Friday Finds

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Green OTS

Dress - Charles Henry / Sandals - Dolce Vita / Bag (similar) - Michael Kors / Earrings (on sale!) - Charming Charlie / Bracelet - BaubleBar

I mentioned yesterday that I picked up this dress for a wedding we're going to tomorrow. I got it in the mail and tried it on and fell in love. I couldn't wait a week to pull it out, so I decided to dress it down a little to wear to a fundraiser concert we went to last week. The dress itself is pretty simple, so it's easy to switch out accessories to make a completely different look.

What are your thoughts on off the shoulder? It was one of those trends I thought I wouldn't try, not because I hated it, but because it didn't seem like something that would work on my body type. After I found this pretty white top, I decided to give the style more of a try. The trick for off the shoulder if you're busty is to look for styles that are cut closer to the body or are tailored to have a waist, so that you don't end up looking like you're wearing a giant sack. Not cute.

Have you tried the off the shoulder trend?

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Previously on KDTI - Lace-up sandals:

 

Linking up with Friday Fab Favorites, Flashback Friday.

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September Budget

Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $300, which to some may seem like a lot and to others a little, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2015 budget here. 

You guys, I don't know what happened. Usually September is a really intense shopping month for me (see: 2015, 2014) because I want all of the boots and scarves and sweaters and whatnot, but this year I only ended up keeping four things. Part of the problem is I bought these booties back in July during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and they're still on backorder, so they've been holding a part of my budget dollars. The other part is I had a couple of serious misses this month that had to be returned. I was so excited about this Gap & Pendleton plaid shirtdress but it was amazingly terrible on me - I even tried it in tall and regular and a couple of different sizes but they were all bad. I also ordered a million pairs of shoes that ended up being uncomfortable - I think I must have amazingly picky feet. I did manage to keep a couple of things though. Here's the damage for September:

Target Cowl Neck Tank - originally $19.99, on sale $14.99. I already shared it here and already wore it an excessive number of times ;)
Charles Henry Off the Shoulder Dress - $88. I bought this to wear to our wedding on Friday, and then when it came it was so cute that I immediately put it on and wore it to an event last week. It turns out it's really easy to dress down - I'll share tomorrow!
Rockport Flats - $109.95. I was looking for some new ballet flats, and wore these out of the house before I realized they actually aren't the most comfortable. So now I guess I'm keeping them. I'm hoping they'll break in well, they're already feeling a little better.

Total Spent: $212.94
Total Saved: $5. Lol.

For next month I'm going to try not to buy anything, because of the aforementioned booties and the pile of plaid shirts I bought over the weekend that haven't arrived yet. Whoops.

Did you budget this month? How did you do?

Linking up with Fran.

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Sweater Weather

Sweater (similar) and Pants - J.Crew Factory / Shoes (similar) and Necklace (similar) - Madewell / Bag - Sole Society / Watch - Wristology

I know that like, two weeks ago, I was all, "Summer forever, let's wear all of the sundresses!" but now the weather has dipped into the sixties here in Chicago and let me tell you, I am all in on this whole fall thing. I've pulled out the pumpkin candles and fall decorations and bought an excessive amount of fall colored peanut butter M&Ms, and for the first time EVER I decided to pack away my summer clothes instead of just leaving them in the closet, which lets my sweaters sit front and center. I snagged this one from J. Crew Factory a couple of months ago and it was seriously love at first wear. Sadly it's already out of stock, but you could achieve a similar look with a striped sweater and chambray tunic.

Have you started embracing fall yet?

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Previously on KDTI - saddle bag:

 

Linking up with What I Wore to Work, Style Sessions, Style Me Wednesday, Confident Twosday.

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This Weekend...

Oh hey there! I'm writing this post in advance because we had a wedding on Sunday night - I'm guessing it was super fun! But you know, I'm also guessing I'm gonna be a little tired this morning ;)

This weekend I...

