A Slight Hiccup

Gap jeans, Forever 21 shirt and earrings, Banana Republic heels 

How come when everything in my life is going wonderfully, BAM, something messes it all up? I had a great (although exhausting) weekend, but then I noticed that my car was making a weird noise as I was driving home from work Sunday evening. It was a harsh, crunching sound coming from my front right tire. I even pulled over just to make sure I wasn't getting a flat. Of course, I had no idea what it was, but I knew I just couldn't ignore it. It was so loud! I ended up taking my car to Sears after work on Monday to have them take a look at it. Of course, I was that girl. The one who walks in and says, "My car is making a weird noise and I don't know what it is." I tried to throw in some car lingo like suspension and rotating, but the problem was something I never could have guessed. Apparently, I was missing a shock absorber, which didn't mean much to me except that I'd have to pay $100+ to fix it. It's all taken care of, but let's hope nothing else goes wrong this week!

Funky Lady

Banana Republic tank top, thrifted skirt, belt from Wish (closed),
thrifted Nine West wedges, Forever 21 earrings

I realized that I've been wearing a lot of solids lately, so I decided it's time to mix it up with some patterns. Lace and polka dots go hand-in-hand and were perfect for work at the bridal salon on Sunday. I didn't want to look too lady-like, so I added a big bun on top of my head and some funky, long earrings. The final touches kept the outfit from looking too sweet and naive. I must have looked pretty sure of myself because I sold a wedding gown to my bride!

I start my new job at Texas Monthly today. I'll probably wear something a little more toned down than this outfit, at least for my first day. I remember from my internship that everyone in the office dresses very casual, so I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard. Wish me luck!

New Beginnings

 

Gap blouse, Forever 21 earrings, thrifted skirt,
belt from Wish (closed), Banana Republic wedges

This has been an amazing week. Aside from getting a new MacBook, I also got a new job! I received an email last week from Texas Monthly asking if I was still interested in a fact-checking job. A few months ago, I'd emailed my old boss from my TM internship, but they didn't have anything available. I'd kind of forgotten about it, so was super excited to hear back from them. Now that I actually have the job, I'm pumped!

In order to make time for the 20-30 hours per week at Texas Monthly, I'm leaving Gap. I'll be sad to let go of the awesome discount, but I think it's for the best. I've been spending way too much money at Gap and Banana Republic instead of thrifting. I justified each Gap Inc. purchase by saying it would be silly to not take advantage of my discount. I also didn't have much time to thrift because I'd work as late as 9 p.m sometimes. I'll definitely have more time now because I'll only be working office hours during weekdays.

I'm keeping my job at Alfred Angelo for the weekends. I've been making pretty good money and I'm not ready to let go of that just yet.

Even though I wasn't actively looking for a new job, I'm looking forward to a change.

New Shoes

thrifted skirt, Forever 21 blouse and earrings, Banana Republic heels

If you know me personally or have been following my blog for awhile, you might have noticed that I'm a fan of wedges. They're comfortable enough to wear for hours on end while still looking cute. But for some reason, I've been drawn to heels lately. I saw Krystal of This Time Tomorrow wearing color-blocked heels a few weeks ago and have been subconsciously searching for a version of them since. I saw these heels at Banana Republic while I was at the Madmen event last week and just couldn't say no. Could you?

A Little Honesty

Old Navy tank top, thrifted pants, Gap jean jacket,
Montego Bay wedges from Payless, Forever 21 earrrings 

I have to admit something...I haven't gone thrifting for what feels like forever. I've been taking advantage of my awesome employee discount at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, but it's still way more expensive than thrifting. I think I've been using the excuse that I don't have time to thrift. Well, I'm officially putting a limit on how much retail I can buy because I want to get back to my old ways. I miss the digging and decision making that goes along with thrifting. I'm really looking forward to the Texas Style Council thrifting workshop on Saturday. I usually thrift alone, so it's going to be really fun to thrift with 100 other style bloggers!

Summer in February

thrifted skirt, Old Navy chambray top, Steve Madden wedges, Target earrings

It's only Wednesday and I'm already thinking about the weekend. Not that I really have a weekend because I work both Saturday and Sunday, but it's still something to look forward to. I even look forward to events I can't attend. For example, this Saturday is Treasure City Thrift's 25 cent sale. Since I'll be working (surprise, surprise), I can't go, but you should totally check it out if you have nothing else to do that day.

On another note, can you believe I'm wearing this in February? It's been so warm lately! I haven't worn these wedges since last summer, so I forgot that they start to hurt after a few hours. Even though they're wedges, I have to train my feet all over again. I love them so much, I'll bear the pain. I know my boyfriend thinks that's messed up, but I don't. I love being four inches taller than I really am, even if it means being a litter uncomfortable.

