Mixing animal prints

So it's pretty subtle, but I promise I am mixing animal prints here. Scroll down. See, zebra print skirt and snake skin clutch. I'm wiiiillllddd.

For real though, I was pretty proud of this subtle creativity and risk I took. I think it works well. It's just enough to make you take a second look. Or at least I think so.

And I think I should also point out that it's obviously fall because yep, the bangs are back in town! It's good to have them back with the cooler weather, but they are taking quite the adjusting to this time around. I somehow forgot what it was like to have bangs in the past six months.

Ok, here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Chambray shirt, thrifted ($4.99)
2. Zebra skirt, boutique back home pre-college (?? - old!)
3. Booties, Target ($24.99)
4. Hobo clutch, ATL market ($35.00)
5. Sunglasses, c/o Sunglass Warehouse
6. Necklace, Urban Outfitters ($4.99)
7. Vintage cocktail ring, gifted
8. Turquoise ring, gifted (thanks mom!)
9. Tungsten ring, c/o Modern Design
10. Dainty ring, gifted/passed down

Total: Under $75.00

Photos: Leslie Evans

Ideal vs. steal: Sunglasses

It's good to have friends who live in New York City. While you do miss them like crazy, the benefits aren't too shabby. They always have great stories, you have a free place to crash when you go visit and  they can send you awesome shopping purchases from on-the-street for pretty cheap.

When my friend Peach comes home to visit from NYC we all ooh and ahh over her wardrobe (but let's be honest, we did this when she lived here in Bham, too). There's always at least two items she has on that I take note of to find something similar.

This past summer, we all made a big scene over her big sunnies that she wore while in town for a friend's wedding. At the time, I had no idea these were "inspired by" by the Prada Baroque 55mm round sunglasses. I just knew they were hot hot hot and I wanted a similar pair.

So when it came time for my birthday present in September, guess what I got in the mail! Of course I was stoked, but for me, as the budget-lovin girl that I am, the best part of her present was that this version only cost $5.00 on the street.

And while I can't personally say that ideally I'd spend the $290 on the real thing (because I'd probably lose them or scratch them within a day), I think there are some people out there who would. But if you want the "steal" of a version, see if you can't round up a friend in NYC to send you a pair!

Splurge on: Sweaters

It's just barely getting chilly enough here to warrant sweater wearing. But a girl can dream of all the future possibilities, right? Here are just a few that I have my eye on at the moment ranging from fitted, printed, fuzzy, flowy, quirky and comfy!

1. ASOS Daisy Street Fisherman's Sweater, $32.02
2. Necessary Clothing Fuzzy Boulder Sweater in Black/White, $32.99
3. Urban Outfitters Coincidence & Chance Foxy Geek Sweater, $44.00
4. Forever 21 Groovy Shag Sweater in Coral, $22.80
5. Joe Fresh Baseball Sweater in Mustard, $24.95
6. H&M Knit Sweater in Navy Zebra Print, $59.95

Music Monday: Rayland Baxter

So if you're trying to save some cash by not attending quite as many shows as you'd like to, one thing you should never ever do is listen to an artist's album that you like who is also coming in town.

Yep, I knew Rayland Baxter was coming in town to open up for Holly Williams (yes, of the Hank Williams Jr. & Sr. lineage) and I told myself I needed to save some dough. I had to start making choices somewhere and not see every single show that came in town that I was interested in. Plus, I wasn't feeling well last week and I needed rest. So I told myself I needed to stay home anyhow.

And then I listened to his album Feathers & Fish Hooks (which I listed as a current obsession back in May) and I knew I didn't stand a chance staying away from Workplay last Thursday night. So after J and I had dinner, I threw out the idea of the Rayland Baxter show, and he was down, so off we went. And honestly, I don't regret spending the money at all.

Rayland Baxter at Workplay in Birmingham on October 17, 2013.

I got to hear a lot of new songs Rayland had apparently been working on, plus some of my favorites from his aforementioned album. He was much more interactive with the audience than I would've expected and was quite funny.

I was also really suprised at how young he seemed to be in person. Judging by his song writing ability and his lyrics, he sounds to me like someone who's seen more of the world than I have. I assumed that was due to age, but now I think otherwise.

We also stayed to hear some of Holly's set and I think I enjoyed her more than J did. Mostly I was impressed that she has so much pressure of the big boots to fill (of her dad and grandad) and she seems to not feel that pressure at all. I think she's just out there doing what she enjoys and not trying to live up to anyone's expectations but her own. Seriously impressive in my book.

To make a long story short, it was money well spent and if Rayland comes to your town, I think you should check him out.

Under the (fashion) influence: Miranda Kerr, vol. 3

I swear I actually look at other people's fashion and not just Miranda Kerr's. I mean, I look at Alexa Chung too yall! Ha, kidding, but for real I have had quite a few Miranda Kerr posts lately it seems. Oh well, what can I say? She has great style.

When I saw this picture of her I knew I could recreate something similar based on the utlitarian army jacket alone that I already owned. Then I bought the booties a couple of months ago and when I looked back at this photo, I was like "bingo!" Done and done.

Also, I will go ahead and admit these aren't my favorite photos, but it was just one of those days. I felt rushed and there were way too many bystanders and my outfit just felt frumpy. That would be the only downfall losing a few pounds—my clothes don't exactly "fit" anymore. I still wear them all, but sometimes I feel like my outfits just look messy and unflattering. Oh well, we all know I'm not buying any new clothes any time soon!

