Posts Tagged ‘fashion’
Tax Free Weekend Shopping Finds
Posted on: August 3, 2013
Our First stop was Burlington Coat Factory where Dear Daughter concentrated on tops! She must have tried on 30,but was very decisive and had immediate No’s , Maybes and Definite Yes ones.
I am not going to do individual pricing on these because quite frankly I am too tired….I began editing these photos at 6:30 am on Saturday morning after a crazy wake up call with barking Canine dogs and policemen shouting in my side yard, right outside my bathroom window at 5:30 a.m. They apparently caught a shirtless teenager who my son thinks he knows.
So , yet another night of too little sleep… Today’s going to be a nap day.
DD declared, “This fit is to die for!” after trying this one on! Navy studded and shirred top, right up her alley.
I bought her a white one like this last week. She recently bought Cobalt Pumps.
Stripes and side shirring were the appeal here.
SShhh! Don’t tell her I have this in bright orange….
Every Irsih Gal needs a geen top!
Happy to see she got something other than a solid or stripe.
Black sweater with side shirring… She is starting from scratch so basics are necessity!
She has purchased and I have thrifted a few cardigans lately…
The total Cost for these Items at Burlington were $106.
These Next three are from Kohl’s
Lauren Conrad for $20… after the 20% off coupon I found online
So Jealous as I have been wanting one like this, but gotta say her body totally rocked this one!
Chaps top clearanced for $10.40 after coupon
Navy blue is well represented…
Our Final stop was a place she first discovered while at colllege in Farmville and ultimitaley purchased her graduation dress.
That wonderful store is CATO where she had great success.
And I had success too, this is my new denim vest for $21.00 and my only purchase of the day!
Great Layering sweater!
Surprise , surprise,, the girl who rocks jewel tones chose a pastel!
Apparently DD has a boho side!
Grey straight leg pants in tuxedo style with lace… Not much to love about pants in her opinion, but with these details strong like!
Lighter dress pants instead of all darks..
Lace peep toe booties!
Total Spent at Cato was $120
Dear Readers, all my conversations in the three days leading up to this abou ther attitude seemed to work and we had a delightful day!
I did my part to by walking away during the picking out phase and only participating in the fit part, and of course hanging things back up…
I was quite proud of her choices and realized three new things about DD from this trip…First , I already mentioned she has a boho side, second that she is more a minimalist and third that although similar heights we are opposites,,, I can wear petite tops but not pants… She can wear petire pants,but not tops… She also bought several basic tank tops for layering and even went home and ordered more from Kohls since her small size was not represented in store.
Now, she still needs skirts and a few more pants and jackets ( she only has one). Her other requests are for Mary Jane Pumps, a great workhorse shoe, tights and belts. She also has a desire for a lace top in creme.
She does have several other tops that we purchased over the last year for her internship.
What I feel is missing is prints which may be able to come in with the skirts and jackets.
And the best part of all is that she still has $100 in the budget I allocated to the day. Over the next few months we can fill in any holes she discovers. Just a reminder she had nothing but jeans and tshirts for college life prior to this.. Welll not quite true she loves dresses and has about 8 to 10 fantastic ones! This wardrobe is to take her to the next level of subsitute teaching for this next year and on to grad school the follwing year, so we have lots of time to refine it.
Dear Readers, If you made it this far, thanks for joining my journey with my one and only daughter!
- In: Boots | Fall Fashion Colors | Maxi skirt
- 7 Comments
I am frowning at the thought of this being my final day of this challenge. I am convinced that I must make this a regular feature. It was just too much fun!
Linking up for Friday Faves
Today’s inspiration attracted me because I love a maxi skirt. I know not everyone is on the maxi skirt trend, but those of us who are really are committed to it. For those of you who aren’t how about just using black pants instead?
I wanted a chance to wear and show off my new moto jacket I recently picked up from ebay, so here is my version:
I have to be honest and say I really struggled finding shoes I liked for this look… I ended up using black booties, but am still not satisfied with them.. I also want to confess that I had no where to go on the day I took this photo and didn’t wear it in my real life… I really wanted to take one photo without the necklace, but forgot. This look is very strong with the all black and just the belt as an accessory…
So the question is can I get away with wearing this with my black booties or does anyone have another suggestion? I really loved the feeling of this and felt very true to myself in this outfit and can see myself wearing it if I can just feel right about the shoe situation….Dear Readers, Chime in Please!
So, now a recap of the week….