Polka Dot Pants

thrifted pants, top from Forever 21, necklace from Target,
vintage bracelets, Montego Bay wedges from Payless

Along with working almost everyday, I've also been occupied with something else lately--a TV show. Matt and I used to watch Lost when it was popular a couple of years ago, but we lost interest and never finished it. Matt recently noticed that it was on Netflix, so we decided to finish the series. What a MISTAKE. My evenings after work have been taken over by Lost. Luckily, we finally finished the series and I can get back to my normal life. It's dangerous for me to get into a TV show, especially when I have an entire series at my disposal. Netflix is both a curse and a blessing.

Wanna-Be Carrie Bradshaw

thrifted pants and blouse from the Goodwill outlet, estate sale necklace
from my step-mom, Montego Bay wedges from Payless

In the middle of taking these photos, I realized this was totally something Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw would wear. All I needed was big, teased hair or a big bun piled on top of my head. Unfortunately, this was the day after NYE, so I wasn't exactly thinking straight. In fact, I think my hair was still a little sticky from the champagne I'd spilled on it the night before. I guess I should have also tied up my shirt and shown a little midriff a la Carrie, but you get the idea.

These fabulous pants are the most important part of my outfit and I was so excited to find them at the Goodwill Blue Hanger outlet. I didn't think they'd fit, especially all the eating and drinking (and not working out) I've been doing, but they do! Getting back into yoga is on my new year to-do list, but I haven't done much of anything since I came down with a terrible cold Sunday evening. I'm still battling it now, but I'm hoping the worst will be over by the end of the week. This is not how I wanted to start my new year!

On a more interesting note, I thrifted a bunch of awesome stuff last week that will be going up on my Etsy store in the next few days. My best friend, Jackie, came over yesterday (even though I warned here I might be contagious) to model some of the stuff I'm going to sell. She's pretty tiny, so she made the perfect model for the amazing vintage pieces I found. I'm still not sure how this happened, but while I was steaming one of the skirts for her to model, I burnt my hand right in between my middle and ring finger. Why do these things happen to me?! Now, I'm sick with a stuffy nose and a burnt hand. Oh, what a life I lead.

At least I'm unemployed. I thought that was a bad thing, but with the way my life has been going, I'm actually glad I don't have anywhere to be. But I dare you to ask me if I feel the same way in a few weeks.

Preppy Polka Dots

thrifted sweatshirt, Old Navy shirt, vintage skirt from
Little Tin Solider via Smashion, DV Dolce Vita booties

I know I just posted this skirt, but I really do love it that much. It's the perfect shade of red and the pleats make me feel so lady-like. Red is one of my favorite colors, so it's weird that I don't have more red in my closet. Fortunately, I thrifted a pair of red suede Franco Sarto heels this week and I can't wait to wear them. Now that I don't have to walk to class and around campus, I really don't need to wear flats anymore. OK, who am I kidding? Of course, I'll still wear flats, but it's nice to know it's not out of necessity. Obviously, I won't be wearing heels erryday, but it will definitely be more often than before. As I've mentioned before, I love being at least 5'5" and I can't do that without the magic of heels.

Classy Gal

DKNY trench coat, vintage dress from Cream Vintage,
belt from Wish (closed), Montego Bay wedges from Payless

I felt a little like Audrey Hepburn wearing this outfit. Something about the combination of polka dots and a trench coat gave off a very feminine vibe. The coat is even waterproof, which is an added bonus. I'm going to ignore the fact that we're in a drought and that I probably won't need to shield myself from rain anytime soon. It's still a nice feature.

On a side note, check out the post I wrote for Broke & Chic, Tips from a Seasoned Thrifter.

Fancy Pants

thrifted Anne Klein dress, Forever 21 belt, Zara shoes

This was what I wore to the Career Fair last week. Even though the fair was a total bust, I felt very professional in my outfit. The majority of employers were mostly advertising firms and marketing companies, which I'm not really qualified to work for. I'm a writer, people! I want a job that allows me to write about the things I'm passionate about. I guess that means I'm either going to be unemployed or self-employed. I really hope it's the latter.

Polka Dots & Bows

thrifted polka dot sweatshirt, vintage Levi's cutoffs
from Cream Vintage, Zara bow flats

I managed to make the two of the girliest things ever look very casual. I was looking for something comfortable to wear Wednesday morning and this is what I ended up with. I guess anything worn with denim cut-offs automatically looks more casual, even giant polka dots and bows on my shoes. I can't wait to wear this sweatshirt again when it's actually weather-appropriate. I wasn't uncomfortable until the early afternoon when the sun started beating down. I can't wait for cooler weather so I can wear it with these pants or with a skirt and some colorful tights. It's been so long since I've worn tights...I hope I still remember how to put them on!

Are you ready to hear some fantastic news? An outfit I posted on Fashism was featured as the Look of the Week on the Lucky Magazine blog yesterday! You should have seen my face when I saw myself on the computer screen. My jaw must have dropped about six inches and stayed like that until I started droooling. I couldn't believe it! Check it out and let me know what you think!