Inspiration Monday: Olivia Munn

I'm not sure who Olivia Munn is but what I wore today is loosely inspired by her outfit.  I decided at the last minute this morning to participate in Inspiration Monday after checking out what a few other bloggers wore.

I decided to stick with a slouchy theme based off of her shirt and wore one of my only slouchy loose fitting tops with my wide leg incredibly soft jeans.  They may as well be pajamas they are so soft and stretchy!  I even slept in them the first night we stayed in our house because I hadn't moved any pajamas yet!  I can't really tell what Olivia's pants are like but I'm pretending she's super comfy too in yoga pants.

Jacket:Target: Red Fleece Jacket-Gift from Mom
Scarf-Wedding gift from family member
Top: Anthropologie- Mulitcolored slouchy shirt with beading on shoulders-$20
Pants: Nordstrom Rack-Worn Jeans-$15 (Previously worn here)

Shopping Ban Outfit #10

 Love this skirt, shopping ban item #20, but I'm still trying to figure out what the name means.  Its called Lido Light Skirt and the Anthropologie description says something about it reminding them of a Mediterranean beach shade...i guess i kinda see it.

Skirt: Anthropologie-Lido Light Skirt-$24
Top: Old Navy-White tank top with lace-$3
Cardigan: Macy's-Gift from Mom-FREE!
Belt:Target-Teal snake print belt-$3
Tights: Marshalls-HUE Brown diamond shape-$4
Shoes: Ross-Black flats with flower-$15
Approximate Total Cost~$49

 I think the stripes and shades of blue are adorable.  I've searched online for how other people styled this skirt and its seems to be pretty unanimous either pair it with yellow for contrast or go monochromatic. This skirt was also worn by Zooey Deschanel in a photo for the her show, The New Girl. I went for contrast and she (or the person in charge of wardrobe) went with monochromatic.  Anyone have any styling suggestions?

Edit: I'm linking this post up to 260 Days, No Repeats "I've got this week" where she is featuring trends with items she already owns...considering I'm on a shopping ban this is right up my alley!

Fall Trends Redo

So if you've been following along this week, you know that was partaking in the Fashion Challenge Fall Trends edition.  I really enjoyed doing the challenge, but felt two of my outfits needed a redo.  The first being Mondays "Snake or Leopard" and yesterdays "Fall Brights".  And, since these are two of my favorites for this fall, it fits with today's task of fall favorites.

Need to leave for a Halloween party soon I'm cutting my rambling short.

Top:H&M-Leopard Print top-$12 (Previously worn here)
Skirt:Anthropologie-Tomato Picking Skirt-$70 (Previously worn here)
Sweater :Francesca's Closet-Teal Open cardigan-$4
Shoes:Mervyn's-Square tow wedge heels-too old to remember

I bothered to part my hair today.

Thrifty White Pants

Yes, I know. I'm wearing white pants after labor day BUT yesterday it was over 90 degrees which makes it perfectly okay to wear white pants if you ask me.  That and they are new and cheap and I love them.  I've never had a pair of white pants before...we'll see how long they stay white.

This post is linked up to Thursday are for Thrifts, a blog I found just last night! Great to see other cheap, thrifty, frugal bloggers.  Its also linked up to Color Brigade so if you like my outfit, you can vote for me there! If anyone would like to send in photos for my Frugal Friends Friday post, just remember your outfit needs to be under $100 or currency equivalent and include where you got each item and for how much.  You can email me at apmohlajee@gmail.com  or upload photos to my Facebook page.  

Shirt: Anthropologie-Yellow Tunic Top-$20 (similar long-sleeved one here)
Belt: Thrift Town-Multicolored Guatemalan Belt-$2
Pants:Thrift Town-White Wide Leg Linen pants-$6 (similar here)
Shoes:Ross-White Strapy Cork Wedge Sandals-$16
Ring: Pier 1-Bead Flower Ring-$4
Approximate Total Cost~$48

 I absolutely love this multicolored belt! I think it was such a great find at $2.

My flower ring and a pretty pale yellow rose in my garden.

The Help Movie Inspired Fashion

 I watched the movie The Help yesterday and am currently reading the book as well. I loved the 50s and 60s fashion in the film.  The pencil skirts, floral prints, shirt dresses and ruffles were a few things that stood out in my mind after watching the film.  I think my absolute favorite fashion accessory is a thick red wavy belt.  So if anyone see's anything similar let me know! My outfit today is inspired by the look Celia Foote wears when showing Minny around her home for the first time.  My look is not quite as va-va-voom as Celia's but it works for me!

Skirt: Antropologie-Tomato Picking Skirt-$70

Shirt: JcPenny-Floral Print Button Down-$5 (similar here)

Belt: Ross-Navy Blue Belt-$3 (similar here)

Shoes:Payless Shoe Soure-Zoe&Zac Blue Peep-toe heels-$12 (similar here)

Approximate total cost~$90

 Another look I enjoyed was this grey pencil skirt worn by Emma Stone's character, Skeeter.  I found a similar skirt at Kmart.com for under $20!

