This was my first month where my budget is only for clothes.  I think this works a little better for me so I'm glad I changed my rules, ha ha.  I only bought things that I really liked and should wear a lot, but a couple were a bit more expensive than things I usually buy so I'm a little mad at myself. I need to get used to spending more money for better pieces. I also returned that Proenza Schouler for Target dress, I was going to take the $40 I got back off my total but since I was under budget I decided to just leave it, ha ha.

• May 4th - A|Wear Sweater ASOS $44.85
• May 5th - Zara Leopard Skirt (eBay) $29.90
• May 7th - 3 Tops from TJ Maxx $37.98 
• May 13th - Skirt from Ruche $12.99 (had a $25 gift card from Bonnie's giveaway)

Total: $125.72
LEFT: $24.28

[Beware: Huge Ramble Ahead]

Also, I have decided I'm going to try yet another approach to budgeting/shopping. It's really just a trial and error time for me to figure out what works best.  This time it is Becky-May who has inspired my new way of shopping, last month she posted about Dead Fleurette's Perfect Wardrobe posts (1 and 2).

I have decided I am going to TRY to cut out clothing shopping for the next 2 to 3 months [except while I'm on my London/Paris/NYC trip...haha...and perhaps if I find something awesome at the net-a-porter sale].  My closet has started to explode with clothes that I don't really need, some of which I just don't have the heart to get rid of because of memories.
[this is the clean part of my closet, the bottom is exploding with tank tops, tshirts (that I barely wear) &, jeans/shorts & more shoes]

If I'm able to stick to this then every couple of months I can splurge on a classic designer piece that will last forever. For example, some black pumps (perhaps some CLs?...), a perfect blazer, that rose gold Michael Kors watch ;) etc.  Of course I'll still keep with my thrifty ways and try to get them below retail when  possible. Lately I've noticed that my basic outfit is a dress with either a sweater or blazer.  If I'm not in a dress I usually go for jeans and then a sweater or blazer.

My plan, as I said, is to not shop for a while but instead think about items that I need in my wardrobe and make a wish list of pieces I think will be timeless. I find that a lot of the time I am not totally satisfied with my purchases because I settled on something because it was cheaper than what I really wanted. But if I keep to this, I will be able to buy what I really want.

I probably picked a bad time to do this since it's summer and I'll probably go on shopping trips with my friends, but I will try to be strong.  What do you think...is this a good idea?

And because I'm nice, here's a full shot of my closet so you can see the messyness at the bottom ;)

I haven't had a requested Dress for Less in a while so I was quite excited to help out Anna with her request:

I need a nice fashionable outfit that's cute and sexy at the same time, for the first day of university :) my budget is £50 :) any stores you like, I don't have any particular items, and I love the colours grey, white, black and pink :) although I don't mind any colours, apart from red and orange :)

She starts school in the fall so I tried to make this layered so if it is a hot day she can remove a layer and if it gets cold she can add another. I also decided to keep the colors simple and then add a pop of pink with the necklace.
Flats - £10
Dress - £17
Cardigan - £15.99
Necklace - £8
Total: £50.99

Also, Net-a-Porter's End of Season Sale has started!!! EXCITEMENT! You can get up to 50% off some items!

First, before I get to the post, the winner of the Towne and Reese giveaway is comment number 21, Kristin of BonBon Rose Girls! I'll be emailing you in a bit!

I decided to do a non-fashion related post today for a little change.  As many of you know I graduated college last year and now I'm living at home while working full time (as a web programmer/designer).  I decided not to get an apartment but to save up for a few years so I can buy a house. I'd much rather stay home and build up my money than spend it on a place that I will only live in temporarily.  This i also why I keep such a strict budget, I'm trying to save as much money as I can as fast as I can.

Now that the boring intro is done I can get to my post.  I have been dreaming about what kind of house I want for as long as I can remember.  What I would really love is an adorable little cottage in the forest (or maybe near a beach...or in a forest by the beach!) full of overgrown bushes and exploding with flowers! While searching for images I ended up finding my dream house, sadly it is in England and not for sale ;)

As for what will go on inside the house...that's a different story.  I have no idea what I would do for interior decorating so I will have to do TONS of photo searching and shopping at Home Goods/other fun places. I would probably go with a rustic feel though to stay in keeping with the outside of the house.  Here are some I found quickly, click to see them larger:

And I wouldn't say no to a huge walk-in closet or, better yet, a closet room!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

The OUTNET sent over these great Memorial Day Shopping Tips from their fashion editor Eve.  I had the pleasure of meeting Eve at my Dress Up shoot back in March, she's awesome! So here we go!

Need tips on what to buy during the Memorial Day sales? THE OUTNET.COM is on sale 365 days a year with amazing discounts of up to 70%, so who better to give you shopping advice than THE OUTNET’s Fashion Editor, Eve Thomas.

Go scouting! Show up to the store the evening before the sale starts to do a recce. It’s also worth saying that you received an invitation to the sale preview last year and asking if they are holding one now. If you are shopping online, add items to your Most Wanted List or wish list so you can find your favorites really quickly on the day.

Do your fashion homework! Find out designers’ signature pieces – think Alaïa shoes, Balmain blazers, Burberry trench and anything red by Valentino – and snap them up whenever you see them on sale as it’s an ultra-rare opportunity.

Think ahead! Choose pieces that you can wear now and in fall/winter. Key trends stick around for a few seasons, so sales can be a great chance to stock up your next-season wardrobe if you shop smart. I’ll be looking out for these key pieces that I can wear now and later.

• A ‘60s shift dress.
• Sequins and shimmer for day and night.
• Leather skirt – dress it down with a tee now and layer with cashmere when the weather cools.
• White – great with a tan and super-chic in winter.

Go for it! If you really love something, don’t hesitate to buy it. Sale items don’t hang around for long.

And here are some patriotic-ish pieces since it is Memorial Day this weekend. Click the images to go to the product pages! :)

We FINALLY had nice weather the second half of this week, it got up to the 80s! PERFECTION!  Hopefully I will be able to go tightless all the time from now on (I bet I just jinxed it. On Monday I wore my new skirt from Ruche that I bought with a $25 gift card I won from Bonnie's blog so it was only $12.99! I really need more maxi skirts, they are sooo comfy, but since I'm short it's hard to find ones that are the right length for me. [It looks funny in the photos...but looked good in person]

Also, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend in the US so I have Monday off work, partayyy! I'm doing nothing on Monday, but we're having a small family get together on Sunday. Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

Monday: Skirt: Ruche $13, Tank: Ellen Tracy (TJ Maxx) $12, Sandals: Kohls $12	Tuesday: Jeans: American Eagle $0, Top: Rumors (TJ Maxx) $12, Heels: Crowne Vintage $45
Wednesday: Dress: Calvin Klein (Marhsalls) $30, Sweater: Kohl's gift, Heels: Target $20, Sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs gift card $0, Belt: Kenneth Cole $7, Necklace: c/o Town and Reese	Thursday: Top: c/o Ella Moss, Cargos: American Eagle $0, Wedges: Madden Girl (TJ Maxx) $20
Friday: Dress: Marc by Marc Jacobs (eBay) $27, Sweater: Urban Behavior from roommate, Heels: Michael Kors (DSW) $55

P.S. Is it weird that I get a sick satisfaction out of mean anonymous comments? There has recently been a girl (or guy) leaving anonymous comments and they seriously crack me up. 1. If you hate the blog, why visit and leave comments, and 2. regarding this comment:

Girl has ridiculously expensive purse, whoop-dee-doo
"Move along please, nothing to see here"
Meh.... :/

Do you not read my blog? The whole point is getting things cheap/affordable, it doesn't matter how expensive your clothes are, it's how you wear them. So yea...rant over, but if more keep coming I may have to start sharing them all with you ;)

I thought it might be fun to start a mini series and show some of my favorite things (whether they be from my closet or anywhere else). Since this blog is about fashion I figured I would start off with something from my closet.  I LOVE this adorable Marc by Marc Jacobs purse I got from net-a-porter on Christmas with a gift card! :D  Here are some photos of the beauty ;)
I am so glad I splurged on this (even though I didn't use any of my money I still count it as a splurge...haha), it is just so adorable and brightens my day whenever I wear it. Sadly I can't use it during the week since I need to use my huge Mulberry for Target bag, but whenever I go out on the weekends I use it.

I also seem to be in a purse mood this week, haha...

For this edition of It's All in the Details I decided to feature one piece rather than a full collection. Alexander McQueen pieces are always full of amazing detail and this clutch is no different. Click the images to see larger versions so you can appreciate the full detail:


Check out the Alexander McQueen selection at net-a-porter for many more beautifully detailed pieces, especially these resin and leather sandals with leaf detailing.

Since I posted Clemence at the Chanel Resort show I figured I may as well post some of my favorite looks from the collection. Click the photos to enlarge them.

Here's another one photo post, Clemence Poesy looks SO gorgeous. This is from the Chanel Collection Croisiere Show. (She's wearing a Chanel dress and YSL heels)
click to enlarge

Last week Towne and Reese sent over this gorgeous necklace and pair of earrings for me to style for the blog! I put together an outfit that I hope accentuates the beauty of the pieces. It was actually quite nice out yesterday when I took my photos, so that was fun! [I'm going to post a few bloopers/extras on my Facebook later]
Towne and Reese was founded by friends Christi Pack and Jessica Stanfield and named for their daughters, Towne and Reese.  Each piece of jewelry is named after the daughter of a friend. How cute is that?!

Some more of my favorite pieces are below [I added the earrings I have on too so you can see them better]:
Also, the wonderful ladies at Towne and Reese are offering one of my readers a choice of any piece of jewelry they desire! To enter the giveaway all you have to do is:

• Follow Closet Fashionista with google or Bloglovin (make sure to let me know which you follow with)
• Head over to Towne and Reese and pick out your favorite piece, then come back here and leave a comment stating what piece you like.  Make sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win!
• The giveaway ends a week from today: May 29th

For bonus entries (each of these equals one extra entry, leave a separate comment for each)

• 'Like' Towne and Reese on Facebook (make sure to leave me your Facebook name so I can check, you can just state your last Initial if you don't want to say your last name)
• 'Like' Closet Fashionista on Facebook (same as above)
• Follow Closet Fashionista with google AND bloglovin
• Follow Closet_Fashion on Twitter (make sure to leave your Twitter name)
• Tweet about the giveaway (leave a link to the tweet)
  Ex. I just entered @Closet_Fashion's Towne and Reese Giveaway! http://bit.ly/mabU9M
• Post about the giveaway on your blog (leave a link to the post)

LASTLY, they are offering all my readers 15% off using the code CLOSETFASHIONISTA15. This is only good for the week of the giveaway.

As per the FTC's "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising", I must inform you all that I received some of these products free for the purpose of reviewing or advertising the products.  I was not, however, paid to write a positive review.