Adventures in Tailoring: Loft Eyelet Skirt

Remember this not-quite-perfect skirt? It's back from the tailor's and I am incredibly happy with the way the alterations turned out!

Unhappy blogger wears a too-low skirt.

The tailor was able to make two cuts in the back to pull in the extra fabric, increasing the "poufiness" of the waistline a little bit (which is fine by me, as that design detail was already a part of the skirt, and hey--maybe it'll make me look more like I have hips!).

So, while I'm happy with the outcome I am NOT pleased with the price. It is in large part my fault for not asking beforehand how much the alteration would cost (I was going on good faith as my tailors have been pretty reasonably-priced in the past), but really, the price was ridiculous. I'm embarrassed to say how much it was, but suffice it to say that when your alterations cost more than your garment, that's probably a sign that it's not worth it. :-/ Well, (more than) a few pennies poorer, now I know, and I certainly won't make that mistake again!

Skirt: LOFT black A-Line Eyelet Skirt sz 00 / Top: Forever21 lilac t-shirt sz m / Shoes: White House Black Market sz 7.5 (very old, similar here) / Purse: White House Black Market (old) / Jewelry: given to me as gifts
Please please pardon the duster in the corner. Ick, just noticed that!

As for the outfit, I was inspired by the girlie-ness of the eyelet and wanted to go to town with the pearls (necklace, bracelet, shoes). I wish I had a long opera-length strand, or a slim black belt that was small enough to fit around my waist, because though I like this outfit, I definitely think it is missing one element. I'll be on the hunt for what that element is in the future!

White House Black Market Shoes sz 7.5 (very old and very loved),
complete with color-coordinated cat in the background!

Putting Together a Basic Work Wardrobe

There are a few basic pieces that can act as the foundation for a business-casual work wardrobe. In my opinion, you need two pencil skirts, two pairs of trousers, two or three dresses, a few cardigans (or blazers), and two pairs of high heels. (As an aside, I actually don't own a blazer yet--its the only thing currently in my "big purchases to save up for" list--and that's partly because I live and work in Southern California. I hate to play to the stereotype, but we really are more casual out here, and I'd feel pretty comfortable going to (most) interviews or office jobs wearing a cardigan instead of a blazer. This might be different for you, depending on where you live/work.)

In with these foundation pieces you can mix blouses, collared shirts, tee shirts, and accessories to add variety to your daily outfit, but you probably have most of these things in your closet already!

The Basics:

Pencil Skirts: I have two pencil skirts, one black and one navy blue, both from Ann Taylor. I paid full price for these, which I was ok with because I knew they'd last me forever (I've been the same size for about 5 years and I'm guessing that wont change until I have kids? Sure would be easier on my wallet!) My black pencil skirt (sz 0p + slight slimming alterations) definitely makes the heaviest rotation in my work wardrobe, but can be endlessly varied with different tops and accessories. I like that my navy skirt (sz 00p) has a bit of visual interest, with this side-tie/belt detail.

Ann Taylor Pencil Skirt

Trousers: I also have two pairs of trousers, one black and one chocolate brown. It just so happened that one is fully lined and one isn't, which actually works out great for when I need more or less warmth, depending on the weather. I've also been known to wear tights under my pants when it's extra cold outside (i.e., mostly for the 5-month period in which I was living in England and not SoCal). No one has to know!

Ann Taylor Trousers

Dresses: I've only ever bought one specifically "for work" dress (below) so I like to keep an eye out for dresses that can do double (or triple) duty. I have a few that I wear to work with cardigans and high heels, and then change into flats and a motorcycle jacket to wear to class or to run errands. Looking for dresses like this is the best--they'll be worth the price as they can make heavy rotation throughout your work, casual, and even date night or dressy wardrobe. And, you can often get these dresses on the cheap. One of my favorites is from Target (second, below)!

Ann Taylor LOFT Dress / Target belt

Target dress  / Gap cardigan

Shirts: Nice solid colored tee's are my favorite thing to wear to work. I tuck them into skirts and pants, layer them under cardigans, and feel good to go. Nicer blouses or collared shirts are also definitely good staples of a work wardrobe. I have two collared shirts (from Gap) and about 4 nicer blouses (from Ann Taylor) that I rotate in amongst the tee's.

Ann Taylor blouse

Ann Taylor blouse
This blouse reminds me of Starry Night :)
Ann Taylor blouse

Cardigans: I actually went through this whole past year of work (while I was still in college, but working part-time at a business-casual office on campus) with 1 and 1/2 cardigans that I wore. My black one went with everything, and every once in a while I'd wear a bright green one which went with about 2 casual-Friday-appropriate outfits. I'm now actively trying to add a few more cardigans into my wardrobe as I've realized how versatile they are and how quickly they improve a simple outfit.

