sydney street style

above photos from elle.com

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wedges on sale

These canvas platform wedges are on sale (online) for $19 at Old Navy (originally $34.50). I'm a little frustrated because I paid $29 for mine. Grrrrrrr. But seriously, they are really comfy shoes despite adding 4" of height. I highly recommend 'em, especially at that price.

FYI, the dark pair that Old Navy calls "black" is actually a dark chocolate with a black wedge. A little misleading if you ask me.

Tuesday

It's suddenly 60 degrees outside today. Whatever. I was wanting to try this new scarf out anyway.

tee ($8) and skirt ($15), f21. tights ($4), walgreens. wedges ($29), old navy. scarf ($18) & bangle ($13), bare accessories.

more jeans

I'm so tired of jeans. Hopefully this will be the last time I'll wear jeans this season, weather permitting.

shirt, f21. jeans, lucky. shoes, antonio melani. handbag, melie bianco. bangle & sunglasses, bare accessories.

more from urban

Found this gingham cotton shirt dress online at urban outfitters, marked down to $19.99 (from $48). A few clicks later.....well, you know the drill.

wedges & margaritas

Went out for dinner & drinks last night with a bunch of friends, and of course I immediately ordered a margarita to subdue my craving. I love when the weather warms up and we can sit outside and consume endless amounts of margaritas and chips and salsa. It's really not quite warm enough at night for that, but we threw on our coats and did it anyway.

I'm really liking my $20 wedges. They're very comfortable and easy to walk in and the price just can't be beat. I included the side view pic to show the cool cut out part in the heel. This is one of my least expensive outfits....pretty much ever. Well, except for the ring, but it was a gift, so it doesn't count.

tee ($4), scarf ($8) & trench ($32), f21. skirt ($17), old navy. wedges ($20), target. bracelets, bare accessories (coming soon!). necklace, remedy jewelry. ring ($140), elma blint (from the young designer's mkt in soho). sunglasses ($17), bare accessories.

convertible tote

I have never spent more than $100 on a handbag, but in a money tree world, I'd snatch up this Foley & Corinna Mid City Tote for $444. I'm pretty environmentally conscious (this is earth week, ya know), and 99% of my handbags are made of faux leather. Even if I had the money to blow on this bag, I'm not sure I could do it and feel great about it. But it is a really great bag....

Melie Bianco makes a convertible clutch that's similar to the city tote, but without looking like a designer replica at all. And their handbags are made out of the most buttery-soft faux leather that makes you wonder why you ever wanted a leather bag in the first place.

yea for the weekend

This week hasn't been the best, but it's finally over - yea! The weather is really warming up and I have a nearly uncontrollable urge for a jumbo margarita (on the rocks, no salt). There's something about warm weather and margaritas.

tunic, h&m ($20). tights, walgreens ($4). wedges, old navy ($29). handbag ($24), ring ($25), & bracelets ($14), bare accessories.

feeling a little springy

I think the spring weather has ignited a rare craving for a floral print dress. This is so unlike me, so I had to rough it up with a bit of black and leather. And as requested by posha, here's a link to my polyvore sets.

jacket, ring & dress, topshop. shoes, charlotte ronson (from urban). tights, aa. handbag, melie bianco (from BA).

moss on the street

from polyvore to me

After using this f21 sherlock trench coat on multiple polyvores, I knew that I had to buy it. I ordered it last week, and upon its arrival today I was delightfully surprised at how much I like it. It's more of a grayish-tan color - not a blue-gray as it appears on my monitor. It has just enough shape, and ties right above the waist. The lightweight material and cropped sleeves are perfect for cool spring nights. And at $32, who can resist?

rough week

This week has kind of sucked so far, and that is reflected in my clothing choices. Sorry about this one.

shirt, old navy. jeans, abercrombie. wedges, mia (from urban). handbag, melie bianco.

stripes & red

bracelets & ring, bare accessories. tunic, f21. jacket, lucky. shoes, urban outfitters. handbag, melie bianco from BA.

wedge luck

During my fourth pass through the May issue of Lucky, I discovered the cutest wedges on this model. I must've missed them the first few times I skimmed through, possibly because the clothes on the models are typically waaaay over my budget. However, for some reason I decided to look a bit closer at this particular pair of wedges, and discovered that they're from TARGET. Yes, Target. And they're only $20. See, this is exactly why I read every magazine at least 3 times. A few clicks later and they're in transit to me. I'm not sure what "celery green" looks like in person, but they look sort of greenish beige on my monitor. I'll post some outfit pics with them when they arrive.

slouchy monday

tank ($13), jacket ($29) & jeans ($12), f21. shoes ($29), aerosoles. handbag ($64), melie bianco.

forever 29

My saturday night outfit:

And a not-so-flattering rear action shot:

I really like it when the shutter is set a little slow and any movement makes a cool blurry edge. Of course it's always by accident - I think my witty husband was trying to take a pic of my butt. Whatever.

