blazers

Floral Blazer

April 30, 2013 · By Rachel · 42 Comments

This past weekend my older sister, her fiance and my parents were in town to take care of some wedding tasks. The wedding is taking place in downtown Minneapolis in October, so they get to travel here to get everything planned. I LOVE it because that means I don’t have to travel and I still get to see my family more this year. Win, win WIN! Anyway, to run errands such as choosing the groom’s tuxedo, taking a look at the chapel and wedding photo opportunities (and grabbing a mid afternoon beer), I thought it would be a great time to wear (and show off) my new floral blazer. I paired it with plain white t-shirt (borrowed from my boyfriend), my teal skinny jeans and mint pumps. With some jewelry accents, like my favorite Lia Sophia bracelets and this gorgeous mint chain link bracelet from Sira & Mara, everything felt just right!

Do you own a floral blazer? How would you style it? I am definitely trying to figure out new ways to wear it, but I think it will be versatile piece.

April Budget

April 28, 2013 · By Rachel · 23 Comments

1. Floral One Should Top in Fuschia - Questhaven Fashions $10.00 – $3.50 in promo codes + $3.25 S&H = $9.75 I had an additional promo code I got on Facebook for liking their fan page, so when I saw this top, I had to make it mine. I love the color and flower details, plus with the right blazer or cardigan I can also wear it to work and easily transition into a cute date night, happy hour or going out look!

2. Steve Madden Trench Coat – ShopGoodWill Won Bid at $16.00 + $11.53 S&H = $27.53 The PRICE TAGS from T.J.Maxx were still on this item at a cost of $59.99, so I still paid half of the cost for the trench (even at a discount store) with S&H, so I feel okay even though I wouldn’t normally pay $11.53 for S&H

3. Midi Strap Dress in Orange Red - Asos $21.91 On Sale + Free S&H = $21.91

4. Schutz Gilberta Black Heels – ShopGoodWill Won Bid at $9.00 + $11.50 S&H = $21.50 I paid a little more for S&H, but I don’t mind because when I saw these on ShopGoodwill, I knew I had to have them! They were the perfect basic pair of black pumps and when I looked up the cost of Schutz Gilberta heels, they normally run for $160 a pair. So I’d say I got another great deal! See how I wore them recently here.

5. Copacabana Heels – JustFab $39.95 + Free S&H = $39.95 I have been dying to get a pair of strappy sandals like this, but resisted for awhile. Then I saw these in mint, and had to make them mine.

6. Whitney Floral Heels - ShoeDazzle $22.57 – $9.95 for VIP members + Free S&H = $15.82 These babies were on my Spring Wishlist. So I am pretty pumped about finally having a pair of fun, colorful floral heels!

7. Leaf Floral Print Blazer – Lulu’s $3.00! I won the Word Wednesday daily contest on Lulu’s Facebook (they have really easy daily contests, like their page to enter these contests) and was credited $50 to my account. $46 + $7 S&H = $53 – $50 in Account Credit = $3.00

TOTAL: $139.46

So I was $39.46 over my budget. Not the best, but not bad either. I got two of my closet needs, a trench coat and black heels, so I am feeling good about that. I have also been wanting to add more colorful/patterned blazers to my collection, so I was so excited when I won $50 in store credit to Lulu’s and found this beautiful floral blazer for under $46. Also, I wanted to challenge myself to spend less than $100 a month. It’s not that it doesn’t fit into my overall budget, I just have so much already, it just doesn’t make sense to keep adding and adding things I want. So for the new dress, one shouldered top and two pairs of heels, I am excited to have these things but they weren’t needed. I guess I don’t feel bad about my overspending in clothing this month just because I’m still meeting my other budgeting goals. But again, next month I’m challenging myself to $100. I have a lot of weddings coming up and those are going to get expensive, so the less I spend on clothes/shoes, the better!

***I got two new pairs of jeans, a blouse and blazer from the Easter Bunny (aka my Mom) at the end of March. I don’t normally include gifted items from friends, family, boyfriend in these posts. Do you? Should I? I just everyone to know that I am being completely honest with my budget and include ALL of my purchases in this monthly roundup!

Linking up with Budgeting Bloggers over at Franish!

Filed Under: Fashion, Shopping · Tagged: blazer, blazers, budget, budgeting, floral blazker, floral heels, fuschia top, heels, how to budget, how to shop on a budget, JustFab, justfab heels, JustFabulous, justfabulous heels, Lulus, questhaven, schutz heels, ShoeDazzle, strappy heels, zappos

Halloween Happy Hour

October 26, 2012 · By Rachel · 18 Comments

Well it is that time of year when you can wear orange and black together without feeling like you are dressing for Halloween! Why? Well because it is Halloween time right now… yay! I love the idea of orange and black together and what a better time to pull out your favorite black and orange pieces than now?! I am taking today off to bake and get ready for our 2nd Annual Halloween party tomorrow (called Spookify) and I wore this last night to happy hour with the bf. Sometimes there is nothing better than an outfit with a hint of color and of course a sparkle clutch! Double stripes, black blazer, orange scarf and sparkle clutch? Yeah pretty much all of my favorites in one outfit! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I know it is still a few days away, but I’m sure you all have parties and events to attend this weekend that are Halloween related! Stay tuned for some fun Halloween baking, decor and costume posts in the upcoming days!

