Instagram as Inspiration

My biggest obsession lately is Instagram. I have found it to be incredibly useful for planning outfits, keeping up on spring trends, and feeding my love of photography. Some people, love photos of food.  I love photos that include "OOTDs" or outfits of the day! :)

I regularly follow a few amateur and professional fashion bloggers who post outfits of the day and fantastic photos of their fashion choices. I have found that seeing the outfit combinations that others post, helps me put together better combinations of my own clothing. It also helps me find holes in my wardrobe. I am trying to buy less of the same items, and find things to improve what I have on hand.  I am re-learning to accessorize. Not something I have done much of in the past, since I tend to wear the same simple jewelry everyday. Instagram has really helped me learn to go outside of my comfort zone and try new accessories. Of course, it makes me want to shop a little too much too! :)



Two recent OOTD:

Thanks to all the fashion bloggers! Your photos and fashion feedback, help inform your followers and are a great source of information. Now, if I could only have ALL of your wardrobes. :)

In-Store Reviews Spring 2013

I made it in to J. Crew today, and tried on a few of the new spring arrivals. My store was offering the secret   20% off promo in store, which was a great incentive to shop. I am so glad that I did an in store visit! It really helped to see things in person, and changed what I would have ordered had I gone my usual online purchase route.

First the Pink Peony tee...beautiful print! Really lovely, but very see-through!!! I tried it on with my nude bra underneath, and you could still see a little too much skin for my comfort.  And, the linen fabric was snagged on both medium tees that were left in my size. So, I passed! If this comes back in a 100% cotton fabric for J. Crew Factory, I would definitely consider trying it again, since the flower print is really spectacular.  I know it has worked for some bloggers, but I am not one of them.

The elbow sleeve anchor tee, was great! Loved it and picked it up. Very cute! Not much of a surprise, I guess. I need another stripe tee, like I need a hole in my head. But, I know it will get lots of wear. :)

The indigo popover blouse, pictured below, is very cute in person. It is a lighter color then I expected though and not a deep blue as pictured on the site .The fabric was much heavier then I thought it would be too. I did like it, and considered picking it up, but I think I will wait until it goes on sale. The fabric is a bit thick for the sunny weather in Los Angeles. It's 80 degrees here today, and it made me hot. So pass for now!


Next, I tried on and purchased the Loden Peasant top in Liberty Fabric. Beautiful print! It runs a little large, so I would suggest sizing down. I am a sucker for Liberty of London items, and happy to add a new shirt to my collection. :)


Finally, I picked up the Kaleidoscope Scarf for a great price..$39! I have had my eye on this for a while and cannot wait to wear it. :)

I came home with some lovely things and am looking forward to wearing them during this beautiful LA weather. 

Spring Update!

New arrivals are up on the J. Crew site today. Since I just bought a bunch of stuff on sale and from J. Crew and J. Crew Factory, I will be waiting to add new things to my wardrobe. However, here is what caught my eye that I might buy later:

The Liberty Peasant Top in Lodden:

Love the new eyelet top too! I have missed out on eyelet tops in the past, so may be adding this to the top of my list:

My anchor obsession continues with this new offering:

Finally, I will be breaking my no spending rule for this one tee:

There a quite a few other things that I love, but J. Crew's price point seems to keep jumping up. I spend too much as it is, and higher prices mean I will miss out on quite a few things. If I luck out, I am hoping to get something in the Hummingbird print. But, I will have to wait.

What new items do you like from the J. Crew spring collection?

January 2013 Purchases

We have a good friend's wedding coming up in March, and I finally was able to buy a dress I have been stalking for a few months. This will be perfect! I wanted something ladylike to wear, that will not upstage the bride. :) I think this will be the perfect dress for the occasion.  Also, I can easily wear this to work as well. I have been looking for the perfect dress with a peter pan collar and this fits that need.

In 2012, I spent way too much on clothing. My goal in 2013, is to only buy pieces to fill holes in my wardrobe, and keep my spending to a minimum.  Hopefully, I can stick to it! I will post a review once it arrives.

I have also purchased a few things from LL Bean Signature recently, and have to say I am very impressed with the quality of the line. It reminds me so much of the J. Crew line from years ago, that was so classic.

These were my two purchases:

I ordered an 8 Petite, and found that this fit true to size.  The madras print is beautiful and goes well with many things I have in my wardrobe.

I seem to be on an Anchor kick still this year. Love anchor prints, and bought this very popular sweater after seeing it on a blogger, I regularly read. This is now sold out online:



Adorable, heavy wool sweater. It fits very fitted and its best to size up if you can.

Loving all of my winter purchases, and looking forward to more style choices for 2013!

A couple of purchases recently:

This is an adorable nautical print that I fell in love with instantly! Its light weight and perfect for summer. I would size down, as it runs big. The only negative thing, is that the fabric is tissue weight, which we all know by now is prone to holes. This will be hand wash only for me!

Continuing my nautical theme I also picked up the J. Crew silk anchor blouse too:

Again, love the pattern and it fits true to size!  Really will enjoy wearing this over the coming months!
I have a couple of other things on the way, including that gondola top, that is finally the right price. :)

J. Crew Spring

My budget requires this lovely blouse to go on sale soon!

Swimsuit Must Haves from J Crew!

Loving the swimsuits in stock at J. Crew! Here are two bandeau tanks I would love to pick up:

Or...

I am dreaming of a beach holiday! How about you? :)