Wardrobe Wednesday: Red, Black, and White Elephant

I am a sucker for dressing for an occasion, and for me going to a Christmas party.. even if it is  a very casual white-elephant gift exchange party.. is still something to plan an outfit for!   This ensemble was perfect, because it is very laid back and casual, it speaks to my vintage style, and the red and white plaid print just screams "have a holly, jolly, Christmas" to me. To add a touch of fun and whimsy, I paired it with a polka dot cardi.. mixing prints is a fun way to give a splash of "not too serious, but still fashion-minded" to any outfit!  

The best thing about this outfit is probably it's tiny price tag!  I picked up the vintage day dress at a re-sale shop for only $7.  I snagged the cardigan at a Forever 21 clearance sale for $5, and I won the boots from B.A.I.T. Footwear for free by reposting one of their instagram photos in a share contest.  That means the outfit was on only $12!  I am a firm believer in the fact that you don't need a ton of money to dress with style, sometimes you just need to be a little creative, and a savvy shopper.

 

 

 

Psst... remember this dress?  I blogged about it a few months ago back in September, look how different it looks with just slightly different styling!  The key to a good wardrobe piece is versatility.  If you can't think of at least 3 different ways to style something, you may not need to adopt it into your wardrobe.  I can still think of many more ways to wear this dress!  It was definitely a good find!

Wardrobe Wednesday: It's the Holiday Season!

What are you wearing for this holiday season to all of your special events?  From family holiday dinners, to swanky parties, to fun and silly parties with friends, there is always some reason for a special outfit. This outfit definitely has a holiday feel, although nothing blatantly "Christmas" is involved, so this outfit can be worn all season long.

 

 Layering with a red coat, automatically gives any outfit  that Christmas time feel.

 The bow design on my sweater (Forever 21) makes me think of gifts wrapped under the tree.

 

 Fun, opaque tights are a must for cold weather, here is a fun tip:  wear patterned tights inside out to get a nubby textured look!

 Bow shoes!!  I found these Anne Kline flats brand new, never worn at my local thrift store for only $8

I found this vintage skirt at an antique mall for a huge bargain of only $12.  Never count-out antique malls for  finding great vintage fashion!

Wardrobe Wednesday: Yertle the Turtle Dress

Yertle The Turtle is one of my most favorite stories written by Dr. Seuss.  So many life lessons can be found in this little story about the "turtle king." Lessons like, being content with what you have and controlling the need to want more and more and more and more;  or like being careful about an aggressive, self-proclaimed leader taking advantage and bullying you to let them "climb up your back."  Dr. Seuss knew what he was doing friends, he was a wise man.    I really do love this book, so when I found this amazing  turtle print vintage late 60s/ early 70s era dress at one of my favorite stores, Donna's Dress Shop, I had to have it!   I am a sucker for any quirky print, but these little turtles really spoke to me! 

I chose to wear some black leggings instead of tights with this dress, let's face it the dress is pretty short and I am not a huge fan of having to be overly cautious of how I can bend over if need be. 

Look at this print!!!! The best part is that is woven into the fabric!

Tall boots with a short dress, is always an easy pairing during  the colder months of the year.

Wardrobe Wednesday: Doris Skirt take 2

I have said before how much I love Pinup Couture's  Doris skirts.   Well, I think I need them all.  Seriously the perfect skirt.  They are made from  super high quality medium weight fabric and as easy to wear as a pair of jeans. 

 

This skirt has a fun atomic print that I just love, and it is easily paired with my favorite black cardigan, tights, and heels.

Funny note: I actually had the same skirt in a different color this summer, and in a larger size.  When I realized that my summertime beer drinking was causing me to gain weight, and I stopped drinking beer as well as stepped up my exercise routine, I soon needed a smaller Doris Skirt.  I sold my Large skirt and quickly bought a medium but I decided to switch up the color this time.  I never liked beer, and then I finally started to like it.. and it did me no favors. Haha!

 I am glad I opted to switch the color, I love the warmth of  this peachy pink !

 

Another note:  This may be the last Wardrobe Wednesday post you see of me with long(ish) hair, I am seriously considering going a lot shorter at my hair appointment this Friday, I guess we will have to wait and see :)

Wardrobe Wednesday: Red Trees/ Red Sweater

Summertime has definitely came and gone in Kansas City.  We are full on into fall, and actually Winter is peeping his head around the corner.   I have a tiny, tiny, closet so I have to make the most of the wardrobe I have in all seasons.  I like to challenge myself to make summer clothes work in cooler temps.  So today, I took my summertime capris into colder temps. 

