5/30

Have to do a polyvore today. Yesterday was crazy busy and there just wasn't time to take pictures.

I needed a super easy outfit to get me through day 5 of 30:

5/30 by Sara 2579

My striped long sweater, sparkle tank, grey leggings (not pictured) and studded boots. No accessories. I had an important doctor's appointment in the morning that required something ultra comfortable to get me through. The appointment went really well! Hopefully some day I'll be ready to share, but not yet. Then after my husband and I blew off the rest of the day and we had Terrific Lady Day*, we drove about an hour and a half from where we live and visited a micro brewery that we love, walked along the river, blew some cash at a casino and then visited friends that live about an hour away. It was a great Terrific Lady Day. Actually, I think I have a phone picture of us at the river. Can't see much of my outfit, but something is better than nothing.

What are you doing for the weekend days? I'm not sure I should count today. We don't have any plans right now, so I might not even leave my house. I'd hate to whip up an outfit just for a post.

*If you don't watch The League on FX, you really should. It's very funny.

Clearance Shopping

I was going through my closet the other day and realized I was seriously lacking in the layering tank department. I use to rely heavily on the AE Boyfriend Tank for layering and I still do wear them, like I did with my red sweater, but they can skew a bit to casual sometimes. I have some nice tanks like the one I was wearing yesterday, but I didn't seem to have any that were plain enough to truly be versatile. So I did a little shopping. Some in person at Target while the husband was trying on jeans, you know at his twice-a-year shopping outing. I'm not even kidding, the man shops for himself twice a year, at most. Usually a new pair of jeans, a pair of work pants, a few casual shirts, a few work shirts and a few crossover shirts. That's it! I would never make it.

Sale Shopping by Sara 2579

Back to my shopping, because let's be honest, it's much more interesting. I think it's clear from the polyvore set that I needed some neutrals. I snagged the black lace layering tank and the skinny jeans at Target for $10 each. The other tanks are all from Forever 21 online; four tanks and the embellished tunic for under $40. So I got everything in this set for under $50! I call that shopping success.

Now, I'm challenging myself to not buy any more clothes until the new year. We'll see if I make it.

Scarf Weather

It's nice and chilly today. Sweaters, boots and scarves! Could a girl be happier?

I finally pulled out my more fall/winter items out of my upstairs closet and one of those items was this long gold sweater. I've had it for a couple years, it's from Macy's. I really love it. Only draw back is that I wish the zipper was a double zipper so that I could bring it together just at my waist.

The tank is from Target, clearance for $4. Leggings from NY&Co. Not sure I love the color based on how it's photographing here. Boots are from Avenue. Current. Love them.

For going outside, I added this fabulous long wrap/scarf. It's a beautiful floral print and it's oh-so-warm. Here's a tight shot of the boots, too.

Berry Boots

I love this time of year. Warm enough to zip in-and-out of places without a coat, yet cool enough to pull out all of my boots! These are one of my favorite pair of boots. They are a fabulous berry colored suede and I got them for a steal at JCPenny.com. They still have them, too. They are super comfortable and the best part is they fit my curvaceous calves! They have a nice little elastic panel in the back, although I think these would fit with or without it. They are also versatile because they can be pull up to about 3/4 of the calf or scrunched down for a different look.

Berry Boots by Sara 2579

Today I'm wearing them with my Target black kimono dress, an American Eagle boyfriend tank peaking out and grey leggings.

Sorry for using Polyvore instead of pictures, but my camera is still on the fritz and I haven't bucked up the cash for a new one yet.

The Saga of the Grey Boots

I imagine by now that if you read Be Styled with even the most remote amount of regularity, you are aware of the grey boots. Finally, the conclusion to the saga.

I decided to send them back. They were exactly what I wanted, just way too big. I was a little put off by the expensive shipping to return the boots. It might not have been so bad if I hadn't paid so much to have them shipped to me and it taking nearly 10 days. Okay, shipping rant over.

