Fashion Friday: Lace+Stripes

My favorite neutral is probably grey. To me, it’s a little happier than black but still goes with just about anything. I love dark greys, but certain shades of light grey are really pretty too.

When I got this scarf at ALDO over the weekend (hail yes to Memorial Day sales!), I was already planning on what I’d wear it with. I love scarves, but I don’t have nearly enough (I think I have 6 now). And they’re certainly not a fall/winter staple only. Oh no. I love lightweight scarves in summer too. What I love about this one is it’s infinity (my favorite kind) AND it’s got three different striped patterns, making it totally versatile. And it’s grey/white too, so it basically works with anything.

Scarf love.

Grey cropped lace-trimmed sweater (Hollister), multi-striped infinity scarf (ALDO), burgundy twill shorts (Abercrombie).

I decided to pair it with more grey, and offset it with one of my favorite pairs of colored shorts. I have a serious addiction to colored twill shorts. I own way too many to count (most from Hollister/Abercrombie) and I will never have enough. And they’re totally work-appropriate…well, at least in my workplace. Believe it or not, I’m one of the dressiest people there, aside from the anchors/reporters who HAVE to dress business casual when they’re on-air. For me, I could roll in wearing running shorts, a t-shirt and a baseball hat, especially since I work mornings, but I don’t. The outfit above is more my style. And the shorts are a little short, but since they’re looser-fitting and a dark color, they look pulled together.

Grey-sequined Sperry’s knockoffs (Payless Shoe Source).

Snake ring and banded ring (American Eagle).

I pulled the look together with my signature rings, and my knockoff Sperry’s (scored for under $20 at Payless!) instead of my usual fancy sandals. Perfect for a (casual) work environment or a day spent shopping at the mall. Totally up to you. But if I were you, I’d so choose shopping over work 😉

Side note: anyone guess what time these photos were taken? 3 AM on Wednesday morning. My great bathroom lighting fooled ya! Also, promise I’m not a freak who wakes up at 3 to take outfit pics. I’m just a freak who works from 3:30-11:30 AM! 

What kind of clothes do you wear to work? 

Fashion Friday: White Hot

Before I get into the post, let me just say a big “Thank you!” to everyone who took the time to read and comment on my post on Tuesday. I really needed to hear your words of encouragement and tough love so thanks again. You all had some great points!

Ever heard the old fashion adage ‘never wear white after Labor Day’? It seems so old-fashioned, right? I mean, who doesn’t wear white in some form in the months between Labor Day and Memorial Day? And really, what’s so wrong with that? An article in Time even says that the practice is outdated–it’s rumored to have started because wearing white in the summer was a way to stay cool in the absence of A/C, and once summer was over, people returned to their jobs and more drab-colored clothing.  But today, it’s definitely acceptable to wear white year-round, even in the winter.

White isn’t one of my favorite colors (too boring) or even my favorite neutral (that would be dark grey or brown) but it’s a nice way to mix up a more colorful outfit. And you can definitely wear it in the winter, despite what people say. Sure, you might not want to go for white pants but that’s mostly because you don’t want to get them dirty trekking through the snow and slush. But accessories and pops of white are definitely fair game.

White rose ring: Forever 21.

I love white accessories, they’re so clean and simple. This ring is a newer addition to my growing collection and it’s probably my new favorite. It was super cheap (like $3) but it’s stayed intact so far and it looks cute, especially with polished nails.

Easy fit white sweater: Abercrombie ; Fitch. Royal blue chiffon skirt: Abercrombie & Fitch.

I do wear white in my outfits, mainly as sweaters. But I like wearing it with brighter pieces, like this royal blue skirt. White goes with literally everything, so you can’t go wrong. Just make sure the style of the white piece you’re wearing generally coordinates with the style of the colored piece.

White watch: American Eagle.

This watch is an even newer purchase, and it was definitely worth the price (though it was cheap-ish too). I’ve always liked the look of white watches and when I stumbled upon this one, I knew I had to have it. I really like the pink accents and simplistic style of the watch.

Do you wear white in the winter? What’s your favorite kind of accessory? 

Fashion Friday: Christmas Clothes

Remember when you were younger, and all you wanted for Christmas was toys? Some of my favorite presents from Christmases past include a dollhouse, an Easy Bake oven and Beanie Babies…good times 😉 As I’ve grown up, though, my Christmas wishlists have been pretty much been devoted to one thing–clothes. As an aspiring fashionista, I have an obsession with clothes shopping and I feel like I could never have too many outfits. This year, as in recent years, I got quite a few wonderful things not on my wishlist (such as pink-colored office supplies–my dad knows me too well–and a new blingy phone case) but most of what I received was clothing-related, or could be used towards buying clothes. And you better believe I was thrilled about our family’s post-Christmas shopping trip in Denver!

