The Spoils: Lots of places

Now that I've got job/financial security for the first time in several months, I've decided to splurge just a bit. Also, it turns out I don't get to go to New York next month as planned (boo!). So last night I made the rounds - Avalon Exchange (resale), Old Navy, and the Gap.

I set out with one goal in mind: BUY INTERESTING STUFF. No more super-basic tanks or solid-colored skirts. I needed a couple new pretty dresses and a cardigan for early fall. Shirts with interesting detailing or prints (like Jen always rocks!). Shoes. BOOTS.

So how did I do?

See for yourself...


This hits right above the knee, and I love the print (it reminds me of silk cocoons). Only $11 at Avalon, but it's from Target originally so is it really branching out *that* much?


$12 at Avalon. I love the cropped length, and the button detailing is SO CUTE!

I think that one warrants a close-up:

Gah. J'adore.

Then, Old Navy:

Simple cotton cardi, but with embellishments! Be proud of me, y'all. I can't wait to wear this with my brown cowboy boots and one of my black pencil skirts. And I'm SOOOOOO glad to see dark colors back in the stores - all those brights were wearing me out!

But that's where my ambitiousness ends. There was a $5 tee sale, and...

Sorry guys, I tried. Grey and white. Crewneck. Fitted. SNORE. (but also needed in my wardrobe)

I went to the mall and poked around in Anthropologie, but nothing on the sale racks were calling me and I'm feeling too poor for even a $40 skirt right now. So I dashed into the Gap before the mall closed, where I tried on lots of stuff that pushed my comfort zone - pleated front jeanskirts, a maxi dress, and an oversized woven shirt. But all I left with was this:

Yes that's a navy-blue zip up. No I don't have one already. No it's not exciting. But it was $13 (cheaper in store than online!) and I really needed it! So there's no guilt associated with this one. :-)

Overall, though...I'm not all that proud of myself. I really like what I got, but I should've pushed my boundaries even further. Maybe I'll stop by my favorite Goodwill soon, but then I'll be saving my money for a trip to Kansas City (and shopping with a girlfriend!) in August. And on that trip I'll do even better. I promise you.

Daily Outfit - Kate - 4/6/10

I hated yesterday's outfit SO MUCH.

SO.

MUCH.


See? I didn't even want to look at myself in it?

Friends, take my advice: if a shirt doesn't look all that cute on you but you by it anyway because it's only $2, YOU WILL REGRET IT. I would pay $2 not to ever suffer this shirt again. HORRORS.

Side view to really show the issue:

GAH!!! I'M A PREGNANT FAT-ARMED OLD WHALE!

Oh wait. I'm not. I'm a decidedly non-pregnant 24-year-old human.

I hate this stupid shirt.

Funny story, though? Yesterday afternoon I was bitching about it to a co-worker and she apparently LOVES my shirt. Loves it. So when I told her I was going to throw it away she said, "Don't do that! I like it! Give it to me!". So this weekend I will wash it and next week I will give it to her. And I will NEVER HAVE TO HAVE IT ON MY BODY EVER AGAIN.

Good riddance.

But hey - cute shoes!


Shirt from hell: thrifted
Skirt: LLBean
Shoes: Macy's, 2008ish. Rarely worn, always adored.
Necklace: gift from Jeff
Ring: MacroSun, winter 2008
Earrings: MOM.

Daily Outfit - Kate - 3/31/10

This is the debut of another Sarasota thrifting find - that awesome embellished skirt!

<3



It makes me happy. (My roots, however, do not. MOM!!!!)



I think I'm a complete convert to the joys of full skirts. So preeeetty! And flooooofy!

An altogether happy and pretty outfit. I felt so nice all day! I also sort of liked how I combined colors here - I don't know much about color theory, but I sure do know how to look at a multicolored item and coordinate an outfit by pairing it with other items of those colors! :-D



Lurve.



Skirt: thrifted
Tee: GAP, eons ago
Cardigan: Sears, circa 2000
Flats: Michelle D (Dillards), 2006 or 2007
Ring: MacroSun
Earrings: gift
Necklace: vintage hand-me-down from Mom

Daily Outfit - Kate - 3/18/10

My love for today's outfit TOTALLY makes up for the mediocrity of the rest of this week.

Because dudes? <3. <3 HARD.



That skirt is one I picked up on my Sarasota thrifting adventure, and I love it so much. It's the longest and fullest skirt I own and all day I had so much fun - I felt so feminine and twirly and happy and WHEE! I wish I could feel like this all day every day :-)

The skirt is right between teal and blue, and I happen to love how that color looks with red so I paired it with a super old red long-sleeved tee (I kept the sleeves folded up all day so it's really 3/4 sleeve but whatever) and my favorite sad old cream-colored cardigan. And textured tights 'cause I can.

I also like how even though I'm only 5'2", the little bit of heel in my maryjanes and the proportions caused by the skirt's length and top's relative shortness combine to make me look tall(er) and thin(ner). Like magic!