After these pics we headed to my friend's 30th b-day party, themed "forever 29." It was supposed to be a surprise, which was somehow exposed a few hours prior, and the birthday cake was promptly dropped face down on the floor as soon as the candles were blown. Fun times. It ended with a very competitive game of tippy cup. Awesome. There's nothing like a few dozen beer-filled Solo cups to make you feel young again.

tunic ($15), f21. leggings ($8), h&m. boots ($89*), steve madden. necklace ($36), remedy jewelry. clutch ($3), vintage. *purchased on sale

fashion nowhere

I will try to tread lightly on this subject and not get too emotional or offend anyone. But seriously, if I never see another one of these Coach handbags with the c's all over 'em, I wouldn't complain. I just don't understand it. Why would a person choose to spend $398 on this bag? In my mind, the only reason is so everyone will know what brand your bag is, because come on, it's not a cute bag. Whatever, I've never been a fan of flaunting labels. I just feel like any attempt at individual style is tossed out of the window once you put this bag on your shoulder.

I actually never realized how much these bags cost until I went to the Coach website to get the above pic. So I decided to enter a hypothetical world where I had $400 to spend on a handbag. After less than 10 minutes, this is what I found:

1) Marc by Marc, "Aline" Satchel, $335. 2) Stuart Weitzman, "Cala" Bag, $247. 3) UO, Sabina Convertible Satchel, $245. 4) Kooba, Corseted Detail Hobo, $357.

All four well under my $400 budget and soooo much cuter than the "c" bag, right?

not in the shoe budget

Wish I had a few extra bucks to buy some shoes. I'd pick one of these:

1) ASOS Leather Heavy Gladiators 2) Nine West "Heech" 3) Pura Lopez 4) Dolce Vita Gladiator Heel 5) Guess Endora Sandal 6) Charlotte Ronson Dani Sandal

Since the ASOS pair is sold out, I think my top pick would be the Charlotte Ronson sandals. The platform is so high, which equals happy comfy feet. Yeah, I did the math: a 4" heel with a 1.5" platform = a 2.5" heel = comfort. But $187, jeez. Maybe they'll go on sale in a few months.

exposed zippers

Exposed zippers everywhere. Anyone have any strong feelings either way on this one? I kinda don't mind it on a dress or skirt. Adds a bit of an edge.

plain jane

Kinda plain, I know.

tee ($5), f21. skirt ($12), aa. shoes ($18), Seychelles (from ebay). handbag ($59), melie bianco. bangle ($13) & necklace ($21), bare accessories.

elusive casual

The art of casual style can sometimes be elusive, which is likely why so many people resort to velour sweatsuits or jeans and crocs. So for inspiration, I threw together these photos that are perfect examples of how you can dress comfy and still not look like a couch pillow. First up, ashley olsen, a.k.a. the master of spicing up a plain outfit with a pair of fantastic shoes. While it seems lately that Sienna's style has taken a bit of a wrong turn, this works for me. Next, Rachel makes me want to dig around in my husband's closet for an old sweatshirt. And I'm still surprised that I put a pic of Hayden on here, but this is so not like her typical style. I want those shoes. And finally, Nicole in vintage Levi's. Nice. I'm sure I had those exact jeans a jillion years ago.

safari dress, take 2

Here's my second attempt at making this dress work. I'm much happier with this version (view previous version). What do you think?

dress ($22*), old navy. belt ($10*), urban outfitters. wedges ($8*), mia (from urban last year). handbag ($64), melie bianco from bare accessories. bangle ($13), bare accessories. *purchased on sale

the best $12 jeans

Went to see Tristan play last night (see previous entry), which is always good times. I'm excited about these new f21 jeans I recently purchased, mainly because they were only $12.50 and the waist doesn't gap in the back and the butt actually looks decent. I had pretty much succumbed to the theory that you have to spend a minimum of $100 on a pair of jeans in order for them to fit somewhat correctly, but now I'm not so sure. I'll definitely have to try another pair in the future (assuming these don't fall apart or shrink 8 sizes in the wash). And p.s., I tried to find a link to the jeans to add to this post, but they are all sold out.

