Party Time! Excellent!!!

Today, we had our annual holiday party at work.

I wanted a festive look that was still work-appropriate.  That meant no cleavage, no short skirts, etc.

Blazer:  The Limited (Available here )
Pants:  The Limited (Available here)

Blouse:  The Limited (No longer available on-line, check local store for availability)

As you may know by now, I love menswear-inspired pieces, especially tuxedo looks.

I chose my velvet skinny pants with this sequined bib-front blouse and tuxedo blazer from my December Wish List.  To add more sparkle and feminine glamour, I added a shiny pewter clutch, these pretty vintage-inspired earrings, and patent leather black heels.  I also wore this fun ring because you know, what says "holiday" more than a rhinestone gecko?  ;-D

Ring:  Target (Available in stores; Similar here )

Purse:  Target (Available here)
Shoes:  Target (old)

Earrings:  Target (old)

I don't get nearly enough chances to wear sparkle, so today was fun!

Do you have any office-related holiday parties to attend?  What do you plan on wearing?

Workaday Elegance

Happy Thursday!!

Blouse:  LOFT Petites (Available here)
Blazer:  Gap (old) (Similar: here)

Today, I paired my outfit around this lace peplum top.  I added wide leg trousers and a black velvet peplum jacket for an elegant vintage-inspired look.

I kept the accessories minimal to let the shapes and textures of this outfit be the show.

Pants:  Express Editor wide leg trousers (old) (Similar here)

Jacket:  Back view

Shoes:  Target (old)
Tote:  The Limited (Similar here)

For more on the peplum and lace trends, see here

Dress It Up

Hi everyone!  Hope you had a great day!

Today, I paired this blue dress with my zebra print scarf.  I love animal prints, and I really enjoy mixing bold colors with black and white prints for a very graphic look.

Dress:  New York & Company (Similar:  here)
Scarf:  The Limited (old)

Blazer:  The Limited Essential Collection (Similar: here)
Tights:  Torrid (Available here)

I continually try to think of new ways to style my dresses.  They're definitely more limited than separates, but I like how wearing the scarf hides the cowl neckline of the dress giving it a bit of a different look.

Larimar ring (old):  Purchased at local jewelry show
Belt:  The Limited (Similar here)

Boots:  Payless (old)
Tote:  New York & Company (Similar here)
Earrings:  The Limited (Available here)

To see how I've style the dress differently, see here, here, and here.

How do you like to style your dresses?

Tunic Time!

Hi everyone!  On this fair Tuesday, I paired my new green and grey printed tunic with a grey blazer and what have become a recent obsession - black skinny pants.  I really love this pair with the faux leather tuxedo stripe.

Blouse: Target (Available here)Blazer:  The Limited (Available here)

I recently got this tunic from Target, and I can't wait to style it in different ways.  It's a little hard to see in the picture, but I belted this top to shorten the top for work.  The tunic actually hits me just above the knee.  I think it will look great worn loose with leggings and boots.  I'm also thinking that it would be great with some grey, teal, or white skinny jeans or pants.

Purse:  Target (Available here)
Earrings:  Handmade

"Pisces" ring:  H&M
Turquoise ring:  Purchased at local jewelry show

For more on fall's leather trend, see here.
To see this blazer in other looks, see here and here. 
For more looks with the pants, see here, here, here, here, and here.

Pants: The Limited (No longer available online.  See them here)
Heels:  Target (old)

Winter Sparkle

It feels weird giving this post the title "Winter Sparkle" as we had a high in the 70s today!  Crazy!

Today's outfit was consistent with the season, if not the weather.

Cardigan:  LOFT (Available here)
Blouse:  LOFT (no longer available on-line)

Loving the luxe look of velvet, I paired my burgundy velvet pants with my rhinestone collar cardigan.

Pants:  The Limited (Available here)
Heels:  Target

The look feels "holiday" - the pants and color palette remind me a bit of Santa's suit.  The white top and rhinestone collar make me think of snow and snowflakes.

Bow earrings (Available in-store at Target)

This outfit would work well for a casual holiday party.  In fact, I may wear something similar to this for Christmas as we don't get very dressed up for holidays in my family.

Bow ring:  The Limited (old)

I do think that the flowy, lightweight top was a poor choice with velvet.  Next time, I would pick a more substantial fabric for a more consistent look.

Purse:  New York & Company (Similar here)

Do you add more sparkle to your look during the holidays?

