the triad

I mentioned last month that there aren't many things I really felt like I "needed" to add to my closet (because lets me honest, I have more than enough clothes!). I tried to think about what I felt like I was missing, and what pieces would get the most wear, and I knew that full length slim ankle dress pants were something that I would wear a ton, both this year in school and the next few years on rotations.

I didn't plan on finding a pair so soon though! 

My girlfriends and I stopped at our small local mall the day before school started because we were still freeeeeeeeeeeee...and because The Limited was having a 50% off everything sale. I found these pants tucked in the corner in the way back of the store, but was pretty excited about them since they were exactly what I was looking for. They come in tall lengths which means they actually go all the way down my leg, and the stretchy material makes them comfortable while still looking professional enough for school. I should be all set on school pants now!

On a side note, I found this red dress from Target online which could fulfill the red dress part of my wish list. I ordered it in a few sizes just to try on, although I'm afraid that it's going to be too short (it looks slightly short on the model). I'll be sure to post more about it next week for my budget recap (probably on Wednesday!).

Shirt: J.Crew Factory [exact on sale]

Pants: The Limited [exact]**

Necklace: c/o BaubleBar [exact - how amazing is the green version?!]

Lips: Revlon [exact]

Shoes: J.Crew Factory [exact on sale]

** I bought these in the tall length, and had the knees taken in by my tailor (similar to what I did to these pants described here) - I intend to write a more detailed post on alterations in the next few weeks!

jewelry always looks good

 

This is one of those outfits that I like in person a lot more than I do in pictures. Luckily, pretty jewelry looks good allllll the time, even if my wrinkly sweater does not. 

Blouse: J.Crew Factory [blue version]

Necklace: c/o BaubleBar [exact]

Sweater: Gap 

Pants: The Limited [exact]

Shoes: Lucky c/o OnlineShoes.com [exact]

happy place

For as much as I cried the days before I left Madison, I feel really content in this new crazy life. 

School is (really really) hard but it's rewarding too. Everything we learn now has a purpose - we have to know this information for life, not just for a test. Although I feel so dumb all the time, I like being able to use my brain again, even if I use it to the point of wanting it to shut off at night instead of dreaming about heart development. 

I love my girlfriends here. My roommate is better than I could have ever anticipated, our closest friends live 40 feet away from us, and I like being around my lab partners so much that I'm willing to go be in a room with just them and 20 dead bodies all by ourselves for hours at a time. I forgot how much I really needed that feeling of having people.

I even like the dress code (most days). Online shopping instead of in store shopping means I get a present in the mail every once in a while. I just found the ring I've been looking for for months, and it's currently in it's pretty box on the way to me. It's like Christmas whenever I get the mail ;)

Of course, there are shitty things about all this. Chris has been on the complete opposite side of the country from me doing away rotations - I'm not really sure when we'll be able to see each other next. My family went on an awesome vacation that included the first wedding in my family since my parents got married 26 years ago, and I couldn't go. I don't get to be around for my sister's last year of high school. I don't have as much time anymore to do all the things I want to do (mostly I just want to binge-watch Scandal). I feel there are never enough hours in the day. My back hurts from the uncomfortable chairs in the lecture hall. 

But overall, life is good. 

Blouse: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Pants: The Limited [exact]

Necklace: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

but i'm le tired

Blouse: J.Crew Factory [exact on sale]
Pants: Gap
Belt: The Limited
Necklace: gift from Whitney
Shoes: Old Navy
Bag: Target

Yesterday was our first real day of classes, and it was really only a half day of learning. I haven't been in school in for two+ years, so going from having a job that didn't require that much brain power, to funemployement, to having to focus for five hours, and then going home to study for another five is like....oh man. And this is the easy part! Next week we start anatomy and that's when it's going to get ccccccrrrrrrrazzy. 

My brain, it's tired. 

via instagram

P.S. In case you haven't watched this since 9th grade...hokay.

P.P.S. Have you signed up for the latest Chippmunk contest? $600 up for grabs!

linking up with Audrey for the ways I've worn this shirt!

fittings and failings

 

and we're back... and with my new coral blazer! This is the second time I've worn this blazer in the last three days, except this time it was for a more appropriate occasion. I initially wore it Saturday night for dinner with Chris but he asked me if I was going out for a job interview so um, memo to self: buy sexier date night clothes. 

