lustre lace.

 

j crew lustre lace mockneck tee {thrifted}   ·   j crew skirt {ebayed}

dexter harriet t-strap heels   ·   croft & barrow necklace

i have long admired this picture of cee wearing a navy lace blouse with a bright red turtleneck underneath and i was reminded of it as i was googling around trying to determine the product name of the j crew blouse i am wearing that i thrifted yesterday just to realize it is the same top.  i had to take inspiration from her and pair it with a turtleneck underneath, too!  i love how pretty and feminine this outfit is with the added faux pearl necklace.

thrifting can be a dangerous hobby.  you're bound to add items to your cart that you would pass on in a store just because of their inexpensive price tag.  i have a hard time putting something back at the goodwill, even if i'm only moderately interested in it.  i struggled with a pink blazer that would have been a mere $2.50 that i finally placed back on a rack just because i'm not certain if the direction my wardrobe is going includes a pepto-bismol pink blazer.  this blouse, on the other hand, was half off of $6.99, which ordinarily would have been a no brainer, but i paused for the slightest of seconds before running to the cash register with it because, ahh, i already have a very similar blouse.  in the end, the $3.50 price tag for a blouse that originally cost $138 won out --  i mean, i couldn't just leave it there, could i?!  as i said, thrifting is a dangerous hobby.  would you have snatched it up as well knowing you have almost an identical blouse already or left it on the rack?

get the look:  similar blouse / similar skirt / similar heels / similar necklace

july 1st {ruffled}

gap fitted boyfriend shirt {thrifted}   ·   calvin klein skirt {thrifted}

madden girl sursey pumps {thrifted}

i looked back on the spreadsheet where i track my clothing purchases and i don't think i made it to the goodwill once in the month of june--or at least i didn't buy anything!  that is kind of rare!  so this past sunday i ventured out to my favorite goodwill and came away with this blouse and a target stock blazer.  it wasn't the right color tag for the sale this week so it was full price, but i have a hard time passing up button-downs, especially those that feature some sort of unique detailing like ruffles, or print, like a nice plaid.  this one fit both criteria, so i forked over $4.99 for it!

oh, and pardon the shredding explosion on my floor!  and i still haven't vacuumed yet, so i'm afraid you'll be seeing that all week.  i know, i am the worst blogger... thanks for visiting me anyway.  :)

april 9th {scroll skirt}

merona monica skirt   ·   merona blouse {thrifted target stock}

madden girl sursey pumps {thrifted}

i wore this outfit on tuesday and really liked how it came together.  this is a skirt i have only worn navy with in the past (the last time i wore it was over a year ago!), so it is about time that i realized it "goes" perfectly well with any other solid colored blouse.  i received a couple nice compliments throughout the day too, so it's something i'll remember!

if i have any astute readers out there, no, i am not wearing this dress as a top... i guess this stye was made in a blouse version too, and for 99 cents at the goodwill i couldn't say no despite how silly it seems to have a blouse and a dress in the exact same style and color!  i know i'll get a lot of wears out of both though and i mean, really, 99 cents?!  

thanks for visiting!

feburary 21st {plaid pendleton}

pendleton blazer {thrifted}   ·   land's end button-down {thrifted}

merona skirt {thrifted}   ·   madden girl sursey pumps {thrifted}

i guess i am continuing my pattern of wearing a blazer everyday this week!  i wore one yesterday too that you'll see when i do my week in review post tomorrow.  i picked this one up on the same day i found the magenta one i wore on tuesday but i'm not completely sold.  every time i glanced at myself in the mirror when i went to the bathroom i wondered, "is this plaid so ugly it's cute?" or "is this plaid just plain ugly?"  well, i welcome your thoughts (as long as they're constructive) in the comments.  i am on the fence!  meanwhile, i am going to quickly change my clothes and give this blazer another dosing of febreeze... hopefully no one got too close to me today to realize how much like a musty old lady's basement i smell like.  the joys of thrifting!

february 14th {girly}

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january 8th {eyelet}

merona blouse {thrifted target stock}   ·   loft skirt {thrifted}

madden girl sursey pumps {thrifted}

whenever i wear navy, i seem to always want to pair it with maroon, orange, or cognac.  i forced myself to pick a different color from my closet to pair with this cute navy eyelet skirt and really liked the way the different blues played off each other.  this skirt and these shoes wrap up all of the items i thrifted at the goodwill in georgia over christmas holidays.  unlike the goodwills in minnesota, i really have to dig there and accept that each clothing item is a set price and it's unlikely that i will find something with the right colored tag that would offer an additional discount.  i think that leads me to be more excited about my finds {i am still on a little bit of a high from that j crew blouse} than i am here, where i find so much stuff i tend to be just so-so about but for really cheap prices.  hopefully i can start to carry that selective mentality to my thrifting here in minnesota.

