Outfit of the Day: Strange Memorials

 Had a very relaxing weekend (minus the work part of it), full of sunshine and fun things.

Check it out! That is Canada (White Rock, British Columbia to be exact) sitting out there across the water. Had an appointment near the border today.

 Green Herringbone Blazer - Robert Noble for JCrew 2005 (thrift)

Skirt - Anthropologie "Apothecary Skirt"

Boots - Hayden Harnett "Madeleine in Brandy"

Purse - Hayden Harnett "Barnard in Persian Rose"

 Two interesting plaques we saw wandering around Old Fairhaven in Bellingham. Poor Mathew.

And poor wagon?

The Pencil Skirt

A while back I mentioned I was wanting to find a colored pencil skirt, like the J Crew double-serge wool pencil skirts, but without the hefty price tag. When I went to the thrift store for a little birthday shopping I came across a purple wool one. It is vintage, and even though it said it was a size 8, I was wary of it fitting. Vanity sizing runs rampant these days, so I think I am around an 8/10 in vintage.

 It fit!

 Here it is in the sunlight to get the true color. A nice, crisp purple. The $5 price tag sure beats anything else I had found. Patience pays off again!

 Black Velvet Blazer - JCrew - thrift

Black Camisole - Ann Taylor - thrift

Pencil Skirt - thrift/vintage

Houndstooth tights - Reitman's (Canada)

Key Charm Necklace - gift

The Birthday Post

Ah that time of year that comes by...well once a year. It is a bit melancholy to be away from my friends and family in Canada this year (and my mom down south), but I had a great day at work with a birthday banana cream pie and fried rice. We also went out last night to have a meal with another couple we have grown close to, and that was great. Almond milk bubble tea is my new favorite.

In honor of my birthday, I took myself shopping. Had a coupon for 30% off at my local thrift store, so I enjoyed a nice afternoon off there browsing and looking around. I was very thrilled to find an ivory JCrew Victoria Ruffle Camisole for $1.79, and a coral JCrew Jackie Cardigan for $3.99. I loved the camisole when they first came out, but didn't manage to get one on sale. The pants were another find, Banana Republic beige herringbone wool lined trousers for $5.99. Hurray a new outfit for under $12.

Camisole - JCrew "Victoria Ruffle" - thrift

Cardigan - JCrew "Jackie" - thrift

Pants - Banana Republic - thrift

 And a rare face shot, taken nice and early, around 6:30 this morning.

Happy birthday shout outs to my fellow April 5th-ers, Jess over at Consume or Consumed, and AmyK over at KelindaKELINDA! Hurray for the Aries in the blogging world :)

Building a Work Wardrobe

So that time in my life is fast approaching. Going from a strict dress code to the relative freedom of business casual/business wear. That also means my wardrobe needed a slight boost in terms of work appropriate wear. Yes, I have lots of fun dresses and skirts, but to be honest, not quite in line with my new field of work. 

That is where my local thrift stores come in. Since money is a bit tight at the moment, I couldn't go out and buy a brand new wardrobe, as much fun as that would have been. So I spent the last month supplementing my old wardrobe into something new. Did you know that the Goodwill stores have days where certain color tags are $1.29? Crazy! I would say about 90% off what I picked up was new with tags, which is awesome.

Blazers & Jackets:

Old Navy/JCrew/Anthropologie/Esprit/H&M/BCBG

Skirts:

Anthropologie/Banana Republic/H&M/Anthropologie

Pants:

Left Side: Lauren by Ralph Lauren/Ann Taylor/Rachel Roy Signature

Right Side: Banana Republic/Ann Taylor/Random 

Dresses:

Shabby Apple (Won through Jess c/o Shabby Apple)/H&M (camera added a white dot)

Cardigans & Toppers:

Top Row: Anthropologie/Anthropologie/Gap/White House Black Market

Bottom Row: Jacob/Gap/JCrew/Ann Taylor Loft

Blouses & Shirts:

Top Row: Ann Taylor Loft/Ann Taylor/Banana Republic/Ann Taylor/Chaus

Middle Row: Jacob/Mexx/JCrew/Anthropologie

Bottom Row: Express/INC/Ann Taylor

I tried to stick to things that would mix and match well, hence the mostly black, purple, green, and blue shades. I was hoping to pick up a blue or green pencil skirt while searching but no luck yet. The JCrew double serge in Warm Jade would really float my boat. Oh and neck bow-tied blouses? Love them.

In total, I think I spent under $100 for 19 new items. I know some people aren't keen on the idea of thrifting, but when things come with tags on them still, hard to pass up silk shirts and wool pants for under $5. I also think the mix of what I had before and what I added works well together.

Outfit of the Day: Tweedy Polka Dots

When JG wore this outfit awhile back, I kept the idea of pairing this skirt with a patterned shirt. I had been sticking to wearing a solid on top, so when I saw this blouse in my drawer, it clicked.

 Polka Dot Blouse - Tulle

Skirt - Anthropologie "Tomato Picking"

Belt - random mall store

Tights - Hue

Boots - Hayden Harnett "Madeleine"

This blazer is part of the suit I picked up at the thrift store a few weeks back.

Thrifting Finds: Hello Deletta shirt, would you come home with me?

I was out with a friend looking for suiting pieces for some upcoming interviews, and came across this lovely shirt.

Deletta "Nexus" Shirt in Rose

Pink, ruffles, rosettes? Check. 

In my size?  Check.

Mint condition? Check.

$4 price tag? Check.

I find that Deletta makes my favorite shirts at Anthropologie. Great girly details with soft and durable cotton.

Such as this warm weather (or layering) staple for me.
Deletta "Camelot" Tank

I don't normally find Anthropologie items at my local thrift store, so this was a pleasant surprise. Also picked up a brown tweed skirt suit for a very reasonable $20. No picture of that though.

Thrifting Finds: Fabric, and Lace, and Boots, oh my!

There is a pretty large thrift store down the street from me, and while they might not always have the best price, the fact that they are central in the city does mean they get a large amount of stock all the time. I had an errand to run yesterday, so popped in to see if they had any fabric there. 

Turns out that they do. And for pretty decent prices. Of course they don't have a wide range, but they did have a few gems that caught my eye. If I was looking for something specific, I would have been disappointed, but I think I want to find the fabric, then create with it, as opposed to thinking of something, then go looking for fabric.

What I liked:

 A lace, a stripe, a multi-colored knit with a tiny row of sequins.

 Close up. The lace will be perfect for trim, it has rows of solid fabric, with the lace in-between.The knit I have a great plan for already.

And picked these up for $6. Vintage leather boots with an embossed front. I will put a new insole in, because that is slightly icky otherwise for me.

 Happy weekend everyone!