But for work, it is very much appropriate. Like I've mentioned, I love the color, and flexible fabric and fit. My only issue with the blazer is that it isn't very fitted in the waist, which may because I was debating between sizes and  decided to size up. It fits well in the shoulders though which is the most important issue for me. While I've been dabbling in altering my own clothes (I slimmed the sides of both this polka dot popover and my chambray popover recently), I do not trust myself at all with the blazer. I think it'll be worth the ~$20 to have a tailor slim the sides for me so it looks more like this.

Blazer: Gap [exact - now $60 + 30% off]

Blouse: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Jeans: Joe's Jeans [same style]

Necklace: gift from my mom [save | splurge]

Watch: Kate Spade [exact]

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Nails: Essie Fifth Avenue & Julep Oscar

And for BEDIM: the thing I'm most afraid of. This is pretty easy for me to answer: failing. 

I'm not very used to failing because once I set my mind to something, I get it done. Starting medical school will be like a whole new world for me - the dedication needed to not only complete, but to do well, is something I have yet to experience. I'm terrified that I won't be able to handle it - the coursework, the new lifestyle, the lack of free time, the new roommate, the newly long distance relationship. I'm so afraid that I won't be able to handle it all as well as I want to but in the end, I don't have a choice in the matter. I have to not fail.

P.S. Congrats to Denial Renae Nichols for winning Tea & Sequins' $50 Gap Giftcard Giveaway. Be on the lookout for an email from us!

a light jacket

Yesterday was April 25th, and as well know, it is the perfect date. My "light jacket" was purchased in November when I was in Germany, but I have only had a chance to wear it once since then so I was actually pretty excited to finally be able to wear it. It wasn't too hot or too cold out ;)

In the past I've been somewhat of a jacket hoarder. I kept buying new ones because I wasn't satisfied with the old ones, but the new ones weren't that great either. I really want to end that cycle though. With this move coming up, I'm getting rid of everything that isn't something I actually like anymore, which includes a lot of my old jackets. I think in the end I'll only be taking 4 jackets with me (this one, my Burberry coat, my Banana Republic trench coat, and my thick heavy duty winter coat). I'll need a nice "professional" winter jacket sometime in the fall, and then I should be set on jackets for a really long time.

Not that winter jackets are something I need to be thinking about in April, but ya know...just planning ahead....talking myself through the process of packing up my life and moving three states away.

Jacket: from Germany [save | spend | awesome splurge]

Blouse: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Scarf: Victoria's Secret

Jeans: American Eagle [exact]

Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs [exact]

Earrings: Tiffany & Co. [exact]

Bracelets: Forever 21

Watch: Fossil [similar]

Nail Polish: Color Club Age of Aquarius

Ring: Galisfly [exact]

P.S. It's a great weekend for sales!
+ Tory Burch's Friends and Family Sale is going on (Code TBSPRING)
+ Loft is having a flash sale this morning = $50 off a purchase of $100+ full priced items (Code FLASHSALE)
+ J.Crew Factory is having another 50% off everything in store event like they did a few weeks ago when I get this skirt (which it's obviously still too cold for but I know will be a staple for my time off this summer)
+ Gap is having 40% off already reduced items (Code GAPSALE). I ordered this blazer yesterday during the 30% off everything.

P.P.S and in case you were debating blowing all your money, budgetting bloggers is going up tomorrow to remind you to be responsible :)

blog worthy?

Well I since I've been feeling chatty lately, I figured I might as well continue with that. 

In the past 5 days I've taken pictures of 3 different outfits and have not been happy enough with any of them to post them. They're all fine outfits, but really nothing that I feel deserves to be blogged. And that's how I feel now - that everything I wear now should be worthy of standing in the cold, taking pictures, editing, uploading, writing a post, tagging, and pushing publish. Truth is, sometimes pictures don't turn out the way I want (oh hey puppy butts in all of these pictures) or it's snowing too much, or I'm not really feeling the outfit, and so then I feel that I shouldn't put them on the internet for all of you to read since...it is not blog worthy.

But...that defeats what I want my blog to be. The outfits I wear on my blog are actual outfits I wear. I don't have someone to take my pictures during "the magic hour" - I take them myself with a tripod set up in the trunk of my car before I have to be at work by 7:30, and I don't have an endless supply of money to buy new things (or buy things, wear for the blog, and return). That's fine that that's how some people run their blogs/lives, but that sounds exhausting. Not everything (anything?) I wear is pinterest-worthy, but it is what a real girl wears in the real world and if nothing else, I learn something about myself and my closet every day, and that's what matters in the end.

