February 2014 Deals

Inspired by fashion bloggers who post monthly shopping recaps and budget recaps for the month, I've put one of my own together for February. We'll see if I can keep up on keeping track of everything and post in future months. For me, it seems like a fun way to catalog my wardrobe, and hopefully show that you can find some great pieces at a fraction of what they'd retail for. 

I've always loved finding great deals on quality fashions, so what a great idea to keep track of what you find, when and where you find it and how great the deal was. Some bloggers set a monthly shopping budget. I haven't really done that, other than listening to my inner voice saying, don't go too buck wild! I know there are some months where I won't buy anything and others like this month (my birthday month, combined with great winter sales) where I might do a little extra on the "treat yo-self" front. It should also be noted, that I'm a single professional lady without kids, so that might color how much I decide to spend on things.

So what did I find? 

Sandro black and silver crepe dress. Nordstrom Rack. Retail $320. Paid $36.

Joe's Jeans skinny coated black jeans. Nordstrom Rack. Retail $218 . Paid $52

Target faux black leather shift dress. Retail $27.99. Paid $8.38

Target black and white beanie hat. Retail $12. Paid $12.

Patagonia Better Sweater Zip Coat in Whiskey Plum. Patagonia online. Retail $179. Paid $107 *(used birthday money! - update, I ended up returning this after all!)

Patagonia Low Sky Parka in Black. Patagonia online. Retail: $249. Paid $149 

Total Retail: $1005.99 ($826.99 minus the Better Sweater return)

Total Spent: $364.38 ($257.38 minus Better Sweater)

Total Saved: 641.61 ($569.61 minus Better Sweater)

I bought the Sandro dress and the Joe's jeans at the same time. The dress is a great shift to wear over the jeans. The short dress over skinny jeans is a definite wardrobe staple of mine. 

The faux leather dress from Target - the clearance rack. Duh! It feels so much like real leather, it's uncanny. Another reason to feel good about this dress - Saint Laurent did the original for well over $2,000. and this one looks damn good for pennies on that price. I will wear this over skinny jeans and already wore it to my book club dinner last weekend.

Black and white beanie. I have gray and white beanie and mere days before finding this at Target was thinking, "I need to find a replacement for this - it's getting a bit worn out and snagged." If you're like me at all, you wear and wear your favorites until you need to retire them and hopefully find suitable replacements. 

The Patagonia jackets. I know, I bought two! They haven't arrived yet. I was drawn to the black parka first as a replacement for a jacket I've had for a long time who's lining is completely shredded. Then I loved the idea of the Better Sweater jacket. Couldn't decide by looking at them online alone, so I ordered them both (free shipping). I may end up returning one of them, or keeping them both. We shall see. (Yes, ended up returning the Better Sweater. I kept trying it on,  but it wasn't making it into my wardrobe rotation.)

The Ride

Seriously, you guys. Free People has done it again with their latest video. Capturing so much in just 2:43 minutes. It's like they've been inside my brain! Ha! And that music. I mean, really!? Wow! And how much fun would shooting this have been?

Weekend Uniform

Does your hoodie match the rug like mine does? Ha! #favoritecolor

Do you ever get so enamored with an outfit you feel like you could wear it forever? That's where I'm at with this outfit. Call it my weekend uniform. I wore a variation of it last weekend and this was Saturday's outfit. I realized that it's pretty much screams teen skater boy. Right?! I posted a pic of the hoodie/hat combo last weekend on instagram and got some random likes from the 20 and under crowd. Kind of hilarious considering how old I actually am. But I love that I can still pull this off. It's comfortable, yet I still feel pulled together and stylish.

Shoes: Wedge high tops from Target with a a little stud detail on the velcro strap.
Pants: Skinny gray cords that I've had for a few years.
Hoodie: From the boy's section at Target. No joke. I love it though.
Jean jacket: BCBG Maxazria Jeans.
Hat: Calvin Klein from Nordstrom Rack. Picked it up after Christmas and pretty much have been wearing it non-stop since.

What outfit are you rockin' on repeat?

