Rate My Look: More Pumpkin

That pumpkin color is still so hot, I just had to put together another outfit using it. I remembered this fun top that I bought at Target a couple of years ago. I've worn it on the blog a couple of times (here and here), but it's been over a year since I've incorporated it into an outfit. It was high time I broke it out and used it again!

It's a sleeveless top, so I had to wear a sweater to keep warm. It's a cashmere cardigan I found at Second Time Around on Newbury Street over a year ago. It's been an awesome basic to have in my wardrobe. The black skinnies look sleek, but feel like sweatpants, and this isn't the first (or last) time you've seen these boots from Charlotte Russe. I wore two gold rings to draw out the gold shimmer in the top. One was an adorable bow with sparkly rhinestones all over it. It's not actually mine. It belongs to Ashley, one of my coworkers. She's been at Madeleine's for a little over three months now and she's pretty adorable. She wore this ring (a double ring, so it slides onto two fingers), and I loved it, so I stole it from her. All's fair in love, war and fashion, right? 

Ashley was a good sport about it, at least. She didn't even ask for it back when she left for the night and it wasn't until I got home and undressed later that night that I realized I was STILL wearing it! I did return it to her the next day, but I felt a teeny-tiny bit bad about stealing it for the entire day. 

So, there you have it, another example of the trendy pumpkin color. Take a look through your closet and see what you have from the past that works in a current trend- you never know what gem is shoved in the back of one of your dresser drawers, like this top was! 

Rate My Look: Peter Pan Necklace

Remember earlier this week when I showed you the awesome Peter Pan Collar Necklace that I made? Well, I figured I'd share the rest of the outfit for your stylish viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Dress: Zara

Cardigan: Old Navy

Boots: Charlotte Russe

Earrings: Stella and Dot

Necklace: ME! 

I also mentioned earlier this week that I think my make-up looked particularly good this day. I tried a few of the makeup techniques that I learned from my visit to Joya Beauty and I must admit to being extremely pleased with the results. 

Seriously- I'm kind of a babe! 

So, what do you think of my outfit? Love it? Hate it? Wish I'd used a little color at least? Well, whatever your opinion, leave me a comment! And have an awesome day! 

Rate My Look: Vest & Pants

I hardly ever wear pants lately. Jeans are fine for hanging around the house or running errands, but other than that, I typically wear a skirt and top or a dress to work just about every day. The other day, I was cleaning out my dresser drawers and I stumbled upon this green shirt that I had forgotten about. I thought to myself, "This would look great with the vest I have, but I think it will work better with pants than a skirt." And I was totally right!

Top: Target, I think

Vest: Maurices, I believe

Pants: Forever 21

Boots: Charlotte Russe

Ring: Stella and Dot

Earrings: I forget...

The top is great in every way- color, style, fit- and the vest and pants are so slimming. This is a definite outfit WINNER that I will be pulling out again soon! What do you think of it? Leave a comment and tell me! 

Shoesday Tuesday: I Finally Found Them...

For as long as I've been employed at my current job, I've tried and tried and tried to find the perfect pair of black boots. I wanted something vaguely western, with just enough of a heel to give a little support and definitely enough comfort to wear on a 10-hour day. Last year I was SO close. The boots I found were the perfect look, but my size wasn't available. I tried to squeeze into an 8 when what I really needed was an 8.5 or 9. In the end, I gave up and turned the boots over to my mom. They don't hurt her feet like they did mine.

This year, I was surfing the interwebs, trying once again to find the perfect boot. I'd already been to Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Aldo, Nine West, etc. both in stores and online. I found either completely flat, or heels that were way too tall. If the heel was right, then the boot was ruined with all sorts of chains and studs making them way too edgy for me. Finally, of all places, I went to Charlotte Russe and it was there that I found my perfect boots. Check 'em out:

Distressed Mid-Calf Riding Boot, Charlotte Russe, $40

I actually bought them in BOTH the cognac pictured above AND the black. I've worn them nearly every day since I got them and they are quite possibly the best boots I've ever owned. LOVE. At $40, I don't expect them to last beyond this season, so I'll be on a similar quest in a year, I'm sure. I would be happy to spend $100-200 on a high quality pair of boots, but I have yet to find ones that meet all my requirements. These are the right look, the right heel height, the right everything. 

