Twenty Eight Days Later

I was disappointed this morning when I noticed I had a run in my stockings! These were from Target and have only been worn twice. Actually, the initial idea I had for this post was to talk about how I rarely wear them even though I bought them to be a basic neutral. Anyways, I was so disappointed! Only two wears, and a run on the heel and ankle? I still wore them for today because I was just running errands, but after this 30 is over I will definitely be going through my tights, tossing the ones with holes or runs and grabbing some new ones. I usually go for Hue, but I have also heard some good things about the Spanx tights (just in terms of durability, quality and warmth--I don't care about slimming down!).

Do you guys have any brands of tights you can recommend, or any brands I should avoid at all costs? What other items do you have that don't last as long as you think they should?





Tights: Target
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill
Dress: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Long-sleeve shirt (under dress): Gap via Plato's Closet
Cardigan: Unknown via Goodwill
Scarf: Self-made

November: A Month In Review

Despite participating in Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge this month, I still managed to amass several purchases before the challenge started. What can I say, I'm industrious!

Peach J. Crew Knit Sweater: On my way to the fitting rooms at the Goodwill I saw this sweater hanging off the end of a rack. Without slowing down, my hand shot out, picked it up, and for $4 it came home with me. I love this sweater--the peach color is the perfect nude for me. While it's a bit shorter than I would like, I always wear it with a pink camisole (it is a loose-weave) which adds the perfect length.















Black Banana Republic Silk Shirt: This shirt is replacing a few basic black shirts that I have. It is not just a jersey knit, but is instead a silk blend and is luxuriously soft. I love the accordion pleating above the bust and the soft ruffles on the shoulder, and am hoping that it will never pill because of the higher-quality fiber content. It was $4 at the Goodwill (brand new condition too, haha!)

Black and Brown Cardigan: I made this out of a crazy, XL grandpa sweater I found at the Goodwill for $5. While I like the color (a mix of black and brown, emphasis on black), the length, and the overall fit, I wish I had waited for a nicer fiber-content. This is acrylic and is already beginning to pill. It's crazy, the difference between this material and some of my nicer materials. I do wear it all the time, but I am hoping to upgrade it at some point. In the future, good fiber-content will be one of my must-haves when buying a new item. It makes such a difference, with all types of clothing! Even my silk scarves are light years beyond the synthetic ones, in terms of warmth and softness.

Black Rain Boots: These were my most expensive purchase this month. Also from the Goodwill, these were around $20 and brand new. I decided to grab them because of a recent wet-feet-when-it-was-raining-SO-HARD incident, when I swore to myself that the next time I saw a good pair of conservative-looking rainboots for a decent price I would buy them. I literally purchased them the night before the 30 for 30 started, but have already worn them several times and am content with my purchase.






















Conclusion: Despite being on a no-buy for most of this month due to the 30 for 30 challenge, I still managed to grab some nice items before the craziness began! My total this month was $33, which is good. I think my favorite item this month is a toss-up between my peach sweater and my black shirt. I love how they both are made from high quality material, they fit nicely into my wardrobe, and they are a little bit special. My lesson learned this month is that fabric quality is KEY. It is the reason why I love my favorite items, and it is what holds me back from truly loving my new cardigan. In the future, I will definitely be only buying higher quality fabrics, especially keeping an eye out for wool, cashmere, silk and leather.

I think it's also telling that all four of my new items made it into the 30 items for the challenge and remixed effortlessly. This is what I am hoping all of my purchases will be able to do!

How much do you usually spend on clothing in a month? Are you satisfied with that amount, or do you wish you could spend more/less?
What is the most important deal-breaker point you look for when shopping for clothing?

Interested in seeing other Month in Reviews? Here is October's Month in Review, and here is September's Month in Review.

Deuce Seven (Means Twenty Seven)

I love my hair up like this. I was iffy at first, thinking it would make me more milkmaid-in-Switzerland than I would like, but so far it has been a fantastic way to keep my hair out of my face in an unusual but cute way! TIP: If your hair isn't long enough for the braids to go all the way across the top of your head, make the pigtails start higher--you can see that my braided pigtails start above my ears, so they will be long enough to reach over my head. :)

Do you have any ingenious ways to put your hair up?






