Happy Holidays to Me

This holiday marked a pretty big moment for me. I have been struggling the last few years getting back on my feet and any money gifted to me at the holidays has needed to go directly into my bank account to pay bills. Not very exciting! This year, I was actually able to treat myself with  some presents. Unlike what you would imagine, I had no plan for my money. I could have saved it, but I actually wanted to treat myself. Because I'm light on the material these days, I'm breaking this post up into a few parts. First up, my Kris Jenner "Omish" dress from Ann Taylor, since today is back to work day for me.

Following New Year's plans, I had to drive several hours into Pennsylvania to pick up my dog at my parent's house, and made a pit stop at the Crossings Outlets in Tannersville to break up the trip. I never go in the Ann Taylor store, but they had the most perfect Kris Jenner "Omish" dress in the window. Black and fitted with a white collar and wrist detailing, I decided to see if they had my size. Miraculously, after a quick sweep only turned up only extra small petites, I finally found a small petite, which somehow fit (that's a rarity for me with petites).

It's cute, right? So Kris. Anyway, it's perfect for work, and I've been trying very hard to increase my work wardrobe. Now, here is where things get brilliant. The original price on the dress was $129.99 and the sale price was marked $99.99. The entire sale section was an additional 60% off, so I paid exactly $40 for the dress! Major score and a great work staple. Definitely a new favorite that will make the first work day of 2015 brighter! 

How I wore it:

Black tights: Target, $8

Heels: Talbots, super clearance, $32 (old)

Faux pearls: Target, $8

  

Frye Riding Boots on the Cheap

I wasn't even in the market for new boots. Really, I wasn't. Then 6pm.com sent me a promotional email about Frye boots being 70% off and I made the executive decision to "look." This began a rapid descent down a footwear purchase shame spiral that seemingly does not have an end. My Frye collection is well documented (and by well documented, I mean in my head, on my blog and on my Instagram account) and I won't bore you with details (even though I'm dying to). Just know that I don't own riding boots, nor do I have any real vice (ehem, Ben & Jerry's Cinnamon Bun ice cream) on which to spend my money, so when I found $698 Frye back zip riding boots for $179 (seriously, they're still on the Frye website at full MSRP), I justified this purchase with the swiftness of a hoarder discovering a liquidation sale. Or of somebody who really likes run on sentences.

Glorious, are they not? I apologize for the photo of my computer screen, but what happened next can only be explained as fate. I saw the boots and snapped pictures of them. I immediately posted the collage to Instagram to encourage enabling and proceeded with the purchase. Then the price of the boots, which was really low even for 6pm, went up. $247. Then $349. Finally, the price increased stopped at $479, where it's currently resting comfortably. Did I find some magical glitch? It wasn't even a major holiday shopping...um...holiday? It was just a random Tuesday in December. That kind of savings in a few hour window can only be described as fate, and the magically discounted boots arrived yesterday (at my coworker's house because the post office can't get it together in Philly). She is awesome and put a note from Santa on them. 

They are super hard to zip up in the back, and I have skinny legs. Knowing my other Frye boots, these will quickly stretch out and it won't be a problem. Anyway, I love them.

And check out the fancy embroidered logo! 

Oooh, ahhhh. Fancy! Welcome home 12. You make a mighty nice addition to my collection.

If you're looking for Frye boots (to treat yo' self or to treat somebody else for the holiday), check out 6pm.com. It's Zappos' outlet and has amazing deals on a bunch of name brands.

Blank NYC Vegan Leather Leggings

I have been on the quest for affordable leather leggings for the better part of two years. Real leather, for the record. Along the way, I have purchased leather pants, leather skirts and leather coats (all thrifted or from eBay, which is just another form of thrifting in my world), but never leggings. Admitting defeat is tough, especially when my fashion spirit animal Johnny Weir is always looking drop dead amazing in his leather leggings. The quest began and soon, I found Blank NYC's vegan leather leggings. Having secured a 30% off coupon code from Piperlime, I splurged on the Pussy Cat style and sized up after reading about 6,000 reviews on various sites. They are honestly more comfortable than any cotton blend leggings I own (and that's a lot).

Let me digress for a moment, when did pleather stop being a word that people used? Faux leather and vegan leather sound nice and all, like a consolation prize, but most of it is crap. I usually mock the vegan leather classification, but stand on record as defending Blank's version. They look and feel just like leather. The reviews do not lie. If you're trying to make up your mind about trying this brand, don't hesitate to go for it (but I highly recommend signing up for Piperlime emails and getting a coupon code). Also, I love these so much that I also bought a second pair from eBay. Go me! Here is how I wore them:

Sweater: Rag & Bone for Neiman Marcus at Target (old)

Oxford: Uniqlo, sale ($1.90)

Pants: Blank NYC, Piperlime (used coupon code, $68)

Heels: Talbots, old 

Top: Chiffon tie blouse, Forever 21, $17

Pants: Blank NYC, Piperlime (used coupon code, $68)

Heels: Talbots, old

Also, a follow up, I wore my poncho and it was everything I had hoped it would be and more. 

