Southern Inspired

I feel like I've been posting a lot of free clothes lately! Here is another dress I got for free when one of my friends was cleaning out her closet and I invited myself over to scavenge. It is J.Crew.

The belt was from Goodwill ($1 - $3?), the bracelets were a gift, and the earrings came as a set with a necklace for $8. The boots were $12 from Uptown Cheapskate.

I'd like to share with you my process of creating this outfit. I first started with the dress. I then found 3 coordinating pieces that would  add accents of color. This baby blue / aquamarine color happened to be the only color that worked. Then, this Northern-born girl added a touch of Southern: cowboy-esque boots.

How do you usually create an outfit? What do you start with?

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Lacy

The top is from Gilly Hicks and may have been $30 originally. I got it for less than $10.

The cardigan is Express, which I got when a friend was cleaning out her closet.

See the shoes on this post.

I love the lace details on the tank top and the pearly buttons on the cardigan.

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Dolman Sleeves

Top: Charlotte Russe, $6 from Plato's Closet
Skirt: Banana Republic, free from a friend's closet cleaning

My husband says that whenever I wear dolman sleeves that I look like a flying squirrel. Anyone else had similar reactions from boys? 

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Infinity Scarf

I'm in love with this new infinity scarf from AE (of course, 60% off for me).

The top is about 5 years old, from Kohls.

The shoes are ALDO, which means they are quite comfortable. I got them at Plato's Closet for less than $10, which means they were quite a steal!

My pants are from the LOFT, $2 from a yard sale.

What's your favorite way to wear a scarf? Do you like scarves that are already made to be worn as infinity scarves?

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Emerald Green and Hi Lo

skirt: AE (60% off for me)  shoes: AE

I'm trying NOT to buy every high-low skirt that I come across, but it is a struggle.

I got this Express shirt at Plato's Closet for about $8. I've only worn it on St. Patrick's Day until now!

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Chambray Shirt

This is how I've worn my chambray shirt so far:

Learn how to roll up your sleeve like I did on this blog, slide #5.

What's your favorite way to wear the chambray shirt?

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Shiny Pants

I know, you can't tell, but these pants are SHINY! They are also purple. They were $3 at Uptown Cheapskate and are Heritage 1981, which is a brand sold at Forever 21.

The top is Banana Republic, $15 from a fellow blogger.

Do you ever rock shiny pants?

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A Wedding Outfit

Here is what I wore to a wedding this weekend. The dress from the Belk line Madison and probably cost between $58 and $86 originally. This has been one of my more expensive dress purchases at $20, which means it was only 65% - 75% off. 

The shoes were between $7 and $12 at Marshalls or Rugged Wearhouse. I never wear them, and almost donated them recently. I loved wearing them with this dress, so I'm glad I kept them!

Below is a slightly better picture of my new haircut.

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Haircut

Skirt, top, and scarf: AE

I got my hair cut, which for me always means that I add layers. I usually never take any more than half an inch off the end unless I'm donating at least 10 inches of hair. I'll be curling my hair a lot more so I can take advantage of all the layers!

Also, I love skirts. Can you tell?

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Lilly Pulitzer Cardigan

Top: IZ Byer California, $4 at consignment store
Cardigan: Lilly Pulitzer, $10 at Plato's Closet
Crops: AE

If there is any one brand that I could be content to wear exclusively, it would probably be Lilly Pulitzer.  As of today, this is the only Lilly Pulitzer piece I own. 

Anyone have suggestions on where to buy Lilly pieces cheap?

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ETCETERA

I found this skirt at a local thrift shop for $17. It was made by ETCETERA, and judging by their website, it probably cost between $165 and $250 originally. 

The shirt is by Josephine Chaus, which I bought for about $8 in the VIP section of Bargain Box in Raleigh, NC.

Beautiful details on the skirt

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Black Summer Pants

 

pants: Gap, $2 from a yard sale          top: Forever 21, $5 at Plato's Closet
shoes: Anne Klein, $11 at Tatiana's Fashions

I felt like wearing something a little less quintessentially "summer" today. To beat my seasonal boredom, I wore these black pants.