Gratitude- I am grateful for finishing this challenge as it was fun,but a lot of work…I am grateful for the upcoming weekend and a break from homeschooling. I am grateful to my husband for how hard her works for our family. I am grateful for the blessing of Nicholas in my life and an excuse to celebrate him as he turns 17 on Saturday!
As Always dear readers, I would love to hear from you, comments can be left at the top of this post… Let me know which outfit you like and I will tell you my favorite on Monday. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend…
Hounds tooth, what can I say? LOVE IT! I can not seem to get enough of it. I really don’t own a lot of it, but am constantly finding myself drawn to it. Wondering perhaps if I shouldn’t seek it out in a purse or other accessory so that I can wear it more often… Now, that’s a thought….
Now for the original inspiration…. I really liked this color shirt underneath and just the casualness of adding it to a pair of jeans…. This was originally from CACHE, but is coming up as no longer available….
My version! Now come on you didn’t expect me to do a black and white hounds tooth, when Navy can be found? I happened upon this lucky find while thrifting and could not be happier that it was navy instead of black. Don’t we all have enough black in our wardrobes? Not that I have anything at all against black…
I opted to add a scarf to this look since it felt more like me than the original … Please take notice of my pattern mixing here as I am brand new at this concept… Loving this so much just have to add another pose
and one more, this time with a hat, to really be more like myself…. I definitely can see me doing this look for a casual night out with friends.
I am actually feeling kind of sad that I only have one more day left in this Challenge! I might just have to make this a regular feature for my blog….I love it, this is my blog and I get to play with it and design it any way I chose!
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the final day of this week long Challenge and to vote for which outfit you like best?
As always Dear Readers, your comments are welcomed and appreciated… head back to the top of this post to leave your comments, I look forward to reading them!
I specifically searched Pinterest for something to wear my olive jacket with since I hadn’t worn it yet on my blog. I was attracted a lot to the contrast of the brown boots with the black pants. I know that for my petite body that all black would elongate me, but don’t want to limit myself too much. There is just no fun in sticking to such tight rules…
Here is the original Inspiration, which can be found at http://ajourneyinstyle.blogspot.com/2012/10/safari-green-and-stripes.html . I prefer this look for my body type with a thinner belt and down lower….
.In my version I opted for vertical stripes and my heeled cowboy style boots. I chose those boots for two reasons… First of all it more closely matched the color of my belt than my tobacco colored flat boots and secondly, they are a little lower down on my leg line and I thought it might help elongate me,
So far, I have to say, I didn’t have as much fun with this outfit as I did the previous two and think looking at my next two, that this will remain my least exciting one. I guess no coincidence that this is on hummppphhh day! I am happy to wear my olive jacket! I also think this look really is most flattering and I will definitely rock this one again!
We are having really nice weather this week and in the sun it actually feels too warm for the jacket layer Took this on Monday when I had a photographer home and the high for the day was 73 degrees….Seeing so many other bloggers dealing with snow right now and feeling lucky since I don’t like it much….Of course on Tuesday we had rain and the temp dropped to 46.
I am really enjoying this challenge and can’t wait to photograph the next two outfits… Come back and visit tomorrow to see the next Pinterest Inspiration….
Gratiude: I am grateful for unseasonably warm weather and the sunshine Monday when I took the photos…. I am grateful for the conversation with my daughter today. I am grateful that I already have most of the items needed to make Thanksgiving dinner…
As always Dear Readers, your comments are welcomed and appreciated, just head back to the top of the post to leave your comments….
- In: Uncategorized | Vest
- 6 Comments
Today is the outfit I am most excited about ! Ever since I rewarded myself for reaching the halfway point in my weight loss by purchasing a faux fur vest, I wanted to wear it with a dress.
Remember Tuesday is Weigh in Day and my results are at the bottom of this post....
The Inspiration Picture:
This was actually a catalog photo that I enlarged, sorry for quality…. I so wanted to curl my hair and have it be wavy for my version, but time didn’t allow for that…. I am a busy home schooling mother…
My Version is not as boho as the inspiration dress, but the rule for me was not purchasing anything to complete this challenge. I feel great in this one! I am disappointed that the feeling I have in this doesn’t translate into the photo as it doesn’t look fabulous… I have to say it makes me look heavier than I am and after losing 35 lbs, I certainly don’t want that… I feel so good with the swish of this dress and downright sassy, so going to try this once I am down another 19lbs and at goal. I must say that I wore this out to the Verizon store, BJ’s and Sam’s Club and did notice some admiring looks from women,so I guess it was better than I thought.
