Ann Taylor LOFT Deals

Yesterday I scored a couple of good deals on some "perfect for spring" items from the LOFT.  I got this champagne colored Floral Print Sheath dress and multicolored Abstract Floral Print Pencil Skirt.






And get this, I only paid $50.10 for both!  "How?!", you ask.  Well they were both on the sale racks and there was 40% off sale items plus I used my $20 Loft Rewards I recently earned! The dress was orignally $79.50 and the skirt $69.50, so I saved $100 bucks - oh happy day!  I recommend going in-store for good sale deals because the sale price in-store seems to always be cheaper than the one's online.  The online sale prices are $70 for the dress and $65 for the skirt.  My sale price tags were $60 for the dress and $50 for the skirt.  However, the advantage to ordering on-line is that there is usually a wider selection in size availability than in-store (at least in my experience).

I also wanted to note that I got both items in the petite sizes (size 4P) even though I'm not petite (5'5") because the regular sizing hemline fell too far below my knees. I felt like a mean, matronly school teacher - even in these bright pretty patterns.  Here's a few fitting room shots with the petite sizes on:

The petite sizes fell at or just above my knees, and they passed the bend-over and sit-down test.

I think both of these are so pretty and will be perfect for spring.  The colors of the pencil skirt are kind of on the bold side for me (I normally live in neutrals) but its so pretty and it was such a good deal I couldn't resist.  I have a peachy-pink sateen tank that I think will go well with it. 

I think the sheath dress will be perfect for church or a wedding.  One of the stock photos on Loft's website show it with a brown belt at the waist, I may try that.  The belt gives more definition to the waist.

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Dresses

Quick post today sharing a few inexpensive dresses that are on my shopping list for summer.  I think these dresses should carry me through most of the typical summer events (i.e. trips to the beach, barbecues, warm alfresco dinner's with friends, etc.)! 

Summer Dresses by connie-nicole

 

The first dress is a navy and white nautical themed dress from Ruche ($39.99) that would be perfect paired with espadrilles for a trip to the beach.  My sisters and I usually take a trip to St. Augustine, FL each summer.  I think the army green shirt dress from Old Navy ($29.50) would be perfect for a backyard BBQ.  And the dotted dress from Forever 21 ($22.80) is a nice choice for the warm and muggy summer evenings here in Florida when my friends and I go out for casual outdoor dinners.

For more information on the items styled in these summer dress outfits, follow the links below:

european escapade striped button down dress
$40 - shopruche.com

Dotted Woven Dress
$23 - forever21.com

Old Navy Womens Linen-Blend Roll-Up Dresses
$30 - oldnavy.gap.com

 

H&M gladiator sandals
hm.com

Old Navy Womens Espadrille Wedge Sandals
$30 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy Womens Braided T-Strap Sandals
$20 - oldnavy.gap.com

Ring-Cinched Belt
$48 - anthropologie.com




Thanks for stopping by!

Momma's gotta brand new bag

I have a new favorite bag... and nope, it's not a Coach or Louis Vuitton bag.  [I'm a super cheap grad student remember!]

This little lovely is courtesy of none other than....Target (Tar-shay if you want it to sound all hoity-toity).  It's a Merona bag, and here's what I love about it:

• only cost $30 bucks (but its currently on sale for $27, click HERE to buy),
• nice and roomy (but not gargantuan enough to carry a body in ),
• comfortable to wear,
• it feels quite soft for a faux leather-type material, 
• can be carried as a tote, shoulder bag, or use the long strap to throw over the shoulder (hands-free shopping!...and texting...and carrying 50 lbs of library books...and drinking a hot cup of tea!) 
• silver hardware (which I prefer a million times over gold hardware),
• and its a nice neutral dusty mauve color (its listed as "Pink/Purple" on the website).   

 

I don't normally carry purses in this color - I'm normally a black or brown bag girl.  This bag is also offered in GREY and TAN.  The grey is currently available online but it was sold out online and in my local store when I bought my bag.  So if you want the grey, you might want to jump on it like NOW.  The tan color is eh... to me.  I wasn't wowed enough to buy it even though that's one of the first colors I reach for in bags.  I initially wanted the grey because I wear alot of black and charcoal grey (a habit I'm trying to break) but decided the mauve color would be a nice change.  Plus, I've been looking for light grey and taupe colored bags and I think this is a happy medium. 

