Sunburst Mirror and Gap Sale!

Whenever I go to HomeGoods or Marshall's (or any other discount store that sells home furnishings) I look for sunburst mirrors. They're always gorgeous and somewhere in the $100 price range. If you know me, you know that price isn't even an option. Nevertheless, I  look. On Wednesday, a gorgeous vintage sunburst mirror popped up on my online yard sale. The price? A cool $5! I picked it up on Thursday and it fits perfect above the small book case in my living room. Love it!

Next up, the annual spring closet switch out is always a daunting task. Winter coats are so bulky and difficult to store. Plus, putting boots and sweaters away is an exercise in creative space manipulation (because that's a real thing).  This year, I also had the painful realization (painful in that my budget is tight) that I desperately need new spring/summer shirts. I always buy great skirts and dresses, then struggle when I need a basic tee. Enter the latest Gap sale. Already reduced prices are an additional 30% off (when you buy four items) and 35% off (when you buy five items). I was able to get four basic spring/summer tops for just $13.93! Happy me! Saving money and freshening up my wardrobe! 

Midi Skirt for Less - Review of Sammy Dress

It's not a huge secret that I prefer skirts and dresses to pants for work. That means I'm thrilled that midi skirts are everywhere right now! After obsessing over Tibi's gorgeous full midis on Atlantic Pacific, I went straight to my new go-to for all things trendy and affordable, Sammy Dress.

You may remember my Sammy Dress cape from a few months ago. The site is super cheap and although you have to really sift through their products to find your personal taste (and wait a few weeks for shipping), they have a lot of adorable clothes...including midi skirts in a few style and color options. After carefully converting centimeters to inches and hemming and hawing over a few options, I decided to go with basic black ($11) in a medium for my test skirt. When the skirt arrived, the fabric was the first thing that made me really happy. It's that great scuba material that is being used by everybody. This also means no wrinkles and great structure. There is a short slip underneath, but it's not necessary for any functional purpose - the skirt is substantial enough on its own, yet not so heavy that it can't be worn year round. The skirt can sit lower, but I prefer it to sit higher on my waist to give it more fullness.

eBay Leather Gap Jeans

For about a solid month, I've been obsessing over leather pants. I blame Johnny Weir (see post Johnny Weir is my spirit animal for reference). I have bought faux leather jeans from H&M and returned them (yes-the same pair from my Johnny post ended up being too faux for my liking), read countless reviews of vegan leather leggings and jeans (I'll save you the time, Blank NYC has the best reviewed and most affordable options) and searched online for sales. Then I had one of those moments where my own stupidity hurt - I hadn't checked eBay. Now, I had a pair of Gap leather pants ages ago. 2001 or 2002 ages ago. I knew what size would fit and ran a search. Immediately, a slew of options appeared. I decided against black. Everybody has black and brown is more my speed. I found a gorgeous deep brown/burgundy pair in my size (I sized up to a four on the hunch these wouldn't have any give and be a bit more snug) for only $18. My guess was right and the 4 fits perfectly.

They had a few noticeable scratches on them, but I used my trusty Doc Martens Wonder Balsam on them and voilà, no more scratches! 

For $18 (and free shipping), I am thrilled and can't wait to wear them! Another major eBay score! 

Matchy, Matchy Stripes

I had a big meeting today and a long holiday weekend (thanks, presidents) to obsess over my big meeting ensemble. I had the perfect look planned. I even ironed it. Then, it happened. It being more snow. About four inches of new accumulation on top of the nonsense that is the melting and freezing and remelting and refreezing slushy slop that has basically made me give up trying to look stylish on a daily basis. 

Instantly, my awesome ironed and well planned outfit was out the window. Even though I'm tired of rehashing my winter wardrobe, I was determined to come up with something fun and professional that I hadn't worn before. I started with a Gap skirt that I bought in January for just under $7 and built my look around it - super happy with the result! Cute, warm (key), professional and I didn't have to buy anything new! Here's how I wore it: 

Skirt: black and royal stripe, Gap, $6.97 (super sale, this season)

Blouse: white with navy blue ribbon accent, J. Crew Factory, $19 (clearance - reduced from $79, this season)

Jacket: wool, Old Navy, super sale, old (perfectly matches the stripes in my skirt)

Heels: Talbots, old 

P.S. The meeting went well! Also, I wore snow boots to work and changed into the heels. Never sacrifice your good shoes! 

Valentine's Day Options

Valentine's Day doesn't really bother me. Some people seem to have really strong opinions about either loving or hating the day. To me, any day that involves candy and/or chocolate is a-okay with me (no matter my relationship status). Because Valentine's Day is on a work day this year, I decided to come up with a few options for the office, as well as a casual option. 

I bought these Gap pants last weekend for $9 (reduced from $54). I had been searching for them for weeks in my size and was so excited to finally find them. Although I like options one and two, I think the third option will be the one I go with. 

One:

Top: Old Navy chambray, $15 (last season)

Sweater: Gap, $12 (last season)

Pants: Gap, $9 (this season)

Jewelry: Faux pearls, Wal Mart

Two: 

Top: Old Navy

Sweater: Forever 21 (generic J. Crew Tippi Heart Me), $15 (last season)

Pants: Gap

Jewelry: Wal Mart

Three (work outfit I chose):

Jacket: Gap, $32 (this season)

Top: Old Navy

Pants: Gap

Jewelry: Wal Mart

Top: Old Navy

Sweater: J. Crew Tippi Heart Me, $6 (thrifted)

Jeans: Gap, boyfriend, $19 (past season)

Shoes: Loft, $23 (last season)

Jewelry: Wal Mart

Also, I discovered a camera timer app. Clearly, I haven't perfected using it, but this certainly opens up some options for me. Peace out, selfies. Kind of. These are still selfies. 

$8 Buffalo Check Skirt

Every once in a while, I peruse eBay for random things that I like. For example, I open my eBay app (second in danger to my finances only to the Etsy app) and will type "Pendleton," "Frye" or "buffalo check." Then I end up watching five items and never buying them.

So, the other day on my lunch break, I searched for "buffalo check" in womens clothing. About halfway down the list of items was a classic wool buffalo check Gap mini skirt, new with tags, in a size 4 for $8 (buy it now). Shipping was only $3.

Do you remember Gap's 2009 holiday collection that featured a ton of classic plaids, including a perfectly impractical 3/4 sleeve buffalo check wool wrap coat? I still dream about that coat. Well, this skirt, I was pretty sure, was part of that collection. Without even questioning sizing (I can range from a 0 to a 4 in Gap bottoms), I bought the skirt. It arrived yesterday, fits perfectly and is indeed from the '09 holiday collection.

Score! How I wore it:

Shirts: Gap striped long sleeve tee (past season), American Eagle denim shirt (past season)

Tights: black knit, H&M ($12.99, this season)

Boots: black Frye campus boots 

Jewelry: Alice Temperley for Stella & Dot