crewy.

​j crew swiss-dot fontana dress {thrifted} & j crew argyle cardigan {thrifted}

forever 21 belt   ·   predictions karmen heels

oct 14th / i have been buying too much stuff online lately so i've been foregoing my usual goodwill trips, but putting together outfits like this makes me want to jump in the car right now and head over to my favorite GW because who knows what's out there that i may be missing?  i realize that isn't the best mentality to have when thrifting as you're more prone to pick up items you feel only so-so about, but i definitely have been missing the thrill of the thrifting hunt recently.  however, this dress is reaching it's third year anniversary of being in my possession and i still love it just as much as when i first thrifted it!  i kind of waver with my attraction toward argyle, but in a fun orange print like this, what's not to love?  i first had it paired with a plain, tan skirt but then remembered i had thought about pairing it with this dress before i fell asleep last night - i'm glad i remembered!  hopefully both of these pieces will stick around and still have relevance in my closet for years to come.

also, i will post about this in more detail mid-week, but i wanted to give you all a head's up that my friend marissa from the modern austen and i are going to be hosting another pantone-inspired color challenge next week.  we had such a great time when we did this in the spring and now pantone has given us new colors to look forward to wearing this fall!  we'll start next monday, october 21st but i'll give you a peak at the graphic in case you want to start planning some outfits now.  again, stay tuned for more information on our blogs about how the link-up will work!  we're excited to have you join us!

get the look: similar dress / similar cardigan / similar belt / exact heels

belted dress.

merona dress {thrifted target stock / similar}   ·   merona cardigan {similar}

predictions karmen pumps   ·   forever belt {similar} & bracelet

oct 2 / i really had no idea what to wear this morning, which is always dangerous if i want to get to work on time, but before i fell asleep last night i was trying to think about what i could wear with this gray sheath dress.  of course i had to match the shoes, belt, and bracelet but i liked the aqua color of the cardigan against the gray. 

we made it halfway through the week, here's to the homestretch!  thanks for visiting!

plain + simple.

tagless button-down {thrifted}   ·   kohls belt {similar}

calvin klein skirt {thrifted / similar}    ·   predictions karmen pumps

sept 9th / i had a meeting on this day with a handful of other professionals who are involved in some way with one of my clients.  i had a feeling i would be the youngest & least practiced person in attendance so i did not want anything about my outfit to cause me to feel uncomfortable or inadequate.  this outfit is pretty plain & simple, but i think it's professional and the easy color palette helped ensure attention wouldn't be on me for any other reason than what i had to say.  since i didn't have to worry or fuss about my outfit, i was able to speak confidently about my specific role (mostly, anyway, my job is tough) in working with this client.  plus, it was about 700* degrees and i knew i needed to be comfortable on top of all of that!

i think our meeting was pretty successful and the client was also present and responsive.  i'm amazed at some of the situations my clients have had to encounter in their lives before they end up on my caseload, but i'm also pretty amazed by the will and resiliency many have to work through certain circumstances.  it feels pretty amazing that i get to be a part of that!

thansk for visiting!

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!

july 3rd {aranciata}

eshakti dress {c/o}   ·   gap boys button-down {thrifted}

predictions karmen heels

 

i haven't really been that inspired by my closet lately, focusing more on what i lack than what i have to be creative with.  "i have no printed or patterned pencil skirts in shades of green!  i have no yellow button-downs!"  you should have seen the pile of clothes on my bed tuesday, discarded outfit options and garments that were tossed aside in frustration.

 

so, today i picked an outfit i'd stored in the back of my mind i thought might work, put it on, and went with it.  i've been neglecting wearing this orange dress again {last worn here} because it is so bold and my new office environment is a bit static, but there are a couple of older fashionable ladies who always dress in bold colors & sky high heels, so i used them as inspiration today.  work has been a bit tough lately, so this  punchy dress was just what i needed to get through the day before a holiday.

 

thanks for visiting - and don't worry, i have since vacuumed ;)

may 14th {cool thoughts}

old navy crochet trim top   ·   talbots watercolor floral skirt

predictions karmen heels

the high today is supposed to be something ridiculous, 85-90?  we had such a long winter {it was less than three weeks ago that i was commenting on a large snowfall} but apparently mother nature is catapulting us right into summer.  or maybe i can just blame my mom who is visiting this week from georgia for bringing the southern heat with her!  either way, i knew i wanted to feel cool & fresh on this blasted hot day so i pulled out a bright white top {recent clearance find at old navy} and this pretty floral skirt i've waited eight months to wear.  in addition to thinking cool thoughts, i think it worked pretty well!

linking up with marionberry style and her trend of the month: yellow challenge! i know it's not much yellow, but as you remember, i don't have much yellow in my wardrobe.  i do like to incorporate it where i can, though, and as a part of a print is a great option.  thanks for visiting!

