Spring Magic

It's no secret I love spring, the two main reasons being; one: my birthday, and two: blossoms. 

 

I still haven't made it to D.C. to see the cherry blossoms there, but even here in Connecticut we've got our beautiful spots; Wooster Square in New Haven has yet to disappoint. The blossoms always come and go in a flash, and this year their peak weekend was doomed to get rained out, so I hustled to get there before the inclement weather arrived. So did everyone else, and the park was packed at golden hour.

Spot was visiting, so he came along too, though he was far more interested in sniffing than taking photos. I swapped out his retractable leash for a jeweled one - don't tell his mom!

Few things are quite as magical as pink flowers and the glow of the setting sun. Even if it only happens but once a year.

The Rundown
Sage Green Sweater Banana Republic
White Wide Leg Jeans Banana Republic
Sandals Seychelles via TJMaxx
Vintage Japanese Picnic Bag eBay
Link Earrings with Pearl Drop South Moon Under
Bold Cherry Blossom Necklace c/o Rellery
Sunglasses "State Street" Ray-Ban
Dog Spot

Big Love for Small Business

The Rundown
Popcorn Knit Sweater J.Crew
Wide Leg Faux Leather Pants Ann Taylor
Zip Teddy Coat J.Crew via eBay
Leopard Print Booties Franco Sarto via TJMaxx
Round Crossbody Bag Mark Cross thrifted similar
Thin Gold Ring Etsy

Investment Pieces Without the Investment

I love a good sale, I hunt them down with fervor (I've been stalking the Anthropologie Tag Sale for the past week and hoping the pieces I bought work out!) but no matter how deep the clearance cuts are, typically my best deals are found shopping secondhand. 

 

Earlier this winter I spotted a faux leather blazer at Abercrombie with a less than palatable price tag of $140 (and while the light brown is sold out, there are a handful of sizes still left in black clearanced to $67). However, I'd much rather have a genuine leather blazer, at half that clearance price, so I turned to eBay. 

eBay has been a long standing favorite of mine, the search refinements make it easy to narrow down the results, buy it now options eliminate the stress of the auction format, and when buying from the average person just hoping to clear out their closet, amazing deals can be found. (The resellers are their own breed, and I have mixed feelings about them.) 

If a leather blazer happens to be calling to you, avoid retail, and take a look at this option for under $30, or this one under $40, or 'splurge' on a vintage piece, this one listed at $60 and another at $80.

The Rundown
Knit Top Mango
Giraffe Print Silk Pants J.Crew
Leather Blazer Isabella Bird thrifted via eBay
Brown Croc Pumps "Everly" Naturalizer
Green Mini Trunk Bag c/o Italic
14k Gold Hoop Earrings thrifted via Shopgoodwill.com similar
Paperclip Chain Necklace Serefina via TJMaxx
Maya Bracelet Gorjana via TJMaxx
Blue Topaz Stacking Ring Hirajule via TJMaxx
Thin Gold Ring Etsy
Gold Croissant Ring Etsy
Sunglasses "State Street" Ray-Ban

Twenty - Twenty One

A new year, a new start. Hopefully this year will bring better things.

The Rundown
Plaid Coat Banana Republic
Camel Sweater Banana Republic thrifted similar
Faux Suede Leggings Ann Taylor
Loafers Franco Sarto via DSW similar
Round Crossbody Bag Mark Cross thrifted similar
Leather Gloves TJMaxx similar
Necklace S.V. Decker

Italic

Luxury for less has always been the guiding principle of this blog. Lots of things have changed over the years, but I still get excited over a beautiful, quality bag at an attainable price point. So how about a calfskin leather bag made by the same manufacturer as Prada and Miu Miu for $170? If you can live without the designer labels but still want quality, Italic is the company to put on your radar.

Italic is like a direct to consumer brand, only minus the brand - the membership based site is about enabling products to be purchased from the manufacturer at cost. Eliminating the brand removes packaging hallmarks we often associate with luxury goods - the glossy box with a magnetic closure, pieces swaddled in tissue emblematised with logos - but do we really need them?

 

Not just limited to bags, Italic is home to coats from the same manufacturer as Alexander Wang and Armani, shoes sharing a manufacturer with Chanel and Prada, even housewares and bedding from the same manufactures as All-Clad and Frette.

 

Italic's membership costs $120 a year, but considering they sell everything with zero markups, they aren't profiting on product sales, and most members break even on the cost with a single purchase. With the holiday season approaching, I can't think of a better way to gift a cashmere sweater that could retail at $400 for only $65.

The Rundown
Cream Denim Jacket Banana Republic
Cream Sweater Tank Banana Republic
Rust Wide Leg Pants H&M similar
Cream Booties Aerosoles
Green Mini Trunk Bag c/o Italic
Earrings S.V. Decker
Necklace S.V. Decker
Gold Snake Chain Vintage similar
Thin Gold Ring Etsy
Chevron Ring Etsy via Silver Canyon Jewelry
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx

Italic provided me with the bag for this post. Thanks for supporting the brands who support Chic on the Cheap.

Mix, Mostly Match

I'm no stranger to the two piece set; as evidenced in my fifth grade school photo I'm wearing a matching floral cardigan and cami pair I was enamored with at the time. It's an easy sell, style them together for the ease of not having to think of an outfit, or apart to double the number of ways they can be worn.

I was initially drawn to the green floral midi dress at Banana Republic, but was even more delighted to find a similar dress at H&M at a fraction of the price. That would have been the sensible choice, yet when I spied the same pattern in the matching set, I somehow rationalized the purchase (even while the skirt alone was five dollars more than the dress, because that really makes sense H&M). Considering I could wear the pieces separately, they would make much more sense than another dress, yet after pouring over my closet, it turns out I like them together best. I should have learned from my fifth grade self, I always wore that sweater set as a pair.

      

The Rundown

Green Floral Crop Top H&M

Green Floral Midi Skirt H&M

Raffia Sandals Loft similar

Round Raffia Bag Sun n' Sand

Hair Scarf H&M

Necklace S.V. Decker

Gold Croissant Ring Etsy

Thin Gold Ring Etsy

Tortoise Sunglasses Urban Outfitters

It's a Jungle Out There

Since my sister started her blog we've been somewhat at odds when it comes to taking outfit photos. Since the very beginning of my blog (and in truth, before I started my blog) it was meant to be about documenting outfits I actually wore. I feel like a decade ago most bloggers shared a similar mentality, but over the years it's evolved to become more about inspiration (or perhaps even more so aspiration).

In the efforts to create content above all else, outfits get styled for photographs which never have a reason to be worn for real, and that has never been something I could get behind. So my sister and I argue, and most of the time I end up photographing her inspirational looks and refusing to put together my own - since what I'm really wearing is some combination of joggers and a sweatshirt with zero makeup and my hair pulled back.

But here we are, six weeks into quarantine, with no reason to get dressed aside from going through the motions of normalcy, so here is a look that wasn't so much worn as it was styled, and hopefully someday will provide inspiration, even if for no one other than myself.

     

The Rundown
Jungle Print Blouse J.Crew
Drapey Marnia Pant Ann Taylor
Sandals Manolo Blahnik via Coco's on the Green
 Green Snake Skin Box Bag c/o Vintanthromodern similar
Earrings Thrifted
Ring Thrifted
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx