LOFT Fitting Room Try-Ons

I was about to ignore LOFT's latest 40% off sale after I bought everything from LOFT last month... but then I saw they had a ton of new arrivals! So back to the store I went. Here are my favorite finds! (Ahem, not Friday finds. But it is Friday. Please excuse this change in your regularly scheduled programming.)

Sweatshirt 

I keep hearing great things about this sweatshirt and had to try it on myself, and ohhhh my gosh you guys. It is so freaking soft! Definitely the perfect weekend wear. Or work from home wear. Or every freaking day wear. They only had a medium in the stores and it fit, but I would definitely have preferred a large, so it's pretty TTS. 

Romper 

Yes, you read that right - this is actually a romper! There are little shorts hidden beneath the skirt, which is amazing for a short wrap dress - no flashing worries! But it is a litttttle hard to get into, it took me a while in the dressing room to figure out where my legs were supposed to go. So cute and flattering. They only had a 12, which again did fit but was a little snug. I definitely would have preferred the 14, so this is also TTS. 

 

Embroidered Shorts 

Isn't the embroidery on these so freaking cute?! I saw them and basically had to try them on - I mean, florals and stripes?! They're super high waisted, so much so on me that I would never wear them with anything tucked in because they went several inches above my belly button. I'm wearing a 12 here, which once again fit, but I would have preferred the 14, so TTS. 

Floral Blouse

This is one of those workhouse pieces that would be perfect for any work occasion - great with jeans, dress pants, a skirt, or under a jacket. It's navy, gray, and white - no black in there. The pattern is really pretty in person and the cut is flattering. I'm wearing a large here which is my normal size for blouses at LOFT. 

Striped Tee 

I looooove this tee - if I hadn't just bought another red and white striped tee this one would be in my closet right now! The little bit of lace adds the perfect touch. It's a little bit see through so you'd definitely need a nude bra underneath. I'm wearing a large here but I actually would have preferred it to be a bit roomier, both for fit and because I have a feeling it would shrink, so size up! 

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What I WOULD Wear for Easter

Dress (similar cut or similarish pattern) - Lilly Pulitzer / Earrings - Panacea / Sandals - Treasure & Bond / Bag (similar here and here) - Kate Spade

Happy almost Easter! Do you get tomorrow off of work? I have to go in, but I've previously gotten the day off, and I was always surprised by it. This year my surprise holiday was President's Day instead, which I think was oddly around the same temperature. 

This Easter is a weird one for me, because my parents are currently off in Japan with my brother and his wife, and Jeff is headed down to San Antonio with his brother tomorrow to watch the Final Four! He was hoping to see Virginia when they got the tickets, but now is almost as excited to get to see Loyola play. I mean, I haven't watched much March Madness this year, but I'm about ready to hop on the hometown bandwagon solely for Sister Jean - anyone else? 

So where does that leave me for Easter? My sister and I decided to throw back to when we spent Easter weekend alone at college together. That particular Easter dinner (back in 2009?!) involved scrambled eggs (because they're on theme, obviously), scalloped potatoes (from a box, because college), sautéed asparagus (because it's weirdly been one of our favorite foods since we were kids) and "fancy juice," my college beverage of choice that was a mixture of whatever juice was in the fridge, vodka, and Sprite. Oh, and we watched The Sound of Music on television with commercials, which meant it was about five hours long. 

This year we decided to keep the scalloped potatoes and asparagus, but we're going to throw in a ham in too because we're grown-ups now and because it turns out all you have to do is put a ham in the oven and you're good to go. Oh, and we'll try for a little Sound of Music, but who knows, her toddler might dictate that Moana be the feature film of the day. And I won't be mad about it. 

Since we're keeping things casual (and because it's still so cold), I'm thinking this Sunday will be a day for comfy clothes. But if I were headed to church or a fancy brunch like we've done in the past, I'd definitely reach for this dress! I snagged it during the Lilly Pulitzer sale in January. I'm usually not into the Lilly patterns (they're a little too crazy for my taste) but something about this one spoke to me - it just screams warm weather, right? I can't wait to break out this little number for real. Hopefully soon. 

Chicago, get your act together. 

Dress (similar cut or similarish pattern) - Lilly Pulitzer / Earrings - Panacea / Sandals - Treasure & Bond / Bag (similar here and here) - Kate Spade

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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 2017 budget here.

I did a lot of shopping this month. Like, a lot a lot. It just has hit that time where I'm so over sweaters (I've basically been rotating through the same four since January) and ready for spring weather, but Mother Nature hasn't cooperated quite yet. You had better believe as soon as it hits 60 degrees I'll be in full sandals and dresses (and then freezing my butt off). It's hard to pick a favorite because I love everything, but I'm particularly excited to get to wear this striped dress out and about. It's the perfect length - long enough for work but not doudy-feeling - and really flattering!

