OOTD: Warm tones.

I thought the title, "Warm tones," was better than "This shade of green sorta reminds me of boogers." Right?

 Sweater: J.Crew Dulphine open cardi (here, in other colors)

Shirt: The Limited sequin tee (here)

Jeans: J Brand Lovestory (here, different wash)

Shoes: CV for Target wedges

Belt: Forever 21

Necklace: ShoptheLook.net

In all seriousness, I heart this sweater. I spotted it when it was full price on J.Crew's site but I rarely buy online because of their crazy-ridiculous shipping prices (no, I don't want to add another $100 to my cart to save $15 in your insane shipping prices. Grrr). When I went into the store after Christmas I saw it on sale for $49, but I still just wasn't biting. After many a passing thought about it, I saw it yesterday for the $49 plus 40% off so I finally bit. Yay! The color is such a great warm tone despite its boogery-ness. And with pink, it's perfect. Good thing I have a few more shirts in the same pink/mauve tone to pair it with.

Also, I realized all of the things I'm wearing were bought on a good bargain, making this outfit come to about $150 rather than the full price, which I calculated to be around $500 (that is when you consider what an original pair of CV wedges cost! OK, so I cheated.).

When I want to get away, I drive off in my car....

This, my dear lovies, is how I spent the weekend: purchasing a new (used) car. The decision was a tough one.

No, wait. It wasn't. You know why? Our budget was minuscule and our options were, too (had a small chunk of change from the accident settlement and we didn't want a car payment). We only needed a car with decent highway gas mileage to get me through the next 4-5 years until we can get something new and more custom. So this is what we ended up with.

2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder (not my exact car but it's the same thing)

My 17-year old self would be soooo jealous of me right now. Don't get me wrong-- it's a good car. Not many miles and kept up well. Plus a warranty if something goes wrong. But what's a self-respecting almost-26-year old doing with a teenager's dream?

(Sigh.)

When I was a teen living in Peoria, Illinois, there wasn't much to do for fun on the weekends. But the 19-year old boys (ow ow!) would take their "souped" up cars to the AMC down the street and essentially compare their genitals. Inevitably, half the cars in the lot were Spyders... which I thought was the coolest, raddest thing ever. So I can't help but feel a little regressed driving this thing to and from school, an 88-mile daily commute. Hey, the bright side is it's going to be a nice ride once the temps cool down, right? And it's definitely a lot cuter than the 4-door sedan we used to drive. Maybe I can get away with it since I pretty much look the same as I did when I was 17, right?

(Bright side, people. Bright. Side.)

The Cargo pant: my pick...

So a few days ago, I posted about the Cargo pant trend for this fall and decided to indulge myself with a pair. The ones I ultimately decided on were the Blank Denim skinny cargo pant in Army. The choice was easy-- the price, fabric, style and retailer (ahem, free shipping and no tax, hellloooo Shopbop!) made it a no-brainer. I was a little worried that they wouldn't work, but lo and behold, it's love at first sight! Here's a quick review:

I got a size 27, which promptly sold out hours after I purchased (I kinda love when that happens!). One weird little annoyance: they smelled funky when I opened the package. It's probably the fact that they sat in the heat for days whilst being shipped, but still... a strange, sour smell. They're currently in the wash and I'm sure the odd odor will go away, so no biggie.

The detailing is super cute. The pockets are on the side rather than the front, which is my preference. The zippers near the calf go up to the knee, which would make it difficult to hem if you're a shortie. These are just the right length on my 5'6 frame, if not just a teense too long. So that's a consideration. There are some tabs and non-functional zippers placed horizontally at the back of the knee (the knee-pit?). Overall, just really cute and comfortable! The material is super stretchy, which is a plus in my books, and really soft. I can't wait to wear these when the weather cools a little.

Also in the mail today was my BB Dakota Branson sweater. Ladies, fear not the kinda-poor product shots and baggy look of this sweater. It is adorable in person, really soft and chunky and right on trend for this fall. Way more expensive looking/feeling than the $40 I paid. Get one while you can! Its sure to be a staple in my closet, I just know it.

Thing the Interwebs Got Wrong: BB Dakota sweater jacket

Oh Shopbop... dear Shopbop. Please don't hate me forever for this post because I love you, I do. But this is pretty bad...

