Pretty and Preppy in Oxfords

I like to mix and mingle with different styles. Even before the days of thrifting, I considered my style pretty eclectic and hodge podge. It's the fashion fickle in me, I guess. Oxfords appeal to my miniscule preppy side. They have always been my thing.

Style File: violet scarf and metallic gold oxfords

I'm doing an outfit repeat. I've already done denim on denim for the blog. It's just so easy that I did it again. This time I switched it up with different accessories though. I'm wearing my new infinity scarf with gold oxfords. 

I'm wearing the heck out of the scarf. As with most of my diy projects, I go through a phase where I wear it hardcore and then it fades away never to be seen again. My fashion fickleness runs rampant through diy projects too.

This pic was probably taken after the "pellet" incident. Pellets make me sigh. Keep reading...

Eyes are on V. No idea why I'm duck lipping. I was probably going into mama mode OR begging for kisses.

eyes still on V...

I'm rocking some of Black Friday haul mixed in with gold bangles I've had for years and a Stella & Dot bracelet I won in a Momtrends Monday Mingle giveaway.

infinity scarf // home sewn

chambray jacket // Ralph Lauren Blue Label / thrifted

jeans // Akira

peep toe oxfords // 9 west

V is showing me the squishy wet greenish brown pellets she found on the ground. Lovely. Back inside we go.

Cheers.

Embroidered Blazer + Slim Crop Jeans

I try to stop myself from buying blazers. I own too many and I rarely wear them. They don't really fit with my lifestyle. However, it's not everyday that you find a cute little embroidered blazer at the thrift store. 

Watch Me Neigh Neigh in Horse Print

No worries. I'm not going to abuse you with a piss-poor whip / nae nae dance. I just want to call attention to the horse print vintage dress from my last thrift haul.

It's so hard to find true vintage in thrift stores anymore AND in such great condition. It must be polyester to survive and still be viable at this age but it feels like a woven fabric. I washed it too. No color loss either. Definitely poly.

{Thrift Haul} Graceland

I slowed down the shopping during my transition but I finally made it into a store after a 2 week hiatus. I had a very modest and on budget thrift haul. That's rare for me. I stayed within my budget and only spent $20 at Graceland Thrift Store. This was my first time in the store and I found it to be a pretty pleasant experience. The store is the perfect size to browse the entire store without being overwhelmed.

Little Pink Dress

When I found this sweet little pink dress in the thrift store, I had no idea it could be so sexy. I don't normally go for totally shapeless frocks but I was drawn to the many details. Hot pink color. Yes. Exposed zipper. Yes. Scallop trim on bodice. Yes. Puffy sleeves. Oh yeah. Drop waist. Interesting. It became less matronly when I put it on. It's really short and legs are on display. Could this be another outfit for date night / Valentine's Day?

Shoe Style Saturday: Oxfords for Any Occasion

After a long hiatus I retrieved them from the back of the closet. I wore them to an interview yesterday. The shoes are far move interesting than the interview.
I've worn these as a "going out" shoe, an everyday shoe, and an interview shoe. The look great with skirts/dresses, jeans, slacks, and leggings.
They're very versatile.

The slightly pointy toes aren't very comfortable on my wide toes.
I still need to break them in.

Do you like them? What would you wear them with?

How to Get Fit When You Hate Exercise

I'm still plugging away at my fitness and weight loss goals on my vision board. My weight hasn't dropped significantly. I've lost 4 pounds and I'm still carrying a bit of "holiday" weight. My clothes are fitting better though and I've noticed some changes health wise. My resting heart rate is lower so that's a sure sign of better fitness. My BMI is now in a better place to combat high blood pressure too.

Radiant Orchid Epaulet Sweater

What could be better than gold buttons and epaulets on a sweater? Sequins? Yes, but my new thrifted sweater is still pretty awesome and it's also Pantone's chosen color of the year - radiant orchid. I just call it #e09dce! It's used in my blog theme. At first glance, I loved this sweater but I was sure it was going to be a total itch fest with all the furry fibers. I bought it anyway. Gave it a wash and found that it's not so bad. It's actually pretty cozy. 

