there's no stopping me now

the cooler temps this past weekend have me dreaming about all clothes fall. i keep staring at my new ash "olivia" foldover boots, mentally planning outfits around them. it's so ridiculous how crazed i've been as of late. our new fall merchandise is coming in this week at fred and it's to the point i want to go in on my days off to see the new stuff. sometimes i feel like the luckiest girl in the world that i am in the career i'm in. first looks at all the new styles, get to write this blog and just spew out my fashion thoughts..and i'm watching the new season of project runway while i do it. ah, this is the life.

so today i got a bunch of emails from some of my favorite websites, offering huge sales, like take 30% off of merchandise already 70% off. at first my dummy self thought, well, uh, wouldn't it be free...duh. no airhead it's not, but it's certainly worth checking out. i thought it would be all summer merchandise, but to my surprise and delight it's not! i know i said i was bummed that the styles this season were too much like past seasons, but now i'm overjoyed. i have a base fall wardrobe and can just add on some amazing pieces. check out these finds at shopbop.com:

this torn by robby kobo fringe vest was originally $308. after the extra sale it comes to $64.68! i can add this to my rocker chic ensembles for cheap. you can style it like this chick is wearing it for the last couple weeks of summer, then put it on over a long sleeve blouse and darker skinny jeans and boots for fall.

both of these shoes are perfect for now and early fall. the first pair, tashkent by cheyenne were originally $564, and are now $118.44. the nude colored platform sandals by velvet angels were originally $295 and can be yours for a mere $61.95, and are available in black too. both can be worn now with cute dresses or worn over textured tights with all your fall ensembles.

wear the gray sandals with these hot skinny "sydney" jeans by ever with a plaid button down for fall. i love that gray and black jeans are cool right now. i bought a pair of skinny gray paige premium denim jeans a couple winters ago and have seriously gotten a ton of wear out of them. i love them and i love that gray and muted black and even jet black jeans are in style. the rocker look is kinda 80s which we all know i'm not a fan of, but the modern twists, like pairing it with plaid, or balancing it with deep floral feminine tops makes the look so fresh. oh, so these jeans were originally $242, but can be in your closet for only $50.82. i'm telling you times are still kinda tough, and saving money is always a plus.

this cropped boho-esque sweater was originally $260, and an editor's pick, and is now $54.60. look at how cute it looks with the denim shorts now, wear it with a long tank under it and skinny jeans and comfy uggs or my new favorite brand thanks to my cousin lorri, australian love collective boots (kinda like uggs, but cooler). i know this sweater isn't everyone's cup of tea, but i like the shape of it. the cropped top/sweaters that i'm seeing at fred frightened me at first, but once layered over something look awesome. trust me!

this romantic white blouse on the shopplanetblue.com's sale page would make a nice addition to my fall wardrobe. ruffles still going strong, the feminine shape would work well with my dark destroyed skinny jeans and new suede boots. this la rok ruffle tunic was $269 originally, but now on sale for $69. so, i'm offering up some advice here. and this is to myself too. you can get great pieces for fall without paying the just arrived pricetag. i live check to check and i'm pretty much broke til payday on friday. after surfing all my fave websites this morning and going through all the sale pages, i did find a gem of a steal. and honestly, i don't care if i have to eat glue all week to stay alive because these jeans i found are worth it.

so, on the revolveclothing.com website, i found these current elliott "motorcycle bell" jeans in color: night. everyone knows my obsession with all things current elliott. i have worn my elephant bell in super love destroyed to the ground. i wear them like three times a week. they are the most comfortable, worn in, favorite jeans of mine. so imagine the thrill of finding these, in my size, same fit as my current faves, but with the moto detail on the knee, in this dark wash. um, yeah. i think i came close to crying with excitement. so, i called my two credit cards to try to increase my limits, yeah, no go on that, probably a good thing, but decided to do some researching online. my ex-coworker jenelle told me about retailmenot.com about a year ago, and told me i could always find a coupon for most websites for extra money off. ok, so get this. the jeans were originally $275 (pretty steep, even for me, but worth it)....they were marked down to $138. oh so doable, but gave the ole retailmenot a looksee and found a coupon for an additional 20% off, which totaled me out at $110.40...free shipping. are you kidding me? so, yes, this week is starting off glorious for me. ordered the jeans at 9:35am, just got shipping notification at 10:48 and the jeans should be in my possession by wednesday. it's amazing how happy this can make me. so, point of my whole post today is...yes, we're all excited about fall clothes. and we are sick of summer clothes. i said i wasn't going to buy anything summer, no matter how cheap it is. but as i've learned today, you can get fall items, in the sale pages of a lot of websites. or maybe they're even from last fall/winter, but that's okay since all those looks are still thriving this year. we're all crunched for dough, well not all of us, but some, so why not save a buck or two? or in my case $165 on my new favorite jeans. do i sound like a commercial? save a buck or two. what's wrong with me? ugh. i'm a dork.

