holes in my closet: pieces for 2013

I tend to buy pieces I know I will get a lot of wear out of, especially in my day to day working life. Obviously this is great for my closet since I buy things I'll actually use, but there are times when I wish I had pieces but I just don't ever buy them because I know they won't get a lot of wear - except in those situations I always wish I had them. So for the next months instead of buying another button up shirt or sweater, I'm going to use some of each month's budget to buy the following pieces. I'm going to take the time to buy pieces that I truly love and that fit correctly so I don't have to buy the same kind of item several times until I find the right one. These are the pieces I'll be looking for and why:

+ Suede Boots: I mentioned last week that I think I can wear more skirts and dresses to work as long as I wear tights and boots to keep my legs covered. I own two pairs of boots, my dark grey Steve Madden boots and my light brown Frye boots, but neither of them are necessarily dressy enough. I loved this outfit on Kate Middleton and although suede boots aren't necessarily practical for a snow storm, I think they would look great for work and social occasions. I think this will probably be the major purchase in January.

+ Nude Heels: So far we have 7 save the dates on our fridge for this coming summer, so there are going to be a lot of dress up occasions this year. I don't own any nude heels (or many heels in general) and so a nice (and hopefully comfortable) pair of nude heels will get a lot of wear this summer. I probably won't purchase a pair until the spring.

+ Wool Skirts: I don't own many skirts, but I think a few pairs of wool (for now) skirts would be great for dressier outfits at work and (hopefully) for school in the future. I've heard great things about the skirts at J. Crew so I'll probably try to find some at the outlet store.

+ Hunter Rain Boots: My dogs got to my last pair of Target rain boots, and between the slush we have now and the rain in the spring, a pair of nice rain boots will get plenty of wear. I plan on buying mine on eBay and hope to spend no more than $60. And don't worry, I'll only wear them when the weather calls for it ;)

+ Black Blazer: I get so much wear out of my navy blazer that it only makes sense to buy a similar piece in a different color. I was especially inspired by Kultur & Stil's post about all of her outfits with her black blazer. I'm going to be in Chicago in early February so I plan to stop at Topshop to try this blazer on.

+ Dark Brown Riding Boots: I love my lighter brown boots, but sometimes I wish they were a bit darker. I may wait until the end of the winter to look for a pair just because I'm hoping they'll be cheaper then.

+ Black Pumps: I don't have a pair of black heels that are actually comfortable or that I can walk in for more than 5 minutes. I'm pretty sure as a 25 year old woman that that is pretty much unacceptable. I need a pair of closed toed heels that I can wear for at least a few hours.

+ Dark Wash Jeans: I've been wearing a lot of skinny jeans lately (something I really thought I would never wear - seriously, 2 years ago I swore up and down I would never wear them) partially because they are so comfortable and mostly because I only have 1 pair of bootcut jeans I like. I would like to find that perfect fitting bootcut pair of jeans. Wishful thinking or actually a possibility? ;)

So that's the plan. Are there pieces you're on the look out for? Are you the kind of person who needs a game plan for shopping? I didn't think I would be, but I think this will help with the "buy investment closet pieces" thing I'm trying to work on.

frivolous

Yesterday morning I was running a little early so I stopped at Starbucks before work...and was so annoyed that it took 10 minutes to make me a simple iced drink. It feels so stupid now to think that the worst part of my day was having to wait for a stupid drink while small children were being killed in cold blood. It all seems so frivolous - the coffee drinks, the taking pictures of what I wore, the typing of what I wore, while there are parents who lost their babies that day for no reason. My heart aches for them, and I hope this forces our country to work on the diagnosing and treating of mental illness.

I was unsure how if I should even bring this up on my blog. Fashion blogging is about escape and inspiration and fun, and the horrible events that happened in Connecticut are none of those... but those little children and their teachers have been on my mind all day as I'm sure they've been on yours, so even though we will continue to live our lives and hold those we love closer, I couldn't not acknowledge their tragic and untimely deaths.

here's what I wore yesterday.

frivolous, I know.



Blazer: Old Navy  {save / splurge}
Shirt: Gap
Scarf: H&M  {similar}
Jeans: Urban Outfitters  {exact}
Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}
Watch: Fossil  {very similar}
Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.  {exact}

Franziska, Everyday

I read a lot of blogs and am constantly wishing I had all of the amazing pieces of clothing you ladies have. Unfortunately, I have a budget I (try to) stick to, so I generally just try to be inspired and recreate what you wear with items from my own closet rather than go out and buy a bunch of clothes every week. I say generally because once I saw this bag on Kendi, I needed it to be mine. I checked on it every few weeks, hoping it would go down in price. It did go down about $20 over Black Friday, but I still held off. Then two weeks ago when I was again telling someone about this bag, all bags happened to be 25% off, making it cheaper than it was on Black Friday...and I finally had to press buy. It took a little bit to get to me because I wanted a little monogram added, but it was definitely worth the wait.

