Great Finds at the Gap


This weekend I made out very well at the Gap's sale, getting five pieces, a dress, a skirt, a top, a jacket, and a hat for about $85.

I was very pleased to find one remaining plum ruffle top (that I had been wanting) in my size, so I immediately scooped that up. It was marked down to $32 from $48.

To go with it, a gray wool skirt, at $24 from $48. While I really loved this skirt in the camel color, they didn't have it in my size. I even checked for it on their web site to no avail.

Next I found a plum tunic dress, marked down twice, from $54 to $17. I really love that this plum color is in this fall, it looks so great on me!

Then I got a super cozy cropped jacket in camel, double breasted - just that kind of thing where you can pull off the casual chic look. I do fear it will have a very small window in the fall season when it can be worn - I'm usually wearing heavy winter coats by the second week of November.
Perhaps it could work over a sweater, or with some long gloves? The jacket was down to $30 from $68.

Lastly, and only because it was three dollars, I got a brown and turquoise plaid hat. I always want hats, and then I never wear them. So I figure even if I only wear it once I'll have gotten it's worth. More so than if I'd paid $16.50. It is terribly cute, I should try harder to be a hat person.

To top it all off, I applied for a Gap Card and saved an additional 20%! Big score. So all in all I got $234.50 worth of clothes for just under $85. I win.

A mostly horrible day at the mall

Every so often I'll take a trip to the Post Mall with my mother and younger sister; it's a pretty decent mall and we generally have a good time. I had three main objectives for the trip:

1. Redeem my coupon for free panties from Victoria's Secret
2. Take advantage of all the Macys 20% off coupon and get the Steve Madden Pumps I've been lusting after
3. Convince an employee at Forever 21 to let me exchange the skirt I bought for another size even though I don't have the receipt

The first task is easily completed with much joy. I do love going into Victoria's Secret and getting nothing more than a free pair of panties. They wrap it in tissue and put it in a little bag and everything. Some people are insanely loyal to Victoria's Secret and I can't fathom why - every time I find a bra there I like they never have it in my size. Once one of the employees even told me that most girls with my cup size have had their breasts augmented. I really wasn't quite sure what to even make of that -- do girls with fake breasts not need bras? But I will say this much, as long as the free pantie coupons keep coming, I will keep getting them.

Next I went to Macys, where I hunted around for my shoe, the Shakeup Pump in Turquoise. I found it in black, and only black. For a shoe that comes in eight different colors, you might think they could stock a bit more variety. But I was out of luck, and since I'd had my heart set on that one, I simply wasn't interested in any of the others.

So, I went to Forever 21, and that store is a disaster. Truly. There is a thrift store in Cambridge, MA called The Garment District. If you've ever been, then you know about the Dollar-a-Pound deal, where piles of clothes cover the floor and shoppers wade through and search for buried treasures. This is what Forever 21 reminds me of. Okay, so maybe the stuff isn't all over the floor, but it is all over the place, tons of clothes crammed together making it difficult to look through the racks. Plus the music is usually obnoxious and the dressing rooms are dark and lack privacy. Which is why I didn't try on the skirt before buying it, and now find myself in the horrible predicament of trying to exchange it. I put on my sincerest look. My most pleading eyes, sweetest smile, expelled gobs of flattery in the sales attendants direction, and was met only with a cold reiteration of the return policy and a trite apology. I eventually accepted my defeat and set off in the direction of the Borders bookstore, where my mother would be.

On the way there is a small stair case of four steps, and a ramp next to it. When given the option, I always take the stairs. I feel the small act of exertion will somehow compensate for my usual lethargy, and that the ramp is for handicap people, or lazy people - which I am not. I quickly start up the stairs, but midway, somehow my foot smashes into back of the stair and as I fall down the first two steps some profanities escape from under my breath. Well, perhaps it was a tiny bit louder than that, enough for some mother to cast me a dirty look, but I don't care, I'm in pain! I look down at my sandled foot and see the top half of my right toe nail hanging precarioulsy off my foot, like a door with a broken hinge. I'm not sure weather I should push it back into place or just pull it off. Slowly blood starts to appear and dome over the area like how a penny looks when you place drops of water on to it. I hop over to a near by bench and pull a tissue out of my purse to quickly wrap around it.

Finally I make it to the Borders where I find my mom sitting in the cafe´ and stare at her, misery painted across my face. She asked what was wrong, and I responded simply by pointing down at the bloody mess of my toe - my perfectly pedicured piggies - ruined! She reached into her purse and pulled out a ghirardelli square to pacify me. My mother is a firm believer that one should always keep chocolate in their purse, because you never know when you might need it. (Laugh if you must, but you should know MacGuyver once stopped a nuclear reactor from melting down with a chocolate bar).

It was a horrible day at the mall which I shall unfortunately be reminded of every time I look down for the next month while I wait for my toe nail to grow back. At least the time for sandals is nearly up and I can safely hide my disfigurement. I really don't think I'll buy into that open-toed boot trend.