 
This was the perfect outfit to wear on a lazy Sunday of lounging around and watching football on tv.  I typically don't wear sneakers or tennis shoes very often (unless I am working out.)  When I do, my go-to shoes are my red converse.

The cardigan was just something I picked up at a thrift store for basically free.  I made it a little more fun by adding on some iron on patches that I got from a craft store for $3 for the pack.  My fun necklace was a gift from my best friend that she ordered from the cutest etsy shop, I SEW CUTE.

The trees totally matched my outfit! 

Wardrobe Wednesday: My New "Old" Favorite

 

I love vintage clothes.  I love the styles of bygone days,  they seem to flatter my body more than modern clothes.  I also love that they have a story.  I like to wonder and daydream about where the clothes have been and who in the past has owned them.    This vintage dress is from the 1950s and it is my new (old) favorite.  I found it at a local Kansas City  boutique "Cheap Chic," that has an eclectic mix of modern and vintage clothes, accessories, gifts and home-wares.  You will never quite know what you will find in the store as they have a little bit of everything.    This little blue day dress just happened to be there waiting for me and it fits like a glove. 

One of my favorite things about this dress is the delicately embroidered floral designs that make such an interesting pattern and texture. 

 

I styled it with a black cardigan for added warmth on a chili November day, my favorite belt, some vintage kitten heels that I already had the matched perfectly, and a broach that belonged to my great-grandmother.  A matching flower in my hair, rounded it out this classic "pin-up-girl" style look.

 A big thanks goes to Hometown Betties for these photographs!

Wardrobe Wednesday: For the Birds (and me!)

If you have been following my blog for long, you may have noticed that I have a slight obsession with Pinup Couture brand clothing.  Flattering cut dresses, made in the USA, super high quality fabrics all from a woman-lead company... what's not to love. 

 I have been wanting one of their classic "Heidi" dresses for a long time.. I have been waiting patiently for one to go on sale (I have an inability to ever buy anything at full retail price no matter how much I love a company.) Lucky for me that I signed up for the Pinup Girl Clothing news letter because I got a special invite to a secret sale and snatched up my bird-cage print Heidi dress at 40% off! 

 
I threw on a little black balero, some tights and my favorite black heels, and I was good to go.. this dress was perfect to wear for family photos and to a fall wedding later the same day! 

*Thank you to Hometown Betties for these photographs

Wardrobe Wednesday: Avoiding the Frump in the Fall

I am absolutely loving Fall.  The brisk temps are perfect for layering and sipping on a pumpkin spiced coffee.  When it gets chilly out its easy to want to frump.  I admit there are days when I just want to wear my yoga pants and a hoody and lounge in the house.  However, you can easily take your style up about 10 notches without having to forego too much comfort.   On days when you are out and about try to  leave the yoga pants and sweatshirts at home.  This look is the perfect style-upgraded answer.

The jacket  (from Retro Vixen) is actually made out of sweat-shirt type fleece and it is so warm and comfy!  Pair it with some super comfy stretchy jeggings... this pair I picked up at the Gap a few years ago and they are still my most comfy pair of  non-athletic pants.  Super comfy, but not super frumpy--this is going to be an outfit I wear many many many times!!!

 

My favorite part of the jacket is it's over sized hood!

 

Extreme close up on my shoes!  I actually won this amazing boots from B.A.I.T. footwear in an insta-gram  give away drawing!  I love them!

Wardrobe Wednesday: #OOTD

I admit it.. I am an instagram junkie!  I love hashtags, the fun pictures, the double tapping, the scrolling .. everything... I LOVE IT!  One of my favorite instagram hashtags is #OOTD--- it means outfit of the day.  There are a lot of OOTD spin offs too.. you can do #rockabillyootd or #pinupootd, #vintageootd, #thriftedootd, #nerdyootd... and so on.  It's a fun way to share your style and find other's who share a similar style.    If you love my Wardrobe Wednesday posts, follow me on instagram at @devynbeth.  I am always posting #ootd :)   Here are just a few samples from the past few weeks.

 

 

 

 

Are you on instagram?  I would love to follow you, comment below with your instagram name so I can follow you! 