I've been on the prowl for grey boots ever since. I found some at Payless that were fabulous, but they didn't have the grey in extended calf sizes. They do carry the black and brown in extended. I decided to head down to my local Avenue store so I could try things on in person. I tried on the original grey boots in a 7, but still too wide. That's a whole other problem I have with tall boots. The extended calf sizes are all-to-often also wide width in the shoe part--which I don't need! So I'll find a boot that fits in the calf and is too big in the foot. So frustrating. After shopping around though, I found two pair that fit me both in the shoe and in the calf. Neither of them were grey, so that was disappointing, since that was my original criteria, but they are both fabulous. And since it was BOGO, I treated myself to both.

Tall Boots by Sara 2579 on Polyvore.com

Flashing Back to the 90's

Not gonna lie, I love 90's fashion. Probably because I was between the ages of 10 and 19 during that decade. It was a critical fashion exploration time for me. I'm kinda enamored of all the 90's styles that are coming back in to fashion. Today, I did a little clearance shopping at Target and put together a fabulous little 90's-inspired look.

The lace boyfriend sweater is what started the look. It's $20 at Target.com, but in my local store it was only $13! Then I found the fabulous floral dress for just $10. I couldn't find the exact one on target.com or polyvore, so I added something really similar for this set. The only unfortunate thing is that the dress is really more of a tunic. I could never wear it without leggings for very opaque tights. I will probably style it with booties and minimal jewelry. Although, I could really amp up the 90's feel with some combat boots or clogs. Unfortunately, I donated any that I owned about five years ago. Really regret that right about now.

The 90's by Sara 2579

Going Out.

First of all, I must apologize for the quality of my pictures today. The batteries in my camera were dying and I couldn't find any new ones. I would get one picture and it would turn off! So I got one picture of the full outfit that was clear, but my pose was terrible, and I got one picture that is a bit blurred, but I think I look better in it--so you get that one:)

This was an evening look that I threw on to go out for drinks and Monday Night Football with some friends. There was no need for me to wear my jersey because my allegiances lie firmly with the Chicago Bears and they had already won on Sunday, so I could play with my look a little more than jeans and my football jersey.

I got this fab plum colored, studded tank at Target. I didn't try it on and thought it would be a little longer, more tunic-like. But I still like it a lot. I paired it with my thrifted grey cascading cardi--one of my very few successful thrifting finds--and my black skinnies. Topped it off with my mismatched self-made earrings from earlier in the day and silver Seychelles flats.

I have to take a minute to talk about Seychelles shoes*. I love them. They are incredibly comfortable and always stylish. I have four pair that I have acquired over the years. I'd have more, but they are a little tough to find. DSW usually has a few styles and Dillard's carries them sometimes. The pair I'm wearing in this picture, I actually found in a little specialty boutique while on a trip to Atlanta. They now sell them on their website though, so it just got a little easier.

Trying to get a detail shot of the studding on the tank. Probably didn't get it switched to close-up shot because of the battery issue.

I also tried to grab a snap of my makeup for the night. Unfortunately, my brows got cut off and the camera was totally dead after this. I went for a slightly dramatic eye with a black shadow liner, smudged and blended with a sparkly light brown from my favorite Sephora palette. The one I linked is the same palette style, but different colors. They don't seem to have the colors that I have anymore. I finished with a nude gloss lip. I'm lucky enough to have a little pinkish tone to my lips, so I can get away with a heavy eye and light lip.

*I was not compensated in any way for this review. I really do just love the shoes.

Mix n' Match

I got some cute new booties at DSW last week. I have been dying to wear them and finally did today. I've been struggling with my fall fashion this year because it has been unseasonably warm here in Michigan. Don't get me wrong, I like not needing a coat, but just 10 degrees cooler would be perfect, because then I could get out all of my tights, leggings, sweaters and boots.

I decided to mix patterns a little with these tights from NY & Co. and the plaid Diba booties. Some people would probably think the two patterns is too much, but I like it and let's face it, I'm dressing for me and my style, not other people. Whoa, that sounded so angsty!