Target Mossimo Cardigan ($15.00 buy here)

Blazers: So far, I haven't been able to buy any blazers, simply because they're a bit cost-prohibitive at the moment. I know that, like the pencil skirts and trousers, they're definitely timeless pieces that I can wear for a long time, but I guess I haven't mustered up the courage to just buy one already! Again, depending on where you live, or if you're applying to and/or working at a business-formal office, blazers will be more of a must. One grey and one black should do the trick (ideally your blazers match either a pencil skirt or pair of trousers for optimum mix-and-match potential).

Shoes: I also spent this past year with just 2 pairs of high heels that I wore to work: the low suede heels from this post, and these adorable ones from DSW:

DSW shoes sz 7 (old)
I love how they look like they're made from men's suiting material,
but with the nice feminine bow.

A pair of black flats that I wear practically every day also made a very heavy rotation. I've now added a pair of Target Pearce Pumps which have filled an obvious gap in my closet. Black pumps (at whatever heel height you prefer) are probably the #1 work shoe any woman should buy.

Target Versie Pump ($29.99) / Target Pearce Pump ($29.99)

The Stores:

The tried-and-true office-wear stores for Petites are, without a doubt:
-Ann Taylor for suiting, pretty blouses, pencil skirts, trousers.
-Ann Taylor LOFT for pretty blouses, pencil skirts, trousers, simple tops.
-Banana Republic (a bit hit or miss right now).
-J. Crew (can be a bit pricey, find the sales!)
-Theory for suiting (above my price-range but I've heard so many good things!)

However, if you're on a bit more of a budget at this moment, or perhaps are just starting out in the work world, try:
-H&M for suiting and accessories
-Target for tops, skirts, accessories, cardigans, shoes.
--Gap for simple tops, cardigans


The Extras:

Accessories: Jewelry, scarves, and belts can be switched in to vary the appearance of any particular outfit. The fact that you'll wear these items everywhere--not just to work--makes them a bit easier to shell out some money for. For cheap (but not necessarily cheap looking!) accessories, try the good ol' staples of Target, F21, and H&M. I especially love Target scarves, which are great all year 'round.

Belts, from top to bottom: Target / Given to me as a gift /
F21 (just $2.75! buy here) / Bought in England
Scarves: One bought in Egypt, one bought in Dubai, and one bought at Target!
Bet you can't guess which is which ;-)

One great bag/purse/briefcase: This piece should ideally be able to take you from classes to shopping to work, but I know it's often really hard to find a bag that does triple-duty like that. I lucked into finding the bag that works perfectly for me, a Fossil messenger/laptop bag; I've probably taken it out 350 of the past 365 days. Getting so much use out of one bag justified the price to me, which wasn't outrageous in the first place for a sturdy leather bag. I'd definitely recommend Fossil for someone who wants luxe looking leather but can't pay designer prices. Their sizes also don't often overwhelm petites. This bag and this one recently caught me eye. If you really want designer goods but don't have it in your budget, scope out eBay. But first, do a little research into how to avoid knockoffs: I'd recommend starting with this video by the lovely Wendy of Wendy's Lookbook.

Fossil Leather Messenger Bag (old)

* * * * * * * * * *

These pieces got me through almost a year's worth of work without feeling too bored or constrained. It also helps to be at peace with repeating outfits...I promise, your coworkers won't be keeping a daily diary of what you're wearing, and working within a small wardrobe does force you to be more creative.

Without buying much more then this, I think my next challenge is going to be styling my basic work outfits a little more. I want to find some good accessories (right now I'm on the hunt for skinny, shiny belts and statement necklaces) to start me off.

* * * * * * * * * *

A few last tips:
-Try everything on and double-check return policies. If you're buying an "investment piece" you want it to be perfect. Don't settle for second best (I've made this mistake a few too many times).

-Having a good tailor is a lifesaver for Petites.

-Don't buy too much right now if you're just trying to get through a summer internship or short-term job. Saving money now means saving up to better purchases in the future.


Happy shopping, and congrats on your new job!

Summer Casual

This is me at my almost-most comfortable (save perhaps pj's!):

Oh goodness, I just realized this entire outfit is from one store. :-/ Don't tell anyone!
Top: Gap sz xs (on sale for $14something, similar here) /
Shorts: Gap sz 0 (old, and too big, I should have gotten a 00!) / Shoes: Gap (old, similar here) /

My go-to casual outfits are often jeans (or, well, jean shorts in this case), a short sleeved t-shirt, flat sandals (I am, after all, a California girl), a bag and belt, and a tiny bit of jewelry. I can't be bothered with any more layers; it's hot out here!