Jeans: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill
Shirt: Tricot Jolie via Plato's Closet
Cardigan: Re-fashioned from Goodwill find

Twenty Six Cantons in Switzerland

I really wanted to rush through this week, double posting so I could go shopping right away this weekend...but then I decided that it would go against the spirit of the challenge. I have one backlogged outfit I have to edit the photos of, and that puts me at Monday being my last day of the challenge and Tuesday being my first day of freedom.



What is everyone going to do once the 30 for 30 is over? I am definitely going to grab the basic gray Hue tights I wanted to buy but did not, to replace both of my gray tights with holes in them. Then, it's hello, rest of my wardrobe! Funny enough, however, I am not extremely tired of my 30 items. I miss a few of the items that didn't make the cut, but I will not be avoiding these 30 items after Monday.




I will also be making a massive tour of the thrift shops that have been sorely missed this past month--not necessarily to buy anything (this month has definitely taught me that my wardrobe is sufficient) but just as a way to reacquaint myself with some of my favorite haunts. It's weird, but I feel like the 30 has just begun--it's unbelievable to think that it's been a month!

What are your plans?
Has this month seemed uber-long, or has it just flown by for you?
Are you itching to put on anything that is not one of your 30 items? Or would you be content to continue wearing the same items for awhile longer?


Jeans: Martin & Osa via Goodwill
Boots: Steve Madden
Shirt: Tricot Jolie via Plato's Closet layered over Underarmour via Goodwill
Blazer: H&M
Necklace: Spotted Moth via Giveaway

Twenty Five Pennies

After looking over my Two Thirds Review, I realized that I have been wearing cardigans almost every day for the past few days. I wanted to try to branch out a bit, so instead I wore a long-sleeved shirt underneath my sweater to have the warmth without the layering look. It's not a huge step, but it's something. Next: Outfits without scarves!

What items do you wear out of habit?
Do you have any 'safety-blanket' items you feel undressed without?
What has been your most ridiculous favorite item that you wore all the time?









Sweater: Gap via Goodwill
Long-sleeved shirt underneath: Kiabi via France
Skirt: Preview Collection via Goodwill
Tights: Black Tights from Target layered over Underamour
Boots: Giusti via Goodwill
Scarf: Self-made

Two Thirds Review

A few days late, but who's counting? ;)

Items I have worn the most in this third of the 30 for 30:
Still my black Steve Madden boots. They earn their wardrobe workhorse title every day! I also have been going crazy for cardigans, sweaters and wraps, but that's not surprising considering the SNOW.

Items I have not worn yet: I have now worn every item of my 30 items! I traded out the pinstriped button down shirt for an Underarmour shirt and that, too, has been worn.



My favorite outfit was number 11 (I love that bright orchid color!) and my favorite photo was number 20. Not so surprisingly, this photo was taken on a semi-sunny day, when it was not raining, actually in the middle of the day. Crazy, right? Obviously a weekend day, haha. My least favorite outfit was probably number 18, only because it was so predictable for me--black boots, gray tights, black sweater dress with a scarf and coat? Ultimate laziness! Shame, Plummy! Number 20 wasn't really a memorable look, but I like my hair so much in that one that I am giving myself a free pass.

Lessons I have learned in the middle third of this 30 for 30 challenge:
1. I still feel like I have quite a few ideas for outfits and I don't feel bored of my clothing yet, which is both surprising and awesome.
2. The frantic desire to go shopping has died down, which was another nice surprise (even though I am still excited to go shopping after this challenge is over).
3. I am valuing my accessories more than ever and find my window-shopping turning more and more towards the accent pieces in an outfit.
4. Good photos will make me like the outfit more, because I am just that much of a sucker for pretty, distracting things.

Do you have any automatic free passes to a good outfit (such as good photo, great hair, etc)?

Twenty Four Hours of Light

...is certainly not here! I'm having problems getting proper lighting on my pictures, as I go to work before the sun comes up and come home after the sun goes down. Yesterday it was raining and was therefore too dark all day to take any photos at all. I will be retaking those photos at some unknown, later date, maybe when the sun will cooperate a bit more. Does anyone else have this problem? I feel like I see so many beautiful pictures in the blogosphere, but I don't know how people manage to get pictures with proper lighting in the winter, especially if they are working! Does anyone have any creative solutions?

What other weird blogging problems have you encountered?






Pants: The Merlot via Plato's Closet
Shoes: Naturalizer via Goodwill
Long Sleeve Shirt: Kiabi via France
Short Sleeve Shirt: Language Los Angeles via Plato's Closet
Blazer: AE via Plato's Closet