What's your latest shoe quest? Leave a comment- I need to know I'm not alone! 

Rate My Look- Yup, it's a tiny hat

I wore this outfit to work the other day and got lots of compliments as well as lots of insults:

Skirt: Zara

Blouse: Ann Taylor Loft

Jacket: Charlotte Russe (I stole it from McKenzie, though)

Hat: H&M

Shoes: Random store in Providence, RI that I forget the name of

Bag: Salmagundi (bridesmaid gift from Beth)

The majority of the outfit got the thumbs up from everyone (especially the shoes), but what caused such controversy and outcry was the tiny hat that I wore. Yes, I admit that it's not exactly in season, but we've had a few unseasonably warm days here (much like today), so I decided to wear it. I was with two coworkers when I bought this hat and they both tried incredibly hard to stop me from buying it. Phrases like, "Circus clown" and "monkey hat" and "you look stupid" were used to deter me. As you can see, none of them worked. Once at work, the opinions were split- some loved it, some hated it. There really wasn't an in-between. And I suspect some who claimed to love it were just saying that so as not to hurt my feelings. Regardless of what anyone thinks, I love it! And you can call me crazy or stupid or lame or anything else you like. I loved wearing this tiny hat all day! I'll probably wear it again once the weather warms up. 

So what do you think of my outfit and my tiny hat? Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Rate My Look

I know it has been quite a while since I posted an outfit of my own, so I made sure to have someone take my picture the other day.

Sweater: Marshalls

Skirt: Anthropologie

Boots: Charlotte Russe

Ring & Necklace: Stella and Dot

You'll have to forgive my wrinkled skirt. I did press it after I took this picture, so I wasn't so rumpled for the workday. I was excited about the color combination of this outfit- I just love the mustard sweater with the purple skirt. And I love that neither is new, but this outfit feels so new because of the combination. You may remember the boots from this post. The ones pictured above are the new color, but I have a confession to make. I really preferred the darker brown color, so I ended up ordering a new pair online. I have a problem with buying boots this year. At least I can admit it, right? Anyway, part of the reason I felt compelled to get the darker color is because I really prefer a monochromatic look with my tights and boots. While the taupe color pictured above looks great on bare legs, I know that this winter I'll get a lot more use out of a darker pair that I can wear with chocolate brown tights. 

I'm going to try to be better about taking photos of my outfits- I definitely miss sharing them with all of you. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think of my look. You know how much I love comments! 

Shoesday Tuesday: More Boots....

After finding such awesome deals on boots last week, I ended up at Charlotte Russe AGAIN! This time, I was there with Kristin and Juhree, two co-workers at Madeleine's. Kristin was shopping for a date and wanted a new pair of boots to wear, so we hopped on over to the mall after work on Saturday. The amazing shoe sale was still going on- buy one pair of shoes, get the second pair for only $15.50! In the end, she only found one pair of boots that she loved, and since we couldn't let a bargain like that get by, I pretty much HAD to purchase these boots for myself:

Belted Fold-Over Riding Boot, Charlotte Russe, $42.50

The heels mean that these won't exactly be every-day boots, but I figured I would still get a lot of wear out of them. I wore them on Sunday with a friend as we strolled around a local shopping center and even with the 3-inch heel, my feet were totally fine. They looked amazing with a pair of skinny jeans and a cute top. I wish I'd taken a picture of my outfit! Unfortunately, yesterday I wore them to work and the heel on the right boot snapped off! I've never had that happen to me in all my 32 years! Seriously! Has that ever happened to you? I brought them back to the store immediately after work, but unfortunately they no longer had the dark brown color in my size. Instead, I got a lighter shade of the same style. Since I'd debated which of the two colors I wanted to buy, I'm going to call this a happy accident and say that I wasn't meant to have the darker pair. Always look on the bright side, right? 