More reasons I love this bag:  It seems to go well with both the black and grey colors that I normally wear.  It also goes well with pastel colors.  Its formal enough to wear in business casual situations but the soft structure of the bag gives it a casual enough feel that I can just as easily pair it with a simple jeans, t-shirt/cami, and cardigan look.  I think I'll get my money's worth out of this one!

 Thanks for stopping by.

Inspiration Recreation: Cardi and Print Dress

Quick post today about an outfit I was inspired to recreate.  Scanning through Google Images, I came across this daily outfit post by Sascha at saschasdailydrama.blogspot.com, posted January 6, 2011.  I thought it was a very cute outfit but I'm not really a big fan of floral prints, (I mean I don't hate them but I don't love them either... they're okay sometimes), so I opted for a geometric print dress from Forever 21.  I'm not sure what shoes Sascha wore in the inspiration outfit but I think brown lace-up booties or my new Target lace-up cage heels will look good with this outfit.  She also appears to be wearing tights in the inspiration photo. I may wear some black tights as well, especially if I decide to wear the lace-up booties.

Inspiration Recreation: Cardi & Print Dress by connie-nicole

Pulling It Together Sweater
$68 - anthropologie.com

Cracked Vintage Skinny
$32 - topshop.com

Mossimo Black Cognac Paulette Wmn Heeld Sndl - 8.5 : Target
$30 - target.com

Forever21.com - Dresses - 2079723042
$20 - forever21.com

Sascha's Daily Drama: Fragments.

saschasdailydrama.blogspot.com

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Wardrobe Do-Over

I have been busy taking inventory of my closet and I've decided its time to do a wardrobe do-over.  As I'm nearing the end of my grad school career, I need to starting building a more grown-up wardrobe.  I'm gaining some fashion confidence and discovering my own personal style so I'm breaking out of my plain-jane rut to include more stylish things in my closet.  My sense of style is changing but my closet does not fully reflect that.  But there is one small problem....I'm a graduate student!  I don't have the money to buy a completely new wardrobe so this will be process.  In the meantime, I'll continue to edit my closet, make lists of what I need and want to add, develop a clothing budget, and collect inspiration for more creative outfits using what I already have.  Take for instance, this outfit inspired by January Jones (via Polyvore):

Celebrity Inspiration: January Jones by connie-nicole featuring side zip boots

Nothing special about this outfit but I'm trying to do better about putting all of the items in my closet into a regular wear rotation.  I have a similar paisley burnout shirt from TJMaxx that I purchased months ago that still has the price tag on it, never worn....SHAME!  This is a bad habit of mine that I desperately need to break. 

The 30 for 30 Remix Challenge by Kendi, of Kendi Everyday blog fame, is a great idea.  I'm not currently participating in the challenge but it is inspiring me to put what I already have to better use.  Her blog has been a great source of inspiration for me; I love her style! 

Kendi of Kendi Everday (kendieverydayblogspot.com)

Kendi also did a series (Creating a Working Closet) on her blog that addressed assessing your closet, taking out the junk, and remixing to make the most out of your wardrobe.  This 5-step series (Purge, Assess, Organize, Shopping, and Remixing) has been very helpful to me.  After going through my closet, I realized I had alot of junk to purge (things I had not worn in forever, things that I should have let go years ago but didn't because I'm a pack-rat, things that I no longer want or can't remember why in the world I spent money on in the first place!).  To Goodwill they went!  Clearing out the junk and having the closet (somewhat) organized has made putting outfits together easier.  I started color coding my closet about a year ago but I still have a probelm with having clothes sitting and hanging in areas around my bedroom other than the closet.  And my shoes and accessories are not organized all that well but I'm working on it! 

