How to tie a scarf, the mystery solved!

My recent shopping adventure in LA

There is a store in Burbank, CA called It's a Wrap, they sell clothing from the local movie studios www.itsawraphollywood.com .  What a great place this is if you love to dig.  Many of the items have been worn maybe once or not at all and they are all labeled with the film or TV series that they came from.  This blazer from Superfine, http://www.superfinelondon.com is one I couldn't resist.  It has leather sleeves and a cool rocker chic feel.  I fell in love the minute I set my eyes on it and it was the very first thing I saw within 3 minutes of being in the store.  The price was $125, which if you are familiar with the Superfine brand, that is a steal.  More to come.....

Summer Hiatus

We have said goodbye to summer and welcome in fall with chunky sweaters, boots, coats and scarves.  The season has changed and the stores are filled with pumpkins, witches and goblins.  It is that time again, for me to move my summer clothing out to storage and bring in the fall/winter clothing, jackets and boots.  It is a dreaded task for me but one that makes my life so much easier during the season.n  After it is done I only look at clothing that can be worn during the current season and it is easy to see because I don't have it all crammed into my fairly decent sized closet that is much too small for me.  It also feels a little bit like Christmas when I rediscover all those things that I love in my wardrobe that I had tucked away for 6 months.

I had a rough summer with losing my mother so my budget challenge slipped from my priorities list, but I will say that I didn't buy that much.  I am back on track for fall though.  

Stay tuned to see my exciting purchases from a recent shopping adventure in Los Angeles.

Espadrilles

When I was in Miami a few weeks ago, I went into J. Crew,  www.jcrew.com and fell in love with these espadrilles.  I couldn't justify buying them there for $118 and then dragging them back with me, so I figured if I still loved them when I got home I would visit my local store or go online to buy them.  I was thinking, as I was trying them on, that they were super cute but $118 for shoes made out of straw (I mean really, was each piece of glitter glued on one by one?) was probably not a smart purchase.  When I got home I visited the shoe again and still couldn't justify the price.  So, I continued with my life sans the sparkly espadrille....until one magic moment when I was in the Nine West outlet and there were these wannabe sparkly espadrilles in more of a sequin version for only $19.99, my kind of price for a trendy, fragile shoe.  Although I still prefer the ones from J.Crew these will have to do.  They are cute and not bad in the comfort department.  My daughter says they are blinding in the sunlight. Ok by me.

A day at the pool....

Alright I will include my head in this picture.  I could have used some lipstick but oh well....

I got this Caslon jersey knit dress for a steal at $14.90 for over my bathing suit which just happens to be the same color as the pink in this dress.  I love when that happens!  I bought this dress one size too big because they didn't have it in the size I wanted.  I am going to have the straps taken up a bit from a tailor.  I am enjoying the high-low style of this dress.  When shopping for this style look particularly at the way it looks on the inside of the fabric because you see it due to the fact that it is longer in the back than in the front.  If the fabric isn't as pretty on the inside as the outside then it will make the dress look cheap.  This style is great for those of you that don't like the backside of your legs but your calves and knees can still rock a short skirt.

The shoes are some silly raffia sandals by MIA for $17.00 in neon pink that I just couldn't resist.  I need to stop with the neon.  (soon, maybe)

Neon

Neon....some of you would say that you have been there and done that.  I say, yes I have been there but I obviously didn't get enough of it back then so another go around for me makes me happy.

I bought this neon yellow blazer which is Vince Camuto, www.vincecamuto.com on sale for $66 (again, this color was not a suggested color from my color chart).   I will be pairing it with my Madonna-esque, lace gloves....just kidding.  I will be pairing it with a neutral.  I have it with khakis here in the picture and a purple tank.  I am excited to put it with some cropped jeans and a T-shirt.  The trick with neon is to not overdo it.  Wearing one piece at a time and pairing it with a neutral tones it down.  

The shoes pictured (not exactly the perfect option for this outfit but I didn't want to take 2 separate pics) are MIA and are called a smoking slipper and will be fun with rolled up jeans and a blazer or T-shirt.  I like this style as the option to the ballet flat which I am bored to tears of.  Also, the price was good at $40 and the rhinestone studs make it fun. http://www.miashoes.com/mia/flats/bedazzle

Orange...

I rarely buy orange for the following reasons:

1.  I feel like a Cal Trans worker

2.  It was nowhere on my chart when I had my colors done

3.  The awkward association with Halloween.

So when I came across the shoes from Kenneth Cole for $22 (that you can barely see in this picture) with the orange patten toe strap, I just had to have them.  Now I had these orange strap shoes and no other orange in my closet to go with it.  My quest for anything orange to wear with them began.  Being the savvy and frequent shopper that I am, my quest did not last long.  I found this orange top at H&M, unfortunately I took off the tag and I can't find it so let's just say it was $25.  The pants are an olive green, denim trouser with a boot cut leg from Tory Burch and cost me $175.  I don't mind spending on well fitting pants.  

The outfit was cute, if I do say so myself, and I tried not to think about the three reasons listed above while I was in it.