Trick or Treat? Definitely a Treat...Outfits Under $100!

That's right, dear reader...

It's that time again! Princess and I have scoured the stores to bring you two fabulous outfits for the fall--both WELL under $100!

This month we bring you a work outfit--cute, cozy and perfect for fall weather, and a weekend outfit--casual, cute and great for apple picking, watching the leaves change, reliving your campus co-ed days (or living them for the first time if you're in that age bracket!) and hanging out in the crisp fall air!

Our work outfit consists of a beautiful pale pink cowl neck sweater, a super fabulous navy blue and white graduated polka dot pencil skirt, pale pink tights (which I have been coveting and trying to find for months now!) and cute brown leather booties. The grand total? $79.84! That's right--a fabulous work outfit that's also wallet friendly...but certainly doesn't look cheap!

Our weekend outfit consists of a great pair of dark wash boot cut jeans, an adorable pair of white canvas sneakers, a fun yellow and gray boyfriend style v-neck cardigan, a white long-sleeve t-shirt and an awesome long gold necklace. And what's the grand total on this weekend special? $67.64! An amazing find for an even more amazing price!

Enjoy our looks for October and start getting excited for next month...fabulous outfits for holiday dinners!

Wear to Work:

Sweater:

Skirt:

Tights:

Shoes:

Wear on the Weekend:

Sweater:

T-Shirt:

Necklace:

Jeans:

Sneakers:

What I'm Obsessed With Now: Belts

 

Within my wardrobe, I often find that I get hooked on one item, stock up on that item, then find in several years (or sometimes, much to my chagrin, months), I'm over the obsession. I suppose this is normal when it comes to fashion as styles change, and for fashionistas like me, when we find something we love, we stock up on it. Especially if we can find it at a bargain!

My Favorite
Belt:
Dad's Old Belt

However, I've found that I've had a special sort of love/hate/love affair with belts. I have gone through several rounds of belt obsession in my life. The first came in college, when I discovered my favorite belt. Now, I normally don't play favorites with my belts...or any of my accessories, for that matter. But, this belt is special. Why is it special, you ask? Well, it was my father's when he was in his hippie phase--his late teens and into his 20s. I found this belt in my father's closet. Why he still had it almost 30 years later is a mystery to me--especially because his waist has expanded somewhat since that point. However, I saw this worn, beat-up, brown leather belt and it called to me. I had no choice but to listen. I was even happier when I tried it on and it fit. This belt has stayed with me through all of my belt phases--love or hate. It's one of those classic pieces that always looks fabulous with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, a pair of khakis and boots or over a bulky sweater and leggings. This belt was my gateway drug. After this, I found that I was loving chain belts. I had them in every color, every thickness, every shape, every size. I have since given my chain belts to goodwill or to my little cousins to use in their games of dress-up. Thus, my first love affair with belts ended.

The Survivors
of the 2nd belt obsession:
the suede belts

My second love affair with belts wasn't actually about belts at all...it was about scarves. That's right. I wore scarves as belts. Profusely. With almost every outfit. Over dresses, in belt loops, around my skirts. Scarves. I couldn't get enough. It was at this point that I had just started teaching and I was living in New York City. I was the ultimate bargain shopper when it came to my scarf belts. I would often buy colorful, wispy scarves from street vendors. I would find scarves and scarf belts (see, I was in style! I wasn't the only one with this obsession) at major retailers--in fact, I bought quite a few from the Gap back in the day! I even had one from Coach...that one was my splurge. I still have my scarf belts. I didn't part with them, thinking that someday they may have a use again...maybe not as a belt, but maybe they'd play some role in my wardrobe. I still have a drawer full of these scarves and scarf belts. At the same time, I also got really into skinny belts. I remember having a pink skinny belt, a red skinny belt and a black skinny belt. I have a fabulous brown skinny belt with gold rings that I have kept from this era, and also got two suede belts in maroon and cream that have managed to survive the belt purges. In fact, these three belts are totally making a reappearance in my wardrobe these days.

The Preppy Belts

My newest obsession with belts started slowly. I got back into sweater dresses about three years ago and I was looking for something fabulous to wear around my waist to dress up my outfit. This is where I found my burgeoning love for funky, thick belts. I bought a gold one and a maroon one. But, this was where my belt love ended. I would only wear these with sweater dresses and wouldn't wear them that often. I was over belts. But, about 2 summers ago, my belt obsession started to sneak back up on me again. This time, it was the classic style preppy belts. The belts that I remember from my youth--the belts made of grosgrain ribbon with a two-ring closure. My first one was a light blue and dark blue belt. I bought it because it was in school colors--and where I teach, we wear school colors every Friday. However, I found that while I bought this fabulous belt, it would often sit in my drawer because, as I said, I was over belts and unsure how to wear it. Then I found my next preppy belt--my madras plaid belt with a faux bamboo ring closure. I found reasons to wear this belt. I loved it. I still love it. My last preppy belt was acquired last spring--it's a grosgrain ribbon belt from J.Crew in a fun green color with blue whales embroidered on it. It has the two ring closure. I mean, how much more preppy than that can you get?

But, it was this last summer when I knew that my full-fledged belt obsession had re-reared its head.At the end of last school year, I began to covet my friends' stretchy, thick belts. I made it my mission in my back to school shopping to find myself a thick black belt. Did I succeed? Of course I did! I then decided that I needed a skinny black belt. Check! I got one of those too. Then the school year started. Since then I have acquired three more belts in varying styles.

Now I have a full collection:

The Funky Belts

The Skinny Belt

The Thick Belts

Add to those my preppy belts, my classic suede belts and my dad's old belt and I have one fabulous belt collection. Does this mean that I'm done shopping for belts? Ha! Don't be silly.

It is an obsession, after all.

Reliving My Youth Through Fashion

I think we can all agree that the 80s might have been the height of pop music. Who doesn't love classic Madonna, young Kylie Minogue, Duran Duran, the Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper or The Bangles? Most 80s music is fabulous. It transcends generations. Even my students love it when I turn on 80s music, and most of them even know the songs. 80s candy? Super amazing. Who doesn't love Nerds? Razzles? Pop Rocks? 80s movies? Truly classic. Nothing can top The Princess Bride, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, The Goonies or The Breakfast Club. However, it has come to my attention recently that the fashion of my youth is making a comeback. While most things from the 80s are fabulous, let's be honest. The 80s were the height of bad fashion.

Me in 1988

 The first inkling that I had that 80s fashion was making a comeback in the department stores was when I started to see jellies. If you grew up in the 80s, you surely remember jellies...they were the translucent plastic slip on shoes in bright neon colors. I really thought that once people realized that they made your feet smell and weren't as comfortable as they looked, they'd stay dead! My next clue that the 80s were inching toward a comeback came when I began seeing jelly bracelets in the stores. These plastic, gummy-ish, colored bands were all the rage...when I was in the 4th grade. It wasn't until I saw my students making friendship bracelets in class that I truly began to fear that the 80s was well on its way back. I started noticing that trend  had taken root last year when big hair, cropped one shoulder shirts and neon hi-tops were sprouting up all over the place amongst my students. I was still in denial that this 80s comeback would really take hold until I saw stirrup pants...yes, that's right, stirrup pants...in a highly respectable department store recently.

Some of the trends I've noticed making a comeback include acid wash jeans (a trend that surely should have stayed dead), bright neon giant hoop earrings (and neon everything, in fact), Chuck Taylor Converse hi-top sneakers and legwarmers. While I can get with legwarmers (with some embarrassment I admit that they would look super cute with skinny jeans and heels), I can't wrap my mind around the rest of these 80s fashions.

Are we going to see the return of multiples? Benneton bags? The Pop Swatch? (Although I think that my Pop Swatch still exists in my parents' basement somewhere...) I thought that it was universally accepted that the fashion of the 80s should remain dead.

But, if that weren't bad enough, it seems that the fashion of my teen years--the 90s--is beginning to make its comeback as well. Recently, in the stores, I've seen cross body bags--how many of those did you have in the 90s ladies? I was so glad when we finally got rid of the long purse strap that can go across your whole body. I mean, who looks good with a strap between their breasts? No one, that's who! I've also noticed that a great number of my students are now wearing flannel shirts as well. At least this time around, the girls' flannel shirts are fitted instead of baggy. But, when I start to see Doc Martens making a comeback, that might be the day I quit buying shoes.

Ok, just kidding about the shoes. But, I can promise you, I will never buy Doc Martens...again! (Ok, so I didn't have real Docs in the 90s...but I did wear my fake Docs to death.)

Oh, and everything except the picture of me and the Pop Swatch are items that are currently on major retailers' websites--like Bloomingdales, Macy's and Amazon.com. So, if you're hopping on the 80s or 90s bandwagon, you'll find plenty of items to feed your retro addiction out there in the stores or on the web. Happy shopping and happy surfing!

Chopping it All off for a Good Cause!

Yesterday I headed to my favorite hair lady, with Budget in tow, to get a new hairstyle. Actually, I’m headed there to chop off all of my hair. But there’s a reason for it...

For the past couple of years, give or take, I’ve been growing my hair out with the goal that at the end of it all, I would chop all the hair off and donate it. Well not all of it off, 11 inches. I’ve done it before. I mean it’s just hair. And I’ve been blessed with a lot of it.

But that’s not the real reason I do it. I donate my hair because of my mother. I remember being 7 seven sitting in our dining room as my parents explained to us kids that my mother had something called Breast Cancer. At 7, I don’t think I comprehended what that meant, and at that time the only famous person who had had breast cancer, that I knew of, was former first lady, Nancy Reagan. My mom said she would be fine, and I believed her.

It’ll be 24 years this coming January that my mother has been Cancer Free. I’m thankful for the strength of my mother in not giving up back then, and for her doctors who cared for her and listened to her. She took control of her body and her diagnosis and fought a hard battle. She had stage 2 breast cancer at 36... In 1986, women didn’t survive Stage 2 Cancer, they didn’t have half of the drugs they have now. But my mother survived. So truthfully, that is what I am most thankful for.

I donate my hair for my mother, who needed a wig and we could afford one. There are women out there who can’t afford a wig.

So if there is someone in your life affected by Cancer, or you just feel compelled to help, consider donating your hair. I’m pretty sure there is someone out there that could use it more than you can, and, don't worry, your hair will grow back. ;)

It's the best gift I can give to someone and you feel amazing after... trust me. Plus, you have a fabulous new look and really healthy hair!

A Lovely Site to Browse...

This summer while reading a Blog about Accessories (I know shocker!) I came across a link to a new site that sold Accessories that were well made, stylish and beautiful for not that much money. I was instantly in love with the site. Eight1Six.com quickly became a new place for me to gawk and be in awe of all things accessories....

You have to sign up and in return they send you Tri-Weekly emails on their “sales.” Their stock is ever changing and their deals are great. The founders of the site get the accessories directly from the jewelry designers thereby avoiding the expensive markup that us ladies are usually forced to pay.

I’ve already purchased a couple of earrings from this site and love the quality and the beauty of these little baubles! Pics of my purchases at the bottom of this post.... Also because the designs are reasonably priced, they make great presents for someone who is on a budget, but want to get your friends a lovely gift.

But be warned.... This site will most definitely make you want to buy everything... Good thing the prices are so reasonable!!!

Happy Browsing!!