Conversation Coats

Brrrrr! Who knew I wouldn't be able to post again until it was time to pull out the winter coats! I've never thought of myself as someone who owns a lot of coats. I usually have one that I wear for many years (like the basic black leather one that I had before these came along). As I have gotten older, and my desire to "not look like everyone else" has become greater, I realized that the coats I had carried stories - besides being conversation pieces in their own right.

 

You can read the original Train Stop post here, but this embroidered number is from the brand XOXO and was purchased at Macy's about 8 years ago in the after season sale. I sooooo needed a new coat, as hard as it was to give up the black leather I was so used to. This was so different for me, and maybe the start of that change in me. I still love this coat and get asked about it every season. 

 I picked up this boucle plaid soon after I had my son. It's The Buckle's own house brand, BKE. It was my birthday and we were killing time at the mall before we were heading out to eat. I had some birthday money to spend and this caught my eye - first the unique colors, then the big mismatched buttons! It is hard to capture, but the shades of teal, pink, olive green, forest green, black and tan remind me of a peacock of course! At the time, it had been 6 years since I bought my embroidered coat so I thought it was time for something new. Since it has so many colors, the possibilities are endless to accessorize. I keep changing out the pin on the lapel, and have settled on this peacock pin from Kohl's for the time being.

 My latest purchase is what inspired me to do a post about my coats........ Our neighboring town, Marshall, has such a cute downtown area with unique shops. Back in July, we were there for a car cruise and I saw a top in a store window that I admired. The store was not open so I made a note to stop back sometime. Over the course of the months, I tried a few times and they were never open. There were no hours posted on the door either. I also tried calling several times with no luck and no information on their answering service. Last week, I saw an ad in the paper that said they were going out of business and that they were open 11-5, but no specifics on what days. Since I don't get over to Marshall much, I decided to call ahead to make sure they were open. I still had no luck but after a few days someone finally answered! They were open that day and only a few more after that. I quick ran over there to see what kind of deals I could find. The top I admired was long gone (I shouldn't be surprised) but this coat was the first thing I saw when I walked in. It immediately captivated me. I browsed around first before trying it on. Everything was half off for the liquidation. I was sold! I love the color, and the rosettes on the lapel! Yet another good find with the assurance that I probably won't see another one like it around here. The brand in Linea Domani, and I happen to also own a blazer by that line that I bought last year. I've enjoyed becoming familiar with this boutique brand.

Purchasing a new coat was certainly not something I expected to do, and it was a bit ironic as well since my husband and I just had a conversation about the coat closet. By no means is it overflowing, and as you can see here I only own 3 coats. But, I do have a lot of jackets in there. He said, "I'll make a deal with you. If I get rid of 2 things, you get rid of 4." I responded by saying that I already had 2 jackets in mind that I wanted to bring to my local consignment shop......

 

But he didn't say anything about bringing home more now did he? I kid, I kid. He has not noticed my new acquisition yet, which is odd since it is BRIGHT YELLOW! Isn't that how it goes though? When you want them to notice something, they don't. And if you don't want them to notice something, they do. It will probably be December before he says anything so then when I respond that I've had this for months he won't believe me!

 

Notice my coordinating bags too? The first one is my handmade vintage suitcase of course, but the other 2 featured are everyday handbags for me. I thought it was worth mentioning that they are both Relic brand (Fossil's sister brand) which I got at Kohl's, as well as peacock motifs (what else?). The one with my plaid jacket I got last year, and it matches the colors in the coat perfectly! The one with my yellow coat I got this year, and it too blends nicely with the mustard.

 

Anyway, bring it on winter, I am stylishly ready for you!

Birthday Blues

My birthday was a month ago, and it seems September just flew on by. So much change. So many highs and lows. Life is crazy right now.

I was able to sneak off to Anthropologie last weekend, to use my birthday discount and a gift card I had received. I couldn't pass up this owl sweater!

Monogram Nestled Owl Tunic - Anthropologie
A.N.A. Black Jeggings - JC Penney
Unlisted "Webpage" Wedges - Steinmart
Bubble Necklace - Dear Prudence

Last bits of summer...

If you follow many fashion blogs, you will probably read this same type of thing: it’s that magical time of year where you need a jacket or sweater at the beginning of the day, but it is hot in the afternoon. It can be described as the ideal, favorite, or perfect type of weather – and I would agree! I wish it were like this all. of. the. time!

 

I LOVE the bright colors in this dress, and it is so soft and comfy! I have so many colored cardigans that I could throw over this in lieu of the jean jacket.

 

Nieves Lavi Frida Maxi Dress – Anthropologie (via eBay)

Jean Jacket – TJ Maxx

Apt 9 Necklace – Kohl’s (similar to Anthropologie’s Blossomed Garden Necklace)

Mossimo Wedges – Target (similar to Seychelle’s that were sold at Anthropologie)

Consignment Shopping

Are you shopping consignment? If not, you should be!

 

I am sure people think I have a lot of clothes. I am not going to lie – I do. BUT, I am a savvy shopper and rarely pay full price for anything! I will share some tips here on how to save and plan your closet.