Kristin's boots were pretty awesome, too. She opted for an awesome pair of taupe riding boots- also perfect with a pair of skinny jeans: 

Belted Low-Heel Riding Boots, Charlotte Russe, $45.50

I feel like just about every woman I know is either buying a pair of fabulous fall boots, or coveting all sorts of awesome boots in stores, on the internet and on friends. If you don't have some great fall boots yet, what's holding you back? 

Leave a comment or tweet to tell me what you think of these boots and any others that you care to talk about! Happy Shoesday Tuesday, everyone! 

Shoesday Tuesday: New Fall Boots

When the weather turned cool a couple of weeks ago, I pulled out my boots from last fall/winter. While I'm still pretty happy with my flat brown boot options, I realized I was really sick of my black boots. I wanted a better pair for this season- something a little more dressy, a little more sleek, a little more cute. I spent ALL DAY last Sunday shopping for a new pair. I'd also surfed the internet for over a week looking for the perfect pair. My problem with boots is that I have a high in-step, so a side zipper is almost always essential. Pull-on boots sometimes work, but I would never buy a pair over the internet if they didn't have a zipper. After hours of shopping on Sunday, I went home frustrated and empty-handed. In addition to my issue pull-on versus side-zipper, I also have very specific taste when it comes to black boots. Whether the leather is real or faux, I hate when it's too smooth and shiny. I like texture, whether it's that nubble-y kind of leather, or just a little distressed, I prefer when the look has depth. Often, when I find a boot I like, I usually prefer it in whatever shade of brown is available rather than the black. With a lighter color, there is usually more depth to the look of the leather. Black can be too flat, too one-dimensional sometimes. In the end, I found a pair I love from Charlotte Russe of all places!

3-Buckle Distressed Riding Boot, Charlotte Russe, $42.50

The leather is faux, but it looks rich. The texture is great and the cute heel and buckles are fabulous details. I'm sure I'm going to get lots of wear out of these boots this season. Also, even though they are pull-on style, getting my foot in was not an issue. Hurray! 

Charlotte Russe happened to be having a great shoe/boot sale- for every pair of shoes you buy, you get another pair for just $15.50. Online, the deal wasn't quite as good, with anywhere from a $15 to $40 discount on your shoe/boot order. Even though the online discount wasn't quite as much, I couldn't find these boots in either of the two stores I went to, so I had no choice but to get them online. There was one other pair I'd been eyeing when I was in stores, so I splurged and got them, too, but my total- including shipping charges- was still less than $75. Not bad for two pair of boots, right? Here's the other pair I got: 

Zip-Back Studded Distressed Boot, Charlotte Russe, $50

Again, the distressed look of the faux-leather is what drew me in. Even though they are inexpensive boots, the texture gives them depth and actually makes them look more expensive. I also really like the placement of the zipper at the back of the boot rather than the side:

Cool, right? I'm almost as excited to wear these as I am the black boots! What qualities do you look for in a pair of boots? Are you as picky as me? I often don't care if what I'm looking for is out of style. I like what I like. End of story. Leave a comment and tell me about your personal boot style. And have an awesome day! 

Shoesday Tuesday- Metallic Wingtip Oxfords

Are you all getting sick of reading about my obsession with oxfords? Well, then, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you have to endure yet ANOTHER post about a fabulous pair of oxfords that may or may not have made their way into my closet on Black Friday. I swear, I went out looking for tights and belts and I came home with shoes and belts instead. (As well as some funky jewelry from Forever 21 and some really incredible make-up from Sephora.) Anyway, these shoes are so fun and funky and I can't wait to wear them!

Metallic Wingtip Oxfords, Charlotte Russe, $27*

*I actually paid $20.25 for them because there was a special 25% discount on Black Friday. Whoo-hoo! 

And since it's SHOESDAY TUESDAY, you all know the drill- TWEET! And use the hashtag #ShoesdayTuesday. It's all one word with a # in front of it (nospaces). No specific theme today- just shoes in general.