I did snag a few items in Charleston that I keep babbling about from The Impeccable Pig, but I am leaving them out here partially because I can't find them online, and partially because they were all birthday presents.

So here's the budget for March:

Sanctuary Cold Shoulder Top (also available in black, printed, and chambray) - originally $69.00, on sale $41.40. I was unsure of this top at first, but I love how soft and pretty it is paired with white for spring and that it gives the cold shoulder trend but lets you still wear a regular bra. I wore it on our trip to Charleston here.
J. Crew Bow Heels - originally $218.00, on sale $130.80. These are SO freaking cute in person - a little extra, but what's a bow-loving girl to do?! The heel is really high though - like, somehow even higher than they look - so these are really an event shoe for me, or for a "cabs only" day haha. Probably not a problem for you gals who drive everywhere, but I'm usually on public transit and don't want to ruin my feet for the day just walking to the train!
J. Crew Factory Striped Dress - originally $52.00, on sale $27.50. Just loved on this dress above, so yes, it's basically the best. I would wear it dressed up (maybe with the bow heels!!) or dressed down with flat sandals and a denim jacket. Oh and I actually got a price adjustment on this! If you ever see a price drop a few days after you buy something, just find their customer service email or live chat, send them your order number and ask for the price to be adjusted. It's super easy, and in this case I got $9.50 back!
LOFT Essential Tank - originally $14.50, on sale $8.70. This is obviously just a layering piece, but I realized I had a hole in my closet (actually when I was planning this outfit) and had to fill it. Not the most exciting thing to shop for, but I've been wearing it all the time!
LOFT Ruffle Skirt - originally $69.50 on sale $41.70. I also realized I barely had any skirts in my closet and wanted to find some new ones for spring! This one is darling in person.
LOFT Tweed Skirt - originally $59.50, on sale $35.70. Another cute little skirt for spring that has a little hint of pink in it, and I love that there's a little flare out at the bottom. I would pair it with almost all of the tops I got this month. This one runs really big - usually I'm a 14 in skirts at LOFT, but I had to size down to a large tall in this.
LOFT Lace Top - originally $59.50, on sale $32.97. This top is so beautiful in person and incredibly flattering. Just know that it does not come with a cami underneath so you'll need your own.
J.Crew Striped Ruffle Sleeve Tee - originally $49.50, on sale $29.70. This tee is so cute in person, and the perfect heavy weight. I'd love to pair it with white shorts this summer for a fun nautical or Americana look, or with high-waisted jeans until the weather warms up. (Although I can't actually buy high-waisted jeans - even mid-rise jeans go above my belly button! It's like I was born ahead of the high-waisted trend haha).
J. Crew Factory White Shorts - $49.50, on sale $34.65. These are my ride-or-die, wear anywhere, all-time favorite shorts. They were a repurchase after I wore my last pair to the ground - I've worn them basically daily for the past four or five summers in a row. They have just enough stretch to be super comfortable but still flattering, aren't too short, and aren't see through.
Ten Sixty Sherman Bell Sleeve Tee - $30.00. Every spring/summer I find myself wishing I owned more white tops to pair with fun skirts and bright scarves, so I decided to get ahead of that wishlist and add this to my cart. It is the teensiest bit see-through, but I wore it last week with a nude bra and thought it was fine. It also comes in black, and I'm really considering snagging that one too!

Total Spent: $413.12
Total Saved: $257.88

Whoops, over budget! And I had myself totally convinced this month that I was fine - guess I forgot about buying those killer heels!

So next month I'll obviously be looking to reel things in a little, but still will be looking for more skirts. I'm also on the hunt for a new pair of basic sandals. I've been wearing the same two pairs for the past three summers now, and I noticed in Charleston that they're starting to look a little worse for the wear.

Happy shopping!

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Plain White Tee

Top - Ten Sixty Sherman / Jeans (same wash but slightly higher rise) - Madewell / Shoes - BP / Bag (similar here, here, and here) - Target / Earrings (similar pink earrings here, here, and here) - J. Crew

Okay, so this isn't EXACTLY a plain white tee, but it's pretty close, right? 

Basics like this are one of the things always missing from my wardrobe, because let's face it, they just aren't quite as exciting to shop for! I'd rather spend my monthly clothing budget on shoes with bows on them or pretty little dresses I'll only wear once or twice. 

