the inbetween

I can't believe it's the end of November, and we still haven't had our first snow. Personally, I don't really love winter - it makes driving, getting dressed, and blogging more difficult than I prefer. I'm so happy that we've had a real (long) fall this year! I'd rather wear cute light-weight jackets and leather boots anyway.

But...#winteriscoming, so we might as well prepare for it. Kohl's recently launched a new line of winter accessories and they are perfect for those of us who have many months of colder weather ahead. From affordable duck boots to puffer vests to the cutest beanies, they pretty much have all of your winter needs covered. I've been wearing their buffalo plaid hooded jacket the last couple of weeks - it's so comfy, and the perfect "in between" seasons coat. I plan on picking up their tassel infinity scarf when I'm in stores this weekend for a bit of holiday shopping...I may just have to pick up a few extras for presents too!  

Coat: Madden Girl c/o Kohl's [exact]

Blouse: Banana Republic

Pants: Gap 

Hat: Madden Girl c/o Kohl's [exact]

Boots: Vince Camuto

Below are a few more of their items - use code NOV15 to take an additional 15% off (valid 11/23-11/27!)

one | two | three | four | five

six | seven | eight | nine | ten

Thank you to Kohl's and ShopStyle for sponsoring this post!

dated

I feel there are certain very clear blogging trends that emerge every year - things that you see all over Pinterest that may or may not be normal things people wear in real life - and I feel that in 10 years, you'll be able to look at certain outfits and know what year they are from just based on the trendy items in the outfit. 

For example, the herringbone vest is very 2013-2015 (is it bad that I also want the red gingham version? It doesn't help that it's also on sale...). The large oversized scarves (which, side note, I hope never go out of style because I love them) are also a pretty big thing this winter. While I try really hard not to get suckered into every trend out there, sometimes I just can't resist the really good ones - like black and white vests, or scarves that double as blankets at the library. 

So maybe in a few years this will look super dated....but today I like it ;)

Tee: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Vest: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Scarf: gift from Steph [similar]

Pants: Gap [similar on sale]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact on sale]

Watch: Michael Kors [save | exact]*

Nails: Essie [exact - love love love!]

*as I was looking for inexpensive options, I stumbled across this (not inexpensive) watch - how cool is it?! I don't need another watch, but I think this one would make such a fun conversation piece.

just wanting to be normal

The closer we get to the end of our second year of school and the beginning of our clinical years, the more and more I look forward to being a bit more of a normal person. Right now, between school work and studying for boards, we don't get a night, much less a day off. Every hour I'm not studying is an hour I feel incredibly guilty about. But it's also really hard to just go go go and never have a break. The worst times for me are really on weekends, when I see everyone else enjoy their time off. 

CR knows that that really does affect me, so we have a new rule that once a month, we go out for Sunday brunch. The library doesn't open until noon anyway, so once a week we get to sleep in a bit more, actually spend a bit of time doing my hair and make-up, and enjoy a nice meal out together. It really has been nice to have that to look forward to and feel like a normal person, even if it's just for the hour before we go to the library all day ;)

Sweater: BR Factory [not similar, but how cool is this sweater?]

Pants: Gap [similar]

Scarf: gift from Steph 

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact]

Purse: c/o Shopbop [exact] **

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]

** Shopbop has updated their sale section with a bunch of cute new items, including Rebecca Minkoff purses, and Paige denim (most under $140). The C. Wonder home decor and some Jonathan Adler accessories (like his adorable phone cases!) are really cheap right now - don't forget that if you have Amazon Prime, you get free 2 day shipping :)

is it okay to wear black and brown together?

I used to be fiercely against wearing black and brown together, especially when it came to leathers. I think I read that rule somewhere in a fashion magazine when I was in my early teens, and I took it as the gospel. You know, along with other silly rules like no white after labor day and vertical stripes are the most flattering stripes.

Clearly, I no longer abide by the black and brown rule when it comes to clothing, but I still get a little weird about it when it comes to leather. I don't think I could ever wear a brown belt with black shoes!  Or maybe even a black watch band with tan shoes. Is that silly? 

Who knows, here I am, breaking all my own rules with a cognac tote and black boots. It doesn't feel as wrong, for some reason!

(horizonal, for shame!) striped tee: Loft [exact on sale]

Cardigan: J.Crew Factory [same style]

Pants: Gap [similar]

Scarf: H&M [similar]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact]

Tote: Madewell [save | exact]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]

besides these deep philosophical style conversations, here are a few current MLK Day sales: 

• Ann Taylor: 
• 40% off full price items (like this perfect blouse, seriously!) 
• 70% (!!!) off sale items (go for a fun sweater dress)
• Anthropologie: code EXTRAEXTRA
• 40% off sale items: I'd go for this beautiful scarf -it'll go with everything!
• Banana Republic: code BRWEEKEND, ends 1/19
• 40% off everything (time to finally try a midi skirt because this one is perfect)
• Gap: code DEALS
• 40% off everything: I wish I knew how to wear moto jackets, because this one (that comes in 2 different greys) is so cute
• Lands' End: 
• 20% off everything: I ordered this tote for CR's sister for Christmas, and it's gorgeous in real life (go for the monogram!)
• Shopbop:
• Tons of new things added to the sale section, including beautiful Equipment tops, Marc Jacobs watches (I really love the Baker watch!), and Tory Burch shoes.

few and far between

I like my closet full of "boring" staples - dark jeans, striped tees, neutral cardigans - but I love the fun and unexpected pieces. They are few and far between in my closet because I rarely step away from the "basics" comfort zone pieces (what can I say, I'm predictable!), but my old man blazer I got on sale years at H&M is one of my favorites. It's not even that outlandish, or great in quality, but I can't get enough of the pattern, the unexpected masculinity, and the elbow patches. I don't reach for it a ton, but every time I do, I love it just as much as I did when I first bought it.

