Academic/Professional

Sweater: H&M / Dress, worn as a skirt: Target / Scarf: Forever21 / Booties: H&M / Bag: Olivia + Joy / Glasses: Coach

   

 On the verge of beginning graduate school (ohmygoodness, I leave in less than a month), I've been thinking a bit about what maintaining this blog as a graduate student might look like. I'm still pretty embarrassed about the blog around anyone I know not-through-the-internet, mostly because fashion and style are, often, considered frivolous and vain--two things I hope not to be. As the fantastic-and-sadly-discontinued blog academichic put it: "[Academics] are suppose to be concerned with much more important things and I guess I assume professors and even colleagues would consider this a silly waste of time."

I know that many (if not most) fellow style bloggers out there are professional ladies, and my guess is a few of them/you deal with this issue as well.

So my questions are, do you talk about your blog in your personal life?

How do you think it fits in with your role as a professional woman?

Peach and Navy

 Top: Urban Outfitters / Shorts: Gap / Sandals: Gap / Bag: Vintage Coach via eBay / Necklace: Asos ($20.87, buy here) / Sunglasses: Target / Rings: gifts, from local boutiques

  

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day and a relaxing weekend!

Mine was chock-full, with a trip to Unique LA, hanging out with my family, going to a birthday party for a friend I've known for two decades (!), gardening (more weeding, really), having Mother's Day breakfast, and seeing the Avengers (awesome movie). Now, it's back to work, and helping my students stay sane through the second week of the California State Test.

Hope you're all having a good start to the week!

Blogging on a Budget: April

I realized we're well into May and I never put up my spending totals from April!

Well, better late than never....

In the month of April, I spent:

 $76.17 on clothes (one cardigan [pricey but sorely needed to replace

 an older one full of holes] and two blouses)

$0 of makeup

$0 of hair

$0 on jewelry

Hope you're having a great weekend, and happy Mother's Day!

Considering: Cambridge Satchel

I am seriously considering buying a Cambridge Satchel. This Cambridge Satchel, to be exact:

Classic Cambridge Satchel in red

I love its classic messenger bag style, the bright cherry red color (which would surely go with most of my often-neutral-toned outfits), and the fact that it is made from high quality leather and would (hopefully) last quite a long time.

Here's the thing: it's $119. I know that for many people out there, spending a hundred (or even a thousand) dollars on a bag is not that out of the ordinary. I, however, am notoriously stingy, for lack of a better word. I don't think any bag of mine cost more than $40, barring the one nice brown leather messenger bag I got as a gift for my 21st birthday.

But, I think I might do it this time around, for two very simple reasons: utility and timelessness. This bag is incredibly useful and would get near-daily wear. The style is timeless enough that I won't want to toss it in a year; instead, I think I'd keep it around for a very, very long time. Similarly, the quality of it is such that it'll hold up for years, making the cost-per-day ratio make a lot more sense. Every once in a while, spending more than I'm used to on a classic item that will fit perfectly into my wardrobe can make sense. At least, I hope it can. :)

Announcing Petite Fashion Challenge #16: Summer Wedding

 I am quite excited to be hosting this month's Petite Fashion Callenge!

I'm really looking forward to my cousin's wedding, which is just around the corner. So, for this month's challenge...

Summer Wedding--Create an outfit for a summer wedding (the dress code is up to you). For bonus points (and this is what I'll be doing!) try to make your whole outfit, head to toe, come in under $100! (Or, exclude shoes and accessories to meet the $100 mark.)

To participate, please leave a comment with your blog URL. If you are a non-blogger and would like to participate, you can email me your entry at petiteonapennyATgmailDOTcom. Please link your posts back to Petite on a Penny to see the full list of entries on the day of the challenge.

Please schedule your posts for Wednesday, May 30th at 6pm Pacific time.

Happy blogging!

Review: Old Navy Tie-Hem Draped Shirt

Top: Old Navy Women's Tie-Hem Draped Shirt (size S, buy here, grey and blue for 10.99, down from $29.94) / Jeans: PacSun / Shoes: Macy's / Scarf: local boutique / Bag: Olivia + Joy / Bracelets: bought in England

I've been on an ongoing quest for shirts that are not short sleeved, solid-colored, cotton v-necks (my go-to for many, many years), so I was super happy to run across this shirt at Old Navy. At $10.99, down from $29.94, the price was right for me to buy it in both this grey and a gorgeous, deep royal blue.

I seriously love this shirt. The material is soft and the drape is nice and weighty, making it look far more expensive than it is. I could see pairing the shirt with casual skirts, over dresses, and of course with skinny jeans. I love versatile items that can compliment numerous outfits, so this definitely fits the bill. I bought both shirts in a size S for a slightly slouchy, relaxed fit, but I might return one for an XS, to have a bit of variety.

* * * * * * * *

In other news, I'm so glad I sucked up the courage to photograph at this location. These stairs are only two blocks from my house, and I've been meaning to photograph here forever, but...they are super-public, and I'm terrified of people seeing me taking photos of myself, because I'm pretty sure it looks as weird as it sounds.

Since I'm moving in a month, I figured it was now or never and I finally did it. Granted, halfway through a man stopped about 30 yards in front of me and vogued in my general direction, making muscle-man poses and laughing (I wish I was making that up.) Nonetheless, I persisted, if only slightly red in the cheeks, and I'm quite happy with the outcome!

Hope you are all having a great day so far!

Stay tuned for an announcement of the next Petite Fashion Challenge, which I am so happy to be hosting!

Going Green

 

Dress: Urban Outfitters ($10!) / Sweater: H&M / Sandals: Gap / Bag: vintage Coach, via eBay / Necklace: bought in Italy / Blue ring: gift from the boyfriend / Green ring: Amrita Singh, via Hautelook ($12)

 

 
Things I'm really going to miss about LA:

-tacos, and great Mexican food in general

-amazing fresh and local produce, all year 'round

-being 15 minutes away from my family

-the pacific ocean and the LA skyline

-my dogs and cat

Things I will not miss about LA:

-traffic

-smog

-(more) traffic

-having to drive everywhere

-the amazing weather that lets me wear something like this for 85% of the year.

* * * * * * *

I swear this is my last short-blue-dress-and-green-sweater combination. It's out of my system (for now...). And, more importantly, I've finally ran out of short blue dresses.

Do you ever get set on a style and stick with it many days in a row? Sometimes, when it works, it works!