Wednesday's Look for Less: Animalistic Clutches

via Style.com

There's so much I want to say to explain how excited I am about today's Look for Less. But you, dear reader, are supposed to guess which one costs less! 

(Like those rhymes??)

So without further ado, I present you with two very similar clutches at two very different prices. Which one do you think is the splurge and which is the save? 

(Now I can start freaking out.) 

The one of the right first caught my eye during fall fashion week. Proenza Schouler marched it down the runway with so many different looks, it was clear they knew they had a hit on their hands. Literally. 

via Style.com

But that gorgeous designer bag comes at a price. It's $745 in fact. OUCH! Imagine my delight when the other little gem handmade by Emily Rosendahl popped up over on Southern Arrondissement. While I would never say that this bag is inexpensive, a $275 price tag is a bit easier to handle than nearly $750. And I dare say Emily's clutch is more interesting. Eek! Sorry, PS boys. 

And in case neither of these bags strike you're fancy, there's always this Clare Vivier clutch for even less...meow.

Closet Foulard Nothing to Wear?

via Pinterest

Problem: Even though we've entered a new season, you feel like you have nothing to wear. What's worse? You don't have an endless supply of funds to fix it.

Solution: You can have your cake and eat it too...er, you can revive your wardrobe with pieces you already own by mixing in some unexpected "out of season" items.

Case in point: Harper's Bazaar's mention of foulard in the November issue. The signatures of this lightweight, silky fabric are an interesting, scarf-like print and an ease of wear...in fact, it's so effortless that I personally considered it more of a summer material. That is until today. If J. Crew's foulard print pants can still be full price, then you can pull off this look on any nice fall day. So cute! 

Of course, my favorite fashion glossy suggested recreating this look with a $1400 Derek Lam dress and $3100 Celine bag. Yeah, thanks for the help. So here's my little recreation with some much more affordable pieces...you know, just in case you aren't sure if something is in your closet.

Let me break it down for you:

Vegan motorcycle jacket from Modcloth

Foulard asymmetrical dress from London Times

Structured handbag by Rebecca Minkoff

Booties from Piperlime

Tell me you don't have a summery dress that you could throw a jacket over to look chilly weather chic and I'll give you $100. 

Well, maybe not. But I will suggest that if you find a great summer frock on sale that you buy it now and wear it like this chic chick!

One Skirt Three Ways

My Pinterest feed seems to be blowing up with fall florals lately. From the runway to reality, the most stylish gals have found clever ways to work a typically springy print into their fall wardrobe with the ease of a full skirt.

via Pinterest

Oscar de la Renta via Style.com

Blair Eadie via Atlantic-Pacific

Then, this morning, imagine my delight when a Net-A-Porter email popped up in my inbox and this J. Crew skirt presented itself...ahhhhhh. Can you hear the angels singing? Is the universe trying to tell me something? 

There are so many ways to wear a floral skirt this fall so with the help of the three inspirational photos above, I present you one skirt worn three ways...

First, we have the fearless tomboy. She's casual in chambray and a man's style watch but nonchalant when it comes to the "rules," as made evident by her mix of leopard print and pony hair. 

Chambray Shirt/ Skirt/ Watch/ Bangle/ Bracelet/ Clutch/ Bootie

Then you have the glamour girl. She can't say no to sparkle or shine but does her best to stay down to earth with a wedge bootie and boho-inspired bag.

Sweater/ Skirt/ Earrings/ Clutch/ Bootie (on sale!)

Finally, it's easy to be footloose and fancy free when you wear your favorite Breton-striped tee and go hands-free with a crossbody messenger bag. Your trademark monogram necklace reminds people you know who you are and where you came from even if you did add a few extra inches to your frame with no-nonsense suede wedges.

Tee/ Skirt/ Necklace/ Crossbody Bag/ Wedges

So which girl are you?

Lavender & Linen Master Bedroom

Now that I'm back home after traveling for a month, I'm ready to tackle a few projects I've been putting off. One such project: The master bedroom. It's funny how just one new piece can make you want to rearrange an entire space. That's what happened when I ran into this Paule Marrot "Lavender" print on serious sale. Holy cow. 