i know i talk about thrifting a lot, so if it's not something you're into you'll have to forgive me - it's my main form of shopping and it's become a passion the past few years but i obviously still have a lot to learn!

let's chat!  what is a color combination you always wear?  can you think of a different color to swap in and try instead next time?

tuesday (vote!)

happy election day!  i meant to post yesterday as i found it amusing that i was wearing a pretty patriotic outfit that was unplanned and would have made more sense to wear today, but i experienced an optical migraine (self-diagnosed) as i was stuck in monstrous traffic on my way home and barely made it home before collapsing in bed in my dark room - needless to say, i definitely wasn't up to blogging last night.  i've experienced these just a couple times in the past and i know they are brought on by stress and bright lights/flashing lights/staring too intently at computer screens, but it's still disconcerting. 

tomorrow is my birthday (!) and i'm just hoping i don't slip on any patches of ice or experience much stress... i'm sure taking a half-day won't hurt.  i am attending a presentation next week on stress management for social services providers and i have a feeling it couldn't come at a better time.  if anyone else out there has a really stressful job, have you found any unique or helpful ways to mitigate the stress?

wednesday {thrifted}

 

a tagless blazer of unknown origins {thrifted}   ·   calvin klein skirt {thrifted}

isaac mizrahi blouse {thrifted}   ·   merona milena wedges {thrifted target stock}

 

one of the quickest realizations i came to when i started thrifting a couple years ago is that hey, i can put together pretty great outfits from my thrift store of choice (the GW).  this was especially timely for me as i started my first professional job a little over two years ago after obtaining my master's degree.  up to that point i was a jeans-wearer 7 days a week, which is just the way i was used to dressing since high school and into college.  i owned a few pairs of dress pants and what could pass as dress shoes, but i never had a reason for dressing up and certainly didn't have anything in my closet that could guide me into a workplace environment, no matter how casual.

 

i am sure many of you guys have similar stories to mine.  i found that the basics i wished to fill my closets with could be found within the racks of donated clothing, and this avenue has worked really well for me to build and expand my professional wardrobe.  sometimes it doesn't always come through - i can't tell you how long i've been looking for a basic white button-down at the GW.  i have several white blouses that i wear regularly as layering pieces, like the one i'm wearing today, but i'd like a plain, fitted, long-sleeved white oxford shirt.  the ones i see at the GW are never that appealing or in good condition.  since my hunt has been going on for so long and it's still a piece i wish to have in my closet, it's time to perhaps purchase this item new.   however, i've been able to find plenty of other great closet staples and wardrobe basics at my local GW.  this skirt is one of my recent faves - a solid navy pencil skirt in a classic cut and work-appropriate length that will never go out of style.  this tagless blazer is another new addition from my haul on sunday and i think it also has longevity.  it's been really fun to have such success in thrifting and i hope that i can continue to encourage other people to give thrifting a try.  goodwills and thrift stores usually have pretty solid missions and give back to the communities that provide them with donations and there's a big part of me that appreciates that too.

  

i'm curious: how did you begin to build your professional wardrobe when you began your career?

thursday.

merona dora dress {thrifted target stock}   mossimo cocoon cardigan {thrifted}

lela rose for payless madison heels

i thought about prefacing this post by apologizing for wearing this outfit before, but you know what... i'm not sure that anyone reading this would have known that i have!  i'm a pretty perceptive person but week after week, i can't remember what my coworker who i share an office with wears and i highly doubt that people who look at pictures of me on the internet really remember what i wear either.  isn't that weird, when all of us are so into personal style & following others' whose personal style influences our own?  or maybe i'm totally off.  either way, welcome to my life where i really love pairing this denim-like dress with  maroon and these heels, which were a smashing hit everywhere i went today.  i really think we all need fabulous heels in our closets and i find a lot of great pairs at payless!  i'm thinking about ordering these two pairs since there's a BOGO going on  right now and i found another coupon code online... i'd prefer the navy pair that also come in yellow, but my size isn't available.  decisions, decisions... feel free to weigh in!