And just for fun, listen to Tristan's completely unexpected cover of Britney's song "Toxic". I know, I know. But trust me.

tank ($6), old navy. sweater ($15) & jeans ($12), f21. boots ($89), steve madden. bracelets ($12) & sunglasses ($17), bare accessories. necklace, one of a kind (made myself).

tristan prettyman

Yeah, I know this is a fashion blog. Every now and again I will throw in a singer/songwriter or two for anyone who wants something fresh to listen to. FYI, I am a live music fanatic. But not the typical "concert in an arena" type of live music. I prefer to discover great musicians and get my fill of them before they have an obnoxiously large following. I love small venues and acoustic sets with a personal touch that you just can't achieve in a typical "concert" venue.

So for those of you who are not familiar, I'd like to introduce my very favorite female singer/songwriter, Tristan Prettyman. At some point I heard someone describe her as "the female version of Jack Johnson." It's impossible to describe a sound, so you should just listen for yourself. Her new album drops today, and even better, she's playing tonight for a sold out crowd at one of nashville's most intimate bars. I've seen her perform several times before, but I'm still quite excited to see her again tonight. www.tristanprettyman.com

p.s. You should know that even though I reside in TN, I am NOT a fan of country music.

head over hills

Yes, I'm a fan of The Hills. I couldn't care less about Heidi's drama (why is she still on the show?), but the combination of Lauren and Whitney's jobs and outfits make it a must see for me. So I thought I'd try to recreate Lauren's style with a more affordable array of items.

sunglasses, bare accessories, $17. shoes, old navy, $16.50. dress, urban, $58. necklace, bare accessories, $16. bracelets, bare accessories, $13.50. handbag, melie bianco, $56.

yield to style

Low key bachelorette party for a friend. Yummy sushi (my fave) and a few bar stops downtown. I actually wore my aerosoles wedges, but since I left them at a friend's house last weekend and didn't have them for this picture.

shirt ($8*) & skirt ($17*), old navy. boots, nine west ($30*). tights, walgreens ($4). scarf, from random street vendor in soho nyc ($5). bracelets ($12) & sunglasses ($17), bare accessories. clutch, vintage ($2). *purchased on sale

Hummm.... just realized this is actually one of my least expensive ensembles. But really not my best effort.

the blue tee

It's warming up outside, so I thought I'd brighten my palette accordingly. I'm trying to wear my boots as much as possible before it's too warm for them.

tee, f21 ($5). skirt, old navy ($17*). boots, steve madden ($89*). necklace, remedy jewelry ($68). handbag, bare accessories ($57).

more polyvore

Fun times with polyvore. My hypothetical closet is so much cooler and more organized than my real one.

canvas platforms

I'm a big fan of the platform heel - in either wedge or chunky heel form. The canvas platform is a strong contender this season, from Dolce & Gabbana to Old Navy. Above are just a few examples.

from left: D&G, $519, www.zappos.com. old navy, $29*, www.oldnavy.com. michael kors, $110*, www.shoes.com.
*on sale

p.s. the old navy ones are in transit to me as I type.

kinda sketchy

I purchased this safari shirt dress from old navy a month or so ago, and I've been waiting on the weather to warm up before giving it a go. It's a few inches shorter than I had anticipated, and I think the boots make it look even shorter. I'm just not sure that it works for me. What do you think? Maybe lose the socks?

dress, old navy ($22). boots, aerosoles ($30). handbag ($57) & bangle ($13), bare accessories. socks, ebay ($7).

my first polyvore

No definite plans for this weekend, but if I had somewhere fun to be, I'd wear this. Of course this is all hypothetical, because I own only a few of the above items.

skirt ($16), tee ($5) & jacket ($32), f21. tights ($10), aa. shoes ($89), seychelles. necklace ($68), remedy jewelry. bracelets ($12) & handbag ($59), bare accessories.