White easy fit sweater: Abercrombie & Fitch. Royal blue chiffon skirt: Abercrombie & Fitch.

This was the outfit I unwrapped on Christmas. They were actually wrapped up separately but they go well together. I’m planning on wearing this during the winter paired with grey tights and my grey wedge booties and in the spring sans tights with a cute pair of flats.

Sparkly pink makeup bag (Forever 21) and a handbags daily calendar.

These were two unexpected fashion-related gifts but I love them! I was in desperate need of a new makeup bag as my old one was starting to rip, and this calendar is perfect for the designer bag-lover in me.

The riding boots I’ve been wanting for months!

Once I unwrapped these, my Christmas was complete. I’ve been wanting a nice pair of riding boots since at least last Christmas, but haven’t been able to track down the perfect, inexpensive pair. My mom got these from Macy’s and they’re just the right color and style to go with everything.

White flower bouquet ring: Forever 21.

I’m a sucker for cheap, quality jewelry, especially rings. American Eagle used to be my go-to but now I prefer Forever 21 and ALDO Accessories for their wider selection. This ring was under $4! The only thing I hate about shopping for rings is finding my size–I wear a 6, which is sometimes even too big so I always have to try before I buy.

Light blue faux leather jacket: Forever 21. Dark wash jeggings: American Eagle.

This jacket is probably one of my favorite purchases from my haul, or possibly one of my favorite buys ever. I almost convinced my sister to buy it but I ended up with it, and for under $25 too! Forever 21 is a lifesaver wallet saver for sure. My only issue with shopping there is the ridiculous selection–it’s such a giant store.

Jacket closeup.

I love the detailing on this jacket. It makes me feel like a bad ass 😉 More like a bad ass vegan who likes the look of leather but not the cruelty aspect of it!

Navy easy fit sweater: Hollister. Pink plaid PJ shorts: Hollister.

Hollister was having a huge post-Christmas sale (50% off everything in clearance!) and I had a gift card there so I went a little crazy. Okay, not really, I only bought 4 things but I only ended up having to pay $10 for it so that was a nice surprise. The PJ shorts might not get too much wear until spring but I love them so much that I might be willing to freeze my legs off to wear them earlier. The sweater is a basic but I like the looser fit and it’ll look great with anything.

White sheer sparkle tank: Hollister.

Another basic–you can’t go wrong with a white tank, especially when it has some sparkly details. I’m planning on pairing this with my burgundy jeggings and my brown faux leather jacket.

Coral easy fit sweater: Hollister.

Another favorite buy–I just love the bright color of this sweater! Besides getting a lot of sweaters for Christmas, they’re also all easy fit sweaters which I like because they’ll look great paired with skinnies and jeggings. Loose+loose and tight+tight are no-nos but pairing a looser top with tighter fitting bottoms definitely works! And this sweater isn’t too heavy either so it’ll work into the spring months.

Do you prefer looser/longer sweaters or tighter/shorter ones? Did you get or buy any clothes for Christmas? 

Fashion Friday: Casual Florals

I know there are lots of fashion posts around the blog world, but as someone who used to have a fashion blog of her own (I still have it, I just rarely post there anymore) I can’t believe I haven’t done a fashion post on AlmostVegGirlie in awhile. So let’s get to my first ever Fashion Friday! Hopefully I can make this a weekly or every other week kind of post because I love sharing my outfits with you guys. As a college student, I feel out of place sometimes in the sea of leggings and Northface jackets, but I don’t mind ‘dressing up’ for class every day–it makes me feel like me!

This week, it’s all about the florals. Who says florals are only for spring? Not me! I wear them year-round (yes, even in winter) but you have to know how to wear them right. In fall and winter, floral scarves and accents are perfectly acceptable, especially in muted tones.

 

Navy cardigan: American Eagle. Floral scarf: American Eagle. Light grey ruffled tank: Abercrombie & Fitch. Dark wash jeggings: American Eagle. Grey corduroy wedge ankle booties: ALDO.

(L to R). Grey wedge ankle booties. Floral scarf. Snake ring: American Eagle.

This is one of my favorite fall outfits, it’s just so fun while also being no-fuss. The accessories really are what make the outfit and I love that because accessories are my favorite part of every outfit. I got the ring for Christmas from my sister last year–obviously she knows I love quirky rings! I got the scarf (I think) for Easter last year and it really makes this outfit pop, with the bright floral pattern. And the boots I bought last fall on sale and I’m so glad I did. ALDO has a really great selection of shoes and when you can find them on sale in the store or on Zappos, definitely buy them because they’re high-quality and very cute. These booties have hidden wedge heels but are really easy to walk in.

What’s your go-to fall outfit? Do you wear florals?

Shopping & Sledding

Soooooo guys, I kinda lied to you last time at the end of my post when I said we were going sledding. We actually ended up going sledding yesterday since the state park we were going to didn’t have any facilities open on Monday or Tuesday and we didn’t want to be stuck up there without a bathroom–ummmm TMI!

What we did end up doing on Tuesday was even better–shopping! Obviously I am such a shopaholic, I will almost never turn down a shopping trip, clothes or grocery or otherwise. It’s just so much fun. We headed up to our favorite Denver mall for a day of shopping and eating out.

One major disappointment of the day was driving to Gelazzi (aka the best gelato place ever) and realizing that it was closed for remodeling! Yeah, uh, what is that all about? But no worries, we ended up checking out a new-to-us froyo place called Peach Wave and the disappointment ended when I realized they had several seasonal flavors to choose from. Me and seasonal flavors are BFFs, of course, so I ended up getting peppermint stick and chocolate froyos with raspberries on top. Boy was it delicious! I also sampled a few other flavors, including peanut butter, which was outta this world! But then again nut butters rock my world 😉

Shopping was hella fun, as expected. My sister and I headed out on our own, only to be surprised by how crazy the crowds were! I don’t think we’ve ever gone shopping that soon after Christmas so it was quite a shock. We even had to wait in a line outside of Hollister for about 5 minutes before they’d let us in since so many people were in the store 😯 It was hectic to say the least, but we got a ton of good deals and we both scored a ton of things! I seriously don’t think I’ve ever bought that many things at once!

I'm starting to really love stripes--especially in my favorite color (A&F Audrey pullover sweater)

 

I can always use another cute tank top...especially when it has the same name as me 😉 (A&F Ashley tank)

Abercrombie & Fitch, usually the calmest store at the mall, was packed with so many people that my sister and I got really frustrated! We did end up leaving the store with two purchases each in hand (for 40% off, too)–a pair of flare jeans and a lacy top for her, a pink striped sweater and ruffly grey cami for me.

I'm obsessed with lace...and bows! (Abercrombie Kids Dessa tank)

Abercrombie Kids was also a zoo, but practically everyone in the store was much shorter than me–that’s what I get for shopping in a kids store, I guess. I did score this adorable lacy tank with a pinstripe bow ‘belt’ for less than $20 though!

As if I really need more necklaces in my life... (AE)

How cute is this ring? (AE XO Ring)

 

American Eagle is the best place to get good jewelry cheap (okay, Forever 21 is too). I had a gift card to here that I spent completely on a necklace and a ring. I am basically jewelry obsessed and rarely go a day without wearing at least a necklace or some bangles. Apparently this Christmas I was really blessed with jewelry, since I also got another necklace and another ring as presents…

You can never have too much plaid (Hollister Manhattan Beach shirt)

 

Still in love with jeggings (Hollister Cord Jegging)

At Hollister, I continued my recent obsession with plaid shirts and jeggings. I’ve been eyeing these corduroy jeggings for the longest time, and once I took the plunge and bought my first pair the other day I decided to get these too. Since they’re tan, they’ll look good with anything and will fit well with my brown suede boots and the new boots I got for Christmas!

I also did a little online shopping back at home, where I ended up buying grey lace shorts from Abercrombie Kids and a pinstriped oxford-type shirt from Gilly Hicks.

We ended our day in Denver with dinner at On the Border, courtesy of a gift card my mom got. I haven’t been there in years, not since I’ve gone vegetarian, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicious veg-friendly meal of grilled veggie fajitas. Fajitas are always good and this one did not disappoint–it was mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, squash, zucchini and topped with super-hot fresh jalapeno slices. You can bet I was downing a ton of water throughout the meal, but it was delish! The fresh guac on the side was also amazingly good. I’m also pretty sure that the fajitas are vegan-friendly, as long as you don’t eat the side of sour cream that it came with–so I was able to find a yummy vegan meal in a regular restaurant..wooooo!

Sledding yesterday was also oodles of fun! We drove up to a state park up in the mountains and spent a couple of hours racing down the hills on our sleds. On one really fast run, I ended up tearing our inner tube on a stick and it deflated 😦 But it was fun while it lasted, and we still had two other sleds to have fun on. I was surprised by how fast and far we could go, and also by how bumpy the runs were. It was also reeeeeeally hard to walk up the hills, but it was an awesome workout without really feeling like one! On our way back home, we hit up Starbucks and I bet you can guess what I got–my usual holiday drink, a tall skinny soy peppermint mocha. Definitely a day to remember!

What fun things have you been up to lately? Have you gotten any good after-Christmas deals yet?

Style Phile: Maxed Out!

Because of my undeniable love of fashion (and shopping!) I decided to put together a little series (that will appear from time to time) of style-related posts, featuring some of my favorite new finds or just my personal opinion on all things fashion. Hope you enjoy 😀

I recently embarked on my semi-annual shopping haul (I’m not sure if it counts as a “haul” per se, because I usually only end up buying 4-7 items, but still. Oh, and it also happens probably 3-4 times a year, so it’s not quite semi-annual. Whatevs 😉 ) to Park Meadows Mall. I love this place. It’s my fave place to go shopping in Colorado; I could totally live here. It’s a pretty upscale, modern mall with tons of stores, most of which I’ve never even set foot in. But at some point, I would like to (minus the stores that only sell baby clothes or shoes for men or something like that). I mean, come on, I just realized there is a lululemon store there! Really? How did I not know this before–slash drop all my hard-earned money there? A lot of bloggers talk about lululemon and I’ve always thought, “I wish I could go there, but I’ve never seen one before in my life. I doubt they exist in my little corner of the world!” Now that I know that that’s completely untrue, I’m dying to go check it out. But I digress.

First stop: Hollister. AKA one of my favorite stores ever. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people that only buy things from there to fit in, look cool, blah blah blah (not that I’m judging them or anything). I first started shopping there five years ago, most likely because some of my friends did, but I’ve been a loyal customer since because I honestly love their clothes and their style matches my personality. Not to mention their prices are slightly lower than Abercrombie & Fitch’s (another favorite store). Win-win-win! But this time, I wasn’t really sure I was gonna end up with anything. I was lusting after a lace-trimmed, pinstriped cotton miniskirt (which was apparently only available for mannequin usage…) and when I didn’t see it, I made a beeline for the back of the store–the clearance area. I wasn’t really down for spending all my cash in one place for one item (ahem, on an adorable dress or khaki jacket) so when I found a pair of navy blue twill shorts for 15 bucks…well, I just had to buy them 😉 Seconds later, I spotted an orange thing all by itself on a shelf. I picked it up, and realized it was a cropped hoodie–just like one I had bought on clearance a year ago! Lo and behold, it was my size (love when that happens) and only $7.90! Um, a definite yes! My sister joked that I already had it, but mine’s in turquoise and this one was orange. Big difference. I do not mind buying the same piece in different colors if I truly love it. And being that cheap, how could I turn it down? So I bought the shorts and hoodie.

Orange cropped hoodie (new, Hollister), navy/orange floral button-down cami (Hollister), destroyed denim miniskirt (Hollister)

 (P.S. My bathroom is the best place for self-portraits, since it’s bright and has a big mirror. Sorry about the awkwardness 🙂 )

Multi floral tank (Abercrombie & Fitch), navy blue twill shorts (new, Hollister)

After a stop at American Eagle (they didn’t have the owl necklace I fell in love with and their leather sandals were a bit too expensive) and Williams Sonoma for some chili-lime seasoning, we hit up Abercrombie Kids and A&F. I actually do own a few items from the kids store, because it’s very similar to A&F’s items yet a lot cheaper and because I can still fit into their things. Score! This time, I didn’t find anything amazing there, so we ventured into A&F. You can seriously smell it almost a mile away! But the cologne smell is amazing, so I’m not complaining. I went almost immediately to the back of the store, because I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything full price here. It’s just way too overpriced. On the way, I spotted the $20 brown twill shorts I’ve been wanting and grabbed them. Usually, I pick out items I think look cute, but then end up having almost nothing to wear with it. This time, I decided to actually find something to go with the shorts. I have a few light pink tops at home, but they’re more fall-like. I needed something to wear with the shorts now! Nothing was really grabbing me, until my mom showed me a ruffly tank in white. It was gorgeous, yet simple, and I liked it, but it didn’t have quite enough oomph. Then she showed me a peachy-pinky-off white ruffly tank and it just seemed perfect. Slouchy, but not sloppy. Understated yet pretty. And just the right shade to pair with brown and pink. And it was 30% off. Well, if I must… 😉

Off-white ruffled tank (new, Abercrombie & Fitch), dark brown cuffed twill shorts (new, Abercrombie & Fitch)

At the register, I pulled out the 20% off entire purchase card I had (that expired two days later, yay for procrastination) and got ready to pay. I wasn’t quite sure how much money I had left on my debit card, but I swiped it happily. At first, I was sure I was in the clear because the woman ringing me up wasn’t paying attention to the screen…but seconds later, she said “Oh, you still owe $2.26.” My heart dropped a little, but I dashed over to my mom and begged her to cough up politely asked her for $2. I was a little embarrassed that I “maxed out” my card, but I was sooooo thankful for my mom being there to save my butt. What would I do without her (and her money)?

Next time, I’ll make sure that I have enough money to pay so I don’t end up in the same situation again. One time’s enough!

Have you ever gone over your spending limit? Favorite place to buy clothes?