Emma Stone's costume from The Help

Kmart-Counterparts Women's Side Tab Slimming Skirt-$18

I also sought inspiration from the maid uniforms and found these two adorable dresses.  One with a white collar and details like the uniforms and the other in blue with added frills.

Abileen's Maid uniform

Mod Cloth-Fair and Lemon Dress-$75

Old Navy- Women's Chambray Shirt Dress-$35

The villianess in the movie, Hilly Hollbrook, wears a lot of loud colorful floral prints.  Here are some looks similar to her's.

Mod Cloth-Day after Day Dress in Garden-$100

Mod Cloth-Tony's Flower's Dress-$60

Lastly, I wish I had purchased a romper this summer.  By the time I realized I liked them they were already hard to find in stores.  If I could find Celia's yellow romper, I'd be a happy gal.  The closest I found was this dress at ModCloth.

ModCloth-Lemonade on the Lawn Dress-$40

May not be Tupelo but pretty close

On the left, Anthropologie Tupelo Dress priced at $168 and on the right, my old navy clearance shirt, $10

 Shirt-Old Navy-Blue with large floral print-$10

Jeans-Macy's-Bold Curve Boot Cut Levi's-$28

Shoes: Ross-Forest Green Buckles Heels-$7 (similar here)

Belt: Target-Turquoise snake skin print-$3

Approximate Total Cost-$48

My frugal find this week.  These cute heels for only $6.99!

Anniversary Weekend Outfits

On Saturday night my husband and I went out to a nice dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  The food was amazing and the service was great except the waiter forgot it was our anniversary sometime during the meal.  When he brings out the dessert, my husband's plate says "Happy Birthday!" complete with a little candle for him to blowout .  We both start giggling and remind the waiter its our anniversary.  He looked so embarrassed and apologized repeatedly.  We promised to come back again in two weeks to celebrate my husband's actual birthday.  He said we should request him and he'll bring us both complimentary "Happy Anniversary" desserts!

So for the anniversary/birthday dinner I wore the my Flower Stand dress for the first time.  I've been in love with this dress since I saw it in the store a several weeks back.  I checked the website repeatedly to see if I was on sale and saw it drop from $228  to around $160 which was still not in my price range.  On my last visit to Anthropologie I was able to snatch one up for $60!  I was so lucky there were only four pieces left in the store.  Two in a size 4 and two in a size 6.  I crossed my fingers and took a 6 to the dressing room.  I think it was fate that it fit so perfectly! 

Dress: Anthropologie-Flower Stand Dress~$60

Cardigan: Target-Sea Foam Green~$14 (similar here)

Shoes: Ross-White strap cork wedges~$16 (similar here)

Necklace-Payless Shoe Source~$5 (similar here)

Bracelet:Gift from a relative

Approximate Total Cost:$95

 On Sunday we went to my cousin's house to celebrate Rakhi . The actual day was a month ago.  My family never celebrates it on time since we have to wait for snail mail sent rakhis from my aunts.  My mom always complains I don't dress like a newly wed.  In Indian custom newly wed wives wear lots of bright, shiny, fancy clothes and get all dolled up with jewelry and makeup and stuff of that nature.  Not really my style, but I do like making my family happy so I wore a pink silk sari I inherited from my mother.  She wore it only once before.

Sari: Inherited from my mom ~FREE

Sari blouse: Sari Boutique in Berkeley-light golden shade with gold dots~$25

Shoes: Nordstrom Rack-Italian Shoemakers Suite in Gold~$25..i think

Jewelry: Necklace and earring set were a gift from a relative~FREE

Approximate Total Cost~$50

My fashionista niece.  She is so girly and  loves to get dressed up.  Note the matching bangles.

September already

Figured I may as well wear some fall colors

 my attempt at twirling the skirt...sorry the image is so dark

Skirt: Anthropologie-Denpasar Skirt-$30 (similar here or here)

Top:Gap-Mustard Yellow T-shirt (similar here)-$11

Shoes: H&M-Green Sneakers(similar here)-$12

Approximate Total Cost ~$43

My outfit today

Top: Target -Janice knit top - on sale for ~$9

Skirt: Antropologie-Denpasar Skirt- on sale for ~30

Tights: Target- similar here-on sale for ~$6

Shoes: Ross-White Mt. Flats with Flower detail- ~$15

Approximate Total Cost ~$60

(Sorry, couldn't get my shoes in the picture...i'll try harder next time or recruit the husband)

First time wearing this skirt and I absolutely love the weight and feel of the material. It is soft and silky to touch, light weight and twirls and moves with me and the wind. Oh! And, the skirt has pockets! Who doesn't love a skirt or dress with pockets?!? The shirt is also new (just got it yesterday) and i'm really loving the cap sleeves and general fit.

I've gained over 30 lbs in the past year and have replaced nearly all of my wardrobe. I'm experimenting with different cuts and styles of dresses and skirts to hide problem areas. I now find throwing on a dress so much simpler than jeans and a t-shirt. Dresses can hide so much more than the latter! This is a big deal for me. I'm known for wearing jeans anytime and all the time.