DIY Trends {Leather Elbow Patches}

Thanks to Collective Bias and Sears for this sponsored post that allows me to DIY elbow patches to my recent fashion find and allowing me to achieve the look for less!

Elbow Patches Trend

I'm a big fan of elbow patches and glad to see them pop up in fall fashion 2013 trends. They're not just for tweed jackets and thick, wooly knits anymore. The latest crop can be seen on shirts and thin knits in a variety of colors and shapes. Some have sequins, some have glitter, and some even have spikes!

Style File: Green tunic top and violet purple cords

Finally wore the J. Crew skinny corduroy pants from the Salvation Army $10 Bag Sale. I still remember the glorious heat of the day and the big fan blowing in the Salvation Army. I'm not down with these 30 degree temps. In addition to going into a slight hibernation, I also get nostalgic about summer. Warm weather is my utopia.

This is what I wore to the Thanksgiving feast at our friend's place. I found just the right top to cover up the turkey, mac-and-cheese, jollof rice, goat stew, cake, several glasses of wine bloat. The pants stretch a bit with wear. Perfect for an evening of getting fatter as the day progresses!

Did you notice anything different about the pants? I dyed them purple! I used iDye again in Violet. Isn't it a pretty color? I'm not just saying that because I'm partial to purple. This is my second color dye with iDye and the color came out very rich and vivid just like the previous project. DIY approved!

The Chico's tunic top is a pretty yummy silky poly. No ironing. No special care needed. It's roomy but shaped well. I'm glad I finally finished the laundry! I've only worn it one other time.

I had a great holiday weekend. 

sunglasses // edge i wear / thrifted

necklace // bought in Kenya

tunic top // Chicos's / thrifted

corduroy pants // J. Crew / thrifted

oxfords // Kenneth Cole Reaction

How about you? What did you do?

Where I Profess My Love of Cinch Belts

As if this button up shirt didn't have enough going on with rhinestone buttons, velvety corduroy shoulders, and an abstract animal print. Nope simply not enough. You know what this top needs? A bead and sequin cinch belt!

Thrift Haul: DvF, Ferragamo, Weitzman shoes and more

This thrift haul is all shoes! They are not from one trip but most are from the last month. Some are from thrift stores and some are from estate sales. Most were under $10.

ballet flats (Mossimo, Old Navy, Gap) from a thrift store

I wasn't always a fan of thrift store shoes. I thought it was kind of gross. The shoe section of a thrift store isn't exactly pleasant. Shoes can be smelly especially when there are hundreds of pairs together. 

vintage Impo pumps bought at an estate sale and currently for sale on Etsy

After a while,  I dove in but only bought shoes that I could put an insole in or wear socks with then I thought to myself. "You can clean them, ya know?" Now it's one of the first stops I make when thrifting. Shoe funk and all! I've found some real gems over the years. 

Thriftanista Style File: Floral pants

I had a very busy weekend with Thriftanista Social Club. On Saturday we attended the Modern Vintage Chicago's Spring Clothing and Jewelry Explosion. Three floors of vintage. Every stall had unique pieces. There was a ton of merchandise to see including clothing, jewelry, fabric, magazines, sunglasses, refashioned vintage, furniture, and so much more! Wow.

and this is What I Wore.

The pants are thrifted. I'm loving the floral pants that are trending right now so I thought I would give a try. The pants I found are great. High waist.  No waistband. Ankle length and tapered.  Really comfortable to wear except with tights. Oye bad move on my part. I was so uncomfortable with them sticking to me all day. Other than that, I love them and I think they will work well in my summer wardrobe out at the playground. I shall buy more.

Oversized sweater - Kenar
Floral tapered pants - Kate Hill (thrifted)
Grey oxfords - Style & Co.

This is what I coveted.

I was making a weird face so I lopped off my head in this one.

How gorgeous is this jacket? It was perfect for me and I did not buy it. It was on the sale rack at the first stall I visited. $10. It's a tangerine suede peplum jacket from the 70s. Seriously, doesn't that just scream me? I wish I had a picture of the back too. It's a gorgeous piece. I was hesitant about purchasing because it would have to be cleaned and the cost would be high and I knew it would go into my huge stack of dry cleaning pile. In the end, I left it behind and now all I have is this picture to look back on and reminisce. <-- dramatics


I didn't buy anything on Saturday but I made up for it on Sunday! The thriftanistas visited the 50% off sale at Village Discount Outlet. Major haul! I bought 16 items for just under $30. Almost everything I picked up worked well for me. I was having a very good shop day. I think all of us left with a pretty big bag or 3.

