twofer: stripes & geometric

For Bri's last Thursday Threads, I was so excited about the "challenge" - hello, stripes, they only take up half of my closet. Well, turns out I was a terrible blogger during that move (in my defense, all my clothes were packed), so I combined this month's challenge with last month's - geometric AND stripes. 

and it has been really chilly here...and I'm not saying it as "OMG FALL, LAYER ALL THE THINGS" - it's been in the 50's when I leave for school every morning, and that means it's finally time for scarves again. YAYAYAYAY!

Shirt: Banana Republic

Skirt: thrifted

Scarf: White Plum Boutique via Groopdealz

Belt: H&M

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Purse: Kate Spade [save | similar]

one blazer, eight ways

 

A lot of the bloggers I follow, for obvious reasons, have a style similar to my own. This really works out in my favor because not only am I consistently inspired by them, but many times they'll own a very similar, or the same, piece of clothing so I can totally copy them without much effort on my part! ;)

When I bought this blazer (which you can also now own for just over $30 with the current 40% sale items promotion - use code GAPSALE), I was really excited to see that Kimmie, Anne, and Erika all own it as well. They each have their own unique styles and lives (Kimmie is a working mom of two, Anne is an editor with her first babe on the way, and Erika is training to be a doctor) so I knew we would all wear it in different ways. I love seeing how we all wore it in different (but also kind of similar) ways!

my original | Erika's original | Anne's original | Kimmie's original

Blazer: Gap [exact now on major sale]

Skirt: Thrifted

Shirt: Banana Republic [exact]

Belt: Old Navy [similar]

Tights: c/o Hanes

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Earrings: Tiffany & Co. [exact]

I just got the blazer back from the tailor and am thrilled with the results. Definitely worth the tailoring costs to have it fit better than it did off the rack.

linking up with AJ for Friday Favorites!

april budget

1. Gap Pique Academy Blazer, originally $88, on sale for $54: I haven't actually received this blazer yet, so I don't have much to say about it other than I really really want it to work. I first saw it on Kendi, and then on Anne, and just feel in love with it. I didn't want to pay full price for it (which is the complete opposite when it came to this blazer. I have no reasons why this is) so I was happy to get it for $54. It is currently on sale for under $50 with this weekend's 40% sale items promotion going on if you are interested! I'll keep you updated on if it works - I ordered it in a tall so I'm not sure how it will fit. I think it's the colorful blazer I wanted from the floral blazer, but in a style that will be a LOT more versatile.
2. Gap Round Belt, originally $40 + 30% off = $28: I also haven't received this belt but I've felt it up every time this month I've gone into the Gap. I should have actually tried it on, but I took a chance ordering it online and hope it works out. From the pictures and from looking at it in real life, it is exactly what I was looking for when I said I wanted a nice brown leather belt. Fingers crossed!
3. J.Crew Factory Linen Cotton Mini [seen here], originally $70 + 50% off = $35: I have six full weeks off this summer which means: FREEDOM FOR MY LEGS. No safety regulations and no dress code means I can wear whatever I want, and what I wanted to wear is this skirt. It is really comfortable and an easy way to dress up a casual look. 
4. BDG High Waisted Cigerette Jeans, originally $60, on sale for $15: These jeans are my absolute favorite jeans. I was pretty upset a few months ago when I finally wore through my mid-rise pair, and then those were sold out so I got the high rise just to test it out, and I ended up liking those even more! They do a really great job of smoothing out the belly area, they are super comfortable, and ordering them longer means I could get them hemmed to the exact length I wanted. When I saw that these were being sold for $15, I immediately ordered a second pair. Because my normal size was no longer available during this selling out period, I ordered a size up which I think works out well. They are just a bit looser in the calves. I plan on hemming these just a little bit longer too, so I'm hoping I can wear them to school as they are "pants" and not jeans ;)
5. Gap Printed Tunic, originally $55 + 30% off = $38.50: I tried this shirt out on a whim and ended up really liking it. I originally purchased it in store for $45 because I had a $10 reward, but then I when I went to go order the blazer and belt, I ordered it as well to get it another $7 cheaper. I plan to do a switch around with returns since I have already worn this shirt (and LOVED it - see it here).
6. J.Crew Factory Tee, originally $26 + 50% off = $13: I don't have a lot of short sleeved shirts, I liked this color, and it was relatively cheap. 
7. Banana Republic Engineered Tee [seen here], originally $45, on sale for $14: I ended up combining a few promotion codes to get this purchase down to less than $14. I (obviously) really like stripes, and I know that this light grey/white combo will get a lot of wear. Banana Republic is currently having a 35% off online special which would bring this shirt down to just over $14 if you are interested in it. I do a bit more of a review on it here.