Here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Army jacket, Sugarlips ($59.00)
2. Floral top, Sugarlips ($32.00)
3. Skirt, GAP outlet ($19.99)
4. Booties, Target ($34.99)
5. BCBG bag, Zoe's ($30.00)
6. Sunglasses, Venice Beach ($7.50)
7. Earrings, gifted (thanks Joy!)
8. Turquoise ring, gifted (thanks mom!)
9. Love ring, gifted (thanks Em!)
10. Square ring, Brooklyn Flea ($5.00)

Total: Under $200.00

eek! My most expensive outfit to date so far!

 

 

 

Photos: Leslie Evans

ps. this last photo is such an Alicia Silverstone "Clueless" pose to me!

Life lately

Believe it or not, things have actually seemed to have slowed down just a bit. I'm still out and about most nights of the week and of course I'm always planning every weekend detail, but at least things at work have slowed back down to a manageable pace, and so has the freelance work.

One recent Thursday night I made the trek to my hometown to catch one of my nephew's soccer games and even got to see him score a goal. He actually looked pretty good out there. If he continues to play, Aunt CeeCee is gonna have to brush up on her soccer knowledge! (ie. start from scratch).

J and I also made the trek to Tuscaloosa one Saturday to see the Bama vs. Ole Miss game—it was a relationship divided game for us, but we managed to tailgate with friends, have a good time and both come home in one piece without any hurt feelings over a win vs. a loss.

It turns out that October is the month of birthdays. We have already celebrated my friend Torry's bday and also J's dad's birthday and we still have three more family birthdays to go. Who knew?!

Oh and of course we've made it to a couple of shows including Gregory Alan Isakov (le sigh. soooo good!) and The Lumineers, which I talked about yesterday. All in all, it's been a solid couple of weeks!

Music Monday: The Lumineers

Chances are that some of you probably know by now that I'm a pretty big Lumineers fan. I mean, I do have part of one of their lyrics tattooed on my wrist. (and no, the tattoo is not because of the band. It's because of the amazing song/lyrics.)

And I also saw them earlier this year and once or twice last year—and yes, one of those times I went alone. Yeah, see, big fan.

Anyhow, I was clearly pretty excited to see them this past week at the Tuscaloosa Ampitheater, even if it did mean getting home at midnight on a "school" night (yep, rockstar! scratch that, coffee for the win).

And yet even though I was excited, I was a bit nervous because lately when I go to shows at larger venues, I feel so separated from the artist(s) and the music. I was really worried that seeing The Lumineers at a show like this would ruin the usual experience I have at their shows.

But I have to say that from the second the chandeliers starting lowering before The Lumineers even took the stage to the moment after the encore was complete, I was all in. I was connected. I was entranced. And most of all, I was in my happy place.

Everything from their debut album sounded great—as it always does—and I even got to hear a couple of new songs as well as a couple of covers. And they also came out into the middle of the crowd to perform a song. Definitely a good way to make everyone in the ampitheater feel like they are a part of the performance.

All in all it was a great night spent outside listening and singing along to some of my favorite songs with some of my favorite people—J, Joy and Justin (yes, that's a lot of J's).  Totally worth the sleep deprivation :)

What's in my piggy bank for October?

I think October is my favorite month of the year. It's the time of year when football season is in full swing and the weather actually starts to turn—along with the leaves.

October says put away your shorts and tanks and pull out the boots, scarves and comfy sweaters. So I'm listening to Mother Nature and looking at several basics to get the fall season started off right, with a couple of flashy fun items to throw in the mix as well.

1. Old Navy Women's Long Sleeve Shirt Dress, $19.00.

2. Forever 21 Forever Cool Fauz Leather Jacket, $15.00.

3. Styles for Less Rib Knit Slouch Beanie in black, $6.99.

4. American Apparel Neon Nail Polish, $6.00. 

5. H&M Studded Skirt, $34.95.

6. American Eagle Women's Filly Crossbody, $19.99.
7. Mossimo Twisted Neck Snood Scarf in Ivory, $19.99.
8. H&M Knit Tights in Burgundy, $9.95.
9. Forever 21 Pearlescent Beaded Collar Necklace, $12.80.
10. Charlotte Russe Studded Knee-High Buckle Boot, $42.50.

The city that never sleeves

You know you're lacking for creativity when you simply use the words on your shirt as the title of a blog post.

But truthfully, I love the saying on this shirt. I love silly puns and I love old school tanks like this one, so really it's the best of both worlds. And I also love that my friend Peach gave it to me for my birthday. Clearly she knows me well! She also gave me these awesome sunglasses, too. I don't rock them as well as she does, but I'm trying.

I don't think there's much else to say except that Laura and I shot this on our lunch break last Friday and it was entirely too much fun for me. I don't get to see her very often these days so it was awesome to catch up one-on-one and it was a blast having her have time to shoot me again.

Ok, on to the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Tank top, gifted (thanks Peach!)
2. Jeans, Rugged Warehouse ($19.99)
3. Heels, Nine West outlet ($29.99)
4. Bag, Charlotte Russe ($9.99)
5. Sunnies, gifted (thanks again Peach!)
6. Earrings, gifted (thanks Joy!)
7. Tungsten ring, c/o Modern Design
8. Turquoise ring, gifted (thanks mom!)
9. Love ring, gifted (thank Em!)
10. Dainty ring, gifted/passed down
11. Thumb ring, Charlotte Russe ($2.99)

Total: Under $75.00

 

 

Photos: Laura Menconi