After being a fan for so long and finding it at a steal at Paysage in Wilmington, I couldn't pass it up. And now it's time to make the room sing around this gorgeous print...linen curtains, soothing neutrals, natural elements and pops of purple make me calm and happy all at once. 

Curtains

Euro shams, standard shams, duvet cover, nightstands & rug

Vases, throw pillows & throw blanket

Faux leather box

Now that I've seen these pieces together on the computer screen, I'm dying to bring them together in REAL life! All in good time, I suppose. Are there pieces that you've come across lately that make you want to redo a room? It's a curse, isn't it?!

Wednesday's Look For Less: Snow Leopard Love

Happy Wednesday to you and Look for Less day! I'm super excited to show you this Look for Less option today. I think you're going to to dig it, especially if you've become a polka dot/dalmatian print/snow leopard lover like me. 

About two weeks ago, I saw a super cute top that I had to have but when I did a little digging, the $200 + price tag immediately turned me off. I became determined to find a less expensive option. So, without giving too much away, take a look at the two tops below and guess which one costs less...

Don't you love both of these blouses? Their patterns are irregular and interesting but the neutral color scheme makes them easy to wear. The top on the right is by Merona from TARGET and costs less than $25! The top on the left, a Joie number that will cost you more than $200. Ouch. With each piece being so similar, why would you spend when you can save? 

And speaking of saving, you may have caught my Tarjayyy post a few weeks ago where I raved over their Smith & Hawken pieces. On October 21, Nate Berkus (my love!) debuted his exclusive collection for Target. Talk about some GREAT looks for less. I MIGHT have snagged a few of these pieces as well...

Thus, the love affair with Target continues as they introduce more and more fabulous looks that cost less. My wallet is smiling.

Wednesday's Look for Less: The Baroque Dress

The brocades and opulent embellishments of this season fall under the veil of one big trend, the Baroque movement. It's always nice as the holidays approach to sling a little bling to punch up your everyday look. If you intend to indulge in this year's baroquialisms, then just know that you have lots of options when it comes to your budget. 

The two dresses below represent this trend perfectly but are at two very ends of the price spectrum. Which one do you think is the splurge and which the save? 

The dress on the right is a Topshop bargain that rings up at only $72! The very similar piece on the left is by Clover Canyon and costs almost $250. The great thing about the Baroque trend is that you can wear the patterns at any age- a young gal might pull on her moto boots and a parka with a dress like this while the more mature would veer toward black hosiery and patent leather pointed toe heels. For that reason, it could be worth investing a bit more in a Baroque piece as you'll be sure to love it in years to come. But if this look is purely experimental for you and you're not 100% sold, then save on this one. Maybe in a few years you can really go for Baroque...

Inspired by Marfa

 The stars aligned in the last 24 hours and got my brain going on something. In one fortuitous day, Art.com presented 20% off on orders and "Gossip Girl" premiered. How are these two seemingly unrelated things relevant, you ask?  Take a look...

via Apartment Therapy

In the Upper East Side entryway of Lily Van Der Woodsen, a Prada Marfa giclee doth hang. I've always found this piece interesting...at first, just because it said "Prada." Duh. But when I did a little more digging, I discovered that the Prada Marfa sign refers to the Prada "storefront" in Marfa, Texas. A Prada store in the Texas desert seems a little odd but that's the whole point- Prada Marfa is actually a living pop art sculpture. In 2005, two artists who had formerly collaborated with Prada were allowed to create a non-functioning store in this southwestern town. The building has no practical doors and all of the shoes inside, though real Pradas, are right footed only. Vandals quickly heard word of the building and broke in only three days after its completion, stealing the bags and shoes that Muiccia Prada reportedly selected herself for the installation. Today the shoes have been replaced and the bottomless bags contain security cameras aimed at deterring future thieves. 

As a lover of fashion, Texas and pop art, I feel it's my duty to hang this piece of art alongside interesting patterns and vintage finds. Do you ever get these calls of duty?? A nod to the Southwest with horse head bookends brings it full circle.