Snakes on a Jacket

October 10, 2012 · By Rachel · 36 Comments

Okay so there really aren’t snakes on this jacket… just snakeskin print. I don’t know, sometimes I just think I’m clever and I laugh like it’s funny. This happens a lot at home and the bf doesn’t even know where it came from, what I’m thinking or what I mean by it. It comes from my mother because I act the same way my bf does when she says things sometimes and I usually end up saying “Oh Mom” but I love her, she’s the best!

Anyway, enough blabbing… so I never thought 1) that I would ever end up wearing this jacket to the office… I thought it might be a bit too crazy for the environment I work in and 2) I never thought I would wear a denim dress to the office thinking it is just too casual. Well, this outfit just goes to show that you should always push yourself to try more and be more creative with your wardrobe. If it is straight out not appropriate, it just isn’t appropriate, but I think the blend of a plain casual denim dress and the dressy features of my snakeskin jacket magically balance each other out. Let’s just say I couldn’t resist a double dose of snakeskin and added one of my go-to work shoes to this outfit, as well as an edgy necklace, a buckle belt and watch to keep the balance between work appropriate and fun/crazy. I got a compliment from a co-worker so I’m going to call it a success!

Jacket: Nordstrom Rack (Similar here) Dress: Lucky Brand (Similar here) Necklace: Target (Similar here) Watch: Nordstrom Rack- BCBGMaxaxria (Similar here) Shoes: Target (Similar here) Lipstick: YSL Rouge Volupte – Color 17 Red Muse (Buy here)

Filed Under: Outfits · Tagged: army coat, army jacket, BCBG, BCBGMaxazria, blazers, button-up dress, denim, denim dress, denim dresses, detailed jacket, dresses, embellished jacket, fall fashion, fall office style, fall style, heels, how to wear snakeskin at the office, how to wear snakeskin print, jackets, Nordstrom Rack deals, Nordstrom Rack purchases, office, office wear, pumps, reptile, reptile print, snakeskin, snakeskin apparel, snakeskin blazer, snakeskin jacket, snakeskin print, Target, Target fashion, Target finds, tights, watch, watches, work outfit, work style

Inspired Style: Stripes + Florals

August 21, 2012 · By Rachel · 40 Comments

Well it has been far too long since my last Inspired Style post (uh yeah… back in March?! haha) but when I saw the episode of Jane by Design with the yellow Zara blazer, a floral bustier and striped skirt, I knew I wanted to recreate this look. I took my pale yellow vintage blazer (love the bright color better but I don’t have one), paired it with a dark gray tee and floral scarf for the floral part of the outfit and then paired it with my new striped maxi skirt (I wasn’t supposed to buy anything this month but for $12 at Nordstrom Rack I just could not say no!!!!!). I loved the outcome and decided to wear this mixed pattern outfit to work. Nothing better than a fun outfit at work! What do you think?! How do you mix stripes and florals?

Floral Statement

August 3, 2012 · By Rachel · 24 Comments

I literally have nothing more to say than HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!

Neon Details: Part 2, Outfit 1

June 11, 2012 · By Rachel · 10 Comments

Welcome to the first post of Neon Details: Part 2! Neon Details: Part 1 (seen here) displayed some of my outfits incorporating the neon trend during winter (oh yes when lovely snow was still on the ground). Now it is time to show my take on summer neon style and I wanted to start off with one of my favorite pairs of heels to throw on during the summer. These neon details add a fun pop of color to a simple outfit, helping turn this weekend casual look into something more fun that I would love to wear out with my girlfriends. What do you think of the transformation from winter to summer? How do you or would you wear neon heels this summer?

Black & White Secrets

May 25, 2012 · By Rachel · 19 Comments

So this is an outfit I would wear for a night out with my girls. But these days, at the end of the work week, as much as I want to go out and party with my friends, I want to make sure I am also as comfy as possible. A light-weight lace back cardigan, breezy tank top and my polka dot pj shorts are the PERFECT way to achieve this. Did I just say pj shorts? Yes these are my polka dot pajama shorts I recently picked up at TJ Maxx so I’d have a matching pair of pjs for my trip to Europe. When I wore them for the first time, I realized how cute the shorts were and they even have pockets! To dress them up more, I thought the lace and hot pink Rachel by Rachel Roy pumps would do just the trick.

Reader Question: Blazer, Skinny Jeans & Heels

May 8, 2012 · By Rachel · 13 Comments

Recently a reader told me about her birthday party theme (Blazers, skinny jeans and heels) and wanted to know what some fun, stand out combinations could be to make her stand out at her party. I sent her six options (some with regular blue jeans and then the above options with colored denim). I wanted to share the looks I came up with colored denim because I think they are a great option for a night out with girlfriends this spring and summer!

Sailor-esque

May 7, 2012 · By Rachel · 38 Comments

I was so excited when I found out the next Everybody Everywear was going to be Nautical themed. I adore anything nautical themed, from the colors to the stripes and the anchors and lifesavers! This shirt was actually bought for a party in the UK for my best friend’s boyfriend (now husband!) that was sailor themed. Three of us girls bought matching shirts and had such a fun time celebrating! The white blazer and blue denim gave this fun shirt a more polished look, but I also had to add my fun red bow bag that also came from the UK!