Quick Design: Sartorial Bad-assery

Maybe it's because I've just had hip surgery and am cooped up inside on cold gloomy wintery days, but lately I've been digging badass fashion. The problem? Most kickass outfits feature sky-high heels, which don't exactly match well with a bum hip. So I've pulled together a few looks with low- or no-height heels. Let the bad-assery commence.

I particularly want everything in the third outfit (that short-sleeve jacket would totally MAKE any outfit, no?) and the boots from the top outfit--they're rain boots with faux-fur lining!

What's getting you through these gloomy wintery days? The thought of Christmas is cheering me up :)

We picked an apartment!

Hello, everyone! How are your Christmas lists looking? All shopped out? I, for one, actually finished my Christmas shopping about a week ago, giving me plenty of time to think about how I'm going to decorate the apartment we chose during our house-hunting trip last week!

We ended up signing a lease on the apartment layout I had previously shown you, but once we were inside it was clear that we'd slightly have to refigure some of the plans I had made. Here's a more accurate idea of what we're looking at:



Living Room:

• The living area is small but just the right size to fit everything we need. We plan to put the sofa on the wall with the windows, facing the 3/4 wall. 
• The sofa will have a console table with a pair of lamps behind it, reducing the need for side tables, so we can instead flank the sofa with tall plants (maybe I can make a fiddle leaf fig prosper? #wishfulthinking #blackthumb). 
• We like to prop our feet up, so I plan to recover a Craigslisted ottoman with some vintage fabric like this or this, or perhaps a fabric like this or this. 
• Opposite the sofa, on the 3/4 wall, we'll put the TV flanked by our Ikea Vittsjo bookcases. We've toyed with the idea of building a wood wall to mount the tv on, then a console table for under the TV, but we'll see.
• On the wall between the windows and the 3/4 wall (the one opposite the kitchen), we'll keep things simple and just put three framed pieces of artwork. 
• We'll float a fold-up director's chair in the space between the living and kitchen areas to help define the living space. Our wood footstool will fit nicely there as well.
• I'll probably DIY a pelmet for the window and maybe add curtains, although the windows have blinds so curtains aren't strictly necessary and may make the room look too small. 

Dining Area: 

• We plan to get a rectangular table similar to the one shown, but orient it 90 degrees from the picture above and fit it up against the wall of windows. We'll add two more foldable director's chairs. 
• I don't mind the pendant they have installed, but I may DIY a lampshade cover for it to spice up the area a little. 

Kitchen area: 

• The kitchen/entry hall area has TONS of storage, which was a huge selling point for us. We'll store most of our outdoor gear and off-season clothing in the big closets and all our kitchen stuff should fit in the cupboards. 
• I plan to keep the counters pretty clear of clutter, although I may add a tray to corral cutting boards, a utensil crock, salt/pepper/oil containers, etc. 
• I have a nice runner that I'll spread in front of the stove/sink area to warm things up a bit.

Bedroom:

• The bedroom is pretty tiny, so we don't plan to have much in it--just a DIY bed frame and a pair of Ikea bedside tables. 
• We'll add lamps to the tables and dress up the bed in mismatched grey and navy prints. 
• You can't see it in the picture above, but the wall to the left of the bed is the 3/4 wall seen in the living room pictures. I plan to buy removable wallpaper and paper up to the 3/4 mark on the wall seen above (behind the bed). 
• Then I'll add the America map we've had in our bedroom for a while and flank it with candle holders. 
• I'll add some pretty wood hooks for bathrobes/jackets and call it good!

Bathroom: 

• The bathroom is actually a pretty generous size and includes a washer and dryer. 
• I plan to keep things simple here too, adding the three Claire Elsaesser prints I've had in previous bathrooms (here, here, and here) plus this one by Girl and Parrot.
• I'll add a simple shower curtain and hand towels (on my Christmas list!) along with a rug I picked up when I lived in Chile in college. 

Entry nook:

• Originally we thought we'd have to use this little nook for bike storage, but we were able to secure a storage unit literally next door to our apartment, so instead we can use the entry nook for shoe storage.

Overall I'm shooting for the minimal bohemian look I described here.  I'm also striving to follow the William Morris school of thought: "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." 

Do you think this design achieves those aims? 

