three

It's been so muggy out the last few days - the kind of weather where the temperatures aren't really high enough to warrant the AC but it's so uncomfortable you turn it on anyway. Blah blah blah, weather weather weather. Our labs are kept at near freezing, so it's always a bit annoying figuring out what to wear.

In other news, I have two days of work left. Chris is currently in Chicago so he can take the boards tomorrow morning. I wish this Target dress either had no sleeve or a full short sleeve because it looks adorable on Lydia. I'm getting Culvers for dinner and I'm already excited about the idea of a cheeseburger. I'll probably spend the night catching up on the Bachelorette.

my life, it's thrilling.

Tee: Everlane

Pants: Gap [save | splurge]

Cardigan: BR Factory 

Earrings: Tiffany & Co. [exact]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]

Shoes: Sam Edelman [exact]

Linking up with mix and match fashion!

printed

 

Have I told you guys yet how much I am loving printed pants? They are one of those trends that I approve of 100% (neon is another story). I think they're so much more flattering and comfortable than the denim counterpart and I'm really holding myself back from buying a whole bunch of them. I have these polka dot pair, and the black and white floral pair from Target, but I'd love to also have a red pair, maybe this Old Navy pair or this Banana Republic pair. 

How you are feeling about printed pants? Love it or leave it?

Shirt: H&M [similar]

Pants: Gap [similar | splurge]

Scarf: Target

Shoes: Old Navy [very similar]

Watch: Fossil [similar]

Bracelet: Tiffany & Co. [exact]

Nails: Essie Fifth Avenue

and as a side note, happy five year anniversary to my loving boyfriend. we have had five interesting years together and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us :)  below is the first picture we ever took together - we were such babies!

linking up with Style Elixir

patterned

When I start school this fall, the way I dress will have to change. My school requires us to be in "business casual" clothing at all times on campus, which for the men means shirt and tie. The clothing for women isn't as clearly defined though. I know that blue jeans will be out of the question, so for the next couple of months I'm going to explore my options out there. Since colored skinny jeans just aren't working for me anyway, I'm really hoping that colored and patterned pants will be a way to add color into my wardrobe. I really like my polka dot pants - they fit a lot better than skinny jeans do - so I hope to find a few pairs similar to them. I'm for sure going to try these pants (one | two | three | four) as I think they would look great with a nice simple blouse and the accessories I already have. 

Do you have a favorite store when it comes to buying "dress" pants? I have never really had to buy a lot of them, so I'm starting out new here.

Chambray: Old Navy  {exact | splurge}
Pants: Gap  {exact}
Scarf: Forever 21
Belt: Thrifted
Watch: Fossil  {similar}
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs  {exact}










Linking up with MoMoMod!

january budget

1. Gap Pants (seen here): on sale for $18
2. Thrifted Cardigan: $2
3. J. Crew Belt (seen here): on sale for $12
4. Thrifted Black Blazer: $4
5. Thrifted Ralph Lauren Sweater: $4
6. J.Crew Factory Popover(seen here): on sale for $32
7. Old Navy Dress: on sale + rewards for $9
8. Gap Belt (seen here): on sale for $7
9. Target Scarf (seen here): on sale for $5
10. Thrifted Gap Sweater: $4
11. Target Scarf (seen here): $10
12. Forever 21 Necklace (seen here): $9
13. Forever 21 Scarf: $9


= $125






So am I cheap, or just a smart consumer? I felt like I bought so much this month, but I ended up $25 under budget and still bought quite a bit. I think thrifting and good sales this month made quite a difference. I don't have any regrets about the purchases I made - I didn't buy any of it just because it was on sale so we'll just decide that I'm a smart buyer ;)

I filled a few holes with the black blazer and red sweater, which I'm very excited about. The black blazer I purchased is very similar to the one in the picture above - it's a bit more casual which works well for my current lifestyle but I know that in the future I'll need a more structured black blazer as well. The grey Target scarf is something I've wanted for a while - it was originally $15, then on sale for $10 but I still didn't buy it until it was on super clearance for $4.50. Before I started a budget, I would have purchased the scarf at full price because come on, it's only $15, who cares! But thinking about what percentage of my budget is used up with just a simple scarf made me reconsider if it's something I needed/liked enough to spend that much money on. Budgetting has definitely made me less of a impulse shopper which means I'm buying clothes I know I'll actually wear.

Next month's plan is to find a replacement pair of black skinny jeans since my favorite black jeans are now forever out of commission (they finally completely ripped). I also hope to find a nice pair of dark brown boots - I think February should be a good month for boot sales! I think these pairs (1, 2, and especially 3) are some great contenders!

How did you do this month? Link up with other budgeting bloggers below! Please make sure you link back so other bloggers can participate and so your readers can be inspired by everyone.

poke a dot

I'm so glad to hear that I'm not alone in the winter funk of dressing ourselves. I mean, I'm not glad you're in a funk too (that would be mean) but that I'm not the only one - misery loves company, blah blah blah. 

ANYWAY. Like I mentioned, polka dot pants were purchased as a way to break out of the funk. I've actually wanted a pair of printed pants after admiring Liz's extensive collection for months but haven't really found anything I liked. But for $18 and covered in polka dots, I figured it was time to finally pull the trigger. Being relatively tall means that pants that don't come in tall sizes are short on me, and after consulting the ladies on instagram, Gracey, Lindsay, and Whitney thought they might be a bit too short on me as well (thank you for being honest ladies!). Luckily, there was an easy fix - I just removed the stitching of the hem, and with it still having a finished edge, I added about an inch in length. I plan on rehemming them properly the next I can use my mom's sewing machine to hid the edge but I think I'm the only one who would notice anyway.

Can we talk about this new watch? As you know, I'm a watch girl. I feel naked without one on my wrists, so I'm thrilled to add this beautiful watch to my collection. While admiring it today at work (shh, don't tell my supervisor), I realized that I don't own a watch with a simple white face. With it's classic style and rich leather,I know this watch will quickly become the front runner in my collection.










linking up with Plane Pretty.

Sweater: Gap  {save / splurge}
Pants: Gap  {exact}
Scarf: H&M
Belt: The Limited  {similar}
Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington  {exact}
Shoes: Old Navy  {very similar}
Nail: Essie Ballet Slippers

















and just a few ideas for the future with pieces (mostly) in my closet...

Outfit 1: Mustard Cardigan + White Blouse + Leopard Belt + Loafers
Outfit 2: Maroon Tee + Gold Necklace + Anchor Belt + Gold Watch + Leopard Loafers
Outfit 3: Lace Top + Blue Necklace + Bangles + Blue Belt + Wedges