But it's pieces like this white tee that you'll end up wearing over and over and over and really get your money's worth out of. After all, I'm pairing it with jeans here, but I've also already worn it with black pants and a suede jacket for work, and can't wait to wear it with skirts and cutoffs once the weather decides to play along with this spring thing. It's the perfect blank canvas to pair with all of my fun (read: crazy) statement earrings too! 

Three cheers to keeping that CPW (cost-per-wear) low! 

Top - Ten Sixty Sherman / Jeans (same wash but slightly higher rise) - Madewell / Shoes - BP / Bag (similar here, here, and here) - Target / Earrings (similar pink earrings here, here, and here) - J. Crew

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...finally watched Pitch Perfect 3, and even with my low expectations it was still such a letdown. At least the second one still had good performances! Major sad face.
...had another big volunteer day with Destination Imagination for the state tournament. I worked with elementary kids this time, and they are so freaking cute but also make me very scared to ever have kids that age haha.
...met our friends Andy and Laura and their cutest little toddler Henry for breakfast at Over Easy. This place is so good for breakfast, but next time we're waiting til it's warmer out for the inevitable half hour wait outside - brrrrr.
...got these espadrilles in the mail and they are so freaking cute in person and surprisingly comfortable!! I'm really happy that the giant platform espadrilles of last season have come down in height a little. I hate the look of sandals that have a high platform under the toes - so clunky!
...drove up to my aunt's house in the burbs for a going away party for my cousin Tedd - he and his girlfriend are packing up, quitting their jobs, and hopping around Europe for the next six months! I'm so jealous - how amazing does that sound?! Now Jeff and I are plotting to see if we can meet up with them this summer - maybe in Ireland?
...grabbed sushi from Miku Sushi in Lincoln Square, and holy fish you guys, I ordered some salmon nigiri and I swear my two pieces were a whole filet! Jeff and I basically had to roll home and climb directly into bed afterwards haha. I always have a hard time finding a roll I want to eat  because there's so much cream cheese and crab stick on their menu, but I always end up able to find at least one that doesn't offend my sushi purist brain, and that one is usually amazing. 

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

one / two / three / four / five

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White and Blue in Charleston

Blouse (similar) - Impeccable Pig / Shorts - J. Crew Factory / Bag - Clare V / Earrings - BaubleBar / Sandals (similar here and here) - Sole Society

Here's hoping you aren't sick of Charleston pictures yet, because I have this last set of photos for you!! As I've said a couple of times, I fell in love with the boutique chain Impeccable Pig while I was down in Charleston, and I actually snagged this blouse from there the day before! The sales girl actually went and pulled it from the back (it was so new it hadn't been steamed yet!) because she thought it would work on me, and man was she right! It's the perfect easy-breezy vacation top because it's a nice, light fabric that works in the heat or when it's cooler, and works with shorts here, but would also be great over a swimsuit or dressed up for dinner.

I was waiting to post this look because I still haven't been able to find this top online - not sure if it's still too new, or if it just won't be on their website. But, I did find a few similar tops that I've linked below:

I really can't wait to go back to Charleston, I don't know if I've expressed that from all of the blog posts and Instagram posts hahaha. It just is such a cute little town, and I love that there are pretty vignettes down every alleyway and hidden path. It just seems like there's so much to explore that you would never see everything!

This particular path reminded me a lot of Positano, Italy. Obviously we aren't on a crazy hill here or climbing up and down fourteen flights of stairs. For me, the resemblance is because we wandered down this little path that we could have walked right past without a second glance, but there are actually business and home entrances on every side. It's also fun to imagine what life was like in this particular spot three hundred or even four hundred years ago! We just don't have that sort of history here in Chicago. Or, like, sun in February. Why do I live in Chicago again?!

Blouse (similar, or similar as a romper) - Impeccable Pig / Shorts - J. Crew Factory / Bag - Clare V / Earrings - BaubleBar / Sandals (similar here and here) - Sole Society

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Pretty Little Spring Dresses under $50, $100, and $150

Do you have any fun spring events you're going to have to dress up for in the near future? Between Easter, wedding showers, baby showers, and weddings, there are a few special occasions I'm going to have to dress up for this spring! I've worn all of my fancy dresses a bunch of times, so I'm definitely on the lookout for a new dress or two to add to the closet.

As much as I love to splurge, for special occasion dresses, sometimes it's best to shop on a budget. After all, you won't wear them as often as a great pair of jeans or the perfect blazer, so the cost per wear is pretty high. So here are some options, under $50, under $100, and under $150. So you can look good and not feel bad about it!!

one / two / three / four / five

one / two / three / four / five

 one / two / three / four / five

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