Year-Long Clothing Budget: December Update and Final Tallies

It's year-long budget recap time again! As a quick refresher, this year I outlined my clothing budget to add closet basics to my wardrobe each month, putting together a list of items I need to help fill in the holes in my closet and assigning each item to a particular month of the year. I've capped each month's budget at $200 total. Here's what my calendar looks like:





For December, I was scheduled to buy skinny jeans and black booties, but what with the holidays, my upcoming surgery, and our pending move to Portland, it didn't seem like a good use of my resources to spend money on clothes right now. Those items went on my Christmas wishlist instead, so maybe I'll still get them!

Here are a few things I learned from my little year-long clothing budget challenge:

1. I allotted myself $1800 for the 9 months of the project and only spent $678 for all of the above items! I was able to take advantage of sales most months and also started consigning clothing and shopping at thrift stores/consignment shops more. It felt good to be recycling items that others have donated, plus it kept more money in my pocket for fun expensive things like hip surgery and moving to a new state! 
2. It was great for me to have more of a focus when shopping. I noticed that not only did I not spend as much as I had allotted for this project, but I also was more conscious about purchases outside of the budget project. 
3. This project coincided midway through with my adoption of a capsule wardrobe lifestyle. The two things worked well together--weeding out unwanted items from my closet to build my capsules allowed me to figure out where the holes in my closet were, many of which were filled by the budget project. 
4. Because the year-long list was comprised only of closet basics that I was previously missing, I've gotten a ton of use out of each item I bought.
5. That being said, I did have a few mishaps, like a couple of tops and a pair of booties, that were not up to snuff despite all my shopping research--so it's not a foolproof plan ;)
6. Overall, this budget project helped me to create a much more usable closet while keeping spending and shopping urges under control. 

Did anyone else try this budget project with me? What were your experiences?

Other posts in this series:
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: November Purchases

Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: October Purchases

Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: August and September Purchases

Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: July Purchases

Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: June Purchases

Year-long Clothing Budget Update: May Purchases and a Weekly Wishlist!

Year-long Clothing Budget Update: April Purchases

Year-long Clothing Budget Update: March Purchases

Building a Wardrobe: Conclusions and My New Budget Plan 

Weekend Travel Capsule Wardrobe

The weekend has come early for me! Just a few hours between me and a plane ride to Portland to do some house-hunting with my boyfriend. We have a couple of apartment tours set up but are hoping to magically find a dog-friendly rental home near a park while we're there. My boyfriend also has a job interview set up--so exciting!

Because I'm vehemently opposed to checking luggage, I always plot out my travel wardrobe in advance so I can limit my packing list to the fewest items possible. Here's what I'm packing this time:

As you can see, I plan to re-wear items throughout the trip, so I'm packing only items that mix well together. Not only does this cut down on packing, it reduces the chance that I'll forget something at the hotel ;)

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Nursery Designs

Is it just me, or is errrrrrbody having babies lately?! My brother's wife, my roommate, my boyfriend's business partner...they're everywhere!

Fortunately I love me some babies, and I also love nurseries. So I've whipped up three nursery designs for my dream world, where I can afford to buy my brother a thousand-dollar crib...ahem.

I recently stumbled across an Etsy shop with the cutest fabrics, and I'm obsessed with this floral fabric. I pulled a couple prints for a baby boy nursery too:

And for those parents who don't want to know the baby's sex before birth, here's a cute gender-neutral nursery. My favorites are the metallic silver elephant wallpaper, the jungle animal prints, and the handmade elephant toy.






Which is your favorite?

December 2014 capsule wardrobe

Because I'll be moving to a totally new climate in January, I've decided to split my winter capsule into December-only and then January/February. This is also a good plan for me because my December has some crazy stuff going on that will affect my wardrobe selection.

In December, I will be:

• visiting Portland again to go apartment-hunting (coldish, wet climate)
• visiting Minnesota to attend my cousin's wedding (freezing climate, fancy outfit)
• finishing up the last days at my current job (cold, desert climate, business casual apparel)
• having hip surgery on the other hip (cold/desert climate but mostly getting cozy inside other than going to the gym for physical therapy)

Phew! Lots to pack into one capsule, but fortunately it's only designed for 31 days worth of outfits :)

To create this capsule, I followed the same process as my last capsule: 

1. Create a Pinterest board of outfits I want to be able to create during the month
2. List out all the items that make up those outfits (example: jean jacket, stripe shirt, infinity scarf, black pants, booties)
3. Create a master list with no repeated items: this is now the list I use to pull items from my closet 
4. Since my master list doesn't total 37 items, I add items I already own that will work well with everything else on the list
5. As needed: go shopping for any items on my list that I don't already own!

