What I Wore: Wednesday Edition

It’s finally Wednesday! This week has just dragged on and on for me and I keep forgetting Thursday and Friday are still ahead of me. I feel like my outfits Monday through Wednesday are on point, but by Thursday I just don’t care anymore because I’m so over the work week. As a Dallas fashion blogger, I’ve had to learn to dress for a warmer climate than I’m accustomed to. It’s been quite the transition, let me tell you! So my outfit of the day is a basic shift dress and quilted vest (and Starbucks, because duh).

One thing I love about Dallas and being a style blogger is that I can transition so easily between styles because the temperature goes up and down! The other day I was bundled up and today, I’m getting away with wearing a dress to the office.

Ok, so a few outfit details! My dress came from Old Navy last year (similar under $30 here). The white quilted vest was stolen from my little sister’s closet. I should be embarrassed by that, but I’m not. My monogrammed hat is from Marley Lilly. My leather boots are from Steve Madden (similar here). Finally, my scarf was an old Abercrombie & Fitch find!

Going to work I felt totally confident in my outfit and am quite please with how my “what I wore Wednesday” look turned out. Leave me a comment with your look of the day details!

 

 

 

 

Dressing for the Heat

Happy Monday beauties! I hope your weekend was as lovely as mine. Saturday, I spent my time wandering around one of the nicer malls here in Dallas. The Henri Bendel store called my name and greeted me with a glass of champagne and macarons when I walked in. Needless to say, I stayed awhile and admired all the pretty things that caught me eye. Believe me, there was plenty! Sunday, David took me to lunch and then to the outlets to look around. It was a fun date! Spending time with him is one of my favorite things in the world. Even simple things like running errands become so much more fun with him!

After we went shopping, I went home and had David take my outfit pictures. The things boyfriends have to do, right? It’s so warm here in Texas that the things I find myself wearing here are totally different from what I wore back on the East Coast. “Back east” as my dad likes to say, chino shorts in hot pink and aqua blue were my favorite things to wear! In Texas, not so much.

I’m slowly changing my wardrobe to accommodate the hotter temperatures here. My tops are slowly becoming 100% cotton and my shorts and dresses are merging into the linen realm. Let me tell you, it feels so much better than the heavier fabrics I wore back in my home state of Maryland. J Crew chino shorts in neon colors are so not happening anymore.

This outfit is my go-to for days that involve being outdoors a lot. The top is from Old Navy ($7 on the clearance rack, hurry there may be some left!) The lace shorts are from the Abercrombie & Fitch outlet. I love the style of the top! It’s peplum, cotton, and striped! Best of all, it’s breathable for the stifling heat here in Texas. What more could I ask for?

My tips for living in this hot climate?

• Choose things that are 100% cotton or linen

• If you find something you love that’s great for the heat, buy multiples!

• Rock the trends but don’t forget personal comfort, sometimes they go hand in hand!

-Liz

First Day of Autumn

Yesterday was the first day of Autumn and I completely forgot! What kind of fall fan am I? Clearly not a good one! I woke up to my Facebook and Instagram feeds full of pumpkins and “happy fall” messages. To celebrate the beautiful day, my mom and I went to our local Amish market and farm to get a few pumpkins, chrysanthemums, indian corn, and corn stalks.

Every year since I can remember my mom would always decorate the inside and the outside of our house with beautiful fall decorations. It made our home so cozy and inviting! The way she would perfectly place the pumpkins on the front steps and the cinnamon potpourri that would be burning on the stove when you’d walk in the house. Memories and traditions like these are what build a lifetime of happiness. We carried on the tradition today!

The best part about living in the area I do is that we have a large Amish community. Their farms are so beautiful and typically, they’re pretty nice people. My mom and I picked out a bunch of gourds to put in a wooden bowl on the dining room table. They’re so colorful and add a little something to the room!

We usually get a few mums for the front steps too. This year we chose burgundy and yellow to grace our home. Half way through the month of October they’ll either die because we forgot to water them or our cat Puddin’ has decided to sit on them. Here’s hoping they make it a little longer this year!

