Casual Chic

MY FAVORITE PAIR. NO. NOT THAT PAIR.

You know what I love besides cuddling up with my kitties with a nice glass of wine and my husband feeding me See's chocolate? (And yes, that never happens.) I love pairing feminine, chic items with really casual pieces. It's such an effortless look that beautifully combines pieces that in other worlds would be an oxymoron.

Ripped up jeans can look nice. Nice in a "I fell but I'm so cool looking no one noticed" kind of a way. But seriously, here's the ratio I like to stick with. When doing casual chic, dress it up in a 3:1 ratio (in order of casual to chic). Hopefully I'm using ratios correctly...

Dress up one casual piece (like a beat up pair of jeans, old sweater, plaid button-up, or plain white tee) with nice, feminine items (like a bright necklace, heels, silk, patterns, bright scarf, colorful belt, etc.). It really brightens up your outfit!

(Ankle boots: Target - from last winter, but check this one out. Necklace: Forever 21. Jeans: Charlotte Russe - old but these are adorable. Shirt: Banana Republic - old.)

Savvy Shopping

SHOP STRATEGICALLY.

Feeding my shopping addiction is expensive. That's why my husband did the most horrible thing in the entire universe (I'm exaggerating): HE PUT ME ON A BUDGET! (gasp) I know. I can hear someone playing the world's saddest song on the world's smallest violin somewhere.

But being on this budget has really taught me to shop strategically. Gorgeous fashion doesn't have to mean spending hundreds of dollars. It's all about where to shop, when to shop, and how you wear the pieces together. No joke, I bought each of these items below (except the boots, but they were still on sale) for under $40 (each).

Here are 2 things I live by without hubby's blood pressure going through the roof:

1.) SHOP FOR THE NEXT SEASON.

You know when it's the day after Halloween and all the costumes are all on sale? Yeah. That's when I buy Halloween costumes. Same with clothes. When winter is almost over, all the adorable winter clothes are on sale. Yes, I know that some of the items might be "so last season", but it's about how you piece it with something else! Plus, most of the clothes I find last more than one season.

(Purple leopard print shirt: Banana Republic - 2013 Christmas sale. Cathy Jean platform boots: Winter Sale - old, but here's a similar one. OH! The boots are 50% off right now, as this blog is being typed because winter is almost over.)

2.) TARGET.

I almost feel like Target surprises me every time I go there. One year Target had a Neiman Marcus holiday collection and I scored this adorable Oscar de la Renta Floral Canvas Tote Bag for under $30!

Black Leggings Four Ways

LEGGINGS: BEST INVENTION EVER.

Seriously. Leggings. Feels like you're not wearing anything and it goes with practically everything. Besides the fact that cat fur gets all over this thing, I'm pretty much in love with whoever started the whole leggings trend.

So I wanted to show four different ways I wear black leggings during the cold winter season (yeah, yeah. I know it's 63 degrees. But I'm Californian). Oh, and two things: 1.) I added Milo in all these pictures because, come on, I need to have my cat on this blog. 2.) Ignore the ambulance in the background...something happened midway through the pictures and it wasn't a pretty sight...

When I feel like boots for splashing in the rain (or in my case leaves, because we haven't been getting any rain), I pair it with a long striped tee or tank underneath a long gray sweater. Of course throw on a scarf. Patterns on the scarf is a plus.

(Sweater: Gap - This one is gone, but here's a cute one. Scarf: Forever 21 - This one would look way better, and it's under $10. Shirt: Banana Republic. Boots: Cathy Jean)

Pairing a vest with a blouse is a great way to layer without the clunkiness.

(Shirt: Kohl's. Vest: Banana Republic. Check out this vest for under $30!)

I love flats because they add such a delicate, feminine touch to an outfit, even when you have hobbit feet like I do (I'm size 8 and I'm only 5 feet tall...yeah...) I love pairing blazers with soft tanks and a big scarf.

(Blazer: H&M - Starting at $24.95. Even better? Forever 21 starts at $17.80! Flats: Target, on sale for just $15)

(Sweater: Target. Shirt: Kohl's - Lauren Conrad)

I'm officially starting my first post on my first blog and all I want to say right now is