The rest of the outfit is a black kimono dress from Target that I got on clearance for just $8! A steal. I really need to hop online and see if they have more. For that price, I'll order and save it. It's such a classic piece. It's layered over an American Eagle boyfriend tank and the bag is from DSW as well.

The earrings I'm featuring today are a mix and match pair that I made myself. By no means do I consider myself a jewelry maker, but I like to make simple earrings using a pair of needle nose pliers. I buy the fish hooks at Michael's and sometimes I take apart earrings and mix up the pieces to make my own, sometimes I buy beads at Michael's and in the case of the purple bead, sometimes I make glass flame worked beads. I took a few classes at the local art

museum so I have a plethora of pretty glass beads. I never made any matching sets of glass beads, so they usually get mixed and matched like this. I just try to keep the earrings the same length.

Creamsicle

I love me a creamsicle! However, I don't love this Tangerine Cream nail polish by N.Y.C. The color is great, but it doesn't go on well. The first coat went on so streaky that I almost stopped and took it off. I decided to do a second coat, just to see. It got better, but still really streaky, almost clumpy looking. I just couldn't get a nice smooth coat out of it. Once I put my top coat on, it was better, but still not great. Because I like the color though and it looks fine from a distance, I'm going to keep it on for a few days.

I'm wondering if maybe it needs to be thinned a little. It's a new bottle, but who knows how long it's been on the shelf, I suppose. I may try to thin it.

The Boots Have Arrived

Let's talk about them. I'm unsure of them. This makes me SO sad because I've been waiting for them with baited breath for nine days--NINE DAYS! They are too big in the foot. That's the biggest issue I have. They only came in whole sizes. I wear a 7 1/2, so I usually bump up to 8 in that case, but I should have bumped down to 7 this time. Plus they are not the best quality. Granted, for $37, I wasn't expecting much, but they do fall below my quality expectation. Definitely not suitable for snow/rain. My local story has a 7 on hold for me. I guess I'll run over and see if it fits better and if that helps my decision. Bonus, you got both cats today.

You can see it in my face that I'm just not sure if I want to keep them.
Pros:
Comfortable
Stylish
Color is what I wanted
Fits through the calf
Cons:
Too big in the foot
Poor quality
Not suitable for snow/rain














I feel like they look better in pictures than they do in person. You can fold down the top flap, although I don't love that look. A little too Robin Hood for me. And then a picture of the back detailing.

For fun, a snap of my cool earrings. They were a gift from my mother-in-law for my birthday last year. She always gets me a cool pair of earrings.

Quick Post - Nail Polish

Last night I decided to paint my nails with Vertical Rush by China Glaze. This is a fav color, always a go-to. I try to paint my nails once a week. It keeps them looking nice and it keeps me from picking at them.

I snagged this picture on my phone, so probably not the best quality, but the color looks true on my screen. Just sort of a nice red wine color.

I'm really hoping my grey boots come today! I have to say, I love online shopping, but sometimes the shipping is just awful. This has been one of those times. But, if they do show up today, I'll have an outfit post for later with them. Luckily I have no where to go until later this afternoon.

M.I.A

I've been blogging my style for all of a few weeks and I've already gone M.I.A. Well, let's just say I've had a tough week. Like really tough. But I'm over it and ready to move on. Because of my week, I only have one outfit photographed for you. I also organized my jewelry last week though, so we'll just make this a hodgepodge of a post.

Here is one of my favorite spring/summer outfits.
Maxi dress from NY & Company. I LOVE this dress and I am so very sad that they don't stock it anymore because I really regret not getting it in a second color to save for when this one is worn out. I got it for just $30, too. Steal! I also really love this soldier-style denim jacket that I'm wearing with it; also from NY & Company. It's my go-to summer take-a-long item.

This outfit also features my items for the $10 shopping challenge. I got the silver bangles for $1 at a flea market and the black beaded bracelet was $7, I bought it at a local hair salon.