...Had some wedding weekend celebration drinks at Matilda's, where I tried just about every cocktail on their menu ;) How's a girl supposed to say no to sparkling wine and St. Germaine?!
...Went to the Cubs game on Saturday with a bunch of Jeff's family and friends, which was really fun even though they lost super terribly haha. Oh, and you may have seen on Snapchat that we were sitting next to John Cusack - weird!
...Got excited about the whole "It's Fall!" thing and ordered an excessive number of plaid and flannel shirts (including this and this) - fingers crossed I only like some of them because otherwise my October budget is already shot.
...Went to my friend's birthday party out in the suburbs, and it was basically the weirdest night ever. So basically, it turns out a charity rented out the bar for a fundraiser, but for some reason they still allowed our group make reservations too. We were an island not participating in a fundraiser that everyone else had paid a lot to go to. So there was a live band and dancing which was fun, but also sometimes a host trying to shush the room to give speeches and hold a live auction that no one was paying attention too, which was slightly less fun. Most bizarre thing ever.
...Chugged through a ton of blog & freelance work. We're heading out of town on Thursday for another wedding out in DC, and then I'm coming home for about 12 hours before heading out to San Francisco for the next week for work. I'm exhausted already ;)

I hope you had a good one!!

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday!! What are you up to this weekend? We have a wedding on Sunday and a lot of friends in from out of town so it'll probably be a busy one for me. Here are a few of my favorite finds this week:

one / two / three / four / five

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Fall, y'all!

Shirt (similar) and Bag (similar) - J. Crew Factory / Skirt - J. Crew / Flats - Rockport

I have never, ever, ever said the word "y'all" in real life, but for some reason internet me thinks it's a part of my normal lexicon. I swear, whenever I write it's "y'all this" and "y'all that" and then I go back  to edit and think "Who am I?!?" I think really what's happening is, I'd love to be a cute little southern girl who wears cute dresses and heels and drinks lots of sweet tea. In real life though, I'm a loud and sometimes obnoxious Chicago girl who would drops a few too many f-bombs and would much rather just grab a beer.

So anyway, fall is officially here (y'all)! I was so excited that I had to share this outfit. I planned on sharing it last winter after wearing it on repeat, but it somehow never made it to the blog. I love the combo of the sequins on the shirt with the leather, sparkle and leather are apparently a combo I'm quite fond of. The skirt is definitely one of my favorite purchases of last year. It's not something I reach for all the time, but it always makes a statement. It's actually still in stock at J.Crew (and also comes in a fun burgundy color) so you can still snag if if you missed out last year. In case you're wondering about length, I'm 5'9" but am super short-waisted, and am wearing a tall.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the first day of fall, go do something pumpkin-y!

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Previously on KDTI - leather pleated skirt:

 

Linking up with Mix It Monday, Friday Fab Favorites, Flashback Friday, What I Wore to Work.

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Fall Inspiration

You guys, today is officially the last day of summer!! A couple of weeks ago I shared some of my fall staples, and today I'm sharing some of my favorite looks from previous years. Three cheers for vests, stripes, and scarves!

Recreate with striped tee, field jacket, and ponte pants

Recreate with blanket scarf, striped dress, and utility vest

Recreate with striped shirt and puffer vest

Recreate with blazer, tee, and booties

Recreate with blanket scarf and puffer vest

Recreate with striped tee and puffer vest

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Still in White

Blouse - Target / Denim - Old Navy / Bag (similar) - Sole Society / Sandals - Dolce Vita / Bracelet and Earrings - BaubleBar

I saw this top, and after about a second I decided I needed it, and then after another second decided I was going to wear it with these white jeans as many times as I possibly could. I actually haven't shopped for clothes at Target in a while, mostly because there no longer is one that I aimlessly wander through during my lunch hour every day. Instead, most of my Target trips involve sneakily sending Jeff off to search for something so I can quickly raid the home goods section, but that's neither here nor there. In my absence so many new brands have appeared. This shirt is by Knox Rose, which may be my new fav. All of their clothes have this "cool girl don't care" attitude (especially this amazing plaid fringe cardi!) that I love and try to create at home. Unfortunately I always end up looking a little more "not-cool trying to hard" instead. The struggle is real.

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Previously on KDTI - white jeans:

 

Linking up with Trend Spin Linkup, Style Me Wednesday, Style Sessions, Confident Twosday.

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