Anthropologie Does Dresses for Spring 2008

I think I've mentioned before that I've put myself on a very strict budget. I've allotted for certain things, like these shoes I'm considering buying as my splurge using my bonus money, but I've also allotted for a monthly spending budget that is half of what I spent before (which was my entire paycheck - silly, I know, but I'm working on that whole responsibility thing). Anywho, being on a budget, and a tight budget at that, means certain things. I have to shop very, very carefully. Now, I've always been a quality over quantity kind of girl, but one thing I've really been focusing on lately is getting an "it" item for a season. If you get one really fab thing that is versatile, you can really stretch it's wearability and use it in many outfits, making your other staples so much more fab. I'm going to do a post later this week (hopefully) of an "It" layering piece I bought from Banana Republic, but today I wanted to talk "dresses." I tried on the prettiest dress yesterday from Anthropologie:


Caravan Dress

I'm looking for an "It" dress for Spring/Summer '08. I want something pretty, girly, flowy, and just plain gorge. This one fit the bill pretty well - the fit of the dress was awesome, but I wasn't too crazy about the colors - it was a bit dark for me. What I did like about the colors was how they mixed black and brown - makes the accessorizing that much easier, no? I didn't get the dress b/c I need to see if I'm going to get those shoes first b/c if I do get the shoes, my February clothing budget will be all used up (yea, the shoes were more than the budget money I set aside so I'll have to dig into my monthly budget to help pay for them) and I'll have to wait a few more weeks to use my March money.

Of course, by the time March rolls around, this dress will probably be long gone as the Anthropologie stores are quite popular where I live and the good stuff doesn't last on the racks too long. To prep for this, I found some other good options online today. This was an easy task b/c Anthropologie has the cutest dresses, don't they?:


Migration Dress


Hanky-Tied Dress


Bluebell Wood Dress


Loverly Dress


Beach Ball Sweater Dress

NOTE: Images/items by Anthropologie

What Did I Buy at Neimans' Sale?

Well, among other things I purchased at Neiman's Last Call sale, I'm sure some of you are wondering which of the four dresses I bought. Lots of you guessed correctly - the black and white (actually off-white) Diane VonFurstenberg is what I bought!

I've always wanted a DVF wrap dress of my very own...what better way to get one than at more than half off? It was just so classy yet sexy at the same time - at right around $120, I simply couldn't resist. What do you think? Good purchase?

You don't even want to know the other stuff I bought...lol. But, I'll probably show you guys in some outfits later. Heehee!

Btw, for any last minute shoppers, tomorrow is the last day of the sale, so get yourself to the mall ASAP for the last deals till, I believe, January.

Shopping Tip: Get Your Electronic Warranties

Hello Shopaholics!

Hope you're all gearing up for an awesome weekend of shopping and fun with friends. Just wanted to drop a quick line to let you guys know that I won't be able to post any outfit pictures for a couple weeks...or any other "homemade" photos for that matter. Sadly, my digital camera is on the fritz. Luckily, I purchased a four year warranty, so I dropped my baby off at Best Buy last night, and they shipped it off to be fixed. Anywho, the lesson here is that if you're going to buy a digital camera, or laptop, or anything electronic, you should get a warranty. I recommend a warranty that will last as long as you expect

1. that you will actually use said electronic before getting tired of it wanting to replace it with another, newer version
or
2. that will last as long as you think the technology will be relevant

With technology changing as fast as it does these days, I wouldn't get a five year warranty on something that will easily be replaced in two. Imagine that you bought a digital camera a couple years ago...already, the cameras are much smaller in size, have cooler functions, and have much more memory. What good would a five year warranty have done you if you purchased a new camera within two or three of having bought your first?

Anywho, my camera is only one year old, so I'm good to go for awhile. Will I replace her before my four year warranty goes out? Most likely...but lesson learned, right? And now I can share it with you!

Fashionably Yours,

D

Shop Safely Shopaholics!

I went with my SO to the mall tonight (just to look around...of course!) and something very disturbing happened - I think someone was following me for awhile. So here's what happened...

I had just picked up a cute tank top at Banana Republic and made my way to J Crew (meanwhile my honey was shopping Polo at Belks). Just as I stepped inside the store, I happened to look back and notice a man standing just outside the store (like two feet from the door) looking around kinda confused and kinda glancing at me. I started to look at the clothes at the front of the store and realized that the man had also stepped into the store - mind you, the women's clothes are in the front of the store. I looked at him again and he was looking at me. I started to slowly make my way further inside the store and would stop at every other rack turning to see if the man was still there. He was! He was still at the first round table at the front of the store, half-heartedly looking at the clothes on the table and I swear every time I looked at him, he was looking at me. Well, I decided to let him know that I'd seen him looking at me by giving him a couple glares. Then, I called my SO and by that time, the man was gone. Luckily, my SO was with me, so I didn't have to leave the mall, but how freaky is that? Call me paranoid, but I don't think there's anything wrong with minding your surroundings. In fact, this brings me to my point...

Tip of the Day - Pay attention to your surroundings and those around you when you're shopping - even in places you feel safe like the mall you've been going to for years. If you see the same person or persons seemingly in every store you go into, they may be following you. If you think someone is following you, don't freak out - stay calm, but try to go somewhere where there are lots of people - personally, I wouldn't leave the mall/store alone - I'd try to have security walk me out or have a friend pick me up. If you feel really threatened, see if a store associate can help you or possibly even call security/police. Anywho, I'm not the best resource for safety tips, so here's an article on general safety tips (click here - there are a couple pop-ups so make sure your blocker is on)

Anywho, one good thing that happened on this shopping trip is the purchase of some new J Crew heels. I bought the Phoebe peep-toe heels like these, but in off-white (yes, I have these shoes in flats but brown - I wouldn't be a shopaholic if I didn't, right?):

Phoebe leather peep-toe heels - normally $178
Can you believe these babies were on sale in the store for only $99?! To sweeten the deal, they were also an additional 25% off - that's a steal of a deal! Yay! Cute shoes on sale and my honey to walk me safely to my car!

Shop safely everyone!

NOTE: Image and item from jcrew.com

Dress Up Your Look With a Chic Blazer

Ok, so my latest project (day job) is in a bank where everyone wears black/white/blue and every once in awhile, a couple other colors. Luckily for me, I'm just a consultant, so I like to try to bend the rules...just a bit, of course. Late in the week this week, the weather finally started warming up again, so I decided to bring some warm-weather attire to the bank with this outfit:

The skirt is probably a bit risque for a bank - not that it's tight or anything, but it is a bit on the casual side. Ok, it's pretty far on the casual side, but by adding a blazer to the outfit, the look becomes a bit more dressy. I actually didn't wear the espadrilles to the office...I need to see if any other girls wear them there first, but I think they look prety good with the outfit, overall.

Shopping tip for you hauties - invest in a couple really nice blazers. Pick out a really nice blazer here and there and use them to create outfits. Pull colors from the blazer and you can make a neutral, slightly dull outfit, more fun or dressy or sexy - all depending on what kind of blazer you pair it with!

Sassy Swimwear for Thirtysomethings

Shopaholic sweetie, "Norma" asks, "I am the 32 yr old with a dressing young complex !! What bikini would you recommend for an older woman ?"

Well Norma, you act like 32 is old...I don't think 32 is old at all! As far as bikinis, you should be able to wear nearly anything you want (within reason, of course). I mean, take a look at celebs these days...

Penelope Cruz is right around your age, and she looks great! You even have some celebs well into their 40s and 50s still rockin the bikini, which means at your young age of a mere 32, you're good to go! I'd say that when shopping for bikinis, there are a couple things to keep in mind when you're wanting to dress age-appropriate.

1. Mind the stores you're shopping - If you're shopping in "teeny-bopper" shops for your latest summer 2007 bikini, then you're probably going to get something a tad too young for you.
2. Pick a classy pattern - If you're really worried about looking "appropriate" in your bikini, then you may want to err on the side of conservative when it comes to patterns. Stick with stripes, florals, polka dots, and, of course solids, but shy away from all-over metallic or super flashy prints, like leopard-print.
3. Same goes for the cut - Shy away from too skimpy a cut. I mean, you don't want to wear the two piece that is practically a one piece, but I wouldn't do a string bikini top AND bottom. It'd probably be best to go with a string top and a slightly more covering bottom, like Penelope's...you know...balance everything out.
4. Get a cute cover-up (like this sarong) to match your swimwear...or at least one that matches your favorite bathing suit. I love my cover-up that I got from Victoria Secret...they're great for those moments you're feeling a bit self-conscious, but they look hot too!

Here are a couple suits I found online to give you an idea:

Hot Mama!

Guess - This suit is a tad more risque than the others, but would be great for those days you're feeling extra sexy or want to look great for your next vacation with your SO

Just Beautiful


La Blanca via Nordstrom.com - this suit offers more coverage in both the top and bottom, but still looks great. It's just beautiful! This suit would make a great addition for those days you're feeling extra classy.

Simply Sweet

Lilly Pulitzer is the queen of southern charm and southern class when it comes to dressing...I mean, I wouldn't say Lilly has the most work-appropriate stuff if you work in a bank, etc., but especially for daytime or beach wear, her styles are just fun and classy! This pink, polka-dot suit is simply sweet for those days you're feeling cutesy.

The middle one is probably my favorite for you, just because it has a little more coverage, while still looking young, fresh, and oh-so-beautiful! Of course, all the tips here are just my personal opinions, and you may have to switch them around a bit to fit your body type and personal style, but hopefully, they help a bit. Happy shopping!

:) D

Shopping Tip - Wait Out the Steals

Sometimes, the best things in life do come to those who wait...here's proof - look what I got tonight:


J Crew - Perry-stripe shirting skirt - Was $88 - Now $49.99 (click image for details)

This happens to me a lot. You see something in the store...you really want to get it, but you don't "have" to have it. Do you splurge and let your shopaholicism kick into high gear? Well, it depends on your budget, your debt, and other stuff like that, but my personal shopping standard is to get stuff at full price that I love-love-love and have to have - I try to be as selective as possible with the full price stuff. If I really like an item but don't "have" to have it, then I wait it out. I figure, if I wait, and that item is still available when I go back to buy it on sale, then it's "meant to be." This policy has actually helped me a lot with not overspending b/c instead of buying something on a whim, if I'm not 100% sure that I love an item, I put it back on the rack and just wait it out. Once you see your "love" on a good deal, then it's time to pounce!

As they only had 2 of these left and I really love-love-love it, I bought this at full price:

St. Barth Bag - looks like it's sold out in the butterfly print, but click the image for details on the seersucker bag

With the shopping, at least for me, it usually depends too on what I have more of in my closet. For example, I don't have a really cute day bag (I mean my Chanel is gorge, but what if I go somewhere it might get messed up, like the beach?), so I've been on the lookout for a cute daytime bag for awhile and this fits the bill at a pretty reasonable price. On the other hand, I have a fair # of skirts, so I don't really "need" another one, but at a good price, I'm game!

NOTE: Skirt image and item from jcrew.com