 

Not only do I shop consignment, but I also use consignment when I clean out my closet. Of course, I donate as well, but if I want to sell a piece of clothing and don’t feel like going through the hassle of eBay, consignment is great. Sure, you only get a % of what it sells for, but they do all the work for you. My local shop has what is called “drop and dash” so it’s really easy if you already have an account set up.

 

Consignment is becoming so popular, there is even a TV show about it! I love watching Resale Royalty on the Style network. The demand to consign is so great, my local store was so full this season they were not accepting any new inventory for about a month!

 

When my local store (My Style, Your Style) started up, I had met the owner at an Art Fair I was doing. She approached me to sell my work at her store. After selling jewelry there for a while, I soon started bringing my clothes there too and the rest is history! I’ve been a loyal customer ever since. When I get to thinking about it, everyone who supplies them is just like me – people who love fashion and keep their clothes in great shape…….. some even with the tags still on! Ladies who like to change up their wardrobe on a regular basis.

 

Without further ado, I wanted to highlight some of my best finds from My Style, Your Style:

 

Who hates paying a ton of money for special occasion shoes? Shoes that usually hurt anyway and you will never wear again? Well, here is a great example on how to avoid that. I wore these shoes to the wedding I was in this past weekend. I got them at MYSY for $10. They were brand new with the tags still on them. Satin peep toe, t-strap wedges with a flower detail? Too cute! Believe it or not, they were comfy the ENTIRE day too! These are so me, that I will certainly incorporate them into other outfits as well. (I will get into my eBay searching skills in another post, but I was able to track these same shoes down for another one of the bridesmaids on there.)

I got my red jeans at MSYS for $3 or $4 I believe! I LOVE these things and as you can see, I wear them a lot!

A staple piece like a jean jacket goes with most EVERYTHING! But if you go to a name brand store, or department store, you will pay on average $60-$70 for one. Once again, MSYS comes through with one from the Gap and I think I paid around $15 for it.

You never know what kind of “gem” you are going to find at a consignment shop, especially one that curates only name brand clothing. I now enjoy stopped at shops in other cities whenever I can!

Wedding Party Bling

My dear friends wedding finally arrived this past weekend! My Matron of Honor duties have come to a close, after planning showers, Girls Night Out, helping with decor projects, etc.... It turned out so beautiful! I wish I could show you some pictures, but I was a bad MOH and did not take any. I was so busy with other things though that I am sure you will understand. I know so many people who took pictures so I am anxious to see them.

 

I did, however, take pics of the jewelry I was asked to make for the wedding party before handing it off to the bride. I cannot take credit for the design, as we took inspiration from pieces that looked like this, but I just love how they turned out! Very vintage feel! I know for sure that I will wear mine again and again, as it has a very classic look. Rhinestones and pearls? You just can't go wrong....

Matching earrings.....

I just love seeing all this bling together!

Widest of them all......

By now you know my love of wide leg pants, and this most recent acquisition (on sale from Anthropologie) is probably the widest yet! I had to have these hemmed, and I am contemplating going a little bit shorter yet because I was still stepping on them with wedges on. I love the chevron print on these and it certainly gives the eye an optical illusion, often making it hard to tell they are even pants as they look like a skirt. I also love the brown, black & white combo. Some sections are black and white tweed look which gives the appearance of grey.

Elevenses Chevron Wide Legs - Anthropologie
Arctic Feather Earrings - Anthropologie
Apt. 9 Black Sweater - Kohl's
Jean Jacket - TJ Maxx
Apt. 9 Aviator Sunglasses - Kohl's
Mossimo Patricia Wedges - Target

A Peacock & A Project

I mentioned in my last post that there are some major life changes over here.... my husband took a new job that is about an hour and a half further East here in Michigan, so we will be moving! I have a wonderful job where I work from home half of my time, so our goal is to settle in a place where it is still feasible for me to commute into the office when I need to. Our house is on the market, and we have worked so hard to make it look it's best. It is truly exhausting to make it look perfect every night/morning, not knowing if someone might be coming to look at it. Because of this, my creative muse has taken a vacation. Usually, I can leave projects laid about in my studio, but not now. Everything must be cleaned up daily! Needing to fuel the need to do something creative, I needed a project that would be quick, easy, and not require a lot of involvement.

 

I had seen these painted rhinestone necklaces on Pinterest, and thought they were pretty cool. Especially with my love of statement necklaces. I got my necklace at H & M, and I used nailpolish/clearcoat. My original plan included painting all of the little beads in between each section, but I am glad I left them clear.

 Before

 After

 Oh shiny!

 And here is the necklace in action! Cobalt blue tee and green jeans are INC Concepts from Macy's. My black wedges I have had forever from Steinmart. The new piece though..... oh the new piece. A few months ago Anthropologie re-released classic designs for the 20th Anniversary. In this post, I talk about how I had collected many of the originals over the years via eBay. Well, I had never seen this peacock sweater before. I was instantly in love! The collection sold out fast, and I have no regrets snatching one up right away (at full price, gasp!).

 I need to plan to wear my hair up though when I wear this, because the back is truly what makes it! As it was, my hair was very different today...... This is my hair just washed and dried. Usually, I have it perfectly parted, backcombed, and sprayed into place. So this is very unusual for me. My hair is so fine and straight, it is constantly in my face like this - ugh!

My little photo bomber!

And just for the record, his hair is just as fine and straight! Mama's boy!