Pumpkins, Leaves, etc.

Hello, and let me be the first person to wish you a happy October! If anyone else already wished you a happy October, please forget you ever knew them.

I’m not sure if I’ll be dressing up for Halloween this year. If I don’t, maybe I should just put this outfit back on. It has a certain fall festive-ness, doesn’t it? Pumpkin on the top, inmate on the bottom. Actually, this could be an Orange is the New Black-inspired costume. OK, looks like I am dressing up for Halloween this year!

When it’s not Halloween, this outfit also makes a great ensemble for going to a dinner party. In my experience, anyway.

Sweater (under $20) // similar Skirt (under $20) // Shoes // similar Clutch // Bracelet // Watch // Sunglasses // Lips “Orange de Chine”

Twisted Sisters

similar Shirt (on sale) // Pants (under $30) // similar Bag* // Shoes* (on sale) // similar Cutout Bracelet // similar Pearl Bracelets (on sale) // Lips

I wore this on a Thursday night a couple weeks ago to go out for drinks (Thirsty Thursday! Half-price cocktails – woot!) and then went to a little blogger party at a local gift shop. The shop, Twisted Sisters, is actually pretty close to my apartment, and I had driven by it countless times on my way to class or work downtown. But you know how it is – sometimes there are places you know exist but you never visit because you don’t have the time or the reason. But free snacks and booze? Yep, that’s reason enough for me!

Like most gift shops, the theme of Twisted Sisters seems to be “random stuff.” Luckily, it’s a very well curated assortment of random stuff. Meaning that if you need a gift for someone (including yourself)…you might actually find it there. And that’s something that can’t be said for a lot of those obnoxiously kitschy gift shops. Here are a few of my favorite things I spotted while sipping my cab sauv at Twisted Sisters:

Bags and accessories? You know I had to put these first.

They also had a great assortment of local goodies. Indy pride!

And what gift shop would be complete without some initialed home decor and non-traditional greeting cards?!

If you live in the Indianapolis area and find yourself on Binford’s North End, I can definitely recommend stopping by Twisted Sisters. (There’s a Starbucks just across the parking lot, if that helps.) And if you don’t live around these parts, why not stop by a new small business in your own neck of the woods this week?

Thanks to Twisted Sisters for sponsoring this post! Find out more about them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

*Bag purchased with gift card provided courtesy of H&M; shoes purchased with gift card provided courtesy of Shopbop.

All About That Bass

I really love tops like this sweater that are longer in the back. That way my legs still look long (or as long as they can, poor little things) from the front, but I can keep the rear view hidden. “What does this skinny bitch have to hide?” you may be wondering. A legitimate question, but please…watch the language. It’s not a body part that I’m worried about camouflaging. Honestly, I like hiding my bum sometimes just so I can wear whatever underwear I want. THERE. I SAID IT.

I find VPL very distracting on other people, so I always try to prevent that tacky look on myself. But sometimes it’s just exhausting trying to think ahead to which panties are appropriate with which bottoms…Do I need a nude pair today? A thong? Some people don’t mind thongs but I avoid them whenever possible. That’s when sweaters like this one come in handy. Who knows what’s going on back there? Only me. Well, and now you and everyone else who’s reading this right now. Dammit.

Sweater (on sale) // Jeans (on sale) // similar Necklace // Shoes* // similar Bag (on sale) // Sunglasses* // Lips “Mademoiselle”

*Shoes purchased with gift card provided courtesy of Shopbop; sunglasses provided courtesy of SEE Eyewear.

Budgeting Bloggers: September

 

Ah, September. The month where magazines gets thicker, and it’s time to buy all of the fashion. And this year, it was also the month where I found myself still unemployed and with a dwindling savings account. Great timing, huh? It was the perfect time to start a Le Tote subscription (you can read more about that here): I wore fun new stuff practically every day I left the house, and I barely paid anything for it! And, of course, I did take advantage of a couple sales and added some more permanent pieces to my closet. With all that, plus a few gifted items, it really wasn’t so painful being on an extra budgety budget this month. Here’s how it all worked out…

My Budget:

• +$150 (normal starting amount)
• +$20 (returned a bracelet I bought last month and never wore)
• +$33 (sold old clothes)
• [note: I did have blog income this month, but I didn’t add it to my budget like I usually do – willpower!]

            = $203

What I Spent:

• -$85 on a cropped sweater, necklace, red satchel, and black pants from Target (orig. total $104, used 20% off code)
• -$53 on blue flats from DSW (retail $79)
• -$44 on a graphic sweatshirt from Madewell (orig. $70, got on sale, plus additional student discount)
• -$24 on a Le Tote subscription (normally $49/mo., but I used a 50% off code during a Labor Day promo)

            = $206 (total retail value: $302)

What I Received:

• Marc by Marc Jacobs earrings and Steven mules courtesy of Shopbop
• Sunglasses courtesy of SEE Eyewear

See the other Budgeting Bloggers over at Franish!

Repetitive

You might have noticed I’m kind of a shopping fiend, so I’m always proud of myself when I can create an outfit made entirely of things I’ve worn multiple times but that still feels “new.” This was one of those outfits. I wore it to take myself out to coffee (the company was excellent), and then later to go to a local blogger meet-and-greet (the company was still pretty good). I felt sort of nautical and fall-ish all at the same time – like I was sailing a boat under falling leaves. Man, that sounds like even more fun than going to coffee with me.

similar Shirt (under $10) // similar Jacket* (under $50) // Jeans // similar Shoes // Clutch // Sunglasses (under $15) // Necklace* // Lips “Whimsical”

Need proof of my repetition? See below. It’s the Real Life Remix…

*Jacket purchased with gift card provided courtesy of H&M; necklace provided courtesy of Loopsway.