= $198 - $110 worth of clothing sold = $88**

Not too shabby this month! If I end up keeping both the blazer and the belt, I will still be $60 under budget "technically". Last month I said I wanted to do a bit less shopping, and I think I did a pretty good job sticking to that goal. I made a few other purchases this month from my school wardrobe fund, but I will write a separate post on the progress on that in a few weeks. Overall, I feel good about the pieces I purchased.

Next weekend Chris and I are going to the Twin Cities to have a little weekend getaway. We are going to the Mall of America, so I'm excited to get to some stores that we don't have here. I plan on "rolling over" money from this month (so at least $60, maybe more if I return either of those items) into next month's budget. I am really hoping I find some jeans at Nordstrom Rack (we don't have one in Wisconsin), an emerald scarf, and some nude ballet flats (similar to this pair), or maybe even a low wedge (like this pair - safety regulations be damned!....kidding. kind of). Other than that, I don't have any big needs in my closet right now. 

How did you do this month? If you are interested, please feel free to add a link to your spending recap below. I ask that you please link back to this post so that your readers can read about other budgetting bloggers. You guys all inspire me every month with your dedication to looking great on a budget, so I want your readers to be able to feel the same way.

EDIT: I went to the mall today to do a bit of birthday shopping with my sister, and I ended up finding the round belt in a bit of a lighter color on final sale + 40% off for $7. I also bought these leopard loafers for $18, so my overall money spent didn't change since I'll be returning the darker brown belt that was $28. I'm pretty excited about both finds!

stripes | leopard

 

So the weather this week is um...shitty. Rain or snow all week! Eek. Well I attempted to take a few pictures quickly after work today during a break in the rain, but I only got one picture where I didn't look like I was trying to fly away. But this is what I wore! TA DA.

Blazer: J.Crew [exact]

Shirt: Banana Republic [exact]

Jeans: American Eagle [exact]

Necklace: gift from Kimmie :)

Shoes: Rocket Dog via DSW

Watch: Target

 I have two things to say about items worn.

1. I'm wearing my new Banana Republic engineered striped top. I ordered this color and the blue one last week during a 30% off promotion and then had a 10% off coupon on top of that from a Gap order that went wrong, which brought the price down to less than $14 each. I like this shirt a lot - the material is pretty thick, it is long enough on my torso, and I like the somewhat not traditional neckline. As far as negatives, on me the sleeves are just a tiny bit too short, but I never have my sleeves not pushed up so that doesn't matter to me. I think I will probably sew in little bra strap holders as the neckline is a bit wide and I don't want my straps to show, but for $14 I will accept those few minutes of sewing. I think I'm going to return the blue one just because I'm not big into having duplicates, and the blue isn't the right color blue I was looking for. If you are interested in trying them out for yourself, it looks like they have restocked many of the sizes online that weren't available last week!

2. I think it's time to update these leopard flats. I've worn them a ton over the past year, but they are fabric shoes and have become wet one too many times. Since I know that I would wear a similar style a lot I'm willing to maybe spend a bit more than I normally would on "fun" shoes. I would like a pair that is calf hair or suede, either smoking or ballet flat, and under $100. The current remaining budget for the month is $185 (I sold $100 worth of clothes, but purchased this skirt and this tee) but I don't plan on spending all of it (unless I decide that I can't live without this Zara blazer, which it's looking like that may be true). The more I think about it, I think a ballet flat would get more use, especially next year. Which one would you choose?

Nine West | Steve Madden

Nasty Gal | Steve Madden