So you know what I've gotta do when I'm wearing a twirly skirt, right?



It's practically the law.



Have I mentioned I love this skirt?



Skirt: thrifted, originally Talbot's (no I can't believe it either)
Tee: Sears, circa early 2000's
Cardigan: Apostrophe/Sears, circa early 2000's (umm...I worked at Sears in high school.)
Tights: Old Navy, 2008
Shoes: Softspots "Bronte", summer 2009
Bracelet: Wow this is so old. I have a matching necklace too. I know I got them during high school. I think from a friend? Or from Mom. Wow. Mom do you remember?
Earrings: the one who will help me remember where the bracelet came from

The Goods

A full post about my awesome day with Diana is over here on my other blog, but I thought I'd save the spoils from that trip for this blog.

We went to the SPARCC Treasure Chest, which was one of those shops with a lot of NWT, boutique brands. Almost everything was in great shape, so it was less "is this item wearable?" and more "do I like this item?". Great shop and great experience. I found:

Brown BCBG dress in a super-soft cotton knit:

If anybody's keeping count, that'd be my 4th brown BCBG dress. Not on purpose, but not NOT on purpose, either.

I'm holding out the side of the skirt to show that it's actually relatively full; it's fun and swingy and casual on. I can tell already it'll be a great summer staple!

Pleated lattice skirt:

NWT (a brand I don't recognize). This was one of my official Finds of the Day. Isn't it adorable?

Check out the details of that floral embellishment:

Unbearably cute.

Finally, this little shirt:

Not the most exciting thing ever, but it'll be great for weekends, and the fit is just right. I love the covered button detailing, too:


From there we moved on to the Mustard Seed Thrift Shop, which really was the epitome of Old Lady Florida-ness - it was insanely awesome. Diana and I found lots of things to laugh at, and lots of things to try on and buy. Behold:

The *perfect* winter-to-spring corduroy skirt:

It's Talbot's, not a brand that I've *ever* considered before, but there's no arguing with cute! (tell that to Jeff).

Check out the beaded accents on the flowers:



Vintage square scarf:


I love this thing. Perfect for spring :-)


I also got a great little pea green belt, but neglected to photograph it (and didn't realize until after it got dark out).

We also stopped briefly into an antique shop right down the road, where I found something to fill a wardrobe hole - pins/brooches:

I think I can make that look really mod, or really fancy and feminine. And for $5, I'm not out a lot of money if I discover that brooches just aren't my thing.

I had a fantastic time with Diana, and LOVED getting to meet a blogfriend in person!


Please click over to KateOhKatie to read about the rest of our adventure(including a newfound crafty passion :-)).

Daily Outfits - Kate - 3/5/10 and 3/8/10

It's another twofer today, because apparently - as I learned on Friday - pictures won't just blog themselves. I KNOW, right?


Wanna know what's more exciting than that outfit? The baby gate in the background. Because it's not currently braced in the doorway; it's been leaning against that wall since Friday. BECAUSE ROXIE IS HOUSEBROKEN!!!!!! And after only a year and a half.... :-{ But still! Housebroken!

Anyway, I felt really comfortable and happy in Friday's outfit. Nice cozy cardigan, comfy cotton tank (with embellishment! And not completely boring!) and my omnipresent 518's and Ariat boots. I'm gonna call this look "country casual" and if it were up to me I'd wear this every day that I *don't* wear skirts. Oh, wait. I do. And then I wear the boots with a skirt.



There you can see some of the detail on my tank, and also my awesome necklace. That's made from a Fitz's bottlecap, and I got it from a seller at Green With Indie last year. Fitz's is one of my favorite things about St. Louis :-)

Cardigan: Target, winter 2009/2010
Tank: GAP, umm...2008?
Jeans: Levis 518's
Boots: Ariat
Necklace: artist at Green With Indie, spring 2009
Earrings: Mumsie

Aaaaannnnd....today. An outfit that I planned before I got out of bed, and was honestly half the reason I even GOT out of bed. It's so 90's-licious; I love it!


I feel like an extra straight out of Empire Records! Sorta punky edgy, sorta sweet, REALLY 90's.


Even the necklace - which is too long on its own, so I wear it doubled up with the extra length as a choker - reminds me of the 90's. And I'm also realizing how the choker style is actually a little bit flattering, isn't it?

Cardigan: Francesca's Colections, 2009
Cami: Old Navy
Skirt: garage sale, Abercrombie & Fitch vintage 90's
Tights: Target
Belt: Target
Boots: 704b, via DSW
Necklace: Forever 21
Earrings: Mi madre

Daily Outfit - Jen - 2/22/10

This weekend was THE weekend. The weekend that I ventured outside of my comfort zone. The weekend that I visited no less than 98273498723 stores and tried my hand at thrifting.