I spent several evenings last weekend organizing my jewelry. I have a lot of costume jewelry. I'm thinking about making a reader giveaway out of some of it. What do you guys think?

I should have taken a before picture of my dresser. It was a huge mess. Now I have my black antique glove box on top of my jewelry box. That holds items that are in need of repair. The jewelry box holds everyday items. Long costume necklaces are hung from one of the curly-q's on the mirror and then earrings are on their holder, suspended from another curly-q on the mirror with a re- purposed costume necklace that I never wear.

How about a brief trip through my closet?

I have to share with the husband, uggg, I know, right? Luckily, he is pretty generous with the space and I usually move my strictly winter (during summer) and strictly summer (during winter) to one of the spare bedroom closets. So that helps.

As you can see, my closet is not exactly clutter free. And this is at a point when I consider it pretty neat. I'm a major neat freak, but for whatever reason that does not apply to my closet or my car, those are the exceptions. But when I'm having a particularly wound day, I tend to clean those to things. It's like I save them for when I really need to feel I've accomplished something. I don't know.

Anyway, I don't organize by color. I organize by item. Pants, skirts, sweaters, jackets, blouses, everyday tops and cami's. I tend to want to look for a particular type of item before the color, so this works for me. The laundry basket in the picture is stuff that is about to be donated. The three-drawer stack hold purses and the cages hold tennis shoes, boots and the husbands shoes.

You can see below, I kinda like shoes. And that doesn't even include my boots and most of the sandals. This picture is from when I was working in an office setting so there are lots of pointy toed pumps. I work from home now, so the collection has evolved a little, but not much. I will wear a fab shoe anywhere. I've also added lots of booties with the recent trend. Wow, I just looked more closely at that picture, I only still own eight pair that are pictured! I really need to get up a new photo for this.

Don't forget to enter the Day 2 of the Sizzlin' Summer Giveaway Week at Bon Bon Rose Girls. There is a beautiful layered necklace from Alex Keller, a cordless flat iron, perfect for the woman on the go from Misikko and so much more.

Where to begin?

<------Let me begin by telling you that I have an unapologetic love of giant shades. Whether they are in or out of style, I always wear them.

I love all things clothing, accessories and being stylish. I've become completely inspired by the new trend of style blogging. Some of my favs include Fab Finds Under 50, Curvy Girl Chic, Bombshell Beauty, ...love Maegan and so many more. I figured, why not, I'm sure people need one more blog to read, so why not mine?

The beauty of style blogging is that we are all so unique, that it makes each blog a little different with the ability to offer something new. I hope that my blog shows my future readers a little bit of my personality, my style--er mix of styles--I refuse to subscribe to just one and provides inspiration to try something new. I plan to chronicle semi-daily outfits, accessories, cosmetics and more.

For now, I'll leave you with a recent history of some of my style choices--the good and the bad.

2008-ish. I wanted a longer shot of this, but it wouldn't upload:(

Short hair, lots of blonde in there.
Very little make up, I was a busy girl at this time.

Loving my scarf, I really wish I could get the full shot to work.

Mid-2008. I really love this picture.
Not only because I loved my outfit that night,
but I think it's a really fun snap of me and the hubs.
Hair was the same cut as above, flipped out, still with the blonde lights.
Totally hot tank from Charlotte Russe.
The back of this tank was to.die.for. I'll get a pic of it someday for here.
Just getting into layering multiple chain necklaces here.

2007. Vacation to Sonoma/SF.
Nothing special here, sort of boring non-stylish stage for me.
Fell into the summer trend of a long tank with a cropped cardi.
Cute, but nothing special.
Nice natural, soft brown hair.

This is all the way back to 2004 at the hubs college graduation.
Simple, flippy hair. Soft make up.
Just getting acquainted with the scarf and loving it.
Totally rocking the very trendy Pea Coat.

And finally, I can't believe I'm posting this!
My college graduation in early 2003.
Clearly, you can't see my outfit,
but you can see that I thought purple hair was a great style choice!
Truthfully, I LOVED it at the time and that's all that really matters.