These pics don't do my finds justice. I can't wait to style up my new old spring wardrobe.

The tops

Black camp shirt (brand new w tags), silk leopard print blouse, lime green button up

More tops

Yellow button up, hot pink blouse, striped tunic shirt

I have a history with the jacket on the right. About 3 weeks ago I saw it in the store. with a $7 price tag. Yesterday it was still there marked down to $6 and 50% off. Now the best part. My cashier didn't ring it up along with 4 other items! I was gabbing during my entire checkout. I didn't notice until I got home.

Vintage sparkly top and jacket

The dresses

Indian tunics

Neon yellow dress

A lightweight cardi

Striped jersey knit from People Like Frank

A bottom

Floral shorts (can I get a YAY for elastic waist!)

For sale

Vintage vanity fair slip, avon gown, beeline lounging tunic

Did you thrift? What did you get?

Floral pants? Yay or Nay?

SAHM Fall Essentials

Stay at home mom style ain't all sequins and high heels. The lugging, pulling, and shuffling about of a regular day requires a nice sturdy outfit with flair, of course. My everyday look is a lot more casual. I do like to look like I tried so having a formula outfit in my head helps when I'm up earlier than I want and when I haven't had coffee but I need to be on my way.

10 Questions for a Thriftanista - Venita

It's that time again! This month's Thriftanista is my long time friend (seriously high school) Venita of the blog, Girl...get a life! She's a thrifter, an eBay queen, a writer, a news junkie, football fan, gorgeous shoe collector, and she cooks! Whew. She should probably add interior designer to her list because she has a beautiful home filled with art and vintage finds too.

THRIFT vintage Frye boots - Tracy Reese jacket - Wabags green leather purse

She normally doesn't do style post on her blog so this is a special treat. Let's get started!

StyleFile: Leather peplum trench

I finally had a chance to wear the leather trench coat that may in fact be a dress. I'm still not sure.  I was pretty close to wearing it with nothing underneath but it felt very....very what is the word I'm looking for...Julia Roberts ala Pretty Girl or perhaps a creepy flasher. I'm not there yet even though I consider myself a fashion risk taker. A thrift store fashion risk taker, that is. The prices are so affordable that it becomes very easy to experiment with random pieces of awesome.

Instead of going with a slip underneath, I went for a bright pink pop of color.

This is seriously the most buttery soft leather I have ever touched.

POW!! Look at all that color!

leather peplum trench // Michael Hoban / thrifted
pink blouse // Anne Klein / thrifted
jeans // Refuge /thrifted
platform oxfords // Kenneth Cole Reaction

If I get bored with it, I can chop it using these haute dresses on Shopbop as inspiration.

Want to see where I wore the trench? Check me out at Thrift. City. Life!

Thrifted Treasure: Vintage Tangerine Skirt & Gold Striped Shirt

Yesterday, I went to catch a free movie screening but I arrived too late for a seat. Free movies are popular! I did receive a raincheck to come back next week for another screening. I ended up going next door to Niu for sushi, martinis, and an amazing dessert. Well everything was delicious but the Pear martinis and salted caramel cheesecake were extra special YUMMMM!!

My shirt and skirt are thrifted. I bought the shirt because of the gold stripes. It a bit boxy and I had dreams of taking in the sides but....yeah. Throw it in the "one day" pile.

The skirt is an amazingly gorgeous shade of orange. It's wool. It's vintage with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union label. It pulls on and fits very well. This is one of my favorite pieces already.

Denim shirt - Zara Woman (I bought this years ago and I'm pretty sure I didn't get it at Zara, weird.)

White/gold striped shirt - Coldwater Creek (thrifted)

Wide leather belt w gold ribbon - Calvin Klein

Vintage tangerine skirt - unknown (thrifted)

Grey tights - Hue

Oxfords - Kenneth Cole Tribeca

My last in theater movie was The Help. What was the last movie you saw?

Have any orange in your closet?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin