for natural navajo (day 8).

The problem with reducing your wardrobe down to 42 items in the winter- the weather spiking to 60 degrees in February. I had already planned this outfit, so I was a little overdressed for the balmy weather. Oh well.

#27: J.Brand cargos

#28: Old Navy wrap cardigan

#29: Loft booties

#14: J.Crew belt

#5: Pearl stud earrings

worn with

#1: BR coat

#25: F21 bag

to SPECulate (day 7).

Look who got some new glasses! They might be a little aggressive for glasses that I actually need, but I really liked the look of them and they were only $98 (bought before my no shopping challenge, thank you very much). If you need prescription lenses and are looking for new specs, you must check out Warby Parker. 

I'm cruising right along on my Lent project- onto week #2 tomorrow.

#15: black tights

#26: J.Crew sweater dress

#16: Talbots heels

 worn with

#24: J.Crew envelope coat (not pictured)

#25: F21 bag (not pictured)

to beat the mundane Monday (day 6).

When I saw the blue sky and sun shining from my bed today, I knew it was green coat day. Nothing makes a bright day even brighter than a colorful jacket.

#15: black tights

#22: J.Crew leopard sweater dress

#23: Gap booties

#24: J.Crew envelope coat

#25: F21 bag

on a lazy Sunday.

No, no, not that kind of shopping. Just some food shopping at the ever crazy Whole Foods.

Hope everyone is having a nice, relaxing Sunday- I'm on the couch for the rest of the night, the perfect spot to take in all of the gorgeous Oscar dresses.

#1: BR coat

#18: Gap striped sweater

#19: Lululemon leggings

#20: J.Crew flats (similar)

#21: Marc by Marc Jacobs cross body bag

worn with

Ray-Ban sunglasses (not part of the project, but it was so sunny!)

for date night.

Well, I had my outfit all picked out for tonight, until our cooking class was cancelled. My casual Saturday night outfit (read: skinny cargos and 4 inch heels) was suddenly not cute enough for date night at a new restaurant. Luckily, I have limited items to choose from- so I landed on the green sweater dress previously worn this week, dressed up with jewelry and heels. Oh, and I curled my hair and put on eyeliner. Big doings.

#7: J.Crew sweater dress

#15: black tights

#16: Tablots heels

#17: Kate Spade necklace (similar)

worn with

#1: BR coat (not pictured)

with plaited locks.

Freaky Friday + 40-day challenge = a conundrum. I purposely picked pretty basic stuff for my Lent project, so there aren't a ton of pieces I would consider out-of-the-box enough for Freaky Friday. I started thinking about new hair and make-up ideas I could try, and I landed on the French braid. Haven't seen a whole lot of this look since the mid-90's (with stretchy pants and a turtleneck...is this reminding anyone else of The Babysitter's Club??), but I have to say I really liked that my hair was completely off my face and out of the way for the whole day. I would have tried to make it a little neater if I was ever on time in the morning.

#11: J.Crew striped dress

#12: J.Crew chambray shirt dress (worn underneath)

#13: J.Crew necklace (similar)

#14: J.Crew belt

worn with

#9: MICHAEL Michael Kors boots

#8: J.Crew textured tights

for basic comfort (day 2).

Well, someone was very excited to get home and into her pj's tonight. So excited, in fact, that she forgot to take pictures of her outfit. Oops.

It was supposed to be snowy and gross today, so I chose a basic sweater dress, tights and my flat brown boots. I jazzed it up a little bit with my favorite bib necklace. Hello to numbers 7, 8, 9 and 10!

It's still not snowing, by the way. Silly weather.

#7: J.Crew sweater dress

#8: J.Crew textured tights

#9: MICHAEL Michael Kors (via Piperlime)

#10: BR necklace (old)

worn with

#1: BR coat (not pictured)

#6: Louis Vuitton bag (not pictured)

for flower power (day 1).

Day 1 of my no shopping, 42 items/40 days of outfits challenge COMPLETE. I'm in love with these printed pants I snagged on sale pre-shopping boycott. They were a pretty aggressive choice for my challenge, but I figured they'd be great for my FL trip.

In other news, I unsubscribed myself from all of my shopping and deal sites today. Removing all temptation from my life. Go me.

Lastly, I decided not to post pictures of all 42 items, but I will number them in order of wear so we can all keep track. Welcome numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5!

#1: BR coat (old) 

#2: J.Crew white sweater

#3: Tropica Crops pants (via Anthropologie)

#4: Talbots heels

#5: Pearl stud earrings

#6: Louis Vuitton bag (not pictured)

to accept the challenge.

Whoa, Lent snuck up on me! I had an idea to do a 40-day, no shopping challenge this year. As if no shopping isn't hard enough for me, I also wanted to choose 40 items from my wardrobe and wear only those in different combinations for the entirety of Lent. To throw another wrench in my plan, I'm going to be in Florida for a long weekend during this time, so I need warm-weather AND cold-weather options. Yeesh.

My goal is to show myself how versatile great, quality clothing can be (in hopes to stop impulse buying) and to see if I have some self-control hiding inside somewhere...

The items I picked are below. There's actually 42, but I will be adhering to my challenge on Sundays, so I'm technically below the limit :)

• 3 jackets
• 2 blazers
• 3 sweater dresses
• 2 skirts
• 4 sweaters
• 4 pairs of pants
• 2 dresses
• 1 pair of leggings
• 2 t-shirts
• 7 pairs of shoes
• 4 bags/purses
• 3 necklaces
• 1 belt
• 1 pair of earrings
• 3 pairs of tights

I'll have pictures of all of the pieces tomorrow, including my first outfit. I'm excited to update you guys on my progress every day- wish me luck!

to put some pep(lum) in her step.

Easiest project find ever. I was looking for a simple black peplum dress and found this number within minutes of stepping into Zara. Adorable, fit like a glove and just under my price limit. Perfect! I was a little overdressed for my casual work environment, but I couldn't bear to let this dress wait for a special occasion- she begged to be taken out right away.

dress: Zara shoes: Talbots tights: Hue necklaces: F21 & Kate Spade

to embrace a new trend.

I've been seeing a lot of peplum around town and in print lately and I think it's just adorable. I couldn't wait to get my hands on something peplum, so I decided to make it my next project. I'm open to anything but I'm picturing a simple black dress that I can dress up or down. I'm limiting myself to $100, and I'm off in search of all things peplum...saying the word is almost as fun as shopping for it!

in Friday night stripes.

Happy Freaky Friday! I've been seeing this big-collar-vest-under-a-jacket trend everywhere lately, but I was a bit hesitant about the faux-sherpa vest and white leather jacket (yes, you read that correctly. White. Leather. Jacket.) combo I had in my arsenal. I was pleasantly surprised with the result and it kept me nice and cozy. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

P.S. If you love MK&A as much as I do, you have to get on in on their t-shirt website, Stylemint. Great prices and classic, casual, comfortable pieces!

dress: Stylemint vest: Old Navy jacket: Wilson's Leather (very old) tights: Hue boots: Old Navy

in a rush.

Oh man, it was one of those mornings. I thought I had an outfit all picked out, but when I put it on it was all sorts of wrong. What to do when you're frazzled and near tears (and have already missed both of your "late" buses)? Pull out the old faithfuls. It's embarrassing how many times I've worn this striped sweater, and I hardly notice these jeans are bright pink anymore- I wear them like regular denim. The boots are brand new (bought on clearance at the Gap) and after one very comfortable wear, they're already a favorite.

top: Gap jeans: Gap boots: Gap jacket: BR (old) bag: F21

to wish you a happy valentine's day.

Hope your day has been filled with all kinds of love. I took advantage of the occasion and overloaded on the red. I was going to go all red and pink, but toned it down with the black and grey. Figured I wouldn't look too good as a life-size Cupid.

P.S. I obviously had to have a little outfit affair with one of the great loves of my life today- J.Crew. I'm always yours, you wonderfully preppy and colorful heaven you.

pants: J.Crew blazer: J.Crew shirt: J.Crew (old) shoes: Kate Spade (outlet) necklace: J.Crew

for her first Freaky Friday.

I am so excited to announce my first weekly feature- Freaky Friday! The goal here is to get myself out of my comfort zone, into slightly uncomfortable situations and hopefully discover some new obsessions.

The maxi sweater dress. It's the more practical, older sister of my beloved sweater dress. I'll have you know- I'm the younger, more frivolous and flighty sister in my family, so I didn't know if I could pull this look off. But for $4.97 from Old Navy (yes, five flipping dollars), I figured it was worth a shot.

P.S. what good is a Friday, if not for early evening cocktails?

dress: Old Navy (sold out...gee, I wonder why...cough, $5, cough) jacket: Zara (sold out) 

necklace: Kate Spade (similar) shoes: Tory Burch (very old)

and has DOTS of fun.

As much as I love this outfit, I have to admit I was a little nervous about wearing it today. My trepidation is based on two things that happened the last time I cloaked myself in these polka dots:

1. I split the seam of this pencil skirt right up back. Worse, I had zero clue and had a very nice stranger tell me in a very public food court. 
2. I did think about leaving work early (ahem, see #1), but decided to be a big girl and wear my jacket/stay in my seat all day long. A wrench was thrown into this plan when I started acting all concussed from hitting my head in the shower that morning and had to go home anyway. Not dots of fun.

Luckily, I came out of today with my skirt and my head both in one piece. Victory!

skirt: J.Crew shirt: Land's End Canvas tights: J.Crew shoes: J.Crew necklace: Kate Spade 

for a girl's night out.

I was lucky enough to spend last night with three of my very favorite ladies at a charity event in Chicago. Getting dressed up for a cocktail event is way more fun than a regular night out. I wore this same outfit on New Year's and failed to take pictures, so I decided to take it for another spin. The ruffly dress is from Loft, purchased for $50 almost 2 years ago- pretty proud of the insanely low cost per wear of this piece. I also tried my best to do something different with my hair, per my resolution- what do you guys think?

dress: Ann Taylor Loft tights: J.Crew shoes: Kate Spade necklace: Kate Spade (similar)

for a bright (out)look.

We're having an unseasonably warm streak in Chicago; I wanted to wear something nice and bright to celebrate the great weather. I got this Tibi shirt at Crossroads for $55 (regular $310)! And remember my second DIY American Apparel clutch? I added that in for another pop of color. Bring on Spring...

top: Tibi jeans: J.Crew clutch: DIY American Apparel shoes: Kate Spade

and layers it on.

Another cold weather in Colorado look...a.k.a put many warm things on your body, cinch with a belt and call it a day.

dress: J.Crew sweater: Madewell tights & belt: J.Crew socks: Madewell 

boots: MICHAEL Michael Kors necklace: J.Crew (similar)