This is the companion outfit to the brunch outfit I shared last week. Two weekends ago I headed up to NYC for a girls' night with one of my friends and a bunch of her other friends. She wanted to put together a group that had never met before (apart from her) which was really fun. I got to know some great new friends and came out of my shell a bit.

We started the night by having a late dinner at Antibes Bistro followed by some drinks at The Back Room, one of only two speakeasies in New York City that operated during Prohibition and is still in existence today! Most of you know that I don't drink much (because I can't find anything I like!) but I did try Antibe's namesake cocktail, sadly it was too bubbly for me since there was champagne in it.

I didn't take any photos of my outfit that night so I put the outfit back on just for you guys! ;)

Top: Marshalls, Skirt: T by Alexander Wang (Net-a-Porter), Pumps: Jimmy Choo (Roundabout Resale), Necklace: House of Harlow (South Moon Under)

I bought this skirt with a gift card back in April at the Clinton Crossing shopping event.  It's a size XL but it was only $6 and I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket. I haven't had my Mom make the waist smaller so in these photos I'm wearing it dangerously low on my hips (with shorts underneath). If it was the proper size I have a strong feeling it would be WAY too short on me, so I guess it was a blessing in disguise that they didn't have my size. Ha ha.

Top: Cullen (Rue La La), Skirt c/o Aeropostale (Clinton Crossing), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Alethea' (also here, here & here), Necklace: House of Harlow

Well, we've entered Summer weather territory with temperatures in the 80s recently! On this particular day I wore my new dress from Aeropostale and layered this cashmere sweater on top for some more coverage. The dress is more appropriate for the beach being so short and very skimpy up top. But it is so comfortable, I love the softness of the fabric!

Cashmere Sweater: Paolo Rodesco (Roundabout Resale),  Dress c/o Aeropostale and Clinton Crossing, Sandals: Madden Girl (TJ Maxx), Necklace: House of Harlow c/o South Moon Under

This is my version of dressing down, the closest I'll get to wearing sweatpants. These awesome new Puma's are so me. Any time you make something purple I will automatically want it. For their first outing I styled them pretty basic: jeans + hoodie; a throwback to my younger years. Hopefully I'll be brave enough to try them with a skirt or something to dress them up a bit, but I'm not sure I can pull that off.

As a fun side-story: I have only worn sweatpants out in public once, not counting going to and from gymnastics practice, and that was due to extreme circumstances. I was in college, it was midnight, very snowy and my roommate asked me if I wanted her to take me to the 24 hour Walmart to buy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on DVD. She had promised to take me the day it came out and figured there was no time like midnight, ha ha! So off I went in the snow in my sweatpants and Emu's.

Tee: Everlane, Hoodie: American Eagle Outfitters, Jeans: Current/Elliott (The Outnet), Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs (Saks Friends & Family Sale), Necklace: House of Harlow c/o South Moon Under, Shoes: PUMA c/o Kicks USA


Thanks to my sister for taking these photos!

We finally experienced some Spring weather last week so I was able to wear this super light silk top without freezing. I also paired it with my new suede pants! I was worried I wouldn't be able to wear them for Spring but then I realized they would pair well with a flowy top to tone down the darkness!

Kimono: thrifted, Tank: Cynthia Rowley c/o  Marshalls, Pants: Blank NYC (South Moon Under), Shoes: Proenza Schouler (Roundabout Resale), Necklace: BubuRuby (etsy), Rings: old, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Lumo 'Violet, Lumo 'Rope', Bag c/o Orox Leather

Starting this month I'm no longer doing the traditional French Wardrobe Challenge. I made it through one year, which is pretty darn good! So now I think I have learned quality over quantity and basics over crazy pieces. From now on I'll just be mindful of my purchases and try to stick to buying mostly basics.

I did a pretty good job this month with a few exceptions.  I splurged on two rings from Lumo that I've had my eye on, but I used advertising money I had in PayPal so they were 'free.' I also scored a few deals that I couldn't pass up. One was a pair of silk pants from The Outnet that will be perfect for my trip to Greece (I also had to buy a navy tee to go with them.) The second was another pair of pants - faux suede and super soft!

From now until my vacation starts on April 11th I'm going to try not to buy ANYTHING (no clothes, no movies, nada!) And then during my trip I have a list of a few things I want to buy. When I get home I'm going to attempt a few months of no-shopping to get myself back on track after a rough tax season. In that way, freelancing sucks! Three huge chunks of money will be leaving my bank account within 3 months, thanks to 2014 taxes and 2015 quarterly taxes.



THE RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS

Clothes:

1. *NEW!* Blank Vegan 5 Pocket Olive Jeans ($23 via South Moon Under, retail $98)
2. *NEW!* Sea printed silk tapered pants ($56 via The Outnet Clearance Sale, used advertising money)

Basics:

1. *NEW!* Zenana Outfitters navy tee ($5.99 via Marshalls)

Shoes:

1. *NEW!* Diane von Furstenberg 'Emma' pointed toe flats ($18 via Marshalls, retail $250)

Accessories:

1. *NEW!* Ray-Ban 'Erika' Sunglasses ($15 via Ditto, with coupon code)
2. *NEW!* LUMO 'Violet' Ring with Australian Opal ($85, used advertising money)
3. *NEW!* LUMO 'Rope' Ring ($40, used advertising money)

Gifted:

1. *NEW!* Orox Leather laptop sleeve
2. *NEW!* Orox Leather 'Merces Petite' bag

Once again my outfit plans were foiled by the weather! This weekend I went to South Moon Under's 1st Anniversary event with Lydia. I was hoping the weather would be nice (aka not raining or snowing) so I could wear my fun printed Carven skirt (seen here) with a tee, suede jacket, tights and sandals to show off my second Orox Leather Co. handbag! Unfortunately, it was flurrying/raining all day and really cold, so I had to resort to wearing a dress with an over-sized sweater and I look a little dumpy...not pleased.  On the plus side, I had gotten my hair done on Thursday night at a party and was amazed to find that it wasn't totally ruined by Saturday morning, so I let it have one more day before taking it out and washing my hair, ha ha.

Other than that, the day was great! I broke a promise to myself and bought a pair of pants (only $23!), had some Chinese food for lunch and finished reading The Cuckoo's Calling.

Back to the bag. How adorable is this Merces Petite purse Orox Leather sent? It's made of the same leather as the laptop sleeve I shared on Friday. It has an adjustable double knot shoulder strap so you can wear it short or as a crossbody. There is even a little sleeve compartment inside perfect for storing a cell phone (my iPhone 6 fit great!)

Dress: Diane von Furstenerg (Coco's on the Green), Sweater: Inis Crafts (Marshalls), Boots: Grandma's, Rings: old, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Lumo 'Violet, Lumo 'Rope', Bag c/o Orox Leather

A couple weekends ago I took a last minute trip to New York City for brunch with friends.  I wanted to wear this camisole I got during Piperlime's 60% off sale sale (only $12!) but it was going to be quite chilly. So I wore a suede jacket and topped it off with a leopard coat. I took these photos at about 8:30am so I forgot to take a quick shot with the jacket - oops! I also broke a fashion "rule" and wore black and navy together, but it totally worked!

Luckily it wasn't too cold so after brunch a few of us walked through Central Park to head back to our respective locations. Grand Central for me! I was only in the city for 4 hours, and my travel time was 3.5 hours. Sometimes you have to sacrifice time for fun! :)  Right when I got home I headed out to dinner with all my cousins, so it was truly a whirlwind day!

Camisole: Eight Sixty (Piperlime), Jacket: Lauren by Ralph Lauren (Marshalls), Jeans: Current/Elliott (The Outnet), Boots: Vince Camuto (Marshalls), Necklace: House of Harlow c/o South Moon Under, Bag: Gianni Notaro (Marshalls)

This cardigan is so warm and cozy. I have been throwing it on over my pjs at night to keep me extra toasty so I figured I should wear it in an outfit too! I believe I only paid $4 for it, score!  It wasn't super cold this day so I was okay in this layered look - tank top, sweater and cardigan. I like mixing over-sized sweaters with tighter fitting under-layers, that way I don't look like a snowball, ha ha. Although, sometimes I feel like looking fat and fluffy, so I just wear this.

Sweater: Vanessa Bruno (Roundabout Resale), Caridgan: Lauren by Ralph Lauren (Goodwill),  Jeans: J Brand c/o Marshalls, Boots: R2 (DSW), Necklace: House of Harlow (South Moon Under)