anyway, this is a great shopping week. i can feel it. we're getting in tons of stuff at fred this week. and we're having a sale on thursday for our ladies night from 5-10. get your new fall wardrobe started, or updated or whatever you need to do. do it on thursday night when you can save some cash. it's a really good feeling. shopping sans buyers remorse is pure bliss. i know i said i'd have a knock it off this week, but i take it back. i'm waiting for our new stuff to lure you in. i'll do a couple of them next week. but don't forget ladies night on thursday. also, mention that you read my blog and get 20% off anything in store now until the end of august. talk to you soon!

fall(ing) in love again

all i do is think about fall clothes now. fall must have list, written, and re-written, and re-written, fall binder, done. now all i have to do is buy everything. hahaha, oh how i long for an unlimited budget. all i want to do is shop. i couldn't sleep for four nights in a row because all i could do was think about clothes. sick. my coworker/intern katie and i are starting a milwaukee branch of shopper's anonymous. let me know if you want to join. anyway, saturday was a great shopping day. had an alterra chai for breakfast and followed it up with the sidewalk sale in the third ward and fred. met up with fellow shopaholics and hit up the sales. unbelievably enough, i stuck to my fall list. scored an awesome top by the brand rojas at flaire and my new favorite fall piece, my looser fitting white button down from stephanie horne. i've always been obsessed with finding the perfect white button down, and now, mission accomplished. this is the rojas top, but i plan on styling it with jeans and a longer tank for fall. although a high waisted skirt would complement this top. white button downs look awesome looser fitting, over leggings (not my fave), skinny jeans, or over a sequin skirt. another fall must have:

i love that last look with those tie dye jeans i'm dying for. the look does work with sequin skirts too. sequins have never been my thing, but i really like the idea of a super flashy sequin skirt with a men's style button down, leggings and ankle boots for fall. i'll give it a shot.

i'm happy to see that my key piece of last fall/winter is still huge this season: the boyfriend blazer. i'll wear it over a drapey tee and the sequin skirt, or over pretty much anything again. that bf blazer of mine got a workout last fall/winter/spring and it's totally getting a workout again. i love it. i should probably find a couple more to alternate. i love the elizabeth and james version, but too pricey for me. i'll find something.

i'm at that point now where it's the hottest it has been outside, and i hate getting dressed. all i want to do is wear my new button down, my new mm couture moto style jacket (that i scored at lela today..oops, just went to drop off consignment, left with a fall gem), my olivia foldover boots, sweaters...ah, i can't wait. i'm sick of spaghetti strap dresses and my beat to hell flat jeffrey campbell sandals. gross. i'm even day/night dreaming about my new fall haircolor. i do love the new season. time for change. i ordered up my new fall nail polishes and even the thought of that makes me want to squeal. i love fall fashion. project runway starts again, new rachel zoe...i feel like i'm on a fashion high. our fred fashion show is (mark your calendars): september 24th on the rooftop of the hotel metro...inquire about modeling and/or tickets at fred...lela's fall fashion show is september 12th. i'm just stoked. i love this time of year.

i saw a bag similar to this one...which i can't stop drooling over...it's half a g, really, who do i think i am? can i honestly even think about this bag anymore? how can i afford it? what can i do to obtain this one?

distressed leather/brownish black in color/rocker studs...come on now. this needs to be on my person come september. just amazing.

well, our buyer is in LA now scoring some of the coolest fall merch for fred, so stop in soon. don't forget about ladies night next thursday from 5-10. sorry there's no knock it off today, but look for one soon. i'm waiting to knock off fall stuff. no more summer stuff. all i want to focus on is fall.

back in the saddle again

okay, so my fashion funk is finally over! i'm now obsessed with a zillion fall trends. yay. i was nervous for a bit. but the second i opened the latest nordstrom catalog, i fell in love with fashion all over again. top it off with the september issue of lucky, and now my fall must have binder is filling up fast! at first i was kinda upset that the fall fashion linuep was similar to last fall/winter in style, but now i see the bright side of that. i don't have to replace my wardrobe from last year...i can just add key pieces to wake up my looks. it's kinda good for the budget too i guess. i can now splurge on some pricey pieces to make my fall wardrobe amazing. i am so glad that i'm inspired again...i can't even wait to get my hands on the new essie and opi nail colors for fall. angora cardi by essie looks ridiculously cool. deep purples and browns are going to replace my nude hues that have coated my nails the last four months and i'm thrilled. i realized i was getting boring. i was settling for blah summer style. but now i have my inspiration board filled and i can't wait to get my hands on all of these things. it started the second that i saw this boot in the nordstrom catalog:

omg, seriously? is that the freaking coolest boot ever? and everyone knows i'm not a heel-wearer, but that's only a 3.5 inch heel and i don't care anything about mangling my feet. if i'm wearing those, i don't care if my foot falls off. the foldover boot is probably the most awesome boot i've ever seen. i'm dying. so, to end my fashion rut, i ordered those puppies via nordstrom at like 3am on a thursday morning. and that sparked my entire fall wardrobe hunt. check out these other foldover styles. so cool:so, fall triggers my obsession with new skinny jeans. ones i can tuck into those boots. i'll keep wearing my skinnies, the darker the better, but i am going to dig deep into my pocket and get these by current elliott, my favorite denim designers. it combines both of the denim trends i'm all about this season, tie dye and moto. i wanted moto style jeans all last year, but didn't purchase, so you know this is my next major buy this year:

i love the distress, the hippie tie dye, the edgy moto...i've been literally having dreams about my new denim lineup this year. after wearing all my bohemian dresses this summer, i can't wait to do a 180 and wear these rocker/edgy looks.


so, i have my boots, with cool new denim tucked in. i'll probably wear some chunky knits, some drapey tees or tanks, layered, some deep floral print bohemian blouses to keep with my style. but the piece i'm most excited for is a fur vest:
totally channeling my inner rachel zoe, but i'm doing it. fake fur only for me. real fur creeps me out for some reason. ick. i'll wear this fur vest over a subtle floral print blouse or a plain black airy blouse and my boots. done and done.

i'm still mad for plaid and i love how i've seen it styled in magazines. worn open with some super soft layering tanks under it, over a skirt or dress...and when it gets cooler, my last season boyfriend blazer topping off the look. amazing. i've always loved plaid button downs. i probably owned at least fifty in my life. i'm so glad the grungey rockery look is still going strong. i don't know what i was thinking when i said i was bored with fall fashion. good god i must have been fighting off a cold or something. now i can't get enough. all i want to do is read and re-read my lucky mag...and i literally bolt to the mailbox the second my mailman pulls up, dying in anticipation for the next september issue to arrive. unfortunately, it seems my issues are delayed. i see them on the newsstands and get enraged with craze as they are available to john q. public, but as a subscriber they're not at my door yet. ugh. maddening. anyway, i can't wait to wear all my plaid tops.

as an accessories buyer, i love seeing the latest trends in jewelry. i'd rather have a million fashion trendy accessories than real diamonds or expensive tiffany-esque pieces. i love experimenting with accessories and this season, i'm digging all the rockery studs, skulls, spikes, zippers, etc...i still love gold...silver makes my skin look pale, so i'm gonna get my hands on all the trends at fred. annie and i will go crazy buying the latest and greatest fall accessories and everyone can get their mitts on them for cheap at fred. things like this:

i could go on and on and i will, i promise, next week. sorry for my lapse in posts. i felt blah and boring and didn't want that to affect anyone who reads my blog. but i'm happy to report i'm back in the saddle again and i can't wait to spew out more of my fashion must haves for fall very soon.

i'll leave you with this knock it off. kinda edgy still as the summer comes to an end, you can start getting that fall feel with the exposed zipper look in this warm weather ensemble. get your fall lookbooks in order so you can be organized like me when shopping. don't go mental and buy a bunch of cheap junk. fill the gaps in your wardrobe from last fall/winter with some updated pieces that will rock your look.

Knock It Off