Had to include me trying walking in the photo instead of a still pose…
Since I recently picked up this snakeskin dress while thrifting, I had to try this look as well because the first dress was flowing and had volume while this one has a straight cut. Well, after yesterday’s post and now this, you can see I really love animal print and always have. It is so great how much the vibe of each of these changes with what dress you use with the vest. This is the first time wearing booties and tights with a dress. I think the lower boots work well here…. I love challenging myself to try new things and I am proud of myself for doing so! I will wear this look again, soon….
I know for me that I only used two dresses that were in the browns in keeping with the inspiration photos, but the options really are endless..Such a simple look anyone can do. I hope I have inspired you to go search out your dresses and play in your closets and have some fun! It’s more fun than therapy….and better than eating mindlessly…
Weigh In Results- I lost 1.2 lbs this week which is a relief because I stress ate yesterday to the tune of three 7 point bags of chips… This is the first time I did anything like this since March.
Gratitude-I am grateful that my almost 17 year old son (November 17th) has matured and is very focused on school and is so adamant that we go to college night tonight. I am grateful any time my children become self-motivated and I get to see them taking responsibility.
Dear Readers. Your comments are appreciated and welcomed so please CHIME IN ! Comments can be left at the top of this post, thank you!
Next week, November 12th -16th begins my first challenge inspired by the lovely ladies at You Look Fab. The challenge is for this week to find five Pinterest photos and use them in my own interpretation to inspire an outfit. My outfits will be loose interpretations using colors that are paired together on some and closer matches should my wardrobe provide the needed items. I am not buying anything to complete this week long event.
Below are the five inspiration outfits :
This was an easy pick for me as I am a lover of all things animal print. I also own an orange sweater I recently thrifted.
I purchased a faux fur vest as a reward for my weight loss and have not worn it yet. I am itching to do this one most of all. This has a very boho print dress that doesn’t represent anything in my closet, but I like my version.
I really wanted to incorporate an olive jacket into this challenge and think this is a good one for me to conjure up. I like the matching belt and boots here. I do think her belt looks up a little high here…
I recently bought a navy hounds-tooth jacket at the thrift store and searched Pinterest for an inspiration that would give me a reason to wear it in a casual way.
I just love maxi skirts and wanted an excuse to wear one. I will definitely not be wearing strappy sandals in my fall version of this.
It was very difficult to pair down which five I was going to do. I spent an entire day perusing Pinterest for inspirations and going back and forth from my computer to my closet pulling items... I am excited to be doing a challenge and hope you will join me daily for this adventure.
I was quite surprised that I did not choose anything with a scarf in the look as I love them. I think there is pattern enough in all but the last look that makes a scarf totally unnecessary and that is a learning experience for me.
In searching through my closet I decided not to go shopping any more this season. I own A LOT of clothes. Once I reach my goal weight I would like to invest in some colored skinny jeans, but other than that don’t need much. I will have to alter some of my favorites and will need the money for that instead. Thrifting is an addiction and therapy in some ways for this stay at home mother who didn’t take care of herself for years…. So, think I will restrict myself to purses and shoes and belts. I already hear myself protesting and making a list of Christmas presents to tell everyone I want….
If you join me on this venture by all means please post information in the comment sections so we may see your journey as well. Maybe some day soon I will learn how to do a link party but not this week….
Gratitude- I am grateful for the weekend and time with friends and family. I am grateful for Weight Watchers and the support in my weight loss journey. I am grateful for the people in my life who bring laughter into my world. I am grateful for the generosity and kindness of others.
Have a wonderful weekend and don’t forget to stop by on Monday as I begin my challenge.
Dear Readers, your comments are welcomed and appreciated
Mom on the Go
Posted on: November 7, 2012
So happy that the election is over and I won’t have to keep erasing messages that keep filling up my answering machine daily. Being in a swing state of Virginia means they get to harass you. I almost envy my friends who only have cell phones and were not subjected to this part of the election process. I can’t imagine what Floridians were subjected to. Now the decision has been made.
Today I get an extra treat of a longer time to hang out with my friend at the mall while the theater children are having a rehearsal. It is so important for stay at home mother’s to take good care of themselves and have friendships, hobbies and even put themselves first sometimes. I was blessed to have had a mother who set a really good example of this and I always knew this was important for me to do to ensure that I don’t give myself totally away and have regrets later or not allow my children to grow independent of me. My children have so benefited from this and I am proud to say, I gave them wings.