My list: 

Tops:

1. solid-colored sweater
2. drapey printed cardigan
3. chambray top
4. chunky long cardigan
5. cropped solid-color sweater
6. black tank
7. striped tank top
8. grey tank
9. graphic tee
10. silk short sleeve
11. silky long sleeve
12. black thermal long sleeve
13. stripe tunic
14. white moto jacket
15. black blazer

Bottoms:

1. black pants
2. black flowy skirt
3. jeans
4. black leggings
5. grey leggings
6. grey pencil skirt
7. striped skirt
8. solid-color dress
9. glitzy dress for wedding
10. little black dress 
11. maxi dress

Shoes:

1. white chucks
2. black boots
3. black flats
4. black heels

Since it's only a month-long capsule, I actually limited myself to 30 items, which also helped me avoid having a big shopping list.

Here are a few of the outfits I'm planning to wear from this capsule. The first ten are outfits for my last couple of weeks at work, where the dress code is business casual:

These next ten are for when I'm laid up recovering from hip surgery (or, you know, most evenings/weekends even when I'm not--I dress pretty casual and love my leggings!)

I really want that "Beyonce wasn't built in a day" shirt....Have a great day, everyone!

Weekly Wishlist: Winter Zen

It's been a bit grey and gloomy here lately, which makes me want to snuggle up in a warm blanket on a comfy easy chair, candle burning nearby. As winter sets in, I always find myself gravitating towards neutrals in simple shapes and interesting textures. Today's Weekly Wishlist was created with those yearnings in mind:

If I were to design a room around this wishlist, it might look a little something like this:

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: November Purchases

It's year-long budget recap time again! As a quick refresher, this year I outlined my clothing budget to add closet basics to my wardrobe each month, putting together a list of items I need to help fill in the holes in my closet and assigning each item to a particular month of the year. I've capped each month's budget at $200 total. Here's what my calendar looks like:

And here are my additions from November:

This month I was slated to purchase a black leather jacket, but my beloved black leather boots and a cheap polyester work shirt both died this month, so replacing them trumped purchasing a leather jacket. I've been clearing out my closets in anticipation of my move and have been able to sell some items as a consignment shop, so I was actually able to replace my boots and shirt using credit from the consignment shop!

Also, as I explained here, I had bought some cute booties that ended up breaking, so I returned them for store credit at Aldo. I used my credit to stock up on cozy items and a comfortable pair of flats, plus I scooped up some great leggings to get me through my next surgery recovery :)

Here's the pricing breakdown:

Equipment 100% silk Brett shirt:
Price: $208 retail, $10 at Uptown Cheapskate (consignment store), free to me on credit
Notes: I would never, ever, ever buy this shirt for retail price...but I have to admit, it's pretty luxurious. 100% silk feels so great on the skin and has great flow on the body! I think I'll get a lot of use out of this top. Downside: it's dry clean-only, although I've found some online tutorials for hand washing.

Born Black Leather Boots 
Retail: $200, $30 at Uptown Cheapskate, free to me on credit
Notes: I don't own the exact pair shown here, but mine are pretty close to this. Again, I wouldn't pay full price for these boots but I would definitely pay the $120 price at 6pm.com. The boots I have are such soft leather and very comfortable, which I have found to be true for pretty much every pair of shoes I've tried on from this brand.

November Budget Breakdown:
$40 (in credit for items I sold) for $408 worth of items (98% savings!!!)
Over/under for November budget: -$160
Over/under for year since March: -$1102
Total spent since March: $678

Additional November purchases: 

Bench Baddah leggings: 
Price: $69 retail, $40
Notes: I picked these up from 6pm.com on sale because I will basically be living in leggings for about a month after my next hip surgery (I'm not going to be returning to work after surgery and my next job doesn't start until mid-January, so I have about a month of leisure/recovery ahead of me :). Pros: they're super comfortable (no muffin top thanks to the higher waistband!), flattering, and opaque.
Cons: the fabric isn't suited for hot yoga, although I think it would be fine for non-heated athletic activities.