Belt: Bought in England / Purse: Coach, bought on eBay (the one and only "designer" item I own!) /
Bracelet: Vintage

Another bracelet inherited from my grandmother; that woman had the most amazing jewelry! My family thinks that she inherited it from her mother (my great-grandmother), and I love how wearing it reminds me of the fantastic women who have worn it before.

Summertime Blues: Anthropologie Lapis Lazuli Shirtdress

The past couple of days have been incredibly hot in LA, but today was absolutely perfect. 80 degrees and the sun is shining. The weather was made even better by the fact that a new dress just came home from the tailors!

I got this dress on sale from Anthropologie about a month or so ago, at $49.95 down from $98. I had been on the hunt for a simple summer shirtdress for a few months, but, true to form, I had something a lot less colorful in mind. However, one of my current style goals is to add more color into my quite monotone wardrobe, so I decided to go for it.

Lapis Lazuli Shirtdress, sz 0

Many of the reviews said that since the dress had no seaming at the shoulders, it puffed up kind of strangely and made your shoulders look larger than they are. I figured that if it looked odd on me, I could get it tailored and the price would still be worth it.

Sure enough, when I put it on, whoah man! I looked like a linebacker. I sort of pulled the dress down and held my right arm close for this photo to minimize the extra fabric, but you can still see that the sleeves are a bit puffy, especially at the shoulder.

Puffy shoulders in need of tailoring.

So, I took it to the tailors and originally they thought they could fix it with two tacks at the shoulders. Unfortunately, that just shifted the puffiness back onto my shoulder blades, so a second tailoring job was needed to run a seam all the way down the backs of the shoulders.

New, tailored seam on the right, original seam on the left.

In retrospect I should have probably asked the tailors to use visible stitching, the way it is on the rest of the dress, but now I know for next time.

I love the little peek of striped fabric at the collar.

Dress: Anthropologie Lapis Lazuli Shirtdress, sz 0 (on sale for $49.95) / Belt: Bought in England

Shoes: Target Elliana Wedge Sandals sz 7.5 ($24.99, buy here)
Pug: Not for sale!

Finally, my dress is home and in perfect condition. The alterations cost $20; a bit more than I had hoped/expected, but still worth it for a dress with such a timeless style.

Pockets! And the rest of the zoo comes to play.

And, it has pockets! As someone who's not big into purses, I think every single dress and skirt ever made should have pockets. If I knew how to sew, I would sew pockets into all my dresses and skirts. In fact, that might be a good enough reason for me to learn...

(Not) Playing Dress-Up: Office Wear for the Real World

I want to do a post soon about the basic items needed to put together an office wardrobe straight out of college, but before I do, I thought I'd start with something I'd wear on a typical work day.

My office is business sometimes-casual-ish? The men are required to wear ties, and the women are supposed to wear "something comprable," whatever that means. For me, it usually means a pencil skirt, a blouse or solid colored t-shirt, and a cardigan, but what other women wear is all over the map, from jersey dresses with open-toed sandals to skirt suits with tights.

Top: LOFT scoop neck tee sz xs (on sale for $7.50, similar here) /
Cardigan: Target cardigan sz xs ($19.99, buy here) / Skirt: Ann Taylor Pencil Skirt sz 0p /
Shoes: Target Pearce Pumps ($29.99, buy here) / Earrings: Gift / Bracelet: Vintage

This is a pretty typical work outfit, in which I try to walk the line between looking like a teenager and looking like a teenager playing dress up in her mother's wardrobe. I'm one of the youngest people at my office, so I'm a little bit self-conscious about trying to look ever-so-slightly more grown up without looking like I'm playing pretend.

Two of the three dogs make an appearance.

In order to go for that slightly-but-not-too-much grown-up look, I like sticking with the basics. This black pencil skirt is timeless and makes the heaviest rotation in my office wear--I paid full price for it last year, but I love it and it was well worth the money! I also love this lightweight, incredibly soft cardigan from Target, but the cheapness of the design does show when it is buttoned, as it tugs and pulls in a sort of strange way.

And the cat shows up too!

I like the easy chic-ness of the tone-on-tone tops (the tee shirt is much more purple-y in real life) and tried to accent their cool tones with a bit of silver jewelry. (I need to work on my accessorizing! My instinct is always so basic it boarders on boring, so I'll be working on that!) The earrings were a gift from my brother, bought in Mexico, and the bracelet is inherited from my grandmother. She bought it in Japan while living there after WWII. It was made in what is now Thailand, but is old enough to have "Made in Siam" engraved on the inside.