I hope that some day my daughter and the wives of my son’s can say about me what I say about my mother and make good choices and support their spouses need to maintain individuality. Don’t know why I am feeling so deep today. I am really missing my daughter who won’t be home until Thanksgiving and am probably feeling very sentimental as my son’s 17th birthday is next weekend. It really is the beginning of that holiday season that makes you miss loved ones who now watch over us instead of sharing our daily lives. I welcome this time to cherish their memories, to evaluate how they helped mold me, and to check that I am being the best version of myself. Anyone else feeling this so early in the holiday season?
I love my new jacket that is from Hong Kong and purchased from Ebay. There are really a lot of feminine touches in this jacket. My daughter has a love of Japan including their fashions and introduced me to it. The shoulders have a really cute gathering detail that puffs up a little and the cuffs on the sleeves are an extra detail. It does not button and is meant to hang open. The best part of this little beauty is the back. Loved it so much I have a photo to show you:
My husband’s insight was that it is like the Anime characters and their outfits…..Excuse the white marks. I leaned against a fence and it brushed off. I did get it off later, so no worries. It was my husband’s suggestion to take the photos in the tree. He really takes his role as photographer very seriously. You should hear him suggesting how to move my head and where to place my hands….
I would really need to wear some tights with this later in the season, but don’t currently own any to match this. So dear readers opinions are desired…. What color tights should I get for this combo?
Outfit Details-
Green Sweater Dress- Chadwicks- last year
Orange Jacket- Ebay- recent
Boots- Chadwicks- no longer available
Scarf- Remixed
Purse- Thrifted
Tomorrow I will be showing my shorter winter coats and Friday I will be announcing my first Blog Challenge, so come back and visit.
Dear Readers, Your comments are welcomed and appreciated!
Don’t for get to stop by and see all the ladies linking up with http://www.rolleduppretty.com/ and www.thepleatedpoppy.com
I have been waiting to show off this mint outfit. I bought this when I was heavier and the skirt was too tight. Here it is for the 80 degree weather. I love reaping the benefits of my weight loss. This top use to be too tight n the bust area….Weight Loss is a fun journey…. These photos were taken on Monday.
And here with the addition of a sweater for a cool air conditioning or as the temp drops in evening. I tied the sweater to create a shorter version in keeping with my new goals of dressing my petite body frame. I think it works….
Close up of the details of the top, which I love. I love feminine detailing or detailing of any kind for that matter…
If you click on this photo you can enlarge it for a better close -up, when I posted it larger myself it became distorted.
Outfit Details
Silk Blouse – Chadwicks online last year
Skirt – Chadwicks online last year
Sweater- TJ Maxx, ages ago…
Nude Pumps- Payless -recent
Snakeskin Purse- Marc Bower via QVC recent
Bracelets – vintage via Ebay
Tomorrow is Friday, which means “MY LUCKY FIND’S” from thrifting and other shopping. Come back and see how I did…
My Lucky Finds
Posted on: October 5, 2012
This week was a good one for thrift store finds. I love being able to get great fashions at affordable pricing. Since I am currently losing weight and unsure of my exact goal sizing this is a perfect solution. I don’t know if I have said this on my blog before, but, I LOVE DRESSES and SKIRTS. I wouldn’t mind wearing them everyday. I love feeling like a woman and embracing my femininity and there is no better way for me than dresses and skirts. Let’s face it dresses are the simplest way to have a great impact outfit. They definitely fit my goal of creating a Versatile Style wardrobe. I love that I can wear them plain, add a sweater and a jacket in fall and winter, wear heels, flats, wedges, boots, shooties and tights. The goal of pieces that can be worn for more than one season is easily done with dresses and skirts. I must say, I like dresses more and more now that I have dropped my weight.
Looking at trends and loving graphic prints is what attracted me to this dress. It gets bonus points for the burgundy coloring as well. Not to mention the fit is fantastic… Can’t wait to style this one! I never pay full price at the thrift stores for dresses, but this week broke that trend twice! $6.99
Another graphic print I found this week was this skirt by Geoffrey Beene. This skirt is a size 2 and has spandex. Knowing this brand ran big and with my continued weight loss goals, I decided to try this on and, lo and behold I got it all the way zipped up! Too tight yes, but definitely doable in the near future. My advice is to do what I did by comparing the skirt to a size 6(goal size) and seeing that they looked darned close. In the past I might not have done this and would have just looked at the size 2 and moved on. So glad I didn’t as I love this print. Half price at just $2.50.