After clearing the clutter, I started assessing the pros and cons of my wardrobe.  What are my good goes-with-just-about-everything pieces?, what is my wardrobe lacking?  Does my wardrobe reflect my current style and wardrobe needs? etc.  As I mentioned earlier, I don't feel that my wardrobe fully reflects my current style.  I also noticed that accessories and tops with brighter colors and patterns is what I am especially lacking in.  I have done some shopping but I have been much more mindful of:   how will the new item fit into my current wardrobe, is it one of the items that my wardrobe is lacking and that I need (not just something I want because its cute and on sale!), do I already have something similar in my closet, on what occasion will I wear it, how well does it fit (will alterations be needed & is it worth the cost of alterations), the quality, how much wear will I get for the price? 

Next, I started thinking about what items in my wardrobe have I not used to its full potential?  Can I put together 3 or more outfits/looks with each item in my closet?  I'm currently looking to celebrities, fashion magazines, fashion blogs, and Polyvore to get inspiration for remixing and including more color & accessories in my outfits.

This has all been such a fun process and recommend everyone do this - even if you're not looking to do a wardrobe overhaul like me but just for the sake of making your wardrobe as stylish and efficient as you can! 

Anthropologie Sale Purchase

Just a quick post on a couple of items I ordered on sale from Anthropologie this week:

First up... the All Along Knit Jacket, black, size small, $49.95 (orig. $88).

I had been eyeing this jacket in the sale section online for a couple of weeks but was kind of hesitant to buy. Although most customers had given it positive reviews, some comments mentioned that it may be kind of boxy if you have a tiny waist or too short if you have a long torso because it has a cropped hem and 3/4 sleeves.  I have a rectangular shape and my torso is not long so hopefully this will not be a problem for me. It looks as though it will be a good all around work to casual wear jacket.

Next... the Konnichiwa Sweater, Pink (read tomato red, currently sold out in this color), size small, $39.95 (orig. $128).

I really wanted the teal blue color but it was sold out in my size so I went with the "Pink" color but it looks alot more like tomato red. This color is outside the norm for me but one of my new year's resolutions was to add more color and patterns to my wardrobe this year...I think this fits the bill!

And some possible outfit ideas via Polyvore...

Anthro All Along Knit Jacket by connie-nicole featuring anthropologie jackets

Konnichiwa by connie-nicole featuring anthropologie tops

Find me on Polyvore

Ann Taylor LOFT 40% OFF SALE

Ann Taylor LOFT is currently having a 40% off sale promotion (sale code ENTIRE) which includes new spring arrivals!  Free shipping is available for online orders over $125.

                                               
These are the items I ordered online; including my size, color, & total discounted sale price:

Abstract Print Shell:  Bright Gold, $29.70, x-small  

I love the soft pastel, abstract pattern of this shell but I'm not sure how flattering this top is going to be on me.  LOFT's tops tend to fit a little big on me (sometimes even in x-small) and the flare at the bottom of this one has me a little skeptical.  But I guess I can always return it for something else!  The color is listed as "Bright Gold" but there is no other color currently available.

Back Zip Sweater Top:  Heather Warm Neutral, $23.70, small

 

(back zip detail)

Long Sleeve Crew Neck Cardigan:  Black, $23.70, small 

I got the "classic, goes-with-everything" black color in this cardigan but I also wanted the "Steel Grey" color along with the abstract floral top shown with it (below) but the top was not listed for sale online.  I'm not sure if the top is from a previous season or if it will be available in the future; hopefully so!  I really like this combination.

Crew Neck Cardigan in Steel Grey with mystery top?

Petite Marisa Emerald Wash Jeans:  $35.70, size 26 (or size 2P)

and last but certainly not least...

Carlin Spring Flat:  Natural, $35.70, size 9 (I've got big feet, lol!)

Love the details on the cap toe!

These lovely flats are made of embossed leather and include a metallic cap toe and bow detail that I am loving!  I've been searching for an inexpensive flat of this style for a while and at under $36 bucks, I could not resist.  I can hardly wait to get these!  The "natural" color is the only one currently offered but I hope LOFT makes these flats available in other colors in the future. 

There were other items that I wanted but I didn't want to get too carried away spending!  I decided to exercise some patience and wait until some things go into the markdown sale section.  Until next time...

Happy Shopping!

~ connie-nicole ~