2012 Academy Awards: Fashion

Did you watch the big show? I'm actually watching the Academy Awards right now and watched the red carpet coverage that preceded the show. One thing I noticed while pulling photos for my round up of favorite Oscar dresses is that so many of the gowns photograph differently than they show during the actual broadcast. And they probably look even that much different in person. That would be a dream come true, to actually be there on the red carpet to see all the gowns and stars in person!

I'm excited to see who takes home the big awards tonight, right now they're having a Cirque du Soleil moment. The award for best supporting actor should be coming up soon though. Let's get to the gowns, shall we?

(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Michelle Williams wearing Louis Vuitton 

The color is being referred to as "coral" which makes me happy, because of the whole, "no red on the red carpet" rule. The details on this gown looked gorgeous during the telecast. The tiny jeweled bow at the waist was a brilliant touch. Michelle always gets it so right! 

(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Rooney Mara wearing Givenchy

Overall, she looks lovely. Make up and hair are flawless. The neckline and trimming across the bust are not my favorite and I would have chosen a color, but that's not been her red carpet style that I can remember, so she is staying true to her style. There's something to be said for that.

(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Image)

Gwyneth Paltrow - Tom Ford

Staying with a style, Gwyneth has that down. I like the addition of the cape for the red carpet. She removed if for her stint as a presenter with Robert Downey Jr. and the dress itself was pretty. Her make up looked radiant on the broadcast. I love the cuff bracelet too!

(Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage)

Emma Stone - Giambattista Valli

She just presented and her perky newcomer schictk was making me a little nervous, but she pulled it off. Sigh. She broke the no red on the red carpet rule, but she did so with style. The shade is just right. And it looks much more stunning when you can actually see the movement and the drape of the gown. Well done!

(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Tina Fey - Carolina Herrera

 Tina Fey doesn't usually do glitz and glitter. This simple and elegant gown is perfect for her at the Oscars. It reminds me of old Hollywood with the peplum waist. Simple, not over-done hair was the solid choice too! 

(Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Octavia Spencer - Tadashi Shoji

Beautiful everything! She looks lovely! I really love the cut of this dress on her, it's perfectly flattering. The sparkles are also a winning look and yes, she did take home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work in "The Help."

So, what were your favorites? I always ask and so rarely do you answer! 

2012 Golden Globes: Fashion

Award season is officially upon us with the 2012 Golden Globes taking place tonight at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. I did not watch the telecast, so will have to catch video highlights tomorrow. I did, however, just look through about 40 pages of arrival photos to pick out some of my favorite red carpet looks to share with you. I was a little underwhelmed, to be honest. I don't feel like there was any one look that owned the red carpet. We saw tons of flesh/neutral colors, which all blend together when so many other ladies are wearing it.  

So here are my top pics from tonight's red carpet. A few of these ladies have been in my top picks from previous years, so I guess I like the work their stylists are doing. I would be curious to know who worked with whom in pulling the looks together. Who wore your favorite looks tonight? 

(Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Kate Beckinsale in Roberto Cavalli

Kate's whole look is old Hollywood glamour. The hair, jewels and the cut of the gown. I love the straight strapless neckline. She looks like she's 100% comfortable in this glammed out look, which is how one should look on the red carpet! 

(Photo: Jason Vespa/WireImage)

Heidi Klum in Calvin Klein Collection

So here's Heidi rocking a nudie colored column dress with a turquoise and diamond necklace. I'm a sucker for turquoise, which is mainly why I chose to feature Heidi's look. That and the back of the dress, which was very low cut. Being that the Golden Globes are little more relaxed than the Oscars, I think this works as a Golden Globes look. It certainly doesn't have enough punch to make it at the Oscars. 

(Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Freida Pinto in Prada

I'm all about this color for Freida. I would have liked to see how this moved on the red carpet, as the skirt photographs a little stiff. She's wearing a Chopard gold and diamond bib necklace that barely shows up in this photo. That's a true pity because with 145 total carats of yellow diamonds and 1,705 micro pave diamonds, it should knock us out. Hopefully it did in person!

(Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Nicole Richie in Julien MacDonald

No changes. This is gorgeous. I love the texture and the back of the dress, is stunning. 

(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Charlize Theron in Dior Couture 

Charlize pretty much always looks lovely. I would have changed this up a little by removing the pouf so it would be more of a smooth/clean silhouette. Otherwise, I'm a fan.

Anthro Revisited

Yeah, I've got another Anthropologie set for you! Are you mad, bro? So maybe I did max out my "wouldn't it be nice?" credit card! Ha! Every time I play around on Polyvore making these outfit sets, I remember how much fun it is to style outfits. I love pulling fun looks together. 

One of my favorite looks is wearing these kind of shift dresses over skinny pants. So I pulled two looks together using a pair of skinny cream cords as the base. You get two really simple, yet pulled together outfits. They would be perfect for an office casual work situation.

I love that you can really mix and match with all these pieces so easily. The jackets would go with either dress and so do the shoes. I'd love to actually try these looks on at the store! Sometimes things layer really well and sometimes they just don't and you end up feeling lumpy. If that ended up being the case you could wear the dresses over leggings for winter or bare legs when the temps warm up a bit. Or skip the dresses and pair a simple t-shirt or turtle neck under either jacket with the cords. 

What do you think? Are you buying either look with your "wouldn't it be nice?" credit card? Or perhaps you have some similarly shaped pieces in your closet already that you could pull together for a similar silohoutte? I'm feeling inspired, we'll see if the inspiration carries over to my outfit tomorrow or later this week. 

Groovy. Fun. Fashion.

For anyone in fashion, this video is already old - it's for Prada spring/summer 2011, but for me it's timeless! I LOVE all the clothes. The stripes and the colors, oh my! And they chose wisely for the music - it's Mirando by Ratatat. Such a fun campaign. I need to be working in fashion. Or food! Ha!

More Oscar Dresses!

After announcing my favorite dress last night belonged to Mandy Moore, I promised that I'd come back with a few more of my favorite red carpet looks from the Academy Awards. Without further adieu, here you go:

Hailee Steinfeld in Marchesa (Getty)

This is such a fun, very age appropriate look for young Miss Steilfeld! I love this length dress and love the fact that she had a hand in designing it along with Marchesa. I bet it looked even better in person. I would love to see the detailing on the skirt. I'm wondering if it's beading?

Reese Witherspoon in Giorgio Armani Prive (Instyle.com, no photo credit)

I saw tons of mentions of Reese's alter ego Elle Woods in the red carpet rundowns today. I'd say she's more of a Barbie Girl in a Barbie World! Vintage Barbie came alive through Reese last night and she looked beautifully put together. The dress itself wasn't overly fussy, some might say boring, but with the hair and make up she achieves a fun, modern vintage look.

Helen Mirren in Vivienne Westwood (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Strike a pose, Helen! Thumbs up on this color! The shoulders are a touch over done for my taste, I'd like to see something more simple, but Ms. Mirren is working it! The only bitty detail I'd change is to remove the necklace that hangs down over the dress. I would have put her in a diamond choker necklace.

Michelle Williams in Chanel (Getty)

Really, Michelle Williams can do no fashion wrong in my eyes. The girl knows what works on her. She tends to go simple, yet elegant and she always looks beautiful and effortless. From her hair (total hair crush on her!) to her makeup, she's flawless.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein (Getty)

Gwyn sort of looks like she could be Oscar's girlfriend - metallic and statuesque. I dig this look, it's simple, yet stunning. I totally want her glow and her hair. She and Calvin Klein have a winning relationship when it comes to Oscar dresses, he dressed her for her Shakespeare In Love win. Remember that simple pink number she wore?

Hillary Swank in Gucci Premiere (Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Hey, Hillary! I know we've never met and that dress is probably on loan from Gucci, so it's probably not yours to let me borrow, but I must borrow it! I've got nowhere particular to go in such a gown, but it's so old Hollywood and glamourous, I'd surely find somewhere to wear it!

Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang (Getty)

Being of very pale skin like Sandy, I would love to think that I could look this gorgeous in red. I thought she looked lovely and after the year she's had, I'm happy for her!