This next dress is by ACG and a size 6. My friend pointed this one out to me and I almost didn’t try it. I was intrigued by the pockets, gotta love a dress with pockets! I also loved the print, but I was wary of the high neckline. I have an aversion to the current trend of sheath dresses for that exact reason. If you have a bigger bust, high necklines don’t flatter you, in my humble opinion. So once again trying things on is key. This dress was tight ,which is all I am buying right now, since I have kicked up the exercise and expect the inches to start falling off. I have to say I loved this dress and the neckline wasn’t so high that it covered my collarbone, so was flattering, and the open back was to die for! Anyway long story short, brought it home and tried it on with some Spanx and I don’t have to wait to lose weight! Gonna style this one very soon! Price $6.99
I have to say I love Nylon sweaters, no pilling and they last forever! This color was one I have wanted- SOLD! By Joseph A. Half priced at just $2.50
This top, I adore! It really feels like a statement piece. You really can’t tell from the photo but it is actually Navy with black lines running through it. Right on trend with the black/navy combo that I love. It is made by Stera and is very thick like a sweater and both zips and has snaps. For $2.50 I had to have it. Anyone know anything about the Stera brand?
And last of all, a new pair of shoes…. These are by Mudd , which I know is mostly a junior brand, but I couldn’t help it and snagged them for just $4.00. I had these on the bedroom floor right outside the closet and my husband noticed , picked them up and asked about them. He said he really liked these, I think he liked them even more when he heard the price tag! I am starting to wear heels more and like any guy, that is a turn on….
I hope that my thrifting journey inspires you and gives you ideas of your own because if it’s just “look what I got” then I have failed at my goal, which was to educate on what great finds are in thrift stores that can match with current trends at awesome prices. If anyone local is too intimidated to go thrifting alone, I can go with you! If not local, grab an adventurous friend and make a day of it!
I have to give a shout out to my friend Sue (my Weight Watcher Buddy) whose love of thrifting has inspired me to go back to something I had forgotten I loved! I have to say she has great taste and quite often makes suggestions for me. This week she even found me a cashmere black sweater. I have never owned cashmere and although it might have fit her, she turned it over to me. Now that’s a true friend… Love you Sue!
This completes week two of my blogging adventure and I am having so much fun! I intend to have a weekend full of family, friends and laughter. I wish you all the same!
I have a blog post planned for Monday entitled, ” Living in Gratitude”. Can’t wait to share my personal journey!
Wide Leg Ankle Pants
Posted on: October 4, 2012
- In: Petite | vintage jewelry | Weight Loss
- 2 Comments
I never thought I would experiment with wide leg ankle pants, but these went on sale for a good price and I thought I should just give it a try. Of course, I had to attempt this look in a bright pink color. Why not, if I am doing this, might as well do it in a big way. I think I always steered away from the idea of this because I thought my petite height wouldn’t let me pull this off. I think it worked out and am glad I was brave enough to go for it. 
In the interest of total honesty between you my readers and myself, I have a confession to make. These pants fit better before I lost over 20lbs and in fact are I have over 2 inches of spare room in the waist. I love them and just really wanted a chance to photograph them before I have to put them aside. Don’t know if my tailor can work magic to alter these when I get to my goal weight, but it doesn’t hurt to ask….
The good news is that when these pants went on an even lower clearance price I snatched them up in my goal weight size in a orange/coral color!
I am not sure what it is about sitting poses, but I really seem to like them. Can you believe we were at 84 degrees with 94% humidity that made it feel really muggy yesterday? I am so craving crisp fall weather. We’ve had a few glimpses, but when will it be here to stay?
Outfit Details
Pants– www.metrostyle.com – bought this spring
Top– www.metrostyle.com
Sweater– One I’ve owned for a long time
Shoes– Westies- Sears clearance last week
Purse– Olivia & Joy- thrifted
Necklace– locket that belonged to my grandmother
Bracelets– part of an Ebay lot of over 100 vintage bracelets
Earrings- gold hoops www.whispers.com
This is such a bold look for me and I am so proud of myself for pulling it off! Anyone else do a look that was a bold move on their part they want to share?
I am having so much fun with this blog and want to thank you for taking time to take a look around and support my efforts! Tomorrow will be “MY LUCKY FINDS”.
Versatile Style by Tracey 
