My "go-to" fall/winter outfit

So a lonnnnggg time ago I wrote a post about my "go-to" summer outfit. As with all my other good intentions, I had meant to follow up that fall season with another seasonal "go-to" outfit post.  Fast forward a year and a half later and here we finally are!

If you're in my immediate circle of friends if you work with me on a Friday you ever run into me at all, chances are you'll see me in a plaid button down shirt, leggings and boots. Thankfully since the new colored jeans trend is here, I can now provide a teensy bit of variance in this wardrobe by exchanging the leggings for a pair of red or turquoise jeans here and there. I know, I'm wild.

Anyhow, I love this outfit because I feel comfortable, cute, stylish and it's so nice to have that one type of outfit that you can always return to if you're in a hurry or if you have a fashion stylist block.

So I encourage everyone to discover what their "go-to" type of outfit is and then find similar items that you can rotate in and out so you're not wearing the exact same thing all the time. You can also mix things up with different accessories like sunglasses, hats, scarves, bags and shoes.

One final note: Many thanks to my amazing friend Natasha for coming to visit me and shooting me with her iPhone one afternoon at Railroad Park during her stay. She had wanted to shoot me with film, but her old school camera battery died while here in the Ham, and there was no time to look for a replacement. So we decided plan B was to do my first ever instagram photoshoot. From the looks of things, there might be more of these in my future!

Here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Plaid shirt, "borrowed" (sorry Brooks, you were out of town!)
2. Red jeggings, Necessary Clothing ($24.99)
3. Guess boots, Macy's ($54.53)
4. Scarf, gifted (thanks mom!)
5. Beanie, on the streets of NYC ($7.00)
6. Wayfarer sunglasses, Urban Outfitters ($10.00)
7. Bag, Designer Details in L.A. ($40.00)
8. Leaf ring, gifted (thanks Em!)
9. Loop necklace, Brooklyn Flea ($20.00)

Total: Under $175.00

 

 

Photos: Natasha Richardson O'Neill

Life lately

Plated: Mid-century mod

If only blog posts could have a drum roll....I would totally use one for this post.

I am so excited about these invitations I designed for an amazing good friend of mine's wedding reception. You might remember Natasha? I've already completed one plated post for her save the dates and then she also had the smashing guest blog post about her thrifting finds for the month of May.

Clearly Natasha is a huge fan of all things mid-century America right now (who isn't though, right?). So when talking with her, she mentioned wanting that type of aesthetic incorporated into the "real" invitations. I told her that I had already been thinking about using the movie "Catch Me If You Can" as inspiration because I felt like her reception and vow renewal ceremony involved transportation for most people and somehow that movie popped in my head when considering this. Then the fact that she told me she had been thinking "Mad Men" as well for inspiration only further validated by initial thoughts and I was ecstatic.

The first draft I created was ok. I used her same colors as last time and drew out a little red Chevy and used an app to "Mad Men" the happy couple—Greg and Natasha. Then for the insert regarding the Jamaica trip, I kept the transportation theme and drew out a plane and of course, a tropical island. It was cute, but maybe a little too casual and cutesy. So Natasha and I talked and she threw a couple of ideas my way and said she and Greg really like streamlined fonts and boom, that was all I needed.

I scratched the illustrated image of the couple and let the focus be on the font and words instead. I kept thinking about how this was kind of an annoucement too, so I continued to utilize little banners as a sneaky way to illustrate the main idea of each invitation. I also used the shape of old school signs to further enhance the announcement vibe I was going for. And here's the end product of what I think is a pretty swanky collaboration from me, Natasha and Greg. Maybe the three of should work together more often!

What do you guys think? Are you "swept away" by our final design?

Natasha's guest blog post: Mid-Century Modern Finds for May

I’ve been a big fan of Christen — and her fashion sense! — ever since she took me under her wing four years ago while I was interning in Birmingham. She showed me around the city, made me laugh with all her funny jokes, introduced me to her rad friends and cooked up some ridiculously good meals for us share. So as you can probably guess, I was quite ecstatic when she gave me the opportunity to write a guest post on her fabulous blog!

As the theme of this blog is being fashion-forward on a budget, I wanted to share my favorite Mid-Century Modern-inspired items that I thrifted during the month of May. Mid-Century Modern has enjoyed a huge resurgence in popularity with the rise of Mad Men, but thankfully if you find pieces in a second-hand store, you can still get them for super cheap! Here's my haul for the month of May:

Mid-Century Modern Hutch, $39, Salvation Army 

This hutch looks delightful in my dining room, and I love that it showcases all my beloved dishes!
Note: All dishes in the hutch were either thrifted or gifted.

Though I definitely needed to tighten the screws on the hutch’s legs and give the whole thing a thorough polish, the elbow grease was worth it. Even with its scratches, nicks and other imperfections, it’s such a nice addition to the space.

Yves Saint Laurent Tie, $3, Reclamation 

When I saw this vintage polka-dotted YSL tie, I had to get it. My husband is becoming quite the tie enthusiast, and I knew he’d love to add it to his growing collection.

Command Performances by Enoch Light, $.50, Value World 

Pretty much anything from Command Records is tops in my book. I started picking up these amazing records on a whim one day when I was out thrifting in Nebraska with my dad. As it turns out, the sophisticated bachelor pad music turned out to be just as cool as the album artwork. This find is no exception.

Here’s the tracklisting:

01 - La Dolce Vita
02 - Tonight
03 - Army Medley
04 - September Song
05 - Stairway To The Sea
06 - Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart
07 - Fly Me To The Moon
08 - That's My Desire
09 - That Old Black Magic
10 - The Third Man Theme
11 - Rio Junction (Bossa Nova)
12 - Oh Lady Be Good

Many of Enoch Light’s songs are available on Spotify and Grooveshark. Give them a listen, and you’ll have pretty much no other choice than to incorporate them into your playlist when your next swanky cocktail party rolls around.

Natasha Richardson O’Neill is a longtime fan of Fashionplate Cheapskate — and a longtime friend of the Fashionplate herself! Natasha lives with her husband in Indianapolis and works as a content correspondent for Raidious. She loves hazelnut coffee and, of course, thrifting.