Footwear Product Pick: Classic Knee High Rain Boots

Dress to Impress (& Eat) on Turkey Day

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We all want to dress to impress especially around the holidays. But I think we can all agree that we need to dress to eat, too! Some bad news, friends, if your sweats have pockets in them - that does not make them dressy - leave them at home.  Good news, there are dresses that will give your sweats a run for their money in comfort, earn you a compliment (or ten) & leave room for seconds.

Here are some of my tips for holiday dressing:

1. Pretty patterns are your friend:  If you are prone to wearing your dinner no matter how hard you try to get it in your mouth opt for patterns - they hide stains better.
2. Classic shifts & color blocking are chic & comfy: If your eyes are bigger than your stomach, opt for soft fabrics with either elastic waist bands or go uber chic with a shift (read: loose around the waist!) If you can find something with slimming color blocking like dress #2 - you'll have your fellow party-goers confused when you reach for seconds while maintaining your slim silhouette.
3. Consider the temperature where you're going: Is it always hot at Grandma's even if it's 30 degrees out? Then that sleeveless #3 is suddenly not a crazy idea but a good one.  If it's traditionally as chilly inside as it is outside opt for a sweater dress like #2 or another long-sleeved option like #1.

What are you wearing for the holidays?

Target: A Thrifty Gal's Madewell

Living in Hoboken & working in NYC provides a lot of visual inspiration from the food to the fashion - I couldn't ask for a better mentor.  For the past month or so I saw this girl on my commute into NYC in the mornings. I can't tell you what her face looks like or even what color her hair is but I can tell you I needed/wanted those little taupey-grey booties that would be her identifying factor for me.  Then one day a couple of weeks ago I was in Target & there they were. THE BOOTIES. I tried them (Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Kiriana Ankle Boot with Leather Wrap) on & although I tried to reason with myself that I was trying to clean out my closet - my feet were walking me to the register & I've worn them more than I haven't since I got them.

This weekend my girlfriend, who was on the quest for her perfect bootie, emailed me to tell me that I saved myself about $260. That's right, Madewell (a store I love to window shop at & buy from the sale racks) has the almost identical bootie (H by Hudson™ Horrigan Boots) but they sell theirs for $295.  So I thanked my friend & patted myself on the back for my victory.  Girls these boots are super comfy & they come in two other colors as well.  At $34.99 you can buy them all & still have money to spare - which I'm tempted to do myself.

(PS: Target really is the thrifty gal's way to own the most recent trends without breaking the bank, just like in this post!)

Best Sun Protection: A Floppy Hat

I have to say in my older age I'm more into covering up these days in the sun than sunbathing. This hat is the perfect accessory for doing just that. Now I'm searching for the best safe sunscreen. What's your favorite sunscreen?

PS: HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR FRIEND MAGGIE! love you :) xoxox

Red, White & Blue

top (Target); jeans (GAP), bag (Lodis), shoes (Rachel Zoe)

Happy 4th of July! Hope you're celebrating in your red, white & blue!
See more of my red, white & blue (& leopard of course) after the jump!

Belted Leopard Look

earrings (birthday gift! similar here & here:); bracelet (forever 21); sweater (hautelook, similar here); belt (anthropologie, similar here; dress (target); shoes (dolce vita, similar here); sunnies (burberry via A Second Chance).

The peplum look is hot this season but if you haven't added a peplum piece to your closet you can fake it by belting a looser top at your natural waist.

More often than not you can find me in a dress belted at the waist.  To make this leopard dress more work appropriate I threw a light weight sweater over it & belted it for a faux peplum look. I kept my shoes & belt neutral & sprinkled on pops of turquoise jewelery.

Fiddle Fern Color Play

Happy Memorial Day!!!

I recently sent the photos from out trip to San Fran to my mom.  She responded with excitement about the "fiddle ferns" and asked what I planned to do with all of our photos. I hadn't really thought about either.   At first I wondered what in the world she was talking about. Then I realized that she was talking about these squiggly things I saw at the farmers market.  Now I can say that I want to try fiddle ferns and since I didn't have any on hand to try I did the next best thing - I used the colors as inspiration for a hypothetical outfit.

Parts of this spunky casual outfit stems from a new-to-me site, Bodenusa.com.  When Dulcie, one of my amazing sister-in-laws, told me that it had clothes with the likes of Anthropologie I couldn't wait to check it out.  Officially obsessed. Thanks Dulcie!

cardigan; earrings; tank; belt; shorts; sneakers

Target: A Thrifty Gal's Anthropologie

Spring is here and my urgency to shop is too.  Inspired by this springs bright colors and patterns for spring I just can't resist shopping!! (Yes, I know I probably should go to meetings - but that's a whole different story.)

Ask anyone I know what my favorite store is - they'll tell you Anthropologie without hesitation. It's known and I let it be known (thank you for whoever has gifted me an anthro gift card in the past - it makes me giddy just thinking about them and I still have the clothes I bought with them in my closet.)

Anthro is no doubt spendy.  A girl's gotta eat and as much as fashion feeds my soul it doesn't do the same for my belly (or Chris's at that).  So I give you Target, the poor gal's Anthro.  Growing up I was blessed with a mother who was trained in apparel design - so not only did all of my clothes fit they were sometimes custom made just for me!  Taking the "I can make that" mentality instilled by my mother and grandmother when referring to an expensive article of clothing,  I accepted the personal (mental) challenge to recreate some looks I found at Anthropologie.*


After a trip to Target this weekend I managed to feed my soul with this spring's trends and save about $335 all the while! See how I saved $335.04 after the jump!