November Budget Wrap-Up and December Wish List

Hope you all had a great month!

I'm planning my December shopping list.  This month, I'm looking for some festive holiday pieces.  I am hunting for some cozy sweaters and thinking about getting some colored denim.  My search for a mint green blouse continues.  I also have my eye on this adorable striped bow blouse from LOFT.

The Limited ivory tuxedo blazer

The Limited sequin tee

The Limited Art Deco Fan earrings

Forenza by The Limited sweater

LOFT striped bow blouse

Target skinny jeans

Now for what I did with my November budget:

I received some additional birthday money this month.  I also received a $70 rewards card through the Lucky Rewards program (see here for more discussion of this rewards program and other ways of saving money on fashion).  My budget this month jumped from $150 to $270.  I stayed within budget this month, but obviously, it was a bit of a "cheat" month since I received unexpected bonus money.

I got a couple items off my November Wish List.  I tried all three of the dresses from Target that I had my eyes on; however, none of them had a flattering fit for me.

Here's what I got this month: 

The Limited embellished neck blouse

The Limited Cassidy Fit velvet pants

The Limited dress (no longer available on-line)

The Limited tweed cardigan jacket

LOFT blouse (no longer available on-line)

LOFT ring

Target MaryJane heels

Target leopard print heels

The Limited flat-collar jacket 

LOFT jeweled collar cardigan

  
First Row:  Pants $31, Blouse $28
Second Row: Jacket and Dress $71
Third Row:  Blouse and Ring $31
Fourth Row:  Shoes  $40
Fifth Row:  Cardigan $32, Jacket $37
 Did you get any great finds last month? Planning any gifts for yourself this December?

Shopping Failures and Pitfalls

Happy Friday everyone!

I've been trying to add more color to my work outfits this week.  I really love wearing black and dark neutrals in the fall/winter time and tend to use a lot more color in the summer when my style gets more bohemian and more casual.

Blazer:  The Limited (Available here)
Jeans:  The Limited
Clutch:  The Limited

In an effort to add some color splashes to my blog posts, I wore this lime and taupe blouse with teal and yellow beads in a causal work look. I was drawn to the color when I bought this last spring, but I haven't worn the blouse much.  It would look great with teal pants or a skirt or toned down with taupe or navy, like I did here.  

I can think of several different outfit possibilities for this blouse, but at the end of the day, I've come to the conclusion that it's been hanging in my closet not getting worn simply because it just isn't me.  It's a pretty blouse, and I would like it on someone else.  I think this one just goes down as one of my shopping blunders. 

Blouse:  The Limited
Heels:  Target (Available here)
Bangle:  Target (old)
Earrings:  The Limited

Over the years, I have gotten better at avoiding shopping pitfalls.  I used to buy lots of multiples, but then I would get bored with wearing the same thing everyday in a different color.  I still buy multiples on occasion (especially shoes since I have a lot of trouble with fit), but when I do, I do so with more purpose.  Buying multiples of everything discourages creativity in your wardrobe and gives you fewer options for mixing and matching.

I also used to purchase items when they were on clearance sale simply because they were a great deal.  I still love a bargain, but I have learned to weigh the benefit of having a wardrobe of pieces that I want to wear often vs. a closet full of clothes that I find "just okay."  The likelihood is that the higher priced item has more use value and will get worn more often than items purchased simply for their low initial costs.

Nowadays, I have largely learned to purchase items that I really love rather than just pieces that are "nice" or "cheap."  I have learned to appreciate having less clothes, but spending more money for quality.  I've also learned that having a large diversity of clothing isn't necessary if you are comfortable in your personal style and know what you enjoy wearing and feel comfortable in.  

Unfortunately, this top was a bit of a blip in my improved shopping skills.  I had noticed this blouse when it first came out, but it wasn't something I liked enough to purchase - even after several shopping trips.  At some point, I decided to buy it because it was a pretty color, or on sale, or it was different than other things in my closet.  I can't really remember.

What I do know is that it hangs in my closet simply because I didn't listen to my shopping instincts.  I was attracted to the color and the beading.  The problem was that I settled for an item that wasn't quite my personal style.  

Assessing your closet and making a running shopping list can be a great way of avoiding some of these shopping mistakes.  It helps focus your shopping to avoid impulse purchases and mistakes that initially look tempting due to price, color, or attractive store displays.

How do you avoid shopping blunders?