pantone fall link up: sangria

apt 9 blouse {thrifted}

gap cardigan {thrifted}

j crew skirt {via eBay}

dexter hensley wedges

welcome to the second annual fall patone-inspired link-up marissa from the modern austen and i will be co-hosting all week.  we always enjoy browsing through the pantone colors each season and having you join us to feature some of those colors.  i think we have a great batch of colors this fall and i am excited to start out with sangria.  i pulled a couple "sangria" colored tops and bottoms to potentially wear today and settled on this top that i think i have only worn once.  sangria to me is a deep magenta and this top seemed to for that description!  

how are you interpreting the pantone color of sangria?  grab a button and link-up with us here!

get the look:  similar blouse / similar cardigan / similar skirt / similar wedges

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An InLinkz Link-up

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

changes.

j crew button-down {thrifted}   ·   cherokee cardigan

j crew skirt {ebayed}   ·   worthington booties

hi everyone, are you guys having a good week so far?  mine has been busy, no rest for the weary.  i had a 2.5 hour long home visit this morning with a client and after looking at these pictures (that i took when i got home) i can't help but wonder if she was looking at me odd the entire time because of my weird hair.  i swear, it has to be long enough to donate by now!  i will miss having the flexibility of these types of home visits with my clients but i'm looking forward to a lot of changes in my life around the first of the year... new haircut, new job, moving... i know january 1st is just another day on the calendar, just another wednesday, but it still feels good looking forward to new, positive things.  do you feel that way about the start of a new year, too?  anything you're looking forward to change in your life?  thanks for visiting!

a new look.

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old navy swiss-dot blouse · j crew skirt {ebayed}

missoni for target heels {thrifted target stock} 

oct 28th / isn't it interesting to think about how your style changes over time? i think those of us who operate little blogs like this can identify that more easily since we track what we wear on a daily basis.  i think it's so interesting to scroll through my archives and see the ways in which my own style has changed. i notice a distinct period in which i wore a lot of cardigans, then i transitioned to button-downs, and i've always gravitated toward accessorizing with both a statement necklace and a skinny belt. i'm starting to wonder if more simplistic outfits like this are the direction i'm headed - i'm still sticking with my tried & true pencil skirts, but i'm leaning more toward blouses rather than button-downs and nixing a lot of accessories. or maybe it's just the mood i'm in today -- who knows.  i guess i'll have to wait until this time next year to see if i can identify a pattern! 

what i will say is that this outfit was easy to select this morning and got me through my day. over the weekend, my parents were in town from georgia, my sister ran a half marathon, and my cousin got married! i'm not used to this much activity but i really enjoyed the time i spent with my relatives at the wedding (and my own parents!) who i don't see so often anymore. i hope everyone reading had a good weekend as well and that your week is off to a great start. thanks for visiting!

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

neglected florals.

 

 merona blouse {thrifted} · j crew skirt {ebayed / similar} 

dexter kylie wedges {similar} 

oct 1st / this is one of the first blouses i ever thrifted and i remember being so excited when i found it at the goodwill because it was target stock and only $1.99. isn't it sad how the allure of new clothing items can pass so quickly? something prompted me to buy this blouse -- let's be honest, it was probably the cheap price tag -- but then i abandoned it for more cheap clothes i probably found the following week at the goodwill. as a result, i haven't even worn it once every year since i've owned it but i've hung on to it because i feel guilty re-donating something i thrifted and have only worn a couple times. does this scenario resonate with anyone else? sadly, there are many other pieces in my closet that fall into this same category. i think i need kate to challenge me to wear some neglected clothes again. 

anyway, this is a pretty simple outfit - top, bottom, shoes, that's it, but i liked how it all came together and that it didn't appear fussy with a lot of accessories. and after i wore this blouse all day i realized that i really actually kind of like it... neglected no more, let's hope!

july 30th {hot pink}

o​ld navy crepe blouse · old navy scarf 

j crew skirt {ebayed} · predictions karmen heels 

this is another blouse i ordered recently from oldnavy.com that i got in the mail yesterday. it just felt too easy to pair it with this coordinating scarf and skirt (there is hot pink & this light gray in the scarf if it's hard to see). my only regret is that i didn't iron the blouse first. it has a lovely sheen to it that just amplifies the wrinkles. i'd like to think i'm pretty good about ironing (in fact, i love to iron) so any wrinkles you see in my pictures are a result of sitting for almost eight hours at my desk, but i have to admit that i was this wrinkly all day long. at least the scarf kind of draped over the front of it to mask most of the wrinkles, right? have you scored any good deals at old navy lately? they are becoming my go-to store for colored button-downs!

april 30th {violet}

land's end button-down {thrifted}   ·   j crew skirt {ebayed}

predictions karmen heels

thanks to everyone who granted me their patience with day one of the link up for the pantone-inspired spring color challenge marissa from the modern austen and i are hosting.  first timer here doing a linky tool, so i apologize that i didn't enter the code correctly and many of you weren't able to submit your look right away.  i am crossing my fingers that today's link-up for the color violet works.  if not, rest assured that tomorrow we'll all be linking up with marissa and i'm sure she'll do it correctly!  ;)

so, how are you wearing african violet this spring?  i looked in my closet and saw lots of magenta but not many shades of purple that i would deem african violet.  in fact, i think if this button-down were a shade darker it would fit the bill perfectly, but i made do with what i had--i hope you are too if you find that you don't have a piece of clothing in the exact color of one we're featuring this week.  it's just fun to dress in some springier colors and any shade of purple is definitely one of my favorites.  thanks for visiting and participating with us today!