One of my goals for this year is to find a few more of those pieces - they don't need to cost a lot, or be the "it" item of the year - they just have to be something I love wearing. The first item I'm trying out is this dress from Target  - while I ordered the pattern that I would normally go for (the black and white, obviously), I also ordered the floral version. A little bit unexpected compared to what I normally would buy, but I'm excited to give it a try! 

Blazer: H&M 

Shirt: JcPenneys [similar]

Scarf: H&M [similar]

Pants: Gap [similar]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]

Bag: Kate Spade [similar]

Nails: Smith + Cult [exact]

switch hitter

I feel like I have two separate closets - one for school, and one for studying. My school clothes aren't the clothes I want to wear to the library for 10 hours, and the clothes I am comfortable in for long periods of time are not always appropriate for school. I have found a few items that cross from one side of the closet to other though, with my ponte black pants being my favorite. They are as comfortable as yoga pants, but are thicker and have a zipper and pockets, which makes them appropriate to wear to school, at least when I wear them with boots and a longer top. This way I can still wear my boots to school without always having to wear dresses or skirts (especially when it's snowing!). Mine are a few years old, but these ones are currently 40% off if you are looking for a pair!

Do you have any cross over pieces, or are you lucky enough that you can wear any of your clothes whenever you want? 

Sweater: H&M [exact - I would suggest sizing down!]

Button up: Banana Republic 

Pants: Gap [similar]

Boots: Vince Camuto [exact on sale]

Necklace: J.Crew Factory [exact on sale]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]*

Bracelet: gift from my friend Lizzi [exact]

Nails: Essie [exact]

*use code holiday_franish for 15% off your order

september budget

1. Sole Society Whitney Pump [seen here]: originally $65, with giftcard: $0
2. Forever 21 Cardigan [seen here]: $28
3. H&M Blouse [seen here]: $35
4. Gap Ponte Pants: originally $70 + 35% off + rewards + giftcard from Audrey: $1
5. JC Penneys Striped Tee [seen here]: $15 + 10% off code: $13
6. The Limited Skinny Pants [seen here]: originally $70 + 40% off = $42
7. J.Crew Factory Sylvia Wedge [seen here]: originally $120 + 40% off + 15% student discount: $60
8. Forever 21 Sleek Button Down: $18

= $197

= $500 quarterly budget - $120 in August - $197 in September = $173 left for October

This month was a big month of "staples" for me. I've worn the wedges, the striped tee, the maroon pants, and the sweater at least 5-10 times each since I bought them, and I don't really see that changing any time soon. I just really really like each of the pieces! I haven't received the pants from the Gap yet, but included them here anyway in hopes that they work out - I'll be sure to review them when they come since several of you seemed interested in them. I had also purchased this ring in black ($40 was with the remaining gift card from Nordstrom) but I will be returning it to wait for the next size up to come back into stock because I want to wear it on my middle finger and the current size is too small.

This whole quarterly budget thing is working out pretty well - I'm mostly still trying to stick to around $150 a month just to not get too carried away. Like I mentioned a few days ago, I received $100 from my grandma for my birthday, so I'm hoping to use that to buy a pair of black boots. Several of you suggested this pair, so I will try to see if I can't get my hands (or feet- har har) on them! I'm still itching for a pair of navy ankle pants, and many of you have said that you really like these pants from Banana Republic, so I may order some the next time they have a really great promotion going on. For those of you who have them, how do they run? Did you get the regular or the tall sizing (if you are taller)? I also would like to try on this blouse that I saw on instagram here. Other than that, nothing is really planned for the remaining budget as I feel pretty good about where I am right now. School will be changing for me again at the end of October when we are finished with anatomy - I won't have to be in lecture as often/as many days a week so I don't really want to jump the gun on buying things I may or may not actually wear.

During last month's post, Elaine asked if I could include the pieces I receive from companies as a part of my budget posts, and I think that's a really great idea. If I'm going to say that I'm on a budget, and portray the financial goals of someone on a "budget", the the pieces I receive for free as a sidekick from blogging should be included as it gives a more well-rounded idea of what is actually going into my closet. This month I was given the opportunity to review an Everlane tee, wear a fun polka dot scarf from Surfdome, wore and gave away a bracelet from Color by Amber, and received a ring, earrings, and two necklaces from Tryst Jewellery.

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As a side note, I purchased a pair of Joe's Jeans from eBay a few months ago, which turns out was pretty poor planning on my part. I got them right when I was finishing my job, and there was no way I was going to spend my summer in jeans, and now when I do wear jeans I'm not looking to wear heels with them and just stick to my skinny jeans. If you are interested, I'm selling them for $50 (the price I paid) + shipping - send me an email at fhasselhof(@)gmail.com if you are interested or would like to see pictures! They are a size 32, "Honey" style,  and have (I think) a 35 inch inseam (they are too long on me in flats, and I'm 5'9''+ for reference). They look basically unworn, I just don't think I need to keep them in my closet if I'm not wearing them.

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Okay, your turn! Please let us know how you did sticking to your budget - please make sure you link back to this post so your readers can discover other budgeting bloggers :)