Yes, I'm Still Alive!

Yes, I am still alive!  I apologize for being MIA for the past 3 months but I've been busy with grad school.

There have been lots of good sales and cheap (but cute) clothing finds that I've come across since my last post.  I'll do my best to "show-n-tell" as many of my favorite, recently acquired items as I can in my next few posts.  Yesterday I went to shop LOFT's 50% off clearance racks because I had a birthday reward voucher that would have allowed me an additional 15% off of my purchase!  Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with my store's selection and found nothing that I wanted to buy.  However I did spy a few newly arrived items that I will be keeping a close watch on for sale-clearance price... which I'm sure will not be for long.  I've learned to NEVER pay full price for anything at the LOFT.  Exercise a little patience and you can usually get the items you want for 30-50% off within a few weeks, either by a sale promotion or clearance mark-down.

I didn't have any luck at the LOFT but I did find a few cute and affordable things in Forever 21 to brighten up my wardrobe:

 Colorful Stripes top (Oatmeal/Taupe, Medium, $14.80)

 Summer Fun shorts (light blue, 27, $14.80)

Eyelet Adorned Woven top (Cream, Medium, $19.80)

Embellished Knit tank (rust, Small, $17.80)

Here are a couple of outfit ideas I came up with:

Outfit #1:  Colorful and Casual

 Top: Forever 21

Shorts: Forever 21

Sandals (pictured below):  Merona via Target

Belt (pictured below):  Kensie via TJMaxx

Merona Emeline Sandals (pewter, $15)

(currently out of stock on line but may still be available in local stores)

Kensie Skinny belt ($4 on clearance from TJMaxx)



Outfit #2:  Dressing Up Bright Stripes

 

Top:  Forever 21

Wide Leg Trouser Jeans:  Gap (link here)

Belt (pictured below):  Forever 21

Wedges (pictured below):  Guess via Ross Dress for Less

Forever 21 Wide belt

(bought a few months ago but may still be available in some stores; $4.80)

Guess Tavish Wedges via Ross Dress for Less

(bought a few months ago; mostly likely no longer available; don't remember price)

Outfit #3:  Dinner with Friends

Top:  Forever 21

Wide Leg Trouser Jeans:  Gap

Wedges:  Guess

Outfit #4:  Celebrate with Friends

Tank (detail pictured below):  Forever 21

Wide Leg Trouser Jeans:  Gap

Wedges:  Guess

Sequin/Bead Detail

It's surprising to see such beautiful detailing like this on a piece of Forever 21 clothing!

Well that's all I have for now.  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.