Friday Finds

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March Budget

Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $350, which may seem like a lot to some and a little to others, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2016 budget here.

Another month, another budget post! This month, I was mainly looking for warm weather pieces, and that's all I ended up buying. Most of these pieces are on our trip with me right now. I really needed more shorts and tops, because every year I get far too excited about dresses and ignore other warm-weather options, and sometimes a girl just needs to wear shorts instead of a skirt! I'm definitely most excited about that one-shoulder top - it's just so stinking cute in person!! I also needed another pair of white jeans because my only pair was super distressed and didn't work so well for the office. The clutch is mostly for fun, but also because I needed something fancy for some upcoming weddings and most of my clutches aren't particularly dressy. It's really pretty in person but definitely more of a blush than a nude!

Anyway, here's the damage for March:

LOFT One Shoulder Top - originally $54.50, on sale $32.70.
Gap White Jeans - originally $69.95, on sale + used rewards $38.27.
Gap Tie Waist Dress - originally $69.95, on sale + used rewards $23.01.
Madewell Chambray Top - originally $69.50, on sale $59.08.
Old Navy Denim Shorts - originally $24.94, on sale $17.46.
Old Navy Linen Shorts - originally $22.94, on sale $16.06.
BaubleBar Earrings - originally $38, used points $29.
LOFT Clutch - originally $49.50, on sale $29.70.
J. Crew Striped Gingham Tee - originally $39.95, on sale $29.62.

Total Spent: $274.90
Total Saved: $164.33

Under budget, yes!! I definitely needed that after February's shopping binge ;)

As far as next month, I'm mostly just hoping to add a new pair of sandals or two to the closet. I pulled out my sandals from last year for our trip and all of them are getting pretty gross.

Did you budget in March? How did you do?

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Spring Layers

Shirt - J. Crew Factory / Sweater (super similar but with pockets!) - LOFT / Jeans - J. Crew / Boots (similar) - Coach / Watch - Wristology / Bag - Sole Society / Necklace - Stella & Dot

The calendar may say it's finally spring, but that doesn't mean Chicago has to agree! I'm definitely ready to kick my winter wardrobe to the curb though, so I've been falling back on my old trick of pairing spring-y patterns with warm light-colored cardigans to get the feel of spring without freezing to death. Gingham is definitely a year-round pattern (especially in navy - not so much in pastels!), but pair it with a little white and it definitely feels all spring all the way. It also stops me from matching all of the guys in the office in their navy checked shirts ;) 

Shirt - J. Crew Factory / Sweater (super similar but with pockets!) - LOFT / Jeans - J. Crew / Boots (similar) - Coach / Watch - Wristology / Bag - Sole Society / Necklace - Stella & Dot

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Friday Finds

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Packing List: Asia

OTS dress / Similar Lilly dress

You guys, we leave for Asia tonight! Insert all of the excited squeals here. I feel like we've been planning this trip for forever (mainly because we have been - it first came up over two years ago!) so I can't believe this day is finally here. We're flying into Hong Kong tomorrow, and then heading on to meet my brother and his wife in Thailand from there, followed by Cambodia and Vietnam.

Gingham striped tee / OTS top / Striped one-shoulder top

Similar tote

For our Tour d'Asia, I'm trying so hard not to overpack. Who knows what's going to fly into the suitcase at the last minute today though ;) When we went to Italy two years ago, I brought the largest suitcase known to man, and since I had the space I decided to fill it. I'm pretty sure Jeff almost died trying to lift it onto a luggage rack on the train though, so I'm going to try not to go that route again. Instead I'm embracing the "less is more" approach and bringing some Woolite and a travel clothesline with so I can do some washing and rewearing as we go. To help, I'm bringing a whole lot of white and blue so I can mix and match as I go.

Hat / Similar shorts / Similar swimsuit

Pom pom earrings / Striped tassel earrings / Beaded tassel earrings / Similar tassel necklace

We're going to be gone for two weeks, but don't you worry, I scheduled a few posts for while I'm gone. Plus, you can follow along on Instagram/Instastories (@kristinadoes). I won't be on Snapchat though - my phone ran out of memory so I had to delete it! Now it's just fifteen short hours to get to Hong Kong - see you soon!!

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Dressing Room Diaries

It turns out, I kinda try on a lot of clothes every month, so it's already time for some more fitting room (and bedroom) snaps!

This eyelet top is super adorable, and I freaking love the embroidery detail. It was just a little too blousy on me - would look great on someone with a smaller chest though! Wearing an XL here.

I don't think I've tried girlfriend jeans, but they may be my new favorites! The fit is closer to a skinny jean than boyfriend, but in a looser, more relaxed way. There also isn't much stretch in this pair which was flattering. I didn't bring these home though because they didn't carry tall lengths in store, and they were way too cropped on me. I couldn't find the exact wash online, but this one is close. Wearing a size up from my regular here because of the lack of stretch.

 

I added this short sleeve sweater to my wishlist last week, and was excited to find it in stores over the weekend. I freaking love the berry/stripes pattern combo and think it's super adorable, but it wasn't on sale and I couldn't figure out when I would ever wear a short sleeved sweater and be comfortable, so I left it behind. Maybe if a sale shows up I would reconsider - wouldn't it look so cute with a black circle skirt or a longer denim skirt?! Wearing an XL here. 

