Why fashion?

I like to write about fashion, and think I'm a decent source for fashion information and advice, for a few reasons.

1. I wear clothes on a daily basis (okay, that's an obvious one and now you are probably thinking, this girl is a moron for saying that. Please continue reading)
2. I know a few things about colors, patterns, etc.
3. People tell me I am well-dressed, often
4. I offer a different perspective: everyone is unique but also I am petite
5. I'm a bargain shopper

Let me elaborate on these...

1. I don't just wear clothes, I wear clothes.

From a young age, I have loved clothes and fashion. Sadly, I cannot find the picture of myself at age 2 or 3 where I am wearing some snazzy sunglasses and zebra striped pants to prove my point here.

The only times you will catch me in anything unfashionable is
   a) on the occasion that I put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt when I'm headed to class for the evening
   b) when I am wearing pajamas - and even then my colors/patterns are coordinated from top to socks
   c) on the weekend when I am being lazy and lounging

I put thought, effort, and time into the planning of every outfit I wear. I love prints, patterns, textures, and little details. I use to not wear jewelry, aside from a ring, watch, and the same necklace everyday, but in the past few months I have added more pieces to my collection and incorporate more "bling" into my outfits. Soon, I plan to share what is in said collection, but with jewelry I am still learning as a I go.

Favorite: Victoria's Secret Long Jane Pajama, sold out

2. In high school, I took photography class for two years. Through this class, I learned some artsy skills and have continued to use the knowledge I learned from those years into my adulthood years. I can generally recognize what patterns will go together, what colors are compatible, and what a fashion DON'T looks like. Take, for example, the time my brother (who is the least fashionable person I know) paired a yellow and turquoise striped shirt with plaid shorts that were primarily brown and blue, and when questioned about said outfit replied "This matches this and this matches this" pointing to minuscule stripes of yellow and turquoise on the plaid shorts and comparing them to the large stripes on his shirt. When I first saw him in this outfit, which embarrassingly enough for everyone, he wore on more than one occasion, I immediately recognized it as a fashion DON'T. Funny enough, since that day I have noticed many males wearing similar outfits and laughed hysterically. Sometimes things work, and sometimes they don't, and I feel that I have a good eye at differentiating the two.

BTW I really like this article here which explains how to combine colors.

Poor child. This just does not look right to me!

3. I have noticed lately, more than ever, that people comment on my outfits on a daily basis. People I know, people I don't know, it doesn't matter. I get the look, and the point up and down at me, along with the "that's cute" and "I love your top/dress/skirt/shoes" and "You look very nice today." My supervisor recently told me "For someone who works in education, you are very fashionable. That doesn't happen often." I took that as a major compliment and inspiration to continue being fashionable as an educator.

Here are some great fashion tips for educators.

4. I am 5'2" on a good day :) in actuality, I'm just under 5'2" but I believe it's okay to round up to the next highest number. Saying I'm 5'1-3/4" would make life really complicated. Being shorter brings challenges when it comes to shopping. I mostly shop in the petite section of stores and in just the past two years have really found the places that are best for me to shop at with my body type. One reason I have so much love for the LOFT brand is because they make petite sizes! For my fellow petite individuals, the following blogs are great: Alterations Needed by Kelly, extra petite by Jean, and cute & little by Kileen. I think it's important in fashion to work with what you have. I have a small frame, shorter torso, longer legs, larger behind, a B cup size, round thighs, and feet that don't quite fit my body (I wear size 7.5-8 and know plenty of people my height or taller who wear 5-6 size shoes) I would be lying to myself if I tried to wear anything that didn't work with all of that. 

Dream closet

5. I love to shop. Seriously, I think I have a problem, but I will generally not buy something without a coupon or some sort of savings deal. Here are a few points.