Aldo Memoli loafers:
Price: $60 (bought with credit)
Notes: Ever since I had my first hip surgery, high heels and I have not been on the best of terms so I've been hunting down cute, comfortable, work-appropriate flats. I had some credit I needed to spend that day, a sort of use-it-or-lose-it scenario (side note--does anyone else have a horrible experience every time they shop at Aldo? They're seriously the worst! I've experienced rude salespeople, strange return policies, not being able to use gift cards online, etc. I still have a $60 gift card from the return of my booties that I need to spend, and I'm just dreading going back! Ugh. #firstworldproblems).
Pros: They have an elastic back, which I typically find very comfortable, and come in three cute colors: plain black, leopard, and this black and white pattern that's bold enough to be interesting but neutral enough to mix well in my closet.
Cons: I wore them today and they actually did rub a bit painfully on my heels, but hopefully they break in nicely.

Aldo stocking hat:
Price: $12 retail, on sale for $8 (bought with credit from my broken booties)
Notes: This hat is surprisingly warm and flattering; no complaints here!

Aldo 3-pack of socks:
Price: $10, on sale for $5 (bought with redit)
Notes: To be honest, I wouldn't have bought these (or the pair of black tights I also got, not pictured), except for the fact that due to some weird exchange/credit glitch at Aldo I ended up with an extra $25 in credit that had to be used that day. But they're nice enough and you know I'm not going to turn down a little extra leopard print in my life ;)

How are you all prepping for the winter?

Other posts in this series:
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: October Purchases
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: August and September Purchases
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: July Purchases
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: June Purchases
Year-long Clothing Budget Update: May Purchases and a Weekly Wishlist!
Year-long Clothing Budget Update: April Purchases
Year-long Clothing Budget Update: March Purchases
Building a Wardrobe: Conclusions and My New Budget Plan 

Dog Days: Designing for your Pup!

I spent today tromping through snowy mountains, so I think it's safe to say that the 'dog days' of summer are firmly behind us. With my upcoming move, I've been thinking of another type of dog days: the time I spend every day at home with my favorite non-human being, my dog Charli. She's a black lab mutt who we rescued at 9 weeks, and she's awesome.

Even though she's a really good dog (we never had problems with her chewing, stealing food, getting into the garbage, etc), concessions must still be made in our home decor in order to keep things looking nice while being dog-friendly. For example, having a black dog means that the white striped rug in our living room has seen better days what with her shedding.

That's why I was so excited to find some beautiful cow hide rugs on RugsUsa. Most people have probably seen full cow hides used in decor, but these rugs take that idea to the next level, using intricate cuts and dyed hides to make beautiful patterned rugs that just so happen to be basically indestructible and stain-proof (making them also ideal for those of you with kids!)

So I thought I'd put together a few room designs centering around these beautiful rugs, along with a few pet-friendly design tips.

(As always, clicking on the image will take you to a page with product links)

Designing for your dog: Pet-friendly decor tips:

Neutral Glam: 1) pick pieces that wipe down easily and can hide dog fur. The bench shown here would likely need to be recovered in a different fabric, for example. Faux leather and faux ostrich vinyl can look chic while still taking a beating. 2) Don't buy white or velvet pillow covers: they are dog fur magnets!

Beach Chic: 3) If you have a black dog, your sofa doesn't need to be black, but skewing toward a darker color is advised. 4) Find a way to corral dog toys, like this pretty basket.

Preppy Kid: 5) If you prefer a white color palette, use it in accent furniture, not as a fabric. This side table and coffee table are hard-wearing and easily cleaned.

Global Bazaar: 6) If you really want a white couch, get a slipcovered version! Bleach works miracles. 

Other tips:

7) We keep dog treats in various rooms of the house in decorative containers. Nobody has to know that bones and chew toys are hidden inside that pretty wood inlay box!

8) Dog food can likewise be stored in attractive bins. I've seen people adapt dressers to have one large drawer for dog food. Others have used trunks or storage ottomans. 

9) Have a dedicated spot for your dog's leash, balls, frisbees, etc. Having dog-related messes all over looks cluttered and makes it harder to take your dog on a walk!

10) Put jingle bells on a pretty tassel on your door knobs. When our dog needs to go out, instead of barking incessantly or scratching at the door, she just nudges the bells with her nose. 

What are your favorite ways of designing around your pet?

