November Purchases

Since I entered the 11th month of the year already $200 over my yearly budget, I didn’t spend much in November.

Tristate Antique Market

I actually visited the market at the end of October, but this purchase didn’t make it into my October Purchases post.

1. Vintage brooch, $3.00

St Vincent de Paul

My friend, Colette, and I shot a thrifting video during our visit to St Vincent de Paul. Of course, the editing takes 10 times as long as the shooting. I hope to have it ready for viewing by the end of December!

2. Brannan Studio San Francisco sheer black dress, $4.49 (Only worn as a blouse, so far.)
3. Adolph Schuman for Lilli Ann pink wool pencil skirt, $4.49



TJ Maxx
I received a $25 gift card as a work incentive. I couldn’t wait to take myself to TJ Maxx and spend it on skinny bottoms.

4. Rocks & Indigo skinny pants, $19.99
5. Red jeans, $19.99 (worn once, but not yet photographed)

$19.99 x 2 - $25 = $14.98 spent at TJ Maxx.

Macy’s

6. Fossil Vintage Reissue Satchel in Cheetah, gift!


I’ve been eyeballing this Fossil bag since it showed up in stores at the end of September. It was priced at $208, though. The most I’ve ever paid for a purse is around $80. Coincidentally, that $80 Franco Sarto purse was exactly the bag I intended to replace with the Fossil. I’ve carried the Franco Sarto purse on nearly every business trip and to nearly every work training since its purchase. I’ve marked up the patent and completely shredded the lining with use. I knew the Fossil bag would get plenty of wear as the replacement, but I couldn’t justify spending two bills on a bag. So, I asked for Macy’s gift cards for my birthday.

I received my final gift card on Thanksgiving, and headed to Macy’s on the next Monday. I got the last cheetah version in the store. And, I got the Friends and Family discount. So, even with tax, that beauty rang up at just under $100. My gift cards totally covered the purchase and even left me with some extra to spend next month!

I have a feeling I’m going to love this bag.


The old Franco Sarto bag and my new Fossil.
November total: $26.96

Total spending for the year: $1428.42

I have only December left. I think I’ll easily come in under $1500 for the year!

Stylish Shoes, Stylish Faces

The Holiday Style Blogger Bash brought out the best style in Cincinnati. When I popped downstairs for a drink (I tried the Neon’s Heater with chipotle bourbon*!), the other bar patrons asked about what was going on in the upstairs lounge. They wanted to join the interesting-looking people that kept parading past and disappearing up the stairs. I told them they’d have to start a blog!

The other prerequisite to attending was a pair of fabulous shoes. Not only were the shoes stylish, but there was a great diversity as well. Can you match the shoes to the face?




The answer is in the comments.

My fellow bloggers will be covering the event and I’ll add links as I find them:
Party Down via Style Sample
Holiday Style Bash via Style Edit
Ain't No Party Like a Blogger Party via Style Sample
Affirmation and Amicability via Pump Up the Frump
It's a Blogger's Life via Folk & Feather


*At least, I think it was bourbon. By the time I finished it, I had no idea.

Glam Lumberjack

Tonight, I’ll be at a local style blogger event. Tamia of the Style Sample led the efforts to coordinate the evening. Coincidentally, I applied some of her advice when choosing what to wear.


Jacket, Adrianna Papell. Plaid shirt, Mossimo (thrifted). Dress, Richard Chai for Target. Belt, thrifted. Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Vince Camuto. Necklace, Macy’s. Watch, Raymond Weil.

She calls it mixing “fabulous and frumpy.” I call it a combination of “high and low” (formality, not price). I’ve got the fabulous/high sequin jacket and the frumpy/low plaid flannel shirt for an attention-grabbing look that doesn’t scream “I tried too hard.”

I wore this to both the blogger event and work. I’m a little uncomfortable wearing either the sequin jacket or the flannel shirt to the office on their own. But combined, they seem to cancel each other out. Positive sequins plus negative flannel = neutral wear. Ah, fashion math.


The final part of the style equation is, as Tamia puts it, FANTASTIC accessories. This necklace and pair of boots are among my favorites.

Hot So Hot

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but leopard is hot this season. And hot pink is always, well, “hot.” Put them together and you’re sizzling!


Sweater, INC. Skirt, Adolph Schuman for Lilli Ann (thrifted). Boots, Nine West. Earrings, Urban Outfitters. Bag, Fossil.

Bring Out the Tube

There are some well-known fashion rules: no white after Labor Day, red and green together only at Christmas, never mix black and brown, always match your shoes to your belt. But I’ll bet you didn’t know that knitted tubes cannot be worn until the first Monday after Thanksgiving.* I hope you didn’t already make that faux pas.


Dress (worn as a blouse) Brannan Studio San Francisco, thrifted. Skirt, thrifted and gifted. Tights, Target. Boots, Miz Mooz. Earrings, self-made. Belt, Deena & Ozzy.

Knitted tubes are tricky to wear. Is it a skirt or a minidress? What goes underneath? I’m still figuring it out.

It’s worth the difficult timing and styling for the unmatched warmth provided by such a garment. Long live the knitted tube!



*It’s time to pack up the knitted tube for the season when the last redbud blossom falls.

Pink Pantster

I had a $25 TJ Maxx gift card, so I hit up the store in search of colored skinny jeans. I left with red skinny jeans and pink skinny pants.

I've always suspected skinny bottoms were uncomfortable and stuck to leggings hybrids instead (e.g. jeggings and peggings.) Boy, was I wrong. These pink pants are some of the most comfortable bottoms I've ever worn.


Blouse, FY2 (thrifted). Sweater, Laura Leigh Ltd. Pants, Rocks & Indigo. Boots, Vince Camuto. Earrings, Urban Outfitters. Purse, vintage.

I wore this for a day of bed shopping with Beefy and I couldn't stop raving about the pants' comfort. However, I don't think I convinced him to purchase his own pair of pink, skinny pants.




Photos by Beefy Muchacho

Bzzz

I may look a busy bee, but I’m not. I spent the day lazy as a grasshopper, while the Apollo men scurried in and out of the basement, installing a new furnace and airconditioner. I’ll certainly have some buzzing about to do to pay the bill.


Cardigan, Old Navy. Sweater dress, Urban Behavior (swap). Leggings, Danskin. Boots, Vince Camuto. Hat, Lids. Necklace, Zad.

Gray Thursday

The day before Black Friday is called Gray Thursday. What? You call it Thanksgiving? Huh.


Dress, Jovovich Hawk for Target. Belt, thrifted. Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Vince Camuto. Earrings, self-made. Bag, vintage.

On Gray Thursday, you prepare for Black Friday by carbo-loading on rolls, stuffing, potatoes, and pie. A healthy serving of turkey and a glass or two of wine ensure that you get a good night’s sleep before a long day of shopping. Gray Thursday is the perfect opportunity to test drive your Black Friday ensemble. Stretch, layers, and comfy footwear suit both gorging and shopping. Bonus: sleeping in your Gray Thursday outfit saves time the morning of Black Friday.




I hope you had a great Thursday – whatever you called it.

Just for giggles, this is the sort of face I make while Beefy takes the first couple of shots. Happy Thanksgiving!


Photos by Beefy Muchacho