Candy Rebellion

Here’s a little something I threw together to go on a movie date. Why the giant tote bag? Because you can’t fit Chex Mix, Buncha Crunch, Whoppers, Diet Coke, and Sweet Tea in a clutch, silly. I was really just trying to be frugal, but it kinda made me feel like I was in high school again (without the angst). Incidentally, high school was when I really got in to Dorothy Parker, so it seems appropriate that my candy rebellion was housed in a little DP sass.

similar Shirt // Shorts (on sale) // Shoes* // Scarf (on sale) // Earrings* // similar Bag (on sale)

*Shoes and earrings purchased with gift card provided courtesy of Shopbop.

Equinox

Hey everyone, and welcome to fall! I guess the Equinox just happened? Not Equinox like the gym, but Equinox like that thing where the Earth goes around the sun and then it’s another season? I don’t know. I’m not an expert on astronomy or meteorology, but I am an expert on cute sweatshirts. I bought this particular cute sweatshirt earlier in the month, but I saved it until it got little more…you know…autumnal.

Sweatshirt // similar Shirt // Jeans // Bag (on sale) // Bracelet // Shoes (on sale) // Lips

P.S. If you’re a fellow blogger, let’s start off the new season with a “Pin Party.” Pin a photo from this post (the first one is my personal favorite), then leave me a comment with a link to your blog, and I’ll pin one of your photos, too. I’ve never understood the whole “follow for follow” thing on social media, but “share for share” seems much more fun and productive. Let’s give it a try.

Fake Leather / Real Love

Photo bomb!!! Kristin’s shoes are pretty darn cute though.

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On Friday night we went to the Lambda Legal benefit, which I didn’t even know was happening until the day before. Luckily, we had a friend who helped hook us up with tickets. (But I promise…once I have a job, I will donate to Lambda Legal and make up for all the free booze and cheese I consumed.) I’m so so glad we got to go, and not just because I like to hang out with lawyers. This was a really great year for marriage equality, and for once I actually got to enjoy the benefits instead of just celebrating other states’ changes from afar.

The event was packed with “celebrities” like Camilla Taylor, who made a big win in the 7th Circuit recently, and Beth White, my county’s clerk who kept her office open extra hours to let a ton of people get married in June (including me). OK, maybe they’re not celebrities by most people’s standards, but they are to me and to most of the people at the benefit!

Needless to say, there were lots of happy people and lots of celebration on Friday night. I can’t wait to see what we’re celebrating next year!

similar Dress* (under $50) // similar Jacket (on sale) // similar Shoes (on sale) // similar Clutch // Lips “Plushest Punch”

*Dress provided courtesy of Lucky B Boutique.

Learn how to get involved with Lambda Legal here.

I SEE You!

A SEE Eyewear store just opened in my favorite mall (that I live dangerously close to), and they offered to let me come in and get a free pair of glasses…you know, because of my epic presence in the fashion world. The best part was they didn’t even ask me to do a blog post or any other promotion for them. But I’m doing one anyway because I had such a good experience. Plus – let’s be honest – there’s really nothing else going on in my life right now that I can talk about.

Jenny, the manager, helped me pick these shades. It was kind of like shopping with a good best friend who will actually tell you the truth about whether something looks good on you. And let me tell you – I really did need help because I could only narrow it down to like 10 pairs of sunglasses because they were all awesome. Even if you don’t need any glasses, I would recommend going to see Jenny and taking her with you to buy whatever it is you do need. Since I’m already kind of a sunglasses junkie, I wanted to find a pair that didn’t look like what I already have. I told Jenny how I really like the idea of retro oversized shades, but they always look too big on my narrow face. She assured me that these were great for me because they have that retro flair, but they’re tapered so they don’t overwhelm me. Success!

If you’d like to know a little more about SEE Eyewear, here’s the gist: They do regular glasses as well as sunglasses (you can get Rx shades too). Everything is customizable, so you can get different colored lenses in your sunglasses, or get that fancy anti-glare business. All their styles are their own line, and they’re made in limited quantities because new styles come out every few months. (P.S. They’re all amazing.) They do take most vision insurance, and the prices are less than you’d expect: sunglasses are all $99, and I believe prescription frames are $150. The only downside is that you can’t shop online – only in stores. Check out their website to see if there’s one near you. If you live in Indianapolis, there is now: at the Fashion Mall! Maybe I’ll SEE you there sometime! (Get it?)

Dress via Le Tote (buy similar) // similar Shoes (on sale) // Bracelet // Bag (on sale) // Ring // Sunglasses* // Lips

*Sunglasses provided courtesy of SEE Eyewear.

Nothin’ Like Experimenting

I’m pretty sure I’ve tried wearing a cropped jacket over a long top before and it totally didn’t work out. It kind of looked like I was wearing pajamas, and then there was a fire drill at my dorm and I had to throw on the first jacket I could find before going outside in the cold. This is probably bringing back fun college memories, but my point is that my past attempts at mixing lengths in my layers just made me look haphazard and weird.

But I got my second Le Tote shipment (find out more about that here) the other day, and I was trying everything on to see how it fit. This shirt and jacket were both in the package, so I put them on together. Wait…what’s happening? These look kinda good together! And there’s not even a fire drill! So I put them together in an outfit the next day, meanwhile kicking myself for not experimenting more.

There’s a lesson in all this: Don’t assume things won’t look good on you until you try them. Also, check your smoke detector batteries.

Jacket (under $40) // Shirt // Shoes // Pants // Bag // similar Necklace // Lips