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!

<div align="center"> <br><a href="http://literatelystylish.blogspot.com/" title="literate & stylish"><img src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a240/whatwedo/PantoneSpringChallenge_days2.png" alt="literate & stylish" style="border:none;" /></a></div> <br><</p> <p>  </p> <p>  <br></p> </div>

march 13th {neglected pants}

gap outlet slacks {thrifted}   ·   merona sweater {thrifted}

j crew blouse {thrifted}   ·   predictions karmen heels

if you've been hanging around here with me for a while, you might pick out today's no longer neglected item immediately.  PANTS!  as all of my pants are sadly neglected.  i'm not even sure why that is - i wore them maybe once a week in 2012, but it feels like it's been ages since i've pulled on a proper pair of dress slacks.  i'm glad i made it a point to do so today for this challenge.  there is something about a well-fitting pair of slacks that make me stand a little taller and feel a more professional.  and it felt good to pull out a pair of heels that have also been neglected all winter!

this outfit came together pretty easily too as i was inspired by one of bri's recent outfits and paired a printed blouse with a solid cardigan, leaving the bottom hem of the blouse to peak out.  i really liked the effect and that the higher neckline of the printed blouse peaked out over the neckline of the sweater, too.

how do you feel about dress slacks?

wednesday (orangey)

loft floral skirt {ebay}   ·   merona essential cardigan {thrifted target stock}
predictions karmen pumps   ·   inpink necklace

orangey / the first time i wore this skirt i also paired it with an orangey cardigan, but i like the effect this time around much, much better.  it's amazing how different you look and feel when you make slight adjustments to an outfit.  last time, i didn't care for the 3/4 sleeves + tights combo or the untucked cardigan that just didn't seem to lay right.  i think that personally, on me, i prefer blouses/cardigans to be tucked in or to have some sort of belt to define my waist.  but i'd love any feedback on this... we get so used to looking at pictures of ourselves that i think we may become blind to what looks best on us!  i am not blind to the fact, however, that this skirt is a little tight on me and an inch too short for my liking... i felt really uncomfortable and actually wore my coat all day just for extra coverage.  i hate admitting that about clothes that i love, but i'm glad that i at least recognize it.  is there anything you're hanging on to that just doesn't fit you very well?  hopefully i'll feel more comfortable wearing this skirt in the future but just not right now!

saturday (sales)

labor day sales / it is really hard not to get sucked into all of the sales that take place during major holidays, especially online!  i have pretty strict criteria, though:  there has to be a percentage off & free shipping.  i'm a stickler for free shipping if i am ordering something online!  here are two labor day sales i took advantage of over the weekend:

payless / i love when payless has a percentage off or BOGO sale.  i live across the street from a mall, so i always have my purchases shipped for free to that store.  however, their standard shipping at $5.95 is very reasonable when you think about the weight of shoes and the large boxes they have to be shipped in.  i figured this 20% off promotion {use code 78304 through sept 3} is a better deal than a BOGO, so i knew i didn't want to wait on either of these shoes.  i love the dexter kylie wedges in nude that i wear at least once a week, so picking up this cognac pair was a no-brainer.  i also like the nude heels on the left because they're a slightly different neutral shade and a heel, not a wedge.  they're also the perfect height and toe shape.  do you get as excited about new shoes as i do?!  i can't wait to incorporate both of these shoes into my wardrobe!  and if you're wondering why i didn't just walk my lazy self across the street to the mall and buy these shoes in person, the nude heels weren't available at my store {there is a great feature on payless.com where you can see what stores near you have shoes in stock!}.

{ predictions karmen pump & dexter kylie wedges }

____________________________________________

old navy / oldnavy.com is another online store that i only purchase from if there is a percentage off sale and i can find enough items to fill my cart to qualify for free shipping.  through sept 3 you can use the code fallcalls for 30% off.  my total was brought down even lower by using a gift card that i'd been holding onto since, oh, christmastime.  i just don't shop at old navy very often anymore, but hopefully i'll be pretty satisfied with each of these items and i like that they average out to be about $6 each.

clockwise from top left: multi-strand shell necklace / racerback tank / ruched button-front top / oxford shirt

did you plan to do any online or in-store shopping over the long weekend?  i will make the rounds to a couple goodwills on monday {50% off all colored tags - except the target stock} so i'll let ya know if i come back with anything worth posting about.  enjoy the rest of your long weekend if you have monday off!