Designer Backpacks and Other Oddities

Top: Gap / Skirt: Thrifted Urban Outfitters ($13.00, down from $58) / Bracelet: passed down from my mom / Necklace: bought in Italy / Sandals: Gap / Backpack: Coach ($70, down from about $270!) / Glasses: Coach

Please pardon the pouty face! 

Sometimes, you find what you're looking for in the strangest of places. In this case, in the Coach Men's outlet store.

My mom and I went outlet shopping a few weeks ago, before I left for Boston. We wandered about the Camarillo Outlets north of LA for hours, finding a few things we needed and, the oddest purchase of all, this backpack.

I wanted a backpack because I knew I'd be biking a fair amount over the next two years, and I've finally realized how bad a cross-body bag laden with books is for my back. Yes, I'm going to grad school and not middle school, but c'est la vie, I thought it was for the best. :) Enter: this Coach backpack. (I know, it sounds weird to me, too.)

The sturdy canvas and leather, the idea of Coach quality, the simplicity, and the classiness all made it feel like so much more than a middle-school backpack. Also, it was $70, down from a completely crazy $270-ish! So, I now own a Coach backpack? Strange to say, but awesome to have around. My back already thanks me!

p.s., I waterproofed the canvas and leather with a camping-and-outdoors spray a lot like this one,
  (the Sales Assistant said it was already weather-treated, but I wanted to make super-sure) to prepare for the MA rain and snow, and so far it has held up fantastically in the summer storms.

p.p.s. Your comments on my recent post were so so sweet. The Boyfriend was very proud of his pictures and the reaction they received. :)

Hope you're having a great start to your week!

Thrifting Win and I'm (Almost) Recovered

Top: Forever 21 sz s ( ($17.99) / Jacket: Zara / Jeans: Paige lowrise bootcut sz 26 / Booties: Max Studio sz 7 (thrifted for $17.00!)



Look! I put on clothes! For the first time in three days, I wore something other than pajama pants, an old t-shirt, and my Northface jacket. I'm (kind of/sort of/almost) recovered, and celebrated by taking a shower and going out in the world for a grand total of 1 hour before I had to get back on the couch and cover myself in blankets and dogs. Baby steps.

Here's the part where I have to ask the boyfriend to stop reading, because I'm about to talk about shoes that I TOTALLY DIDN'T BUY STOP JUDGING ME.

Good. Now that he's gone. I bought shoes. These Max Studio brown leather booties, to be exact. I saw them in a thrift store for $17 and figured the price couldn't be beat. Turns out, I was right; similar brown leather booties are retailing on Max Studio's website for $269. Dang. Thrifting win!

Faux Fur Part II

 Top: Banana Republic (thrifted for 68 cents) / Vest: LOFT (gift) / Pants: Gap 1969 Bootcut / Booties: H&M / Bracelt: bought in England for about $2 / Earrings: gift



This is the other faux fur collared vest that mi madre bought me as an early Hanukkah gift (first one seen here). Originally, I'm pretty sure she only meant to get me one, but I tried them both on, wasn't sure which I wanted to keep, and she generously told me to keep them both! Thanks, madre.

I wore this to a casual holiday party with the teachers at my school, for which I bought my very first ornament ever (ornament gift exchange) and learned more about Christmas characters than I ever knew (some other Christmas-themed game involving telling people they looked like Santa Claus).

I'll be doing a review on these two vests soon!

Hope you're having a great day!

(Not Quite A) Misfit

 
Top: Thrifted (68 cents!) / Sweater: Forever 21 sz m / Jeans: Gap 1969 skinny sz 0 / Shoes: Macy's sz 7 / Necklace: Gift

This top isn't quite a misfit, so much as it is something I got recently but hadn't yet had a chance to wear. I really really like it. It's so simple and casual, but in a bright fun color I don't wear too often (I have hardly any pink in my closet), and it has stripes, AND it was only 68 cents!

 
This top: a definite keep!

Country Club

10 and 2 (which for me will be more like 6 and 2!): Part II

  

 I've had this vest since I wore it as part of my uniform in middle school. I have not worn it since I stopped having to wear said uniform. Why in the world is it still in my closet?

 Top: Gap sz xs / Vest: Banana Republic sz xs / Shorts: Thrifted (68 cents) / Belt: Forever 21 (about $3.00) / Loafers: Macy's

For other women, a navy blue Banana Republic vest might be a nice wardrobe staple. For me, well, I think my sister said it best: "You are neither legitimately preppy enough, nor legitmately ironic enough to wear that outfit." (I decided to go full-on preppy with my suede loafers and blue-and-white striped button down. Did I pull it off?)

So ya. This is definitely an outfit, its just not my outfit. Verdict: goodbye, vest!

68cent Striped Skirt

 True story: This skirt cost 68 cents.

Top: Forever21 sz s / Skirt: Goodwill outlet (68 cents) / Shoes: Macy's / Necklace: Various charms, put together

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really feeling this outfit at first; I thought it was nice, but just a bit too simple. (Heels would have helped, but I have a 6 block walk from the bus stop, so no thank you!) Two things changed my mind and made me love the outfit by the end of the day: 1) I remembered, hey, this cost me 68 cents, and 2) a really friendly homeless woman told me I looked "Cute! Really cute!" on my walk to work. Fair enough.

Hope you all have a great 3-day weekend!

A Little Bit o' Color

Top: Ann Taylor LOFT sz sm / Shorts: Thrifted from Goodwill outlet (66 cents!) / Belt: Forever 21 (about $3.00) / Shoes: Gap (old) / Necklace: Various charms, put together

Apologies for the lack of posts this past week; I just started a new job (!) and moved in to a new place (!!) so things have been a bit crazy as I've gotten settled down.

And now for the debut of my 66-cent salmon-colored slightly-too-big shorts. They are awesome, for all of the aforementioned reasons (except for the slightly-too-big bit. But they were shrunk in the dryer, and with a belt, you can hardly tell.) Did I mention they were 66 cents?
Anyway, it is still hot as hell here in LA (Fall, where are you??) so I took these photos in about 20 seconds and ran back indoors. Hope you're having a good weekend!

Thrifting Finds for under $3.00!

I went to a Goodwill outlet the other day. I had no idea that Goodwill had outlets, but apparently they do. In good outlet fashion, this means that everything is DIRT CHEAP. I mean, you're paying for clothes by the pound, not by the item! Unfortunately, this also means that the clothes are piled in one massive heap and a few various dumpsters in the middle of the room. Which made it kind of like hunting for treasure? Sure, why not.
Anyway, I was amazed that I found FOUR cute pieces in that pile of randomness, not to mention the fact that they were....drumroll please....$2.68, TOTAL. Dang. I should never buy anything full price ever again.
This trip was spurred by a challenge from the boyfriend: Create an outfit for under $20. I think I passed with flying colors, seeing as I got two for under $3.00, but he thinks I cheated because I also bought two other pieces at Ross, totaling $23.00. I tried to tell him those were extra, but, alas, he is a man of honesty. Stay tuned to see my two under $3.00 outfits (after they get washed, shrunk, and washed again, probably....).