October Purchases

I made a couple of expensive purchases this month: fancy jeans and fancy boots. And maybe an overpriced hat, too.

Nordstrom

1. Paige Denim Skyline Skinny, $158.

I’ve purchased a few pairs of under-$100 skinny jeans and have been disappointed. They look good in the dressing room, but during a day’s wear, they bag, sag, and slide off my butt. When I’ve complained, readers have suggested I might have better luck with a premium denim brand. I’ve avoided the issue for as long as possible, but with a trip to Denver looming, I needed PANTS! so I put myself in the hands fancy jeans staff at Nordstrom. However, I don’t think spending more money on jeans was the answer. This pair is an improvement on past pairs, but I still have to hike them up and they grow during a day of wear.

2. Sam Edelman Park boots in black/saddle, $200.96.

Every year, I buy at least one pair of pricey boots. At least this pair was on sale!

3. BCBG Max Azria Kitty Cat baseball cap, $58.00.



Target

4. Mossimo quilted pleather miniskirt, $17.48.

If quilted leather is so on-trend for this fall and winter, why was this skirt already on the clearance rack?

5. Studded faux-tortoiseshell sunglasses, $16.99.

I had an identical pair of these glasses in black, but I wore them until they were scratched up and fell apart. I’m hard on sunglasses; I wear them for hours each day and they are constantly going in and out of my purse.


Charming Charlie

6. Camo circle scarf, $15.00.


ARC

7. Charlie and Robin knit skirt, $3.00.


Canvas Boutique

I carried my Fossil leopard bag until it went bald. I’ve been on the hunt for another black and brown bag. Bonus: this one also has gray.

8. Purse, $65.00.


French Cuffs

These boots are attempt #2 to replace my original gray, slouchy boots. I think this pair is a keeper.

9. Sofft Belfast boots in stone taupe, $32.50.


October total: $566.93

Total spending for the year: $2182.54

Remaining 2013 budget: -$742.54.

Except for the occasional thrift store purchase, I am done spending on my wardrobe for the year!

Halloween Blazer

I rarely wear a costume to work on Halloween, but I’ve become consistent about choosing orange and black.


Jacket, J Crew. Dress (worn as a blouse), Eddie Bauer (thrifted). Skirt, Ann Taylor (thrifted). Boots, Miz Mooz. Sunglasses, Target. Earrings, Julie’s Inspiration. Bag, Imoshion.




Past Halloween-festive work-wear:

Old Velvet

This dress is entering its seventh season of wear. I couldn’t have spent more than $25 on it, but I always feel fancy when rediscover it each fall and drape myself in velvet(een) once more.


Dress, New York & Company (shortened). Blouse, Maeve (consignment). Boots, Soffit (consignment). Sunglasses, Target. Earrings, World Market. Jacket, Dex (swap). Bag, Imoshion.

Invisible Dress

I’ve worn this dress so many times that I don’t even see its wild pattern anymore. It’s just a blank canvas on which to display accessories like an eared hat, a velvet waist coat, and nine (9!) southwestern rings.


Dress, Lipstick. Vest, It’s Our Time (thrifted). Tights, Target. Boots, Rampage. Hat, BCBG Max Azaria. Necklace, Anthropologie. Bag, Canvas Boutique. Rings, heirloom, vintage, and/or thrifted.

I just added the ninth ring (on my left thumb) today after picking it up from the jewelers. (It was being repaired and sized.) If you are a native southwestern jewelry fan, De Luna Jewelers in Davis is THE place to go for repairs and sizing (or just to buy more pieces for your collection). Not every jeweler is willing to work with sterling silver and few are knowledgeable about the techniques used to set the stones in this genre.

Too Many Patterns?

Never!


Jacket, thrifted. Dress, Jovovich Hawk for Target. Boots, Sam Eddleman. Sunglasses, Target. Scarf, Charming Charlie. Belt, thrifted. Bag, Canvas Boutique.

Swinging

I love the swingy elements in this ensemble: the scarf, the skirt drape, and the suede “feathers” on the shoes. Oh, and I can't forget the tassel on the bag.


Vest, Urban Vibe. Scarf, Frangi (consignment). Dress, Talbot’s (consignment). Shoes, Sole Obsession. Sunglasses, Target. Earrings, No Boundaries. Bag, Canvas Boutique. Bracelets, vintage and thrifted.

Fall Shorts Suit

A shorts suit isn’t appropriate for most jobs, and even in mine, I’m only comfortable wearing one with opaque tights. Now that it’s cool enough for hosiery, though, I’m excited to bring my fancy shorts back into action!


Jacket, Urban Vibe (swapped and embellished). Shirt, Romeo + Juliet Couture. Belt, Express. Shorts, Sans Souci. Tights, We Love Colors. Shoes, Eileen Fisher (consignment). Sunglasses, Target. Earrings, Charming Charlie. Bag, Canvas Boutique. Brooch, vintage. Bracelets, Tala's Distant Treasures and gifted.

Thought It Was Over

After wearing and photographing this outfit, I was prepared to write a post saying good bye to this dress. I was feeling uninspired and convinced I’d outgrown it. After looking up all the ways I’d worn it, though, I changed my mind.


Dress, I Heart Ronson. Shirt, American Eagle (thrifted). Shoes, Charles David. Sunglasses, Target. Earrings, self-made. Bracelets, Charming Charlie and gift. Bag, Disney.



Some of these thirty-six previous outfits make me cringe, but others make my heart go pitter-patter, so I guess I’m not done remixing this dress, yet.


Besides finding inspiration for future outfits, I enjoy reflecting on the good old days:

- Remember when belting the tails of your scarf was a micro-trend?
- I often wore this dress to my hair appointments. You can figure out which outfits those were by the good hair (styled by my old Cincinnati stylist, Heather).
- People used to make fun of my turtlenecks – but they are trending now, suckahs!
- This dress is a natural for my Red Hat Society experiments. In fact, I’ve got the idea for another Red Hat outfit.
- This dress is also a natural for cuh-razy pattern mixing!
- Only once have I thought it a good idea to take my travel outfit pictures in a mirror. After that trip, I always bring the DSLR, a tripod, and a remote.
- I’ve owned it long enough to go from short blond hair to long red hair to short brown-ish hair.
- It’s been to Cincinnati, Orlando, Minneapolis, Kansas City, San Francisco and Sacramento.

With this much history, how could I let it go?