Vintage bracelet, inherited.

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Easy Way to Stay In-Budget While Online Shopping

I, poor just-out-of-college student that I am (Can I still call myself a student? Can I still use my student discounts? Good question. I sure hope so.) have recently found that it is far too easy to get into online shopping. At first, you peruse...y'know just to look...and then maybe to add a few things to your cart...and then maybe to check out...and then..suddenly you've spent $90 on t-shirts. Or...is that just what I'm afraid of?

Either way, the #1 easiest way I save money when shopping online is a really simple two steps.

Step 1: Sort the page you're viewing by price, lowest to highest.
This way, you don't even have to see the high-priced stuff, and can't be tempted. What I don't know (at least when it comes to extra items when online shopping...) can't hurt me.

Hrm. I realize this photo doesn't show pricing.
Which kind of defeats the purpose of said photo.
But I promise, they're sorted by price!

Step 2: Set a price ceiling.
After sorting by price, I decide to cut myself off at a certain limit. If I'm looking at skirts, I'll promise myself I'll stop looking at anything over $40 (for example) at this particular retailer. That way, as I'm scrolling down, once I hit $39.99 I simply back away slowly and ignore the pretty, yet pricier, items. If nothing fits the bill below my price limit, I just move on. Of course, I break this sometimes, and set different price limits depending on the store, the quality of the item I'm looking for, and how essential it is to my wardrobe, but in general, the rule works pretty well.


I like using websites like Retailmenot.com, which aggregate coupons and discount codes for you to search for and use at your favorite stores.

Another thing to be aware of is how much more easily we part with our money when we use credit cards as opposed to cash. This study out of MIT shows that willingness-to-pay can be increased significantly when customers use credit cards instead of cash. I think I'm going to try going to stores with only cash on hand and seeing how well this works for me!

Review: Target Pumps

I don't know about you, but I have no shame when it comes to shopping at Target! For the girl on a budget, Target offers a cheaper--and yet not always cheaper-looking--alternative to department stores. I get dresses, shirts, jackets, workout clothes, tights, and accessories such as scarves, sunglasses, some jewelry, and recently, shoes!

I realized that there was a large, gaping, pump-shaped hole in my wardrobe recently. I have a pair of very low black suede heels that I wear to work, but those are my one and only pair of always-comfortable work shoes.

Me Too Heels / DSW / Old / Similar here

Yes, they may not be the epitome of style, but damn are they comfy! And I do like the little girly detail of the fabric flower at the toe.

So, I set out on a mission to find a comfortable, simple, shiny, high-heeled, black pump. For cheap. (Because, though I WANT WANT WANT a pair--or 10--of the Ann Taylor Perfect Pumps, not to mention any number of designer beauties, I can't spend that much on shoes right now.) My search led me quickly to Target, where I found both the Versie and Pearce pumps.

Target Versie Pump / Black Patent / $29.99

Target Pearce Pump / Black Patent / $29.99

My local store had neither shoe in black in my size, but I tried on the nude versions in-store and saw that the 7.5 fit me well. (If you're between two sizes, I'd recommend going for the larger one with these shoes. I'm a 7 or a 7.5 and the 7 was decidedly too small and pinchy.) I wanted to get a pair of nude heels so badly, but I restrained myself and went home to order the black online.

I put in an order for both the Versie and the Pearce, each in size 7.5, and decided to see which I preferred and then return the other.

Here is the Versie:

Target Versie Pump / Black Patent / $29.99
Ouch! Too much pinching at the toe and heel!

And here is the Pearce:

Target Pearce Pump / Black Patent / $29.99
Round toe + flexible sole + right heel height.

For me, the decision came down to three things: heel height, comfort, and then the ever-ambiguous "this-just-feels-right" feeling.

The Versie has a bit of a higher heel, measuring a little over 4 inches (even though the Target website says 3.75), has an almond-shaped toe and an exposed platform in the front. The toe pinched a little bit on me, and the heel seemed a bit too high for me for work.

L: Versie Pump / R: Pearce Pump

The Pearce has a bit of a lower heel, measuring about 3.75 inches (even thought the Target website says 3.25, which I probably would have even preferred!), has a round toe, and no platform. Something about the round toe just felt more "me," and taking into account the heel height and comfort factors (this shoe also has a flexible sole, which I really liked), this seemed like the right shoe for me.

I think I'll be wearing these to work tomorrow, with pictures to follow!