Prada Marfa print/ Pillows/ Tray/ Bookends

Do you think I'm officially insane now? Or do you get these calls as well? Now to get to Marfa, Texas...

Tarjayyyy

I had way too much fun at Target yesterday. It's probably because one of my oldest and most hilarious friends accompanied me (aka I asked her 20 times if she wanted to go to Target) but it didn't hurt that this super store has some deliciously cute stuff right now. 

The mission started innocently enough. I needed these shoes...I mean they are $19.99. No need to think too hard on this one. 

My pal selected its cousin for $14.99.

And then the insanity took over. I won't even get into all of the clothes I wanted...this top, these jeans and we all know by now that this dress is currently sold out in most sizes. It was all the goodness in the home section that could have cost me the power, water, cable and cell phone bills I need to pay this month. Specifically, I really had a cow over the Smith & Hawken for Target goodies. 

String Lights/ Wreath/ Vase/ Pillow/ Topiaries/ Boot Tray (yes, a tray for your boots...not your Crocs though)

Woah. Back to reality. Today, though I'm still sweating these things and more, I feel like the topiaries are a necessity, a fall wreath is actually a decent investment (hello, one wreath for three months) and the boot tray will contain all the lovely gifts my beau likes to scatter around the front porch.

As for the shoes, they're coming in handy already...

Georgia On My Mind

This highway isn't exactly the way to Georgia. In fact, we were driving northwest, the exact opposite direction I need to go to get home. BUT since my flight is still two days away, this visit took us to the home of someone I've always been a fan of, the one and only Georgia O'Keeffe. 

Though a New York artist, O'Keeffe created many of her most famous landscape paintings in New Mexico. She owned a home in the teeny tiny town of Abiquiu but spent her summers at her house on the Ghost Ranch, an isolated 21,000-acre expanse of redrock scenery previously owned by Arthur Pack, the founder of the American Nature Association.

My pal and I arrived on Sunday to embark on a hike up to Chimney Rock, hoping to enjoy some of the best views this world has to offer. I could just envision O'Keeffe in her chambray, straw hat and lace up leather boots tromping up the same path with her easel and paint brushes as we huffed and puffed in the altitude.

The start of Chimney Rock Trail.

Chimney Rock, the two points on right

It's not the toughest hike by any means but the trail still offered its challenges. When we arrived at the top, it felt like we were on top of the world...at least Ms. O'Keeffe's version of it. The photo below looks fake but it was definitely real. Can't you imagine the dinosaurs roaming around here millions of years ago? (Oh yeah, did I mention they've discovered tons of fossils here and Georgia O'Keeffe even has a dinosaur named after her??) 

O'Keeffe had many famous visitors at the Ranch, including Ansel Adams. I could totally appreciate his photography as I noticed the way the light bounced off cliff sheers at different times of the day. One minute a plateau might be in the shadows. The next, it simply glowed.

One of O'Keeffe's favorite landscapes to paint was the Cerro Pedernal, the mesa on my right in the picture below. O'Keeffe once said, "I painted it often thinking that, if I did so, God would give it to me." That quote of hers gives me the chills...what a lovely thought that some day your affection for one of God's majesties could be strong enough to make it yours if only you expressed that you valued it enough.

The Ghost Ranch from Chimney Rock Trail

The fun but exhausting trip left us with only one stone to unturn- a trip to the local Espanola dive bar Saints & Sinners. BTW, Espanola is the low-rider capital of the world. Just sayin. 

Now that my visit with Georgia O'Keeffe has come to an end, it's time to shift my focus to the other Georgia- Atlanta! I'll be flying home to NC by way of Atlanta on Wednesday and I can't WAIT! But, for now, I feel blessed to have been sent on this journey and am so lucky to have all the great memories from New Mexico. 

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Because of this weird week of work and travel, please forgive me if the blog falls by the wayside during this week. I promise to get back to it after I've landed on the East Coast. Until the next time, hope you have a great week!