New Mexico!

Hello my fine-feathered lovelies! I've returned from the land of the dry heat. By the way, they really do mean it when they call it that. I am used to my body reacting to heat by sweating. In New Mexico, you simply just.dry.out. You don't even realize you're hot until you want to fall down. It was scary at times, especially when that was combined with being 7,000 feet above sea level.

But I digress. Basically, my uniform there consisted of jeans, a white t-shirt, big glasses, and my red cowboy boots.


Unfortunately, this is about as fashion-forward as I got. I didn't leave myself enough time to pack and wound up wearing what looked like the same outfit every.single.day.

If you ever get to go to Santa Fe, NM, I suggest you RUN to the Palace of the Governors. Here, dozens of Native Americans come off their reservations to sell their wares - everything from jewelry to pottery to paintings. As I had mentioned, my goal was a turquoise ring.

I was NOT expecting the prices to be so high!! The tiniest ring (which would have the daintiest band and a turquoise the size of the eraser on a pencil) would run in the neighborhood of $70-90!! My husband had to convince me to buy this ring once he saw how much I loved it. I almost cried handing over the money, but every time I glance down at my hand today, I'm more and more in love.


(It's the ring in the middle.)

I promise more regular posts are coming. I'm still recovering from my jet lag. Hope you're all well!

Advise me!

Oh, my lovely readers - I need your help!

These are the boots I've wanted for ages:


Yes, the famous (infamous?) Marc by Marc Jacobs boots that were the "it" shoe in the blogger world a hot minute ago. I felt lucky enough to even try these on at an Off 5th Sak's store a few months back. My husband was laughing at me because I was almost literally drooling over them, all the while giggling and saying, "Oooo, look at me! I'm wearing $800 boots! Oooo! Boots more than rent! Ooo!" Yes, they were godly.

Now, being that those boots do LITERALLY cost more than my rent, I became determined to find knock-offs. While I haven't found anything perfect, I have found a few cheaper options - everything from $37 to close to $200. Help me decide which pair is worth saving for!


GoJane, $33.99


Nine West, $149 (I'll be honest - I'm leaning towards these.)

I just love the look of a slightly granny-ish boot (but not TOO granny) with the high, high heel and buckled strap. Yum. I'm sure there are other knock offs out there of these. Have you seen any?

And while we're on questions, have you ever bought anything (clothing/shoe wise) that cost more than your rent/mortgage? ;)

Dry Heat

In less than one week, I'll be on my way to New Mexico! My husband was lucky enough to score a free vacation for two there for 3.5 days and 3 nights. I've never been to New Mexico, and I'm so thrilled to go!

I'm not going to lie, though. While thoughts of Santa Fe, NM conjure up thoughts of pueblos and caverns and things of the sort to some people (my mother being one of them), my first thought was the shopping. Oh god. Have I really turned into this bad of a shopaholic? Well, I'll wear that badge with pride.

I'm looking forward to snagging great pieces of silver & turquoise jewelry. Maybe I'll find some leather-fringed items (and we all know I'm a sucker for those). Whatever I find, I'm completely excited about going to the downtown market area they have there and seeing what I can snag.

Here are some pieces inspiring me:

For Love 21


For Love 21


Urban Outfitters


Urban Outfitters


Have you ever been to the Midwest US? What is there to see there?
Did you find a shopping mecca anywhere on vacation?


Oh, and lastly, if anyone is interested in doing a link exchange (I'll link to your blog, you'll link to mine), let me know! :)

Baltimore's Best

Every year, the company I work for throws (what I think is) the most kick-ass party all year. It’s called the Best of Baltimore party. Over a thousand people are milling around and the people-watching is pure insanity. People show up wearing everything from ballgowns to…well…nothing. (One year, a guy showed up in sneakers, a bow tie and nothing else. NOT CHIC.)

It was a GORGEOUS night in the city and we were right on the water. I got to break out my ALDO shoes and my lame’ leggings for the first time, and they were a huge hit.

The comments I got on the leggings were hysterical.
“You look like a wet, baby seal!”

“Your tights are neat-o.”

“These make a FABULOUS noise!” (said by my drunk friend as she was repeatedly slapping me all night)

The party had some crazy shit going on - everything from a stilt-walker (who looked remarkably like a clown...so much so that I was running from it) to a roaming band of kazoo players. Good times, good times.








And some of my crazy fashionable friends:

Covet Covet Covet!: Cheap shoes!

I can't decide whether the recent influx of shoes on some of my favorite websites is a blessing or a curse. Maybe I should weigh out my options:

Blessing
*The colors seem to be becoming more and more vibrant!
*The prices are all beyond reasonable! No pair in the collage I made is over $30!
*The heels seem to be getting higher. In the past, whenever shoes were uber-affordable, I felt like they sacrificed the height of the heel for some reason. I'm not sure why "kitten heel = cheap", but there it is. These newer ones seem to touch the sky!

Curse
*Just one really - my wallet is going to be hurting this fall from all of the pretty things out there!


What shoes are you looking forward to buying in the new season? Do boots do it for you? Are you coveting heels with tights?



Sources: Wet Seal, Forever 21, Hot Topic, Charlotte Russe, and Go Jane.

One Look Could Kill: Jacket freedom!

I’ve had this jacket in my closet for about 6 months now. It’s been crying to me, pleading for me to let it out, but sadly, I had to keep it put away. When the temperature is shooting above 95 degrees, the last thing you want to do is put on a jacket. I tried to explain this to the jacket, but it just wouldn’t listen. ;)

I was so happy when I found this, though. It’s a motorcycle jacket, complete with buckles and zippers, made out of a soft, sturdy cotton. Who’d a’thunk it? Paired with some army green pants rolled up to show off my gladiators, I felt like somewhat of a badass in this. Don’t ask me why. My brain is odd like that at times. (Okay, at most times.)









Oh! I finally got to wear out my Aldo Koudougou heels this weekend to my best friend's bachelorette party. We roamed the streets of Philadelphia for miles bar hopping. Philly is a pretty old town, so many of the streets are still cobblestone. After miles of cobblestone walking, I could have danced a jig in my shoes. They were RIDICULOUSLY comfortable. I was so happy I almost cried. Seriously. ;) I'm wearing them again tomorrow night to a BIG party my work throws each year. I'll make sure to snap a ton of pictures.

A Bit of the Old "Retail Therapy"

I don't know if I'd so much call this "retail therapy" as "Hey...I have a bit of extra cash and want things". ;)

Here are the purchases I've made lately:



1) Black/White acid-washed skinny jeans by Vanilla Star (Target jeans pictured): $17

2) Faux leather miniskirt from H&M: $13

3) Faux leather metallic cropped jacket from Forever 21: $38 (Is it sad that I had to waffle on this purchase because $38 seemed a little steep to me for a jacket I LOVED?? Gosh. I scare myself sometimes.)

4) Nerd glasses from Aldo (AA glasses pictured): $12

5) "Straw" fedora from Forever 21: $5.50 (I've been searching for so long for a fedora that fits me...and this one was so cheap!)

6) Wet Seal Lame' leggings (exact replicas of the AA leggings in the picture!): $18


So now that Fall is approaching, are you shopping more? What have you bought already? What's on your wishlist?

One Look Could Kill: Finally Cooling!!

My first thought when I woke up this morning was, "Woah. It's a bit chilly in here." My second thought when I woke up this morning was, "WOAH!! It's a bit chilly in here!! WOOHOO!" (This was followed by me gleefully flinging myself out of bed cheering...which confused the hell out of my barely-awake husband.) There are only so many 85+ degree days in a row that a girl can handle, and with all of the little Fall purchases that I've been racking up, I've been dying to break them out!





I was so happy to finally get to wear this Old Navy shirt that I've been hanging onto for a few months. It's made out of the softest sweatshirt-like material possible, but still has a flattering, billowy cut. I could just live in this shirt. ;) I paired it with my trusty studded Bitten wedges and a white fishnet scarf I grabbed from H&M last season. Because things at work have been SO busy lately, I haven't really had the time or energy to put thought into my outfits or makeup, but today, I made the time. I feel better already.





Oh, and I had to include one of the little demon who "helps" with my makeup each day. Meet Spooky!

Cheapskate strikes again!

This weekend was a bit..hmm...I would say "fashion forward", but since I know some of the styles I crave don't appeal to a lot of people, we'll say "fashion successful"!


1) Don't ask me why, but I've been seriously craving a pair of stonewashed/acid-washed skinny jeans. I've just seen them on a few gals who have paired them with heels up to the sky and a rockin' t-shirt, and I was coveting them like no one's business. When I first started looking for these, there were a few common themes:

• Most pairs ranged from $45-$100+! This kind of shocked me! I really thought these weren't as popular, but I suppose I was wrong.


• Most pairs had a zipper that was only about an inch long...that's how low-rise they were. For a gal with a waist that is actually not the same size as her hips (gasp!), this didn't quite work for me. When crouching down, you could see a good 1-2" of my *ahem* crack. NOT chic.

I looked into how to make my own pair, but being fairly DIY-disfunctional, I decided that buying a pair would be a far smarter route. Well, after searching all over creation (and I really mean that - we're talking 3 malls, several thrift stores, and Marshalls/TJ Maxx etc. up the wazoo!), I finally found a pair...and for less than $20!!! Ross - how I love thee. The pair I got is very similar to these from American Apparel:

...only their jeans are $69. Mine were $17.99. ;) I get a high better than that of drugs when I can find a steal like that.

2) I've also been coveting the famous black lame' leggings from American Apparel for ages, as I mentioned in my last post. However, just like the jeans, I wasn't willing to pay the $42 (!!!!) price tag. After all, they're just leggings. Lo and behold, I walked into Wet Seal this past weekend, glanced around casually...and found the same.exact.leggings. Oh, except for one difference: These were only $17. ;) BOO-YAH! I'm hoping to post a picture of them soon when I can rock them out.

3) Last, but not least.
Weeks ago, so long ago that I'd forgotten about it, I entered a contest on the fabulous blog FashionIsPoison.com...AND I WON A PAIR OF FREE JIMMY CHOOS!$#!#$!%! From what I can tell, these run somewhere in the realm of $400+ brand-new!$#@ I can't believe it, and I'm so excited I can't stand it! Yes, I'm a cheap girl, but for the most part, that's because I simply can't afford to own 99% of designer labels. This will be my first "high"-designer anything, and I'm so grateful.


Did you all go shopping over the Labor Day weekend? Find any good deals yourself?




So yes. Good weekend. ;D Now I have to figure out what to wear to the Best of Baltimore party in a few weeks.