What do you like to wear when you get bored of seasonal clothes?

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Patriotic

Top: FANG, free from a friend         Scarf: AE

Here was my July 4th outfit. I hope you had a great holiday too!

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Gold Dot Purse

This bag: what a great expression of my personality. Not afraid to be different or unusual. A little unruly (the dots have a mind of their own). Fun.

I'm thinking it might have once been $50, so maybe I got it for 75% off.

Bueno handbag - $13 at a local consignment shop

Shirt: Charming Charlie, $9 at Plato's Closet           Crops: A.E.

Shoes: Madison Studio (a division of Belk), $9 at a local consignment store

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Blue Print and Summer White

I found a new local consignment store, where I got this B. Smart dress for $10. I found out that B. Smart is a Sears brand and I probably got this dress for 80-85% off retail. The jacket is Ann Taylor Loft, which I got free from a friend. The jewelry you can find on this post.

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Layering Necklaces

Shoes: AE       Skirt: Mossimo, $6 from Plato's Closet

I've been learning how to layer necklaces. This is a great trick because you can feel like you have new jewelry just by being creative with what you already own.

short necklace: $10 at Uptown Cheapskate
long necklace: $10 at Charlotte Russe

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Neon Coral and Dark Blue

 Things I can't get enough of recently: 

hi low skirts and maxi skirts,

bright colors, 

and anything that remotely looks like my engagement ring.

Top: Express, $10 at Rugged Wearhouse
Skirt: Lauren Conrad, $10 at Plato's Closet

(left) Necklace: $12 at Uptown Cheapskate
(right) bracelet: $7 at Uptown Cheapskate

I think this is the same skirt. It was originally $58, but is now on sale for $29.

So I got my skirt for about 85% off then!

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Purple Hi Low Skirt

 

I'm in love with this skirt. I'm tempted to wear it every day.
Here are two ways I wore the skirt. Which one do you like best?

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Turquoise and Navy

Top: New York and Company, $3 from Goodwill
Scarf: $6 at Uptown Cheapskate
Leather Belt: $10 from a friend's moving sale

 You're welcome for my awkward face. I hope you get a good laugh at it.

I had a lot of fun putting this outfit together because the scarf contains both the turquoise from my top and the navy blue from my shorts.

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Statement Earrings

Shoes, shirt, earrings, bracelet: AE
capris: Refuge ($12 at Uptown Cheapskate)

When all else fails and I feel like I have nothing to wear (a lie, of course; I have lots of clothes), a pair of statement earrings like these is a great outfit-saver.

I got these for less than $10 at A.E.

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Earthy Hues plus Blue

 I threw this outfit together quickly and loved the earthy theme I came up with. Of course, I love color, so an all-neutral outfit was a little out of the question. 

Here is a better look at my necklace, which I got from Uptown Cheapskate for about $5.

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Pink denim

I got these pink crops from American Eagle with a 60% off employee discount. I snagged this Charlotte Russe shirt from a friend when she was cleaning out her closet, and these shoes I got from Goodwill. I hardly ever wear these shoes, but they were the perfect match with this outfit. I'm glad I didn't give them back to Goodwill the last time I cleaned out my closet!

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Faux Silk with Embellishments

I got this 100% Polyester shirt from Uptown Cheapskate for $12. It is Express brand, and I'm guessing it was originally about $40. The embellishments on it are beautiful. I wore outfits similar to these two below to both church and work.

This shirt is an XS when normally I wear a Small.  Even then, it is very loose on me. To help give me a figure again, I played around with tucking it in and wearing a belt with it. Which of the two options do you prefer?

Shoes: "Blue," $14 via Uptown Cheapskate, shown below

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Marble Nails

Have You Tried Marble Nails Yet?

When I discovered marble nails, I was immediately addicted. There are some great tutorials out there, so I won't make another one. All you need is two colors of polish, a toothpick, a small container, some tape or vaseline, and some water. It takes a while to get the hang of it, and sometimes certain polishes aren't cut out for creating the right effect. So you may end up trying 15 times to polish your first nail.

images via google

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