know. I’m ready to be cute and comfortable though!
What are your thoughts?
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So I ordered this monstrosity of a sweater a while back from F21. It looked cute online but was a disaster on. I really don’t even want to talk about it, especially since I didn’t know they have a 21 day return policy and I have been super busy and put off taking it back to the store… until today. It’s going to Goodwill.
So while I was at F21 I perused the winter clearance. The checkout lady was pretty pissed that staff had been marking things down way more than they should have and got the manager to put an end to it after she let me slide. Oh well. My gain. It’s 54% wool, the rest is rayon and poly. It’s super heavy, nicely lined, charcoal, military inspired (I may change the buttons one day), and I’m loving the details and how surprisingly well made it is. It needs a good tumble in the dryer with a damp towel.
And as requested, here I am in said coat with no pants!
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Here’s a great find from F21 I wanted to share. It’s from their Love21 line which has slightly more forgiving sizes. Tuck in, leave out, belt, layer. This could be romantic or edgy, depending on how you work it, a great piece to get you thinking about Spring!
med and large available
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In October, I did the epic Spring 2011 post. My favorite look out of all the RTW collections was this outfit by Bensoni. It still is.
I love that this can be dressed up or down, shoe options are endless, and you can throw on a ton of different jackets and sweaters for cooler weather.
When I was in private school for 9 years, girls had to wear skirts below the knees. So of course, I took it to the extreme and wore skirts to the floor most of the time. When I finally got out of that hell hole, it was punk/goth mini skirt madness in high school. Now at 31, I want to cover my thighs. I have a few maxi dresses and love them. It’s difficult to find one that isn’t in a heinous print that you can also wear a bra with but when you do find that gem, you can look glamorous, feminine, hide a multitude of sins, and you don’t have to shave your legs! Ha! If you’re having a horrible time finding one that fits your bust (an endless thorn in my side), maxi skirts are a great alternative and you can have a defined waist.
So, I saw this skirt on F21 and decided to give it a shot at $19. It’s jersey fabric and a far cry from Bensoni but I think it will be just as versatile. It hasn’t shown up yet and I’m pretty sure I’ll have to get it hemmed. (I sold my serger so knits are out of the question on my basic sewing machine.) I’ll let you know what I think when it arrives.
Will you be trying maxi dresses and skirts?
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This blog post discussing having enough clothing, had the picture below from VogueUK. Granted, this is a stylist but it got me thinking about creating my own list. Holy moly. I keep doing this thing where I shame myself for what I have and what I buy. A lot of bloggers (including myself) have been doing shopping bans and purging their closets and only wearing 10 or so items of clothing over a month as an experiment in restraint. I’m getting a little sick of it all. If this woman can afford it then more power to her. Seriously. My main reasons for a shopping ban were to get my debt under control, save more money, get through the holiday present buying season without putting anything on credit, and to basically end my compulsive shopping habits and shop smarter. Done and done.
So, here’s my list:
2 watches, 10 jackets (blazers, etc), 60+ pairs of shoes (got rid of 80+ pairs in the past few years), 20+ casual dresses, 50+ pieces of costume jewelry, 5 of what could count as evening dresses, 20 sweaters (including cardigans), 8 pairs of trousers, 15 pairs of jeans, 5 coats, 30+ bags (including clutches), 3 swimsuits, 50+ tees and tanks, and striped tops? (10+), how about regular tops? (20+), what about skirts? (20+), tights? (20+), scarves? (8), undies? (no way I can count), hats? (hate em), lounge wear (omg)
This has been carefully edited and purged and replenished over years and years. Things wear out or go out of fashion or suddenly shrink! ;) I have sneakers and a pea coat from when I was 13, dresses I haven’t worn in years but refuse to part with… it is what it is.
So what if you get yourself a little treat? So what if you get another pair of shoes or your 5oth skirt? We get things that don’t have a real purpose except to be beautiful all the time. I just got some rock crystal formation to sit on a shelf because it’s pretty. We choose a more attractive design over utilitarian all the time. I like my turquoise frying pan and my vegetable peeler with the red Swiss cross on it way better than a boring plain one. I didn’t pay any more for them either and so what if I did?
If you’re still able to pay your bills and shopping isn’t affecting your life negatively, then by all means dammit, get whatever the hell you want!
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Piperlime has a TON of shoes on sale right now, with an additional 20% off sale items (use code SMILE). I’ve looked at every single pair and pretty much fell in love with these by Seychelles. 3.5″ heel, suede upper, can cut out the knitted detail if I needed to.
$195 discounted to $114.99 and further discounted to $92 (free shipping)
Why do I do this to myself?
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With Christmas shopping done, my disposable cash is back. The only thing I bought for myself in over a month were those necklaces. With the temperature dropping, I’ve noticed an acute lack of cute long-sleeve tops. So, I hit up ye ole F21 for a little shopping fix.
Do you ever check out the guys’ section? They’re having a 30% of sale on men’s clothing so, I grabbed this sweater in a size small for about $14. I’m curious how the sizing is going to work.
This is soooo cheesy and me to a tee:
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