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february 18th {vested}

h&m vest {thrifted}   ·   gap button-down

j crew skirt {ebayed}   ·   xhilaration blazer {thrifted}

there are definitely certain styles i see on other people that i think are cute but i question how they'd translate on me.  wearing cuffed skinny jeans and booties was one of them, but i'm proud of myeslf for giving that one a try.  there isn't a big risk of not liking something if you are smart about how you go about trying to implement it.  i've been thinking for a while that i'd like to find a menswear inspired vest and just happened to find this h&m one at the goodwill a couple months ago.  yep, it took me a couple months to figure out a way to wear it.  my first thought was to take inspiration from what i wore and layer the vest underneath a blazer paired with my trouser jeans and black and white gingham shirt, but it just felt like too and like my effort was trying to hard (i love that look on jess!).  so instead i paired it with a less bold button-down and neutral skirt. 

let's chat!  / do you own a similar vest?  how would you style it?  i'm going to need some ideas if i want to get my $3.50 worth out of this vest!  :)

january 17th {florals}

coldwater creek blouse {thrifted}  

merona heels {old}   ·   j crew skirt {ebayed}

since you guys were so kind about my post from tuesday with my outfit fails, i feel a little more confident in posting this outfit from thusday.  it is true, i have worn this skirt once a week since the start of the month.  but i hereby solemnly swear that should i wear it again next week i will at least iron it first.  it's starting to turn into a pleated skirt.  and it took a lot for me not to pair it with the yellow-green belt i wore twice last week so i see that as a small plus!  :)

some of my favorite blogs have been talking about being in a rut or funk lately, whether it's finding something to wear based on the weather or just transitioning back into work-mode after the holidays.  it's nice that we can support and lift one another up and still find positive comments to share with one another when we may not see those things ourselves.  so... i end the week by thanking you for that!

monday {thrifted j crew}

j crew blouse & j crew skirt {both thrifted}   ·  gap cardigan {thrifted}
banana republic tiona heels {thrifted}   ·   forever 21 belt & bracelet

welcome back!  well, i guess i am really saying "welcome back" to myself since i was off all last week and am back at work today.  i'm wearing one of three things i thrifted at the goodwill down in georgia last week - this great j crew shell.  it looks like it's never been worn!  i thought the pairing with the pink cardigan and more subdued gray skirt worked well.  of course i struggled with what color tights + shoes to wear since nothing in my mind seemed to go but i'm pretty happy with what i settled on (the tights and shoes are both dark gray).  and huzzah for a 100% thrifted outfit (of high quality brands too, in my opinion).  i hope you all had a great holiday and have had a chance to enjoy some time off!  i'm off tomorrow, but look for a book review that i'll be posting of a book i read in a just a few short days last week.  thanks for visiting!

thursday (honesty)

mossimo sweater & merona belt {both thrifted target stock}   ·   j crew skirt {ebay}  

express button-down {thrifted}   ·   merona marylynn mary janes 

in all honesty, this is what i have been thinking about a lot at work this week...

• accents / sometimes i find that i start to talk with a southern accent if i am trying to clearly & slowly explain something to one of my clients so that they can better hear (ie: understand) what i am saying.  in all honesty, i tried to ensure this wouldn't happen the 20+ years i lived in the south and now it creeps out when i am living in the north.
  
  
• chocolate shakes / there were two days in one week when i ordered chocolate shakes from the bistro in my building from the same culinary worker, a guy several years younger than me.  i've put myself on a self-imposed break from shakes so he doesn't think i am too gluttonous but in all honesty, sometimes i creep upstairs just to see if he isn't working so i can order a shake from another one of the workers.
  
  
• pop music / sometimes i close my office door in the afternoons so i can have a dance break to top 40 music.  how great is justin beiber's "as long as you love me"?  nicki minaj's "super bass" is another one that i jump out of my chair for.  in all honestly, i think only one person i work with knows that i like to do this {and i think he thinks i was joking...} so i am pretty sure i'm in the clear.  i take my mid-afternoon dance breaks pretty seriously.

it's clear that my brain can only hold so much social work.  what's on your mind this week?

mon-tues-wed

how is it that some weeks go by so slowly and others pass before you can even figure out what day it is supposed to be?  i guess that's me this week.  in an effort to get caught up i'm fast forwarding through the outfits i've worn this week instead of doing individual posts for all of them.  it's nothing you haven't seen before anyway!

 
i think that's enough of me for one day,  i'm off on friday but i will try to pop in tomorrow.  i hope you are all having a great week!

hey monday.

merona shirt {thrifted target stock}  ·  j crew skirt {ebay}

target belt  ·  dexter kylie wedges

 

i really like how you can make a more casual button-down shirt work in a professional setting with a structured skirt and nice accessories.  i have been eying this belt for so long at target and my sweep through the accessories section this weekend finally paid off when i saw that little red clearance sticker on it for half off!  usually i would have waited for another price drop but with one belt left in my preferred size, i went for it.  i'm having a hard time justifying spending money on myself after i just bought a new car a couple weekends ago, so i feel that for a while my trips to the goodwill and purchases like this may be few & far between, no matter how much use i feel i may get out of something.  i get tempted to buy clothing items or accessories if they meet my price standard and i have a hard time saying "no" to myself if it's a "good deal," whether or not it fills a hole in my closet.  but if i just stay home and don't go to the goodwill or stay away from the clearance section at target, what is there to see and be tempted by?  well, there's still ebay but after i was burned on a recent purchase i'm upping my standards there, too.  i'm pretty happy with this great neutral, taupe colored pencil skirt that i purchased a few weeks ago, though, even if it wrinkles upon contact!

 

are you pretty good about saying "no" to yourself if you are browsing around and see something that's a good deal, or do you have to literally stay away from your favorite shops so you're not tempted?