So here are three of the outfits I felt weren't blog-worthy but will blog about anyway because like I've said, this is real life and not just dress up.

Outfit 1: 

Shirt: J. Crew Factory  [save | exact]

Sweater: Gap  [save]

Scarf: H&M

Jeans: Urban Outfitters  [exact]

Shoes: Tory Burch  [exact]

Watch: Fossil  [similar]

Bracelets: Tiffany & Co. [exact], J. Crew

Outfit 2:
Shirt: H&M  [save | splurge but on sale!]
Cardigan: Ann Taylor Outlet
Jeans: American Eagle  [exact]
Belt: Gap
Shoes: Tory Burch, thrifted by my mom!
Watch: Kate Spade  [exact]
Glasses: c/o Firmoo

Outfit 3:
Blazer: Christian Dior, thrifted  [save | splurge]
Jeans: Urban Outfitters  [exact]
Boots: Nicole via DSW  [exact]
Scarf: H&M
Watch: Target

Linking up with Mix and Match fashion!

taxed

Are you guys sick of me talking about school starting in 5 months? Me either...

But...with school starting and only working for another 4.5 months, I am really working on tucking money away. I'm putting my entire work bonus, a certain percentage of each paycheck, and the money I make from this blog into savings. I am also putting all but $250 of my tax return into savings. With those $250 I was planning on purchasing a few items from "the list". Last Friday I ordered this blazer as it was a color I was looking for, I wear my blue version all the time, and I knew what size I thought I needed. Well I received it today and it just didn't work - it was a little too tight in the shoulders and it felt too short. I think the 2% spandex in my blue version makes enough of a difference in fit that it just wasn't worth the money to keep.

So while I was returning the blazer, the sales associate convinced me I needed to look at the sale section (it took a bunch of convincing...). Another one of my items on my list is a pencil skirt. They had a lot of the black #2 pencil skirts on sale, so I tried a few on. I tried on my normal skirt/pants size, but it didn't even close. I went up one size, and it still didn't look right. Several ladies said that they sometimes have to size up two sizes. I think that's important to remember - it's not about the number on the tag but how it fits. I walked away without a skirt even though the price was good because the size they had in store wasn't going to work. I don't think I'm ready to put a bunch of money down on something I can't wear right now anyway.

What I can wear right now and in the future is this cute striped shirt, so it did come home with me :)

Shirt: Gap*

Blouse: J. Crew Factory {save | exact}

Jeans: Gap  {similar}

Scarf: c/o The Posh'mina

Boots: Steve Madden  {save | splurge}

Watch: Boccia

*I found this shirt hiding in my closet this weekend. I'm certain the last time I wore this shirt was in this picture, taken at a house party my sophomore year of college. so classy.

Linking up with wiww and Bri's Third Thursday Threads (POLKA DOTS!)

20ish days in, and no one has realized that I'm re-wearing something every day. Either I'm really good at TOPIO (not as likely) or people at work aren't paying attention (most likely).

double dots

Man, are my eyes staring straight into your soul or what?

OK, I'm going to be honest and say this isn't my favorite outfit of all time. This cardigan...is just is not working on me I think. I really love the idea of it, but it always looks like I gained 20 lbs when I wear it (which may be true after this weekend - making a carrot cake for Chris means I'm obligated to eat half of it - that's how that works, right?), and it's just a smidgen too short. I think I'm going to hang on to it in hopes that it will look better with skirts than with pants though. 

Although I'm not moving for another 4.5 months I am starting the slow process of packing, starting with my closet. Moving is the perfect opportunity to get rid of everything I don't really use -  I'm only going to take items with me that I truly wear. I started the process yesterday and realized I have 4 (FOUR) pairs of colored skinny jeans and I wear none of them because they all don't fit me. Talk about jumping on a trend even though it's not right for you, right? I love the colors, just not the fit. They, along with lots of other random pieces, will be listed on my new poshmark account. Feel free to look around and let me know if you have any questions/offers. I'll be updating periodically through the clean-up. Looking through the clothes I've purchased over the past five years, and what mistakes I've made, has been pretty humbling. It just feels like a lot of wasted money for items that aren't me, or don't fit my body. I think, for me at least, it really only reinforces the need to stick to a list of items while shopping, and hammering in that it's quality over quantity. Gahhhh, but sometimes it's just more fun to buy a bunch of shiny sparkly shirts than to save for those perfectly fitting trousers, ya know?

