West Coast/East Coast

Top: Gap sz s / Pants: Target sz 2 (super old) / Sandals: Gap sz 7 / Belt: bought in England / Necklace: bought in Italy

 

It was 85 degrees in Los Angeles today, so I wore this, yet I also spent much the day online window-shopping for industrial-strength winter coats. I've never owned such a coat, having lived 99.9% of my life in Southern California, but suddenly, I find myself in need of one. Because, well, I got into graduate school!!

It's the first school I've heard back from, but seeing as I only applied to two, and they're both in Boston, I can now guarantee that I will be spending the next two years in Massachusetts. My life, and this blog, will soon take quite a big turn as I travel across the country, live in another state for the first time, buy winter coats, and get into the grad-school swing of things! I honestly can't wait. :-D

Blogging on a Budget: February

Happy first day of March!

Here's my budget roundup for the month of February:

 

Last month, I spent:

$0 on jewelry

$16.28 on clothing*

$0 on hair

$0 on makeup

Obviously I did not have enough free time last month, or there would have been more shopping. :)

*excluding the two chambray shirts, which will likely be returned

Petite Fashion Challenge # 13

Annnnd, thanks to a beyond-crazy work schedule, I completely forgot to put something together for Petite Fashion Challenge # 13 (arguably the most me-appropriate PFC of them all, too!). Boo.

But please do check out all the other lovely ladies' looks over at Really Petite. I am quite impressed with both the thriftiness and the stylishness on display!

Review: Old Navy Chambray Shirt

 I've been on the hunt for a chambray button-down for a few months now. I wanted something not-too-expensive, comfortable, and with a true, classic chambray color. I thought these Old Navy shirts came pretty close to fitting the bill, and was excited to try them out.

I ordered the two shirts for $48.84 ($24.42 each), including a 20% off promo and tax. I got the blue chambray in a size xs and the dark chambray in a size s.

Fit: The fit of both shirts was ok, but unfortunately not quite right. They are cut in a slightly trapeze-y shape, narrow across the bust and angled out towards the hips. This makes them a bit blousey on the bottom, and pucker oddly around the armpits where the shirt folds over at its narrowest point. The extra small fits me in the shoulder, but the puckering created by the narrowness across the bust is less than desirable:

The small has a more relaxed "boyfriend" fit, but the larger size makes the blousey-ness at the bottom more pronounced:
Color: The colors are perfect, classic chambray shades with contrasting white stitching. Probably my favorite thing about them!

 Material & care: 100% cotton, medium weight. Machine wash.

Price: Starting at $24.99, with plenty of promotions readily available to bring the price down, these shirts are affordable, especially for such basic and versatile wardrobe pieces.
Sizing: The sizing of the two is almost identical, with the xs being just slightly narrower across the bust and shorter by about an inch in the torso and sleeve:
Verdict: Undecided, but leaning towards return. For a wardrobe basic such as this, I want something as close to perfect as possible. Though the colors are exactly right, the slightly strange fit is enough to give me pause. Or, is the puckering something only I would notice? What do you think, to keep or not to keep?

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

Oscar night was a big deal in my house growing up. I was pretty obsessed with Hollywood as a kid, and looked upon the Academy Awards as one of the best things to ever happen to TV. My family would have hors d'oeuvres and 'mock'tails or sparkling cider while we watched the show, and on the few times my parents actually got to go to the Awards, I was sooooo jealous. (And I thought my parents were hot stuff.) I even dressed up as an "Academy Award winner" for Halloween one year.

 

But last night, I just wore jeans. :)

Happy Monday, everyone!

$11 J-Brand Jeans

 Sweater: H&M sz xs ($15.00) / Top: Gap ($24.95, buy here) / Jeans: Jbrand sz 25 ($11, second hand!) / Booties: H&M ($24.95) / Bracelet: borrowed from mi madre

 

 I hope you all had a lovely Valentines Day! Mine was...crazy. So much sugar, so many 10 year olds, and so many cute notes with pieces of candy attached to them.

Ya man, that's a lot of candy.

 I wore this this past weekend and it was the first time I got to try out my....(drum-roll please?)...$11 JBrand jeans! I bought them secondhand, off of Elaine at Clothed Much, and I couldn't be happier with them. She billed the jeans as being super worn-in and possibly not even worthy of resale. I figured I'd take a chance at that price ($158 knocked down to $11??? Fine by me!), and all I can say is...my standards must be a helluva lot lower than hers. :) I think they're perfect, and now I have filled that black-jeans-shaped hole in my closet.

Happy Thursday!

Pre-Valentines Day

 Sweater: H&M sz xs ($15.00) / Vest: LOFT (gift) / Jeans: Gap 1969 jeans sz 0 / Shoes: Target leopard print flats

 

 

Hello! I'm back! And you know what I've learned in the past week? Valentines Day is a Really Big Deal in elementary school. I went to a Jewish elementary school, where teachers "conveniently forgot" to give us homework on October 31st rather than acknowledge Halloween, and there was absolutely no talk about eating copious amounts of chocolate come mid-February.

So, imagine my surprise when, suddenly, my students are gearing up for the coming holiday with more effort and care than Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. I've already received five Valentines (Pre-Valentines? Rehersal Valentines?), and the promise of massive amounts of chocolate come the 14th. (Not that I'm complaining.)

To brighten up your Monday morning, allow me to submit the text of one of my favorite pre-Valentines that I have recently received (all original spelling and grammar preserved for maximum adorableness).

On the outside: Open it maybe it a dog i dont know open it open it [I have no idea what this means]

On the inside: Hey ms. Lauren I just wanted to ask who is your Valintine? Because I think I found you one it's a girl and she is ten and her name is [Reanne]. you filled me whith lot's of love Happy valintine. ms Lauren is the Best!

:)