The Ultimate eBay Purchase

I am obsessed with wool. Much like everything else in my world, this squarely falls on the shoulders of my mother, a lovely woman who dragged her family to the Woolrich store in Woolrich, PA every Black Friday. Buffalo check, plaids and wool everything as far as the eye could see. But then I got a little older and even though my love for Woolrich remains strong, I discovered the gorgeous patterns, colors and craftsmanship of Pendleton, and, in particular, The Portland Collection.

Like any good crush, I fell for Pendleton's Portland Collection hard. I admired it from afar, Google searching images, blogs and pinning items from their collections to my "Stuff I Want" board on Pinterest. They taunted me with their collaborations. Ariat? I love cowboy boots! Nike? I have sky high wedge dunks! Opening Ceremony? I...nope. Too expensive. But come on! Opening Ceremony is amazing! 

My favorite piece has always been the reversible masterpiece, the Penobscot poncho. 

A piece from the first Portland collection, the poncho is the design work of Rachel Turk and Nathaniel Crissman (of church + state). The thing is in a museum, it is so perfect: 

I would stalk the poncho on eBay, but alas, I would find it at outrageous prices, like $500 for a starting auction: 

I once saw it sell for more than $1,700 on eBay. So sad. So reversible. So expensive. Still, like any lovesick fool, I would torture myself with the continued admiration of the poncho. Then, last week, I found it on eBay...$139 OR BEST OFFER. And, new with tags. How is this possible? Something had to be wrong with it. Right? "No," Nikki the Seller wrote in an eBay message, "I just never wore it." What insanity just fell into my lap? So, three years after my crush began, my best offer was accepted (the most I have spent on any one item in as many years), and today, it arrived: 

It's beautiful and everything I crushed hard over for three years. Nikki, I don't know you, but you have made me very, very happy!  

Fall Haul

I kind of live for fall fashion. I love wool, tweed, chinky knits and oooooh....all those scarves, hats and gloves. For the second year in a row, I have perused the mall, rejected the fall fashion at retailers and resorted to eBay. Wonderful eBay! My new approach: nothing over $20. Also, plaid, wool and more plaid! Here we go!

What I'm calling my Biggie Smalls Chic look:

Gap buffalo check wrap skirt: $8 (free shipping - I bought this last year, too...it's so good I needed a backup)

Off brand red midi skirt: $14

Gap buffalo check pea coat: $13 ($5 shipping)

Gap tartan plaid wool shorts: $9 (free shipping, a major score...these still had $44.99 tags on them) 

Tights: H&M and Forever 21(because you need to match)

Gap grey wool pleated shorts: $17 (free shipping and more than I wanted to spend). 

That's it for now. I am "watching" a slew of ponchos that I will go back and forth on. Check back for how I'm wearing some of these! What are you wearing this fall?

$25 Ray Bans and Reality

My apologies to those who read my blog. It's been a lean summer. I have barely shopped and when I have been shopping, it's been for household items on a major Dollar Tree budget. I would love it if I had the seemingly endless disposable income of other bloggers, but alas, that is not my reality. So I'm back to share my big score of the summer - Ray Ban wayfarers from the online yard sale that I belong to. They were only $25 and sold to me by a woman who presumably has a disposable income, as she sold Ray Bans for $25. No matter, I needed a new pair of sunglasses desperately, and these are classic frames that will look great for years to come (presuming they don't get lost or sat on). So grateful to have found them!

Derek Cardigan Fluoro Frames

I love presents. Who doesn't, right? But presents are super awesome to me, because my family doesn't exchange gifts anymore and hasn't for years. I basically become a four year old on their birthday whenever I am at the receiving end of an unexpected surprise. So when I got a pair of surprise frames from Coastal as part of their Style Ambassador program, I was ecstatic.

The frames are matte, purple, yet kind of clear. Super modern and fresh, and perfect for summer. Like all of my other Coastal frames, they are also super comfortable! 

Although I have worn them with bright colors and neutrals, I adore how they look with my new favorite cream romper from Forever 21 (still sold out online). Aren't they fun?

A huge thank you to my friend Tammy for taking these photos, and a huge congratulations to her on her new job. Yay!