Clothes Mentor

While I was in North Carolina visiting some besties, we went window shopping one afternoon. After hitting up the usual suspects...Ulta, Victoria's Secret, Pottery Barn, Jcrew, we headed to Clothes Mentor. MK had told me about this place before, that it was a nice second hand shop where you can get nice clothes for much less than retail.

It was not until I stepped inside and started looking around that I started to under stand MK's love for the place. Clothes mentor was clean and brightly lit with aisles of clothing organized by type and color. They had shoes and bags, coats, jackets, sweaters, pants, you name it, they had it. And the quality of the clothing was the best I've ever seen at a second hand store because the clothes were clean and had been well maintained.

I started browsing the sweater section and I was hooked after seeing a Jcrew cashmere and wool blend cardigan for $20. I looked at MK and said with shock and awe...this retails for about $80+, she just smiled and said, mm hmm I told you this place was good.

$20 for Jcrew cashmere?! Yes please

We kept looking around and with an arm full of sweaters I hit the dressing room. This is what I ended up loving and taking home with me.

A lovely navy cable knit sweater by Ralph Lauren...$20

Red Talbots top that's perfect for the holiday season...only $18

Lily Pulitzer sweater, NEW with tags ($98) for $30. Who could say no to this?

Banana Republic skirt suit made of heavy jersey material. The jacket was $24, and the skirt was $16!

There were shoes too! These Enzo Angiolini sandals were comfy and sexy and only $18!

These Naturalizer slingback, kitten heels $12!?!

These Anne Klein patent heels were surprisingly comfy, $22.

I was checking out, when MK and I noticed a black Coach tote bag behind the register. It's this style. I couldn't resist so I asked the sales lady if I could take a look at it. It was in great condition, not too many scratches or scuffs, the inside clean and just as it was supposed to be. There was a small white mark on the handle but it wasn't noticeable. I looked at the price, expecting it to be priced similarly to the Coach outlet (~$120) and was really surprised. $70. Is that price right?

I was already spending way more than I anticipated but I really couldn't pass up the deals without losing sleep over them. The sales ladies could sense that I really wanted the bag so they gave me 10% off and knocked the price down to $60. At such an unbelievable price for a quality, timeless, leather bag, I had to make it mine.

I've been using this bag for 3 weeks straight and I love love love it. I am really glad I purchased it because it's easier for me to find the stuff in my purse and I can carry my water bottle which is convenient.

If you have a Clothes Mentor near you, color me green with envy. If I had the money and equity, I would open a Clothes Mentor in VA. It's a wonderful way for women to share their clothes and save money.

Anyone else come across some amazing deals?

Floral & Flowy

Lately I have been lusting over quite a few Lauren Conrad items from Kohls. Her items have cute details and they're trendy in a way I would feel comfortable rocking.

LC Lauren Conrad Henley Set
on sale for $22
A fun bohemian type of top

LC Floral Ruffle Cami
on sale for $18
I'm a sucker for ruffles

LC Lace Jacket
on sale for $50
This could be a great way to work the lace trend into my wardrobe...

LC Chiffon-Trim Cardi
on sale for $27
I can easily see myself wearing this to work and for play.

I considered the areas in my wardrobe that needed an update. A little while back, I took the plunge and bought some leggings from Madewell and realized I could use more tops that covered my derriere a little more. So off to Kohls I went (it's not hard to convince me).

I tried on the LC Henley Set and it was cute. It comes with a tank that's longer and a little wider at the bottom to accommodate for a woman's hips, which I liked. The top layer is very light weight with elastic around the arms and there are pockets! Even though I really wanted the top I wasn't sure if it overpowered my petite stature.

Here I am rocking the LC Henley Set in green with my Madewell denim leggings (on sale for $40) and Frye boots. Please excuse the almost non-existent make-up and sloppy hair. I am still on the fence about the top, but that's because this is my first boho type top (welcome to 2010 Peaches!).

What do you think? Does the top work with my size? Keep it or return it? Maybe re-styling it a different way would work better?

A casual birthday dinner

Husband's step dad, John, was celebrating his birthday and invited us over for dinner. Even though it was unseasonably warm, I jumped on the chance to wear my brand new boots outside of my house! For the first few days after getting the boots, Northern VA was going through a small heat spell so I had only worn the boots inside the confines of my apartment. This is what I decided to wear for a casual birthday dinner.

Old American Eagle dress & Target tank
with my Gap denim jacket, because I'm always cold,
and of course my new shoes, Frye Jane 14 Boots

I can't wait to figure out what other dress/skirt options work with these boots.