To fund this purchase I sold this purse on eBay for the price I bought it for in the store. I know that I'll get a lot more wear out of this new purse as it works well for work now and will be great in the future (if I get into school). A smaller bright green purse just can't compete with a big leather tote.

Have you ever purchased something after seeing someone on a blog wearing it? Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Sweater: Target  {exact on sale for $13}
Gingham: J. Crew Factory (with tank top in between)  {exact}
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact}
Scarf: H&M
Purse: Madewell  {exact}
Shoes: Crown Vintage  {save / splurge}
Watch: Kate Spade  {exact}
Bracelet: DIY
Nails: Seen here

via Instagram

P.S. Two days left to enter the Firmoo Giveaway!

behind the blog: Loop Looks

In this week's Behind the Blog we have Erin from Loop Looks. Erin works in a professional environment in Chicago, and documents her journey in navigating the hardships of dressing professionally without being boring.

Tell us what motivate you to start blogging. Were you following a lot of personal style/fashion blogs before you started blogging?

The first style/fashion blog I started following was J's Everyday Fashion because the layout was simple and easy to understand.  Her website wasn't overly crowded or full of complicated or expensive outfits.  However, I found that while I loved many of her looks they just weren't practical for me.  I started searching for other fashion or style bloggers who has similar blogs but geared towards women who had to dress professionally and lived in climates that experienced all four seasons.  A cute pencil skirt (even with tights) just won't cut it in Chicago when it's 20 degrees and windy outside!  
So, I decided to start my own blog that fills that hole.  Jeans only on Fridays, making the occasional suit look unique but still professional, and tackling how you dress for the office when it's literally freezing outside or the temps are hitting 100(F).  

Which blogs do you read every day?

I have a whole list of them in my Google Reader ranging from running and fitness blogs to fashion blogs and everything in between.  Some of mymust-reads, though, across all categories are:

Ilaxstudio.com
Frills for Thrills (Love her Copycats Fridays link-ups)
An Alaskan Weredork
Laura Wears
Librarian for Life Style

When you do take outfit pictures, who takes your pictures? Have you ever been caught in the act of taking these?

I typically take my outfit pictures before work using a point-and-shoot camera and a tripod and upload them and write my posts before I start work for the day.  Occasionally, though, I have a guest photographer help me out and take them all on one day and then I can write all my posts at once.  When I started my blog I was taking my photos in my office at work during lunch but then began to branch out and take them outside.  I usually take them around my apartment building so, yes, people see me taking them all the time.  At first it was weird but now I don't care.  The benefits of living in a big city like Chicago is that people don't usually bat an eye at stuff like that.  Plus, if someone were to ask me about it I'd just hand them a business card!  

What programs do you use to edit your pictures?

I use Pixlr.com to crop and edit my pictures.  I don't do much editing beyond occasionally adjusting the contrast or brightness.

Do people in real life know about your blog? What were their reactions when they found out about your blog?

Almost all of my friends and family know about my blog.  I shared it on Facebook and on my previous running blog as well.  Part of the reason I started the blog was because of the feedback I was getting when I would post outfit pictures on Facebook.  So, obviously, they like it!  Several of my friends and family have commented that they get great ideas from my blog.  In fact, I think the only people who don't know about it are my coworkers and that's a-okay with me.

When it comes to promotion of your blog, what methods do you use? Do you spend a lot of time commenting on other blogs, pinning your looks, doing link ups?

I try to comment on as many blogs as possible but I check my page view stats on a regular basis and see where the most incoming views are from.  Then I focus on those areas.  I do some link-ups but not as many as I know are out there!  And I have done some paid advertising on other style blogs ($9 a month for one month type stuff).  I do pin some of the photos from my blog but not all of them.  And, of course, I love doing interviews like this!  

Putting yourself on the internet comes with the expectation that not everyone will always love what you are wearing and writing. Have you encountered any of these criticisms, and if so, how do you handle it?

When I'm wearing something I know isn't quite "right" I will call attention to it myself first.  We all make sartorial missteps now and then and I think being honest about it is good.  That allows your readers to give you feedback and can help make an outfit even better (see this post: https://looplooks.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/par-2/).  I haven't gotten any negative feedback that I would consider out of line or unexpected, though.  

What has been the best thing to come out of blogging? 

In addition to feeling so much more put together at work and really learning what does and doesn't work for me style-wise, I've found so many good relationships via my blogs over the years (I've had a blog in one form or another since 2001).  Also, my day job isn't very fulfilling so getting feedback from readers that what I've written about has actually helped them makes me feel amazing!

What tips or suggestions do you have for your fellow bloggers?

Don't view other bloggers as competition.  View them as pushing you to make yourself even better.  View them as resources to talk to about ideas, bounce questions off of, or just as inspiration (but don't forget credit where credit is due).  Don't worry about "copying" an outfit.  Just because another blogger wore something similar doesn't mean you can't wear it and make it your own.  And, finally, don't worry so much about editing your photos or taking the perfect photo!  I want to see the outfit, not the lens flare or a perfectly blurred background.

Thank you again Erin! Next week we have Heidi from Literate & Stylish!

uncool

Bubble necklaces: are we all over them now? I know they've been around for what seems like forever, and they're over done, but this morning as I was trying to figure out how to not have the most boring outfit imaginable, and without wearing another scarf...I put it on and wore it anyway. So maybe my Midwest is showing (you know, being like 3 years behind on trends)  but I'll wear it with pride...

...or something

Blazer: H&M  {save / splurge}

Blouse: Forever 21  {exact}

Pants: Urban Outfitters  {save / exact}

Necklace: H&M  {splurge}

Shoes: Tory Burch  {exact}

Nails: Seen here

linking up with wiww.

firmoo glasses giveaway

If you spend any time at all reading blogs, you will have heard of the glasses brand Firmoo. As you can see, I wear glasses every day (mostly because I'm too lazy to put in contacts) so if you are a glasses wearer, or you're looking for some cute new sunglasses at inexpensive prices (or need a last minute Christmas present), you're in luck because Firmoo is offering 10 of you a 2 x $20 gift certificates - one to keep and one for you to give to someone else. That's enough to pay for a pair of glasses (all you need to do is pay the shipping). Just enter the Rafflecopter below - good luck! This is open internationally. I'll announce the winners at the end of this coming weekend.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I am not being compensated for this giveaway, I'm just trying to get you some free shades ;)

dresses at work?

Wearing pants is something that I thought was mandatory at work. I re-read our safety regulations recently and it specifies that legs need to be covered - nothing specifically about wearing pants! For most people, dresses/skirts with tights is a no brainer, but after 14 years of dance recitals, I was certain I would never make myself do that again. After watching girls like Kimmie and Whitney rock cute tights with their dresses and skirts, I was willing to give it another try. I was offered the opportunity to try out some No nonsense tights and leggings, so what's a better way to test out if I liked the dress/tights look than with free tights? 

I'm also unsure how I feel about Louboutin shoes and Chanel bags...

Kidding! Back to the tights. I received these cute purple patterned tights and red corduroy leggings.  The tights were a no brainer. I wanted as much of my legs "double covered" so I wore my old beat up boots (future post to come about upgrading to a nicer pair). Because I am fairly tall (5'9''), most regular dresses tend to be a bit short on me, so wearing tights actually helped me feel less exposed in the thighs. The tights held up very well throughout the day. They were long enough for me so there was no awkward gapping, and the control top meant I didn't have to suck in as much. Now that I know I can actually wear skirts and dresses (as long as my legs are still covered) to work, I'm excited to expand those parts of my closet.

Dress: Old Navy  {very similar}

Tights: No nonsense (c/o)

Scarf: gift from my mom

Belt: The Limited  {save / splurge}

Socks: Urban Outfitters  {very similar}

Boots: Steve Madden  {similar}

Watch: Boccia

I found bright red leggings a little harder to fit into my normal day-to-day wear. I maintain that leggings are not pants to be worn with a short shirt, so a tunic was necessary for me. I wore my leggings with a sweater tunic, scarf and jacket for a walk out with the dogs. The nice thing about these leggings is that they are corduroy so they kept me warmer than some of my other cotton leggings. I would recommend sizing down though, as my pair were a little too large for me. I've been wearing my pair around the house a lot as they are so comfortable!

Jacket: Souvenir from Germany  {save / splurge}
Leggings: No nonsense (c/o)
Boots: Steve Madden {similar}
Hat: Forever 21
Scarf: DIY

Dog: not for sale ;)

Disclosure: Find your pair of affordable No nonsense tights and leggings here. I was sponsored by No nonsense for this opportunity. All opinions are my own.