• Many store websites have coupons you can readily print for use in-store. 
• I am also a fan of Retail Me Not - this website has coupons to literally every store and has come in very handy while shopping online. I highly suggest you check it out. 
• If you have a smart phone, download apps for specific stores. They often offer mobile coupons that you cannot find online or anywhere else.
• Store-specific credit cards offer ability to earn points that can save you money on future purchases and card member specific savings.
• I also pay attention to ads in the Sunday paper. 
• It has also been a wise decision to sign up for emails from specific brands because even though these emails are constantly flooding my inbox, they often have a promotion code attached to them and are easy to delete with a couple clicks of my mouse if I'm not interested. 
• It's important to know what goes on sale when. As the seasons change, certain items get major discounts. For example, right now would probably be a great time to purchase a winter coat that is extremely on sale. Stores put items on sale that are going out of season to get them off their racks and make room for in season, higher priced items. Here is Target's markdown schedule.

I hope some of these tips are useful and give you a better picture of me and why I write about fashion often.



What fashion advice do you have? What shopping/savings information can you share?

Saturday fun and savings (ends today)

I joined a fun blog hop today that is being hosted by Kimberly over at her blog: Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl. I am excited to say that I gained a couple more followers, and started following a few new blogs, thanks to this event. Thanks, Kimberly!

I've also made some more design updates to my blog! I changed my About Me picture in the sidebar. I also added a Contact or Sponsor page, where you can purchase ad space on my blog. All ads are free with use of promo code. The ad runs through a site called Passionfruit and it as very easy to use and set up the ad with step-by-step instructions on their website, and they are rotated every time you refresh my blog.

I'm also trying to make some connections in the blogging world. I joined the link up for Southern Bloggers, The Lady Bloggers Society, and am waiting to hear back about Bigs and Littles Blogging Network.

Inspiration

In other news, LOFT is running a wonderful savings deal all day long! See the details on the main page of their website.

UPDATE: the 30% off and free shipping is extended for today!

Here are the bullet points you need to know:

• March 9 only - hurry to their website!
• Free shipping on orders from loft.com
• 30% off everything, on loft.com and in stores (For online savings enter code styleevent at check out)
• $50 in savings cards when you spend $50
• Double points for LOVE LOFT card members
• In stores: enter to win 1 of 3 FIAT 500 vehicles and $1,000 LOFT wardrobe

I couldn't make it in to any LOFT store today but I ordered the dress I was considering for my graduation and party, which I shared in this post, and also a pair of capris in Pebble Brown. I ended up spending over $50 so I expect my savings cards to come in the mail with the dress and capris. Hope both items fit! I will give a review of them when they arrive.

For my fellow Target-obsessed individuals, I had an email this week with a promo code: bogo50. Enter this code in your shopping cart to receive half off a purchase of shoes or a handbag with the purchase of one pair of shoes or a handbag at full price. I just now realized as I am writing this email that the code expires today at midnight! I am now eyeing the following shoes.

one. two. three. four

Which pair is your favorite?

30 x 30; days 6-9

 Day 6: I kept this navy blue sweater in my 30 x 30 collection. It paired well with this blue/grey/green blouse from Kohl's and my grey LOFT capris. I wasn't confident about the shoes I chose for this outfit but I like the overall final product. Also, I attempted the stacking trend with this outfit. Side note: I love my FOSSIL watch! Mom purchased this for me for Christmas and the band can be changed out. I bought the grey band but it came with a nice tan. I haven't been able to find the same one on their website but this is the closest similarity. Mine was not that expensive though. I also learned they have a "watch bar" where you can select your own watch face and build it with various bands.

30 x 30

I have seen the 30 x 30 challenge on many other blogs and now I'm ready to give it a shot. Here is where I originally got the idea 

So basically you take 30 items in your closet and in 30 days you only create outfits using those clothing items. The goal is to use what you've got and (attempt to) not shop during the challenge. For me, that's difficult as I usually shop in my free time which I tend to have a lot of after the work day is over or when I'm in between school and work. Since the holidays are over and I just received a lot of clothing gifts, I decided now is the perfect time to do this. Here are my 30! See further details for where I bought the items.