Friday Favorites

Now comfortably in my 30s, I have to admit when I go in to an actual Forever 21 store, I feel like a grandma.  The vast majority of the store's content is too short/tight clothing in tiny sizes.  But online (and in some stores) they have this great section called Love21, which clothing is more modest and sized a half size larger than the standard Forever 21 line (why ALL the clothing can't be of the same sizing, I don't know. But that's another rant.)  F21 (and L21) is a great place to get seasonal trendy pieces without breaking the bank, and actually even some classics that could last you a few years.  And since everything looks better/more expensive when it fits you perfectly, the pieces here are so cheap that even after the cost of the tailor it was a steal.  Here are some pieces I'm eyeing. 

Clockwise, from top left: Great Double-Sleeve Cocoon Coat, trendy fringe sweater, boucle coat in a great color, fall season maxi in a great tribal print, backside detailed sweater, great for work blazer with faux leather trim, dress up or down chevron shirt, and too pretty retro midi skirt.

Currently craving...

Haven't done one of these posts in a while. But we're getting closer to spring, and especially here in LA where the weather was in the 80s the weekend, the pretty prints that are popping up everywhere are calling to me. Here are some that I'd love to add to my closet right now.

Ruano Kaleidoscope Print Shift
by Rhyme Los Angeles

The interest in the details...

Sometimes when picking what to wear, I battle mentally over wanting to just be comfy, and still wanting to look polished.  I think this outfit looks put together, but is deceptively comfortable.  The pants I love, they're super soft and lightweight.  The shirt is jersey, and the jacket is lightweight and cotton.  If anything in this ensemble foils my attempt at comfort, its the heels, but even for those, these ones are good. A little platform in the front makes a tall heel feel not so tall, and also allows for a little cushion in the front.

Jacket: Forever21 // Necklace: Mango // Top: J. Crew // Pants: Mango // Shoes: Calvin Klein (similar here)

Color of Love...

So its the last day in January. How is that possible already? 11 more months and its 2014! Whoa, I know, getting a bit ahead of myself there.  One day at a time.  Or 14 days until Valentine's Day (for those in love) and Singles Awareness Day (for those not).  And regardless of your love status, I think we can all enjoy a reason to buy a new outfit.

Accessorize and do good...

This would have been a good post to do during the holidays, since we're all looking for good things to spend our money on.  But this this the kind of thing we should spend our money on year-round, so any time is a good time to write about this.

If you haven't yet, check out www.feedprojects.com.

And it begins...

I hope everyone had a fun and filling Thanksgiving. Mine was basically like a 3 day long meal: Thanksgiving Day with my family, Friday with my in-laws, and Saturday with my girlfriends and their families. And yes, we had a turkey meal with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean dish and pumpkin pies each of those days.  I'm starting to forget what other food tastes like. And of course our fridge is full of left overs now, even though we didn't host any of those gatherings.  Phew.

Currently Craving...

I think I'm really digging the (faux) leather legging/skinny pant look right now. 

Currently Craving....

Clearly I'm not the only one!  If I had my Pinterest items in my actual closet, I would have no problem getting dressed every day.  Remember in the movie Clueless, with Alicia Silverstone, her character Cher had that computer program that would put outfits together for her? That's what Pinterest is for me ('cept I don't actually have most of the clothes in my pins!) Oh well. That just makes it more of a goal board.

Become a Lucky Lady...

I do most of my shopping on line, for multiple reasons:

1. between working full time and going to school at night, I have little time to go to the mall;
2. I find it easier to find items organized on a website than through the racks in a store;
3. being almost 5'11", I usually need the special Long or Tall sizes, which many companies only carry online (annoying, actually.)
4. I can always find coupons for my orders online.

So since I'm spending most of my clothing budget on line, how great is it that I can get money back for my purchases?!

I'm talking about Lucky Magazine's Reward program.  If you already subscribe to Lucky Magazine, you can sign up for free, and if you're not a subscriber, you can get a 90 day free trial.  The way it works is that when you are going shopping on line, you log in to the rewards site first and look for the merchant you want to shop from.  When you click to the merchant's site through the Lucky Rewards page, then a percentage of whatever you spent at the merchant gets returned to your Rewards account, and quarterly you will get a check (or shopping credit, your choice) from Lucky to spend however you want!  I made a couple small purchases mid-last-quarter, and got a check for over $20 back.  Not a lot, but better than nothing, and since I'm spending the money anyway, why not be getting some of it back?  You can use it to pay off some of what you spent (if you're responsible), or you can just shop more (umm, yeah!).
And don't forget to search on line for additional coupon codes you can use when checking out for savings or free shipping!