Blouse: J. Crew Factory  {save | exact}
Sweater: Forever 21  {similar}
Pants: Urban Outfitters*  {exact}
Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington  {exact}
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs  {exact}







*um yes, these are still my old pants. I really wanted to wear them Saturday night so I willed them to stay together at the seam with some help from patches and some not so neat stitching. I'm afraid to even wash them because I'm afraid they'll just fall apart. Those new pants need to really get here soon.

10 days left of TOPIO! I'm definitely enjoying the challenge of having to think about outfits around certain pieces but at the same time it'll be nice to just wear whatever I feel like that morning...although an outfit around simple shoes isn't exactly rocket science.









Linking up with Style Elixir and Marionberry Style!

booted

After our little snow storm yesterday I felt it was necessary to give the hussy ankles a break and actually wear boots. These boots are about 3 years old and now are definitely starting to show their wear - as I was playing around in the snow this afternoon with the pups I felt one foot getting wet...because there's a tiny hole in the boot.

Dang it. I have worn these pretty much to the ground though (it seems to be a theme in my current closet) so finding a new pair of boots is pretty important. I think instead of just brown boots I'm going to look for some two-tone boots (like this or this pair). My mom just bought a pair of gorgeous Frye two-tones shoes so I'm hoping to find something similar in my price range. 

Shirt: J. Crew Factory  {save | exact}
Vest: J. Crew  {similar}
Scarf: H&M
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact on sale}
Boots: Steve Madden  {save | splurge}
Earrings: Tiffany & Co.  {exact}
Watch: Fossil  {similar}

linking up with Plane Pretty's Sunday Style!

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.

tickled pink

I think that impending sickness I complained about implied was coming decided it wasn't going to mess around with me, and left to bother someone else. So to celebrate, I wore all of my favorite things today: polka dots, a bright scarf, a pretty ring won in a giveaway, and cute flats. 

I would like to thank my immune system for showing those germs who is boss, my boyfriend for making me food all weekend while I sulked about the "sickness" and my dogs for giving me snuggles whenever I asked for them.

I think from now on I'm going to fake sickness whenever I don't want to make dinner. Seems to work like a charm! ;)

Shirt: J.Crew Factory  {exact}
Scarf: c/o The Posh'mina  {exact}**
Jeans: Urban Outfitters  {exact}
Belt: Target
Flats: Marc by Marc Jacobs  {exact}
Watch: Boccia
Bracelet: Express
Ring: via The Demure Muse
Nails: Essie Ballet Slippers



**There's 2 days left to enter to win one of these bad boys. Enter here!

via Instagram.







linking up with wiww.

like a diamond

Happy New Year's Eve! We're being awesome and staying in to eat homemade tiramisu and watch movies instead of going out, so I wore my sparkles to work instead. I've been wanting to try the sparkly tank/collared shirt/blazer look ever since I pinned this look when I first joined Pinterest. I was double inspired when Jessica instagrammed a dressing room picture with a similar look. Although I've had this tank for over a year, I've only worn it a few select times because really, how often can you get away with a sequin covered torso?

I just received this polka dot popover from J. Crew Factory and I'm really excited about it - I think it'll quickly become a favorite in my closet. I ordered it in 2 different sizes and have decided to keep the large. If you are interested, I also have a medium and would be willing to sell it to you for the price I paid ($32 which includes shipping). It is currently $48.50 online. If not, I'll return it back to our nearest factory store but thought I would put it out there since it's currently $20 more expensive than what I got it for. Just send me an email at fhasselhof (at) gmail (dot) com if you're interested!  Sold!

Blazer: J. Crew  {exact}
Popover: J. Crew Factory  {exact}
Tank: Express  {save, splurge}
Jeans: American Eagle  {similar}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Bead Necklace: Wal-Mart  {similar}
Gem Necklace: Forever 21  {similar}
Watch: Fossil  {very similar}
Nails: seen here

via Instagram

Happy New Year! Can't wait to see what 2013 brings for all of us :). Linking up with the pleated poppy.