I combed through racks and racks of pre-owned clothes and questionable selections of jewelry. I shopped for 4 hours, people. FOUR HOURS. Things were looking grim. My pinky toes were blistering, I was getting the shakes from a very serious and official case of excessive energy expenditure, and I'd purchased absolutely nothing.

Thankfully, my friend (Thao! Love!) accompanied me to not only make sure I would survive, but to also ensure that I bought something. A promise is a promise! Because the truth is, I am not a shopper. I don't particularly enjoy it. Online shopping is more of my thingity thang.

Anyway, a couple of times I came thisclose to buying something just to get it over with - to say "I thrifted! Get off of my back!" But even in this stone cold heart of mine, I knew that I had to keep searching, and eventually I found THE ONE.

Our eyes met. We blushed. And then I threw caution to the wind and proclaimed, "I WILL HAVE YOU."

$14.50 later, I did.

Necklace: New Bohemia

Cardigan: Martin + Osa

Cami: Old Navy (clearance)

Top: Old Navy (clearance)

Jeans: Nordstrom

Boots: Aldo

Daily Outfit - Kate - 2/9/10

WHEE! I loved this one!!! I felt SO fun and kicky and cute all day, I could hardly stand myself.


The dress was too short on its own, but with this tulip-shaped skirt under it, it was just right. Pus, since the skirt was so much bigger at the bottom than at the top, so it doesn't add too much volume or stretch out the dress, but adds interest to the bottom half of my outfit. It took some doing to figure out the neckline and stuff - the dress is just a bit sheer so I ended up wearing a brown tank under it - but I think it was worth it. Plus, I got to play with the brown + black combo, which is new territory for me.

I could've gone bigger and better with the jewelry, but I was already running late so I stuck with tried-and-true favorites :-)


In conclusion, I LOVE this layered thing and I can't wait to try it again! This was so much fun :-)


Dress: Old Navy, clearance Fall 2009
Skirt: thrifted, originally from The Limited
Tank: GAP
Belt: Target
Tights: Target
Boots: Born, Fall/winter 2008/2009
Earrings: Twisted Silver
Necklace: mummy, designed by meeeee!

Daily Outfit - Kate - 2-3-10

2 in a row, now. That is, this is my second day in a row feeling good about my outfit. We'll have to see how long I can keep up the momentum :-)


This was my second time EVER wearing that white button-down (the first time being - what else? - a job interview about two years ago) and I really need to get it into my wardrobe rotation - I'd forgotten how perfect the fit is, and it's pretty much the essence of a neutral, eh?



Top: Nine West, via Macy's
Skirt: thrifed, George
Tights: Target
Belt: Target
Shoes: Naturalizer
Bracelet: sooo old; don't remember
Necklace: Mom-made; stamped charm from Urban Arts + Crafts
Earrings: Gift shop in a barn in Iowa, circa 1999

Walking into a deathtrap

Jeff and I are going to Chicago this weekend so he can commune with other public interest law students, and I'm going to have most of the day on Saturday free for shopping, browsing, perusing, what-have-you.

Thanks to my previous visits to the city, and this great post on The Glamorous Grad Student I'm not completely unprepared for the ::sigh:: task at hand (:-P). I'll hopefully be spending some time in Lincoln Park with Jeff on Sunday, and while I know he doesn't want to spend all our time thrifting, I may have to try and drag him into a couple of the shops Tenisha mentions :-)

Other than that? Fluevog, just to daydream and drool. Filene's Basement because I heart it hard and I once got a CUTE dress there for only $3.49 and it was one of the greatest moments of my life. And any other shops (except Macy's, because I'm still mad at them about the whole Marshall Field's thing) that may catch my fancy.

Can anyone offer further recommendations for must-visit shops (thrift or otherwise)? Gotta be easily attainable via train or bus, and preferably not too far from the downtown/Lincoln Park area. Or any other general "Yay Chicago" sentiments/tips are welcome, too.

PS>More information about our other plans for the weekend are on KateOhKatie, for the interested.

<3

Daily Outfit - Kate - 1/27/10

Guess who I was (very indirectly) inspired by for today's outfit? Hint.

Not even remotely resembling any of Mrs. Parker's actual outfits, but I think it's close in spirit - the straight, simple wrap skirt, the cardigan-over-a-shirt-that-looks-nothing-like-the-cardigan, the rounded collar and vintage print on the pink shirt, the prim shoes.

Look! I even have the bemused expression!

(though admittedly mine is more "ornery", less "befuddled".)

This is one of my favorite detail photos ever, even though you can see I'm covered in cat hair:




All I'm missing is an embroidered hanky up my sweater sleeve.

Cardigan: GAP, winter 2009/2010
Skirt: Thrifted, originally Old Navy 2002
Tee: Forever 21, circa 2004 (ish?)
Tights: Target
Belt: Target
Shoes: Naturalizer, winter 2009/2010
Necklace: Gift from Jeff for our first (?) dating anniversary (?)
Earrings: Mumsie dearest