As per usual, I did my decorating and pumpkin-picking in style. I’m wearing a striped Old Navy dress from last season. Similar one here. My necklace is from Erica Lyons and my shoes are Clarks Bostonian. I absolutely love this dress because it’s so versatile. I’ve worn it for the office and just for a casual day like this. It’s kind of become a staple piece for me!

I couldn’t leave the farm and produce stand without taking a picture of these incredible peaches! Aren’t they beautiful?

What are your favorite fall traditions? Leave me a comment!

Back to School Shopping for Under $300

It’s the first week of August and back to school shopping is starting. I’m not sure whether to rejoice for people who have kids and are ready for them to go back or say a silent prayer asking for summer to stay just a little longer. This past week, I made my decision and went shopping! I found out about a family in my church who needed help getting back to school clothes for their kids. My heart went out to them and I volunteered to get all 3 kids a new wardrobe- for under $300. Here’s how I did it!

Back to School for Less

I started by buzzing my way around all the local stores that were having back to school sales- and then making my way straight to the clearance racks. That’s right, I skipped the advertised “sale” racks. Rarely, in my opinion, are sales a good deal when you are really trying to save money. For example, I went to Kohl’s to get one of the kids some jeans. Sure, they had tons of jeans on sale (2 for $40) but typically I can find a better deal on the same jeans on clearance. I browsed the rack a bit and found two styles of jeans in the size I needed for $10 each! I tried the same method at American Eagle for the older kid and found a pair for $19.99.

My next stop was at TJ Maxx where I found another pair of American Eagle jeans for $14.99! For the oldest son, I spent more money in stores like Hollister to get the teenager favorites, but I still shopped the clearance rack for tees ($7.99 each). I spent a lot of time in places like Marshall’s to get t-shirts and hoodies for all of the kids though. It’s my best kept secret for finding steals!

For the youngest little girl, I went to Target and Old Navy and found jeans for $10 and tees (long and short sleeve) for under $4 each. Once again, I shopped the clearance rack. I splurged a little and got her a pink tutu dress for $8. The most expensive part of my shopping was the shoes but I still got great deals. I found Sperrys on clearance for $34 and DC high tops for $24. Kids have to go back to school looking good, right?

When I was a kid (that was like 5 years ago), I remember how important it was to have the “right” brands and the latest trends. As much as I don’t want kids to give into peer pressure, sometimes little things like wearing a certain clothing brands isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things. If you can find a good deal on it, then have at it!

To sum everything up, I bought 6 pairs of jeans, 1 pair of shorts, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 backpacks, 3 dress shirts, 1 dress, 1 pair of leggings, 15 t-shirts, and 2 hoodies all for under $300! That is why shopping the clearance rack is so smart. Happy shopping!

 

Long Weekend Style

I hope you all enjoyed your extra day off yesterday (for those of you who are in the States!) I certainly took advantage of the three-day weekend and all the sales that were going on. I ended up scoring a Lauren Conrad dress from her fall collection for $12, Lauren Conrad jeans for $20, and a Cynthia Rowley maxi skirt for $16. The sales are the best part of the festivities that typically go on during Memorial Day weekend. Here’s a little look into my weekend!

I spent Memorial Day on the beach with my parents and got a lovely sunburn on my left shoulder. Bring on the Aloe!

For our little local beach, there was quite the turnout of beach goers. It was hilarious to watch the kids get in the water, which was freezing, and splash each other, freak out of something touched their foot, or get sand in their pants.

Flip flops in the sand are the best thing in the world to me. I usually buy white or gray sandals because they go with everything. I think these ones are from Payless.

For the beach I sported this shorts and tank top combo from Old Navy. I got the shorts last October for $1.47! Shop summer clothes for the next year starting in mid-August when retailers are really trying to get rid of warm-weather clothes so they have room for the back-to-school stuff.

My jeans are from Lucky Brand and my top is Old Navy, both of which I shopped for in the off season and got amazing deals on.

My dear friend, Abbey, gave these gorgeous earrings to me and I have no idea where they’re from. I love wearing them with other bold colors like the yellow top I’m wearing.

This long weekend was so desperately needed. I’m thrilled that I got to spend so much time just relaxing and doing nothing. I hope we get through this week without too much pain. No guarantees though. Enjoy you’re Tuesday!