Trendy Fall Outfit for Under $100


...and I don't mean each piece individually, I mean all together.


This outfit is somewhat of a conglomeration of many fall trends - perhaps its a bit much for the one outfit, but after flipping through the fashion section of my sisters Cosimo Girl, I feel like my outfit could be on one of those models.

The focal point of the outfit is the vest. Found at TjMaxx for a mere $30, this deep blue corduroy, fur trimmed vest was love at first sight. It's by Atelier and had an original price of $198.

The super thin jersey knit hoodie by BCBGirls (I know, I know, I shouldn't still be shopping in Juniors, but sometimes I can't help it!) was also purchased at TjMaxx for $15.

Dark Wash Skinny Jeans by So from Khols, on clearance for $12.

Gray Slouchy Boots by Candies form Khols, on sale for $40.


From Cosmo Girl's October 2008 Issue

My Very Own Feather Headband


I mentioned, that I would make a feather headband for myself, and here it is!
I'm very pleased with how it came out -- not that it was particularly difficult to make. I might even like to add even more feathers to it, for maximum fluffyness. That may be important when it comes to feathered hair accessories - I'm not sure. My total costs for this accessory:
1 headband - $1
1 feather pad - $3

Perhaps next I'll try something like this:


or perhaps not......

Get This Look for Less. Much Less.

I like shopbop.com. I think it's a great site with some fantastic features and a great selection. Ahh, if only I could afford it! But I can try.

I like this look because it has that 'I'm not trying to look fabulous' vibe about it. Sock with sandals, slouchy sweater, large fabric bag. Then again, perhaps it comes off as trying too hard.... none the less, I like it, so I've done a bit of searching and found a few less costly alternatives.

The Slouchy Sweater - This one is from Khols, on sale for $16.80

The Embellished Top - Another from Khols - I'm not in love with this one, ($24.99 from their Elle line) it could work, but I'll continue to look.

The Black Leather Skirt - From Newport News and on sale for $27.99

The Black Sandals - These I chose because I already have them, and I must say Onex makes some very comfortable heels.

The Fabric Bag - There were two bags I liked from Urban Outfitters, one a tapestry tote, the other, a floral with leather straps. $48 and $58.

Boot Update

I found the same exact style over the knee boots as the gray ones in beige for $23.99 at AMI Clubwear.

The also offer the gray, as well as black and chocolate brown for $30.99.

Defiantly take a look through AMI Clubwear's 17 pages of boots, they had more over the knee boots and many other great styles - most of which around a 20 dollar price point.

Also, according to shopbop.com, over the knee boots are a fall must-have.

October Issue of Lucky Arrives

Today I had a chance to look though my new issue of Lucky magazine and fill it up with 'yes' stickers.

While most things I love in Lucky are a bit too pricey, I felt these boots would be a particularly good buy.


The faux sued above the knee boots from alloy for $42.50 look very comfortable, and I love them in the gray.


Another item I really liked was a feathered headband -- but it was $95.00.
A headband, with feathers! This can be done for less, and since I am DIY kinda girl, I will.

I first went to michaels website, then acmoore, then joanns, and none of them seemed to have much the in way of feather pads, so then I tried ebay. Perfect - huge selection, most under $5. When my feathers arrive, I will glue them to my three dollar headband, and then I will have a super cute accessorie.

If, however, you are not interested in doing it yourself, etsy has an expansive selection of feathered headbands, many for under $15.

The Blue Leather Satchel


A few months ago in TJMaxx I happened upon the most bright blue, big leather bag - just the thing that I love. I could tell it was one of the more expensive bags they have there - I always seem to pick up the most pricey bags in the store.

It was by Charm and Luck, with an original price tag of $376 and the TJX price of $80. After carrying it around like I already owned it for the next hour while I shopped I finally convinced myself that I didn't need it. A few days later I was wishing I had it.

A month or so later, in a different TJMaxx location, there it was again, only this time with a clearance sticker. $60. I couldn't resist. I felt it was a great buy- I had spent some time looking for the bag for a lower price elsewhere and couldn't find it, not even on ebay (where they were going for around $100)

Now I've found it on HSN for $56 including shipping, so there you go!

Because Being Cute Shouldn't Cost a Pretty Penny

I am a bargain hunter. Upon entering any store, I head straight to the back, to the clearance rack, towards the sale signs, often with coupons in hand. I rarely spend more than $40 on any one item, and my favorite number is 10. I think ten dollars is the perfect amount to pay for almost any article of clothing.

This philosophy does not, however, mean that I buy only cheap crap from Wal*Mart (or as I prefer, The-Store-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named) Nor do I refrain from the occasional splurge on an item that is worth every cent. I'm just very conscious of what I buy, from where, and when.

Because I love clothes, and I love fashion, and I love shopping - and I don't want to go broke because of that!