best dress

I may not be as easy on the eyes as this gorgeous JCrew model, but how can you not love this elegant wool dress? I’m pretty sure it retails for about 180 dollars, but I only paid only 60 after sales/discounts (happy dance! happy dance!) Hands down, one of my best bargain finds… ever. I don’t see the dress online anymore, but JCrew is offering 30 percent off of a variety of other final sale items. Between this dress and my white coat, I have had unbelievable luck at JCrew this winter. It’s definitely worth checking out.

P.S. My red patent belt is from Target and the peep toe pumps are from Nordstrom Rack. Both on sale, obvi.

Filed under: Clothing, Dresses, Dresses, JCrew, Nordstrom Rack, Target, wool

detail oriented

When it comes to “real life,” I’ve been told that I’m very detail oriented. I must be rather detail oriented when it comes to fashion, too, because I’m obsessed with details like braided tank top straps. I’d actually been on the hunt for a shirt like this one, but couldn’t find one that I loved/could afford, so I was elated when I found this gray cotton tank for $7.48 at TARGET. On sale. As if regular price, 15 bucks, wasn’t good enough. The drapey cotton silhouette kind of reminds me of something by Rachel Pally.

Filed under: Clothing, Tops, braided, tank tops, Target

keeps gettin’ better

Got a pair of gray trousers from Banana Republic today. Regular price: $110. I paid: $16.99. Cha-ching! Banana’s in-store sale is fabulous this week. If I wasn’t so pressed for time today, I think I would have been able to find more goodies.

Filed under: Bottoms, Clothing, Banana Republic, pants, trousers, work clothes

I fell into the Gap again… oh, and I heart free stuff

Sorry to write about the Gap two days in a row, but OMFG! So, I drop in on my lunch break today because I had such great luck over the weekend with those long sleeved thermal tees, and I end up finding a cable knit sweater for 10 dollars! And it’s not even an ugly color. See the picture above, look how pretty it is. I’m in shock. Go to the Gap, now.

ALSO .. I didn’t post yesterday because I’ve been a major workaholic lately, but I heard about this funky cosmetics litigation thing, and I thought it had to be a hoax until I walked by Saks and they were GIVING AWAY FREE MAKEUP. We’re talking Chanel, Clinique, Lancome, Estee Lauder. I was in heaven.

Basically, it’s been a great week for us bargainistas.

Filed under: Clothing, Tops, cable knit, freebies, Gap, Sweaters

gotta love comfy cotton tees

After the holidays, I think I was a little shopped-out, but I finally made it to the mall this weekend just in time for some major clearance sales at the Gap. I picked up two thermal waffle tees (gray and pink) for just 8 dollars each. I love these types of tees because I can wear them with jeans on the weekend or wear them to bed with a pair of flannel pajama pants. Confession: I may have worn the pink one on Sunday and the gray one today… shhhh!

Filed under: Clothing, Tops, casual, Gap

leggings or a venti skinny vanilla latte?

In the winter, I wear leggings constantly: with my rain boots, my snow boots, my UGG boots… oh and with my Nike sneakers to the gym. Its no surprise that my fave pair is getting a little, shall we say, faded from wear and tear. I’ve had such a hard time finding new ones, though, because prices for leggings at stores like American Apparel or Express, for instance, start at 25 dollars. And to be honest, I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the leggings that I tried on at American Apparel… shhhhh.

All I have to say is thank goodness for Forever 21 because I found a pair of long (but not toooo long) black leggings for $4.50. That’s like, less than the price of a fancy schmantzy Starbucks latte. They’re basic, they keep me warm, they’re the perfect length (I’m 5’4” ish), and because they’re nice and inky black the effect is quite slimming. Love it.

Filed under: Bottoms, Clothing, Forever 21, leggings

dress of the moment

I’ve been seeing colorblock dresses everywhere, but what’s great about this dress from Forever 21 is the skirt has a slightly bubbled silhouette, which means it looks way more sophisticated and expensive than the 23 dollars I paid for it. It’s versatile, too: unbutton the top and you have a slighty more provocative, evening-friendly neckline, or keep the top button fastened for a more cutesy, work-friendly look. I plan to wear this dress with black tights and patent leather heels over the holidays, but nix the tights or leggings and you’ve got a dress that will last you through the summer.

Filed under: Clothing, Dresses, Dresses, Forever 21

my new years resolution: shop local

Buying local, whether its veggies or shoes, is becoming even more important for the health of our economy and the environment. When you support local businesses, your money goes directly back into your neighborhood, and of course, with unpredictable fuel costs and global warming on everyone’s mind, shopping local is one more way you can shrink your carbon footprint in 2009. It just so happens that Sloan, one of my favorite boutiques in Portland, had some pretty fabulous sales going on last week (i.e. this silk, watercolor print Kensie dress on for only 20 dollars.) If you live in the Portland area, I highly recommend Sloan for its adorable dresses, vegetarian handbags and infinitely versatile wrap sweaters. If not, do a little research on boutiques in your area, and discover how much fun shopping can be outside of the mall.

Filed under: Clothing, Dresses, Dresses, shop local, Sloan Boutique

stocking up on sweaters

In honor of Portland’s first (and possibly only… you never know around here) snowfall of the year, I’ve chosen to share my favorite winter weather secret: Gap sweaters. They’re a fave because they’re soft and warm, but around Christmas time they always get rediculously cheap. The day after thanksgiving, all turtleneck sweaters were buy one get one free– so I paid only 20 dollars per sweater– which makes me wonder why anyone would ever want to pay full price. I also found an adorable dark pink cardigan on the sale rack last Friday for $16.99. The ribbon belt that came with the sweater is adorable– I plan to wear it with a pencil skirt or skinny jeans and knee high boots.

Filed under: Clothing, Tops, Sweaters, The Gap, winter

affordable luxury

When I first heard that Old Navy was selling cashmere, I was a bit skeptical. I thought Old Navy was just a place for flip flops and polar fleece, but thank goodness I was wrong. These polos may not be the creme of the cashmere crop, but they’re soft and the perfect thickness for winter layering. The best part of all? They’re only 25 dollars each! As I said, I was initially a skeptic, but I purchased the magenta sweater to see how it would stand up to everyday wear and tear, and again I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve hand washed and line dried my sweater a handful of times, and it’s still in one piece, plus I love the color of the sweater that I picked. Couldn’t get much better for 25 bucks, right?

Filed under: Clothing, Tops, cashmere, Old Navy, polos, Sweaters