Option 1. Purchasing cute BB Dakota Branson sweater jacket on Shopbop for $85.

Option 2. Purchasing same exact jacket on Lulu's for $41. (No contest. Sorry.)

How is this possible? The same thing, at more than half-price difference. I've seen some minor price differences with some sites ($5 here, $3 there...). But a $44 dollar difference? You could buy two of them for the same price that Shopbop wants to charge us for one, AND have $3 left over for a soda and candy bar. Eeesssh.

Crazy interwebs...

Photos from my iPhone, part 1.

This will be the first of maybe 2 installments of "Randomness on Justine's iPhone." I finally tricked my computer into downloading my iPhone pics from my trip to DC (i.e., clicking DOWNLOAD ALL before it can shut down on me) and had to basically retrieve all of them. Which can be entertaining, especially for you who get to see them. Here we go!

The empty seat next to me on my flight to DC. The rest of the plane was pretty much full. How in the heck did I get this fantastic deal? The Big Man Up Above must have known I needed my space. :)

Our grill, found at my favorite home deco store: Home Goods. $299? Why not!

Remember the IRO silk shorts I ripped? Here's the evidence. No minor rip, to be sure. Sad.

My shoe cubbies! Yippeee! Love this thing.

Me, in Anthro's Discovered Lace dress. This got very mixed reviews around the blogosphere, but the more i look at this pic, the more I want the dress. I'm waiting for a sale, though, because the price is a little too steep for what it is.

A recent work outfit. UO's silk blouse; F21 leopard skirt; F21 chain necklace.

This is a little creepy, yes, but here's the story: I recently got lash extensions! Before is above, obvi. They're semi-permanent, only lasting 1-2 weeks. They totally looked naturally and only cost me $25! Unfortunately, because I'm weird and a bit obsessive, I ripped them off after 3 days. They were fun for the trip I just made, though.

Part 2 coming tomorrow, featuring some pictures of my DC trip. Yay!  :)

Conclusions to Which I've Come.

...Some good, some not-so-good.

1. Having a house means you're a grownup. There is no way around it. It also apparently means handymen knock on your door Sunday morning without warning to fix the crack in your ceiling and put the varnish on the door. And you'll inevitably be in your PJs still and not fully awake and trying to remember the Spanish that you haven't studied since 4th grade. "Coma estas, Mr. Handyman? Ummm... uhhh, el sol es brillo, no?"

2. Fall is coming, no matter how much I want to pretend it's not. Well, ok. So there are several months left for wearing tees and shorts, but in the world of fashion, there's no escaping it. The only good thing about this is the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. But once that's over, I swear! I'll be hating fall again! Promise!

3. (Although this is seriously making me want to change my mind. But I'm holding tight to my summer! Damnit!)

4. T-minus 18 days until my uber-girly weekend in DC, during which time I will gorge on good food, good shopping, and good cupcakeries. (Wahoo!)

5. This makes me even more sad that the shorts died over the holiday weekend. I miss them! (But, thanks to Meggy for the shout-out!! Totally flattering.)

6. Cheese made of 75% butterfat is the equivalent of heaven on earth. Fo'realz. (you can get it at the grocery store, too!)

EDIT: I also want to draw quick attention over to my sidebar and show you a new addition: Until the end of the month, you can get 10% off your order at eShakti by using code fetchingfashions123 !! :) Also, don't forget, the code for 15% off at Selfish Style should still work, too. (Let me know if it doesn't!) 

Happy Monday!

Fashion + Google = Greatness.

Happy Friday to my readers!

So over on Jenny's blog yesterday, I spied a post that really intrigued me: it was about a new pilot program launched by Google to improve the ties between fashion and technlogy. This seems pretty fitting, since the world of fashion blogging has really grown over time, and we fashion-bloggers know first hand about the intersection between style, fashion and tech-savvy. Many of us fashionista/os are using the internet and technlogy to not just promote style, but follow and keep up with it as well. To get this all started, Google needs our fashion-blogging help.

If you'd like to join in on the project and help out, get in touch with Tony Wang on twitter. Follow him, then send him a message and tell him you're interested. He can tell you more about how to get involved.

Pros for us bloggers? More exposure and staying linked-in to the up-and-coming world of fashion & technology. Plus, it's always nice to give back to the people that make this really happen, huh? :)

So get your fashion-bloggey butts over to Twitter and talk to Tony. Do it. Now.

(And if you need some more Friday distractions, have a looksie at his blog, too. Keep up the great work, Tony!)

City I Love: Gruene, Texas.

After contemplating what I said in yesterday's post, I thought it might be fun to take a little departure from my normal goings-ons and post a little about where I'm heading this weekend. First thing to know about me is that I am in love with Texas. There is a romance about it that I just haven't found in any other state... and I should know, seeing as I've lived in so many. :) Second is that Dallas is not really where my heart is. I love living here, but there are two times per year I crave getting out: 1. Summer and 2. Fall. In the fall, nothing beats Texas wine country (which maybe I'll write about next time), but in the summer, nothing screams warm weather, beers and good times like Gruene, Texas. (Pronounced "Green") (and p.s., yes I am technically going to San Antonio, but were spending a day in Gruene, which is relatively close.)

First a little history, for those of you who like this kind of stuff: Gruene, Texas, was founded in the 1840s by a guy named Ernst Gruene, a German immigrant. He and his wife wanted to move to New Braunfels but had a hard time getting a piece of land. So they went just a tad down river and settled in the area of what's now Gruene. This guy was pretty cool, because he pretty much single handedly (with the help of his family) established this town, making it a pretty bustling place. His cash crop was cotton and lots of families moved there to prosper. Unfortunately, some stupid bugs (cursed boll weevil) started ruining his crops, and of course the Depression didn't really help, so Gruene essentially went by the way-side.

Fast-forward to the 70s: Pat Molak, a Texan sick of the city, decided to come to this little ghost town and reestablish it as the place to be... and the rest is history. One cool little tidbit is that Gruene Hall, one of the more famous landmarks in the city, never went under in all the years it's been standing, and Mr. Molak did slight renovations (I mean slight, ya'll... if you've ever been there, you'll know what I mean. It's pretty... historic.) to it to bring it back to bustling life. Gruene Hall is definitely the first and main stop to this town, and you can seriously feel the history in it when you walk in. Sigh. :)

(pictures all borrowed off Google images; please let me know if you would like this removed!)

Gruene Hall was built to be a salon and bar, which is quite obvious. It has never been anything else, ever. I love that! Plus, lots of great Texas bands come to play here, and the music just adds to the spirit of the town.

The whole town itself is fun, and most of the buildings are original, from the 1800s. For example, the Gruene Mansion Inn was Mr. Gruene's first home, and his workers' home was what is now Gruene Haus.

(Ernst Gruene's house, now Gruene Mansion Inn! photo courtesy GMI's website)

However, a must-visit is the kind-of-touristy Gristmill, which serves some srsly deeeeelicious Texas food and is on the site of the original Cotton Gin... what made this little town famous. (The original gin actually burned down, boo, so the Gristmill is a nice little replica.) Of course, there are tons of antique shops, little wine bars, restaurants and little landmarks to visit. (But you'll be hard pressed to leave Gruene Hall, methinks!)

I'll be sure to take some of my own pics and upload them next week. So, if you ever find yourself with a hankerin' for some Texas fun, definitely make your way to central Texas and visit Gruene. We're fixin' to welcome ya! :)

I have a list! Again!

Things I must discuss with you...

1. Things are looking exciting for the Target Go Lines, lovies, as I'm sure you all know the line-up: April 18th= Cynthia Vincet/Eugenia Kim; April 25th= Zac Posen. Honestly, I was super excited about Zac Posen, but as I stare at my closet I realize how little I wear the Go Line items I own... BUT. I will and must have the Cynthia Vincent Wedges for (*gasp!*) $29.99. Will buy, yes'siree. (has any one else noticed these are actually on the Target site, just not available? What's going on with that?!)

And then I may opt for these as well, but we shall see (I hope the materials are nice enough!).

2. I was perusing Urban Outfitters this weekend when I spotted my favorite silk top on sale! Remember me saying I wanted all the colors? Well I bought the steel blue (and they didn't have my size in the washed black, which I cried a tear over). If you're interested, too, check out your store or call CS to see if they'll give you the sale price (which was $29.99, I believe). Yay!

3. I've got an exciting two weeks coming up here on FF. I'll leave it cryptic for now, but trust me, you'll be happy and excited too. That is, if you like to wear pretty, shiny things. :) Plus, I should be getting my "perfect nude sandals" in the mail tomorrow and will do a little review post on them, especially on sizing (since Aldo runs whole sizes only and can be confusing... I know I could have used a little help!).

It's Tuesday. Go enjoy some wine and LOST, ok? :)

Deep Thoughts By Justine.

(First, thanks for the interest in the blog sale! There are still a few things for sale... so get 'em while ya can!)

It's Tuesday. And I'm borrrrrrred.

Things the Interwebs got right today:

ModCloth Top, $44.99. The back of it is divine, too.

F21 Twist clock bustier, $22.80. I know it's kitschy, but I like it.

ModCloth's Tub stopper, $17.99. Freekin' adorable.

Lulus, $30. I've gone a little ruffled-shorts mad.

ModCloth Maxi dress, $102.99. This is so my style.

Things the Interwebs should be ashamed of:

Forever 21, $29. I like my dropped crotches, but, ummm... really?

ModCloth bathing suit, $169.99. The horse? and the price? Whaaa?

Shopbop's Kettle Black dress, $143. There is a western-theme here, peeps.

Urban Original romper, $19.90... yep, western-theme.

And the best for last: Hammacher Schlemmer's Pet High Chair. I laughed for 20 mins

straight when I found this on Twitter yesterday, courtesey Modcloth's feed. This just baffles my mind.

Happy Tuesdaying!

Some updates

Good morning, my lovies. Hope Wednesday is treating you well so far.

A few notes about eshakti: The code I listed was confirmed by their Marketing director as 5 i i k o r (I put the spaces to make it more readable, but the spaces are not needed for the code). If this is not working, I suggest you calling Customer Service to see if they can help you out. I apologize to those of you who were having difficulty using this!! :(

Also, reader Katie (thanks, Katie!) let me know that she received her non-customed order of the Wavelet blouse look-a-like. She said that while the quality was fantastic, she ordered her normal size, and the shirt was very long (like, tunic long). I hope those of you who may have ordered their standard sizing didn't run into this problem, but my thought is that if you can, do the custom tailoring option. I can only speak to my experience (which was great!) and hope that you're as satisfied as I am. :)

Back to a normal post later-- I spotted some pretties on shopbop that I must write an ode to. Stay tuned. Also, I'm wearing one of my favorite dresses today and might just have to show you. Yay!

Another random post.

I know I do these every once in a while, and I hope the lack of point doesn't bother you. Anyway.

1. Here is the F21 top I got during the after Christmas sales-- ladies, I highly recommend this. It's like an Ann Taylor or even J. Crew embellished tee for a helluvah lot less. Get it. Do it. :)

2. Tell me why I shouldn't buy these, please and thanks.

3. No. Words. Just. Love.

Alice + Olivia, sigh.

4. I am now a proud owner of an elliptical machine. Ehmm... wait. No. HUSBAND is the proud owner. I'll just look at it and eat a cinnamon roll and snicker at the increase in my stomach fat. You don't own me, fat cells... not yet!! (p.s. they will soon. Argh.)

Flattered!

Although I've been a spazz about this before, I guess there's no harm in having a little fun and passing it along, no? :)

1. My television is always blaring HGTV. Even right now. I'm a little addicted. (shout out to Color Splash! Love you David, you're my gay boyfriend k thanks.)

2. I'm six years younger than my husband (ohhh jail-bait).

3. I love fashion, but I hate makeup and undergarments (no worries-- I wear both daily). I never spend good money on either, even though they are some of the most important things to spend money on.

4. I know Tim Gunn. Oh wait, you knew that?! heh.

5. I grew up with cats and would love a pet, but the hubs is allergic. I ask him when we can get a pet every day. My mom owns a talking bird. Not my idea of a pet, but whatever.

6. I don't like ice cream. You know, I think I admitted this waaaay back in this blog's inception. But some of you may not have read that, so this counts as something you didn't know, right? Right.

7. I've lived in several different states and went to a total of nine different schools between Kindergarten and 12th grade. Whew!

Here are my nominations for those bloggers who want to participate.
1: Fashionista Diaries
2: Natalie at Fashion, Food and Other Assorted Frivolity
3. The lovely ladies at Shopping the Closet
4. Veronika's Blushing
5. Adored Austin
6. Kansas Couture
7. Last, but certainly not least: Gigi!

Thank you, Jen, for the nomination!

Gotta love weddings...

...mostly because you get stuff!

Oh yeah, and the part about marrying your one and only true love and whatever. :)

No, I'm just playing. But I am serious about the gifts part, too. This might be our fave gift so far (yessss I am opening, but I was told to open this one! And so what, I'm not traditional and I plan on getting all the use out of our lovely gifts, which seems to be the best way to express my gratitude, of course along side thousands of thank you notes. Ugh.):

THE GRIDDLER.

And please disregard any vestiges of the Batman video game playing in the background. Boy do we need a house, stat. :) Of course, I love everything I have received so far, but I have been looking forward to this one for a while. My wonderous French co-worker gifted this one, and I can't wait to make steaks/chicken/fish/veggies on it. I think I'm going to make an entire meal on the griddler!! (**plotting like a mad woman, rubbing her hands together in a menacing way**)

OK. Apologies. aaaaaaaaannnd on to fashion.

I have (obvi, since I've posted a little about this before) been looking for the perfect over-the-knee boots for under $150 (-ish). I actually found some beauties on DSW, but reviews are worrying me. Not tall enough? Too slouchy? (p.s.: If any of you lovies happen to try some on, or own a pair, or know someone that does, let me know how they are! Really, I'd love to hear about any of your OTK boot finds.) What is a fashion slave girl to do?

Here are some pics of the ones I love, from DSW. What's your opinion? Are these a one-hit-wonder, or will they last a few more seasons? Worth the buy, or skip it all together? (btw, I think I've already made up my mind. heh)

Wednesday's random rambles

Wednesdays, for me, suck. It's the end of my week at one job but the beginning of it for another. But yet, its the middle of the week. Confused? Yeah, I know.

My ole' pal fashion will get me through the day! Here is a polyvore put-together that I would wear; an inspiration of how to transition your summer wardrobe to the Fall.

Summer/Fall transition outfit by justinelise featuring Lanvin necklaces

On another note, this doesn't qualify as a look for less (as it isn't really much less), but I thought I'd post it. This necklace from Free People has been a big seller this summer, and it's obvious why: the pretty neon colors and "statement" size make it a lust-able piece! It currently retails for $38 online.

(sorry for the small size, couldn't find a bigger pic)

That one comes in hot pink as well, while the neon yellow/blue is currently sold out.

If you like the idea but not a fan of neon, Aldo Accessories has the same necklace (in gold, just a wee bit less expensive!) with a gorgeous fall color palette...

I actually think I might like this one better. However, I have the yellow/blue one already and I'm not sure I want a second of the same thing. I don't typically buy two of the same thing in different colors, although I'm sure that many of you do!

Aaaaaand, another random note: Check out this beautiful necklace my FSIL scored recently (off of, you guessed it, the amazing ETSY!):

Insane-pretty. Courtesy BejewelledBespoke

I love necklaces. :)

So... what are you wearing??

Wouldn't you like to know!

Oh, you would? OK.

Sweater: the Limited brown crop sweater

Top: Ella Moss

Jeans: faded black Rich and Skinnies

Shoes: Zinc, my fave pair of Fall shoes!

Necklace: ummm... White House/Black Market? Maybe?

I was thinking that after my post last night, I should try out a mix of brown and black today, just to shove it in the man's face. Yeah. Sorry my face looks a little weird in that picture; I think it might have been the lighting... sure we'll go with that. Since it's been chilly (read: 89 instead of 109), I decided to wear something fall-ish today... and those shoes are sooo great for the fall. The bow on top is a gorgeous silk/satin, and the distressing of the leather makes it look rugged but feminine. Although the black and browns in the outfit are pretty close in terms of color-depth, I still think the combo works here. Maybe it's the silhouette, but I just like it.

And now for something completely different: me in Luckenbach a few weeks ago. Woohooo! Love Texas!