Wardrobe Wednesday: Dressing for Autumn

It is officially Autumn!  The mornings are starting to be brisk and the afternoon temperatures are struggling to rise too much higher than 80 degrees.  I love this time of year.   Sunflowers are in full bloom, the wheat is high and the leaves are changing.  The Midwest is at its most beautiful in this season.

This outfit reflects a little of the feel of fall with its rusty red and wheat brown.  The dress is a vintage, that I found at a local resale shop for only $7.  The sweater is from target and my flower broach (a nod to the fall sunflowers) is vintage and given to me from my mother in law.   Usually, when I think of adding a cardigan to a mostly red dress I go with navy or black,  but picking this wheat brown really gives it that autumnal flair.

* A fun way to change the look of a full skirted dress is to add a petticoat or crinoline, I am wearing one in the picture above, and not wearing one in the picture below, see how it changes the silhouette of the dress.

I added some more fall colors with my yellow and brown hair flowers.  Always have fun with your accessories, they are a great way to add a pop of a different complimentary color to your outfits!

Wardrobe Wednesday: Online Bargains

This week, let's talk online shopping, acutally online BARGAIN shopping.  The internet is such a great place to find unique things at great prices, where else can you access thousands upon thousands of retailers in a matter of moments?  Obviously, eBay and Amazon are great places to start, you can find amazing gently used items for tiny fractions of what they'd cost new.  You can also find many brand new items for far less prices than brick an morter retailers.  EBay sellers have far less overhead than a physical store owner, so they can charge less; and most Ebayers are privately owned mom and pop get-ups, so you're still helping someone put dinner on a plate and shopping small.

Another great resource is online swap groups and virtual garage sales.  There are many buy/swap groups on facebook that you can join and do business with other facebookers.  I would recommend joining a group that is highly regulated, only paying via paypal, and making sure the seller sends you an invoice-- for precautions.  Also its good to establish trusting relationships with the other swappers, so you all can feel good about your transactions.   The sweater I am wearing today came from an online garage sale that one of my favorite fashion bloggers, Kaelah Bee ran through her blog, Little Chief Honeybee. 

 

 

 

The blue rose skirt is a "Doris Skirt"  made by Pinup Couture, and retails for around $82.00.  These skirts are amazing quality and well worth their retail price, but I usually don't have that kind of money to spend.  I scored on eBay and found this skirt brand new with tags and paid only about $38 after shipping for it!

 

I paired it with a cheap tank top that I picked up at Wal-Mart  for only $5 and this cute navy and cream cardigan that I got from Kaelah Bee's online sale.  I paid only about $13 after shipping for the adorable sweater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I threw on some easy kitten heel sandals that I paid only about $8 for at Payless after using a coupon they sent to my email!

 

 

Budget Breakdown:

Sweater-  $13 via virtual Garage Sale

Tank-   $5 via Wal-Mart

Skirt-  $38 via eBay

Shoes- $8 via Payless

Hair Scarf - $2 (Thrift)

 

The grand total of this outfit is only $66, which is still less than the retail price of the skirt!  Not too Shabby! 

 

What are your favorite online resources for bargains?

 





Wardrobe Wednesday: End of Season Clearance Find

Last Friday, I meandered into my local Forever 21 store to peruse their sales racks.  The end of the season is always the best time of the year to catch the biggest discounts.  This time of year, I am really only interested in finding the must have pieces for fall and winter or crazy good deals on summer clothes, especially items that can transition from summer to fall, just by styling them slightly different.     

 Forever 21 did not disappoint as their sales rack proudly displayed my favorite sign, the sign that says "ADDITIONAL 50% OFF LOWEST PRICE."  The pickens were a little slim, but I found this adorable little dress and a great tunic style tee shirt for next to nothing. The dress cost only $6.99! This dress can be styled dozens of different ways, it is a great basic piece for my wardrobe, and its  fun polka dot print really speaks to my personality.  I can see it paired with chunky knit tights, boots, and turtle neck sweater or cable knit cardigan in cooler months, but it is great and light weight for late summer's dry 90 degree heat too! Oh--annnnd, the dress has pockets--(bonus!!)

I paired my chambray dress with a simple white tank top layered underneath, for a pop of white and for a little modesty for a day spent playing at the park with my kiddos.  I threw on some knee length leggings so I could freely move around without worrying about the wind or my bend.  A vintage belt with a sunflower buckle added just the right amount of quirky for my taste, and my trusty royal blue flats finished the outfit off.  This outfit is super comfortable and easy, but looks a lot more put together than the standard yoga pants and t-shirt look!