Favorite Oscar Dress

Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier

photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage

It's far too late to start an entire red carpet rundown for the 2011 Academy Awards, so for now I'll just leave you with my favorite look of the night. The dress was gorgeous on the broadcast, dare I say my favorite. I do like it a tiny bit less in photos. We shall see if it hangs on to the title of favorite as I sift through the rest of the photos from tonight! I'll be back soon with more favorite looks!

Herve Leger

Herve Leger print ad (want this dress!)

For as long as I can remember I've admired the look of Herve Leger "bandage" dresses. They have an iconic look and not overly done from a design standpoint, meaning you can always tell when someone is wearing one. They are body hugging and sex-y! The skinny girls and curvy girls alike have been known to rock them on the runway and the red carpet.

Kate Winslet in Herve Leger (she looks Ah-mazing!)

Herve Leger Fall 2008 (via RunwayDaily.com)

I love scoping the racks for designer deals at our Nordstrom Rack. While out over the weekend I found an actual Herve Leger on the clearance rack! I knew I wasn't going to buy it, but had to try it on, just to say I've tried one on! HA! I LOVED how it fit, but was not so fond of this sort of cut out/lace up detail on the side. You can barely see it in the pic below (yeah, that's me snapping the dressing room mirror shot! haha!)

So, if you live in town, and you're in the market for your own Herve Leger at a steal of a price, go scoop it up. It's a small and is marked WAY down from what it would originally retail for! I bet it won't last long!

Fashion Week Style

Jill over at Good Life For Less blogged about this and how could I not participate in the fun? I just pulled together a warm, front row-worthy look for Bergdorf Goodman's Fashion Director, Linda Fargo to wear during F/W 2011 New York Fashion Week. Bergdorf's has paired up with Polyvore for quite the contest to style Ms. Fargo. Why not participate for a chance to head to Lincoln Center to take in a few shows!

Here's how I came up with my look for Ms. Fargo. First of all, I lived through a New York City winter, it can be very cold! And, they've been getting walloped by snow this winter, so she definitely needs layers, (not pictured, but I'd put a black tissue T under the dress), sensible footwear, and some protection from the elements.

I dug around for some photos of Ms. Fargo, so I could get a feel for her personal style. From what I can gather (photos via Zimbio):

She wears leather and fur. The scarf I chose for her is faux!

She looks fab in red and with a great red lip!

She's pro-scarf!

She digs an animal print (who doesn't?!) and she carries a large handbag to the shows!

Here's my look for Ms. Linda Fargo! What do you think? Click the link and it will take you over to my Polyvore page so you can see all the fashionable details!

NYFW * Linda Fargo

2011 Golden Globes: Fashion

It's award season again! I've seen many of the movies creating a buzz this time around and am always excited to see who wins which awards. And of course, it's always exciting to see what people wear! Here's a quick round up of some of my favorite looks from tonight's 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards red carpet. They're in no particular order, but are color coded for your enjoyment - pinks, neutrals and black! All photos: Getty Images

Natalie Portman in Viktor & Rolf

Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama for Black Swan

Megan Fox in Armani Prive

Juliana Marguiles in vintage YSL

Maria Menounos in Pamella Roland

Michelle Williams in Valentino

Carrie Underwood in Badgley Mischka

Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung

Olivia Wilde in Marchesa

Eva Longoria in Zac Posen

Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture for The Fighter

Ryan Gosling in black velvet Ferragamo suit

Who wore your favorite looks of the evening? Did anyone surprise you? Were there any looks or trends you weren't too fond of?

Too Cute Boots

Need vs. Want. Since I'm probably not buying, let's just say (pssst, Santa are you listening?) I wouldn't be mad if any of these found their way under the Christmas tree this year! My favorites are the Greenwich and Athens. I almost bought the Athens boots on super sale over on Gilt.com last week, but since I don't "need" them I didn't pull the trigger. I also saw them in brown at TJ Maxx this weekend. So now at least I know that an 8.5 would, indeed, fit in case I come across them again on sale! Never pay full price, there's always a sale on the horizon!