I saw this top on the clearance rack and thought I'd give it a try. I don't know when I'm going to learn that high ruffled necklines don't work on me, but it hasn't happened yet. Wearing a 14 here.

 

When I initially saw this top online, it was a hard pass for me. The sleeves grew on me though, and when I saw it was on sale I decided to head into the store to try it on. And, it turns out it's love! This is a fun change from my usual striped tees, and the gingham ruffles just have my heart. I initially grabbed an XL but it was way too big and looked sloppy, wearing a L here. 

 

This cold-shoulder top is comfortable and soft and oh-so-cute. I'm wearing an XL here and it felt way too big. They only had XL and XS in stores though so I left it behind. I couldn't find it online, but this bow sleeved top is calling my name!

Sorry for the terrible picture here!! I've been looking for dresses to wear to weddings and showers this spring, and decided to give this floaty blue dress a try. I couldn't decide about it so I posted it on Instagram. While the results were mixed, too many people (including my husband) compared me to Wendy Darling, so it's going back. I think it would look super cute on less curvy girls though, and comes in a couple other colors that look less nightgown-ish. 

 

I've been looking for more warm-weather tops because there are surprisingly few in my closet, and this bow-backed top from Madewell fit the bill! I mean, it has bows. And ruffled sleeves. It's a teensy bit cropped but I think that will work well with shorts and skirts. Wearing a large here.

 

This one-shoulder top is probably my favorite purchase of the month! The one-shoulder is so cute, and I love the stripes and embroidery detail. I tried this in a medium and in a large because I wear both sizes in LOFT tops, and ended up going with the medium. The large was too blousy in the bottom. 

I wasn't entirely sure about this chambray dress when I ordered it online, but it's absolute love! It's made out of Tencel versus actual chambray. I've never heard of Tencel until recently but it's really soft and feels durable, whereas a lot of chambray is not that comfortable. I also love the tie waist - it's a riff on the faux sleeves around the waist and is so flattering. I love that the ties can be adjusted so they hit your waist at the most flattering point. Definitely a keeper! 

 

I've been wanting another pair of white jeans because my favorites are super distressed, which doesn't work for all occasions. This pair definitely fit the bill - comfortable, flattering, and not see-through! I'm wearing the talls here in my usual size, and the length is perfect. For reference, I usually wear a 35" inseam for full length pants. 

 

I wanted to love this embroidered dress. I really did. It's not see-thru (the most important thing to look for in a white dress), and the embroidery is oh-so-cute. But this was just way too big. I'm wearing a large here, and you can see that the front is too big at the waist - it's crinkling because I tried to pull the drawstring in. And the back has a huge amount of extra fabric. This is a problem I often have in dresses because of my chest, but usually things are still wearable. I would size down but I don't think that would solve the extra back fabric issue, so it went back. 

Whew! Do I do too much shopping? Probably ;)

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The Best OTK Boots

Blazer (currently less than $50!) - Ann Taylor / Blouse - Pleione / Jeans - Madewell / Boots - Kaitlyn Pan / Earrings and Bracelet (similar) - BaubleBar / Bag (similar) - Sole Society

Oh hey there, have I shared these over the knee boots with you yet? No?! What have I even been doing with my time? I bought these boots back at the beginning of February and have been wearing them all over the place. I haven't actually tried that $800 pair of OTK boots, but I'd wager that without trying them these are the best, and here's why:

1. They're super stretchy and stay in place! No droopy ankles, no sliding knees, and the perfect, flattering fit. Seriously, the stretch on these is so good that people usually have to do a double-take when I wear them with a skirt, because they look like really thick tights or knee socks at first glance.
   
2. The fabric isn't actual suede but microsuede, which means it's way more durable than regular suede. With real suede boots I usually freak out and refuse to wear them if there's even the hint of a puddle outside or if there's any chance of someone dripping a liquid on me, but not with these! I actually wore this outfit to my birthday party last month and assume I got spilled on multiple times, and these still look good as new.
   
3. They're really comfortable! I can wear them all day with no problem. The inside insole is just the tiniest bit slippery though, so I have been pairing them with yoga/barre socks so I don't slip around.
   
4. They're super warm. I wore them on a thirty degree day this week sans pants and my legs were perfectly warm. Like, warmer than if I were wearing tights. Except for those two inches of skin that were showing and scandalizing my mother.
   
5. They're long enough for my super long legs! I've tried on tons of pairs of "over the knee" boots that barely make it over my knees. Not cute. These have a shaft height of over 23 inches, which means they come way over my knees. For reference, if I want pants to be full-length I wear a 35" inseam.
   
6. They aren't $800, so I can wear them without worrying. See item #2. If I had $800 boots I would literally never wear them because I would be too nervous about ruining them. Also, I would never spend $800 on boots. I get heart palpitations just thinking about it. 

So that's enough waxing poetic about a pair of boots, I guess ;) Are you a fan of OTK? Would you give them a try?

Blazer (currently less than $50!) - Ann Taylor / Blouse - Pleione / Jeans - Madewell / Boots - Kaitlyn Pan / Earrings and Bracelet (similar) - BaubleBar / Bag (similar) - Sole Society

Linking up with Style Sessions, Confident Twosday.

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