Tinseltown: Holiday Party Looks

The holidays are fast-approaching and with it, the stores are stocked with outfits for holiday parties. Although I'm going to be down for the count for most of the holiday season (I'm having hip surgery again, right before Christmas...), it doesn't stop me from dreaming about what I'd wear in a dream world. Like so:

Do you all have hot plans for the holiday season?

Fall 2014 Skincare and Makeup Routine

It's been a while since I've shared my skincare and makeup routine--almost a year, in fact, and I've found a few new products to love in the meantime. Here goes:



Cleanser: 

• Crude Everything Oil: This is by far my favorite new product discovery. This 'everything oil' really does work for everything: cleansing, moisturizing, eye makeup remover, etc. I just use it just as an oil cleanser, and it works awesome for my dry-yet-prone-to-breakouts skin. I massage it in all over my face, get the accompanying microfiber cloth wet with warm water, and rub it off in circular motions. During the summer/fall, my skin was so much more clear and less dry, even without adding any moisturizer after cleansing. Added bonus: the oil is only $16/4 oz and lasted me 3 solid months. I'd recommend buying the cloths, too, at $16 for a 3 pack. 
• Acure Facial Scrub: I rediscovered my love for this scrub over the summer. Using it every third day or so, I found that it helped keep my skin fresh and clear. It goes on very gritty and washes off a bit milky. It's too rough for winter use, but when my skin isn't as dry, it's great!

Hair:

• Avalon Organics Lavender Shampoo:  I picked this up randomly when I ran out of shampoo and fell in love with it. My hair is much more clean and bouncy!
• Acure Lemongrass Conditioner:  I've used this conditioner on and off, but I'm not necessarily in love with it. It's pretty cheap and smells good, but I think I can find something better.

Makeup: 

• Silk Naturals Prowl eyeshadow/liner: This eyeshadow is a deep burgundy red, which isn't anything I'd usually spring for, but using it as an eyeliner really makes the green in my eyes pop. It's long-lasting and if you smudge it out it makes a really pretty smokey eye. And it's only $4.50 for a big ol' container!
• W3ll People Universalist 8: This creamy peony cream blush/lip product is my favorite cheek product at the moment--it gives a really gorgeous, natural blush to my cheeks. I don't like it much on my lips--it tends to look a little dry--but two big thumbs up as a cheek product!
• W3ll People Narcissist 2: Another winner for W3ll People, this stick concealer/foundation and foundation brush set gives the perfect level of coverage for me--conceals blemishes but still lets my skin breathe and feel natural, not cakey. When my skin is a bit dry this does get a bit flaky, but otherwise I love it!
• Mascara: Still haven't found a natural mascara I like at a price point I'm comfortable with. Any suggestions?

Moisturizer:

• Stark Cypress Oil: I have waxed poetic about my love for this moisturizing oil in the past. Suffice it to say that the love has not waned--I'm on my third bottle!
• Devita SPF Moisturizer: Again, no surprise here that I love this product. Another repeat buy!

So if you're on the lookout for a new oil cleanser, give the Crude oil a whirl--it's awesome, and home-grown here in SLC :)

Apartment Design: 606 sq ft studio

Well, as promised, I spent my Saturday night snuggled on the couch with my dog, a cup of tea, and my laptop, googling to my heart's content to find a few apartments to tour when we visit Portland in December. 

Back before I applied for my new job, I had posted on how I was planning on moving to a new apartment in Salt Lake City and outlined how I'd decorate the apartment we'd selected. Although we obviously won't be moving there anymore, I had fun imaging how I'd do up the place and got some feedback from readers that it helped them reimagine possibilities in their own apartments. So I thought I'd do the same thing for a couple apartments we're looking at in Portland.

First up, a 606 sqft studio:

Quick tour:

• The door opens into a small open area, which is sized to fit a desk or storage piece (the area with a yellow pointer on it on the bottom left of the floor plan).
• Through the entryway on the left is a big storage unit (top left yellow pointer). 
• The kitchen is pretty basic and we'd likely add a rolling prep cart for more prep area.
• The little pop-out nook is floor-to-ceiling windows, just the right size for a table and two chairs. 
• Then we have the small living area, just right for a sofa, media stand, ottoman, and maaaaaybe a chair. 
• The 'studio' isn't a true studio because the bedroom area has walls, albeit 3/4-high ones. The bedroom will fit a bed, two side tables, and has a closet but won't fit much else.
• The bathroom contains a full-size washer/dryer and a nice-sized vanity.

Here are some ideas I'd utilize in the space: 

Entryway: 

source

I'd add this sleek shoe cabinet from Ikea to the little desk nook in the entryway and top it off with a mirror and rug. Boom. Done. 

Dining Area: 

source

I've had this idea in my head for a while to do a dining area with director's chairs, a pedestal table, and a storage bench with lots of pillows. And then Jana Bek made it happen so I have this beautiful shot to share with you! :)

source

...except I want to get faux leather (or patterned fabric) seats and backs made for the director's chairs

Living Area: 

source

My boyfriend would like a desk area, so we would set up a desk as a console table behind the sofa with two wood stools underneath and a pair of lamps. 

source

I think a long low bookshelf would be nice on the wall with the TV. Because the apartment has so much storage, I could fill the shelves with books and pretty things :)

 source

And over the shelving, maybe a gallery wall to help camouflage the TV

Bedroom:

source

I'm shooting for this vibe, except without all the white (black dog doesn't mix with white linens....wha whaaa).

And this is how I'd put it together:

How would you use this space?

Winter Wedding Outfit Ideas and Gold Pants 4 ways!

So I briefly mentioned here that I'll be attending my cousin's wedding in December. I can't recall every having attended a winter wedding, so I've been a bit stumped as to what to wear. Here are a few ideas I pulled together:

I'm really tempted by these gold sequin pants, but at first I worried they'd be a sort of 'one hit wonder' and that I couldn't get much use out of them. So I started brainstorming outfits to wear with them....and came up with this:

As you can see, I think that in the right environment they could actually be used in a variety of ways! The trick to the gold sequin pants, I think, is to get ones that are more on the burnished-gold side of things, not bright/brassy gold. This way, they aaaaaalllllllllmost serve as a neutral base, like tan pants (almost. I'm not crazy. These are still statement pants for sure ;)

For the outfits above, I tried to picture various scenarios that I need outfits for in my life. Top to bottom, here's what I was thinking: 1) Running errands 2) summer wedding or bachelorette party 3) work outfit (in the right work environment, obviously ;) 4) hanging out with friends

What do you think? Which of the outfits above would you wear to a winter wedding? Would you rock gold sequin pants outside of a party?

Life News: New Job, New City!

Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying your weekend. I finally have a minute to write a post updating you on some big news in my life. In short: I got a new job, and my boyfriend, puppy and I are moving to a new city!  Where, you ask?

Have you guessed yet? These next two may give it away:

That's right everyone, we're moving to Portland!!!

I'm so excited for a fresh new start in a city that I have literally only heard great things about, and I'm sure I will be sharing lots more details in the near future. For now though, I'm off to spend my Saturday night googling apartment prospects ;)

Year-long closet shopping list: October 2014

It's purchase year-long budget recap time again! As a quick refresher, this year I outlined my clothing budget to add closet basics to my wardrobe each month, putting together a list of items I need to help fill in the holes in my closet and assigning each item to a particular month of the year. I've capped each month's budget at $200 total. Here's what my calendar looks like:

Here's what I added this month:

October Purchases:

14th and Union cardigan (sold out, different pattern than pictured):

Price: $38 (originally $60)

Notes: I was on the hunt for a cozy wrap sweater, and Nordstrom Rack came through for me. I've been wearing it basically nonstop since I got it..$38 well spent ;)

Pleione Embroidered Sleeve Blouse

Price: $20 (originally $58)

Notes: I was needing a flowy top and found this bright pink beauty!

Express High Waist Skirt

Price: $69

Notes: I needed a skirt for an interview recently (more on that soon!) and this fit the bill. I love the leather waistband and the skirt is just stretchy enough to be super comfortable but not overly clingy.

October Budget Total:

$127 for $187 worth of items (32% savings)
Over/under for October budget: -$73
Over/under for budget since March: -942
Total spent since March: $678

Other posts in this series:
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: August and September Purchases
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: July Purchases
Year-Long Clothing Budget Update: June Purchases
Year-long Clothing Budget Update: May Purchases and a Weekly Wishlist!
Year-long Clothing Budget Update: April Purchases
Year-long Clothing Budget Update: March Purchases
Building a Wardrobe: Conclusions and My New Budget Plan 

Quick Design: Dining Rooms

Happy Halloween everyone! Here are a few dining rooms I'd love to live in: