Steals and Deals: Tulle4Us

We discovered this brand- Tulle4us- in our new Lucky mag and made a note to look for comparable pieces in a lower price range, since the featured items were sooo cute but fairly expensive. But Robin at ThreadbearThoughts posted about a cute little skirt from them that was only $14.00, so we figured there must be more sale stuff! And there is.

Much of it is very much not our style, and (as per usual, sigh) , it's clearly geared toward juniors and definitely not generally affordable- except for the sale section (you can sort low to high, and skip whatever pages are out of your range!) But we thought we'd mention a few inexpensive and adorable standouts (click pics for links to purchase).

Blazers and jackets are usually priced fairly high because their construction is much more complicated than, say, a skirt. So we're excited to see these two cute corduroy ones for only $14.99 each, available in either the tangerine or the celery:

Personally we're not into brass or gold hardware (then again, buttons can be changed), and we're not sure the pocket details would do us any favors, but we think these are very cute for someone else!

And now some blue dress love!

Ruffled shirtdress, $17.20

Tiered voile dress, $18.00

Pleated cotton dress, $18.00

Terribly cute and terrific prices, right?

We also found this lovely lace-cut-out-detail slip for only $19.80, far less than just about everything at Frederick's or Vicky's; it is crazy sexy but functional, too (we have quite a few see-through skirts and this looks like just the cure). And it's made from cotton jersey, not that nasty hot nylon/poly blend most slips are!

We're forever seeking out cute cardigans for layering, and they're amazingly elusive. We're not 100% sure about the tie detail in this sweater here-- for us, that is-- but it's a linen/rayon blend (hooray nice fabric!) for $12.00 so we're sure someone needs this (shown in rose/ "berry" but also available in black and pale yellow/ "banana"):

We love bamboo but haven't seen much of it around except in really high-end stuff... it's so soft and lovely, if you've never felt it! This is a bamboo/rayon/nylon blend short-sleeve sweater in a really cute shape (again, not for us but maybe for you!) at a truly amazing clearance price of $14.00:

Definitely another site to add to the "let's-see-if-anything's-marked-down-further lists... Enjoy the finds and Happy Shopping as always :D

What We Wore: Boobalicious

We started today's outfit with the conviction that we needed to wear our new red shoes. (These ones, remember?)

However, it seems as though we're severely lacking in items in our wardrobe that look good with red. We have a ton of pastel-y aqua and lilac. Not so much. And we didn't want to go ALL-black today. So we conjured up a square-neck cap sleeve top from Vicky's in bright purple. We bought this years and years ago (we were still married- maybe 2000?) and it has held up well. It's a bit excessive in the *cough* cleavage area, and probably not appropriate for work. Oh well :)

(Mind you that our hair is still wet and is not quite this stringy once it dries :D)
Necklace and earrings by us of course!

In addition to the ubiquitous leaf bracelet, we donned one of our favorite pieces, a sterling enameled cuff from Siam (before it was Thailand) with dancing ladies and filigree scrollworking (horrible office lighting, sorry):

We think the outfit came together pretty nicely, even if it's not terribly exciting!

This skirt is one of our many, many black skirts, probably from TJ Maxx or Marshall's, but it has a really fun asymmetrical hem and flouncy layered detailing. It adds a lot of volume for a large-bootied girl, which is why we kept the top pretty streamlined (well, as much as possible given the goods).

A success? Let us know :)

Are You Kidding Us? Lady Language

Many thanks to Audi at FashionForNerds for the mention of LadyLanguage, where we just discovered this Marilyn-inspired LBD for a staggering clearance price of $5.


The site could use some re-tooling (an advertised but not hotlinked clearance/sale section is nowhere to be found, nor is sorting by price an option, necessitating rifling through-- or letting the Thrifty Stylist do it for you), but there are some amazing prices here. Unfortunately the sizing is pretty limited at as well: only S, M, L (junior measurements). We apologize if this is a frustrating post for you (we've been there, girl... do you remember the store 5-7-9?)!

We're rather obsessed with dresses right now so we'll show you some more!

How about a coral strapless 50s-inspired embroidered circle skirt option for only $14?



Or perhaps you are a girl who likes a bold, kaleidoscopic floral in a precious flocked-bodice sundress? Divine, is it not? 100% cotton and only $22.00...


...And we're pretty much dying over the exquisite eyelet-and-ruffle detailing on this gorgeous bright orangey coral tube dress, $24- which we envision with a white cardigan at the office- what do you think? (We also saw this one in a maizey-yellow).


For inexpensive work basics or layering, we found this rich burgundy dolman-sleeve pointelle sweater for $12 (check out the link for the cool back collar detailing!):


We are forever looking for cheap tights to stock up on for fall and spring since we wear so many skirts, and these sweater tights certainly fit the bill, in 6 colors, only $4! (But we're not so thrilled that their "one size fits all" says up to 165 lbs. Sorry to our taller and curvier sisters).


We also love this precious puff-sleeve tee with button detailing at the shoulders, fairly inexpensive at $17.


We hope you enjoy these finds! We'll be checking out Lady Language every once in a while to see if more of the cute stuff has gone on clearance, since a few of the very loveliest dresses are still way out of our range. Happy shopping!

What We Wore: Casual Monday

We didn't have the energy to put together an interesting outfit today after two nights chatting with the crush until the wee hours (oops). It's probably far too hot for these jeans, but we didn't feel like hunting for a slip to wear with any of our breezy skirts... so this is what you get.


We're lucky enough to be able to get away with not only jeans and a t-shirt, but highly office-inappropriate footwear, sparkly turquoise flip-flops.

T-shirt: Mossimo, Target, $10
Jeans: Diva, Old Navy, $29.99
Zebra scarf: Came with black T from Marshall's, FREE!
Glitter Flip-flops: Xhiliration, Target, $15 (? Last year I think)
Cloth belt: Came with capris, from where I do not know, FREE!

Are you allowed to wear anything you want? Do you think that even in a highly casual office environment, T-shirts or flip-flops should be avoided? We've all heard the "dress for the job you want, not the job you have" adage- but what if you aren't entirely sure which job you want? :)

Also, seeking advice on how to get a boy out of your head when you don't really want him out but really oughtn't think so much about him?

Rainbow Romance: Lucky Finds

We came home from vacation to find our first two issues of Lucky magazine!

When we had first heard about a shopping magazine, we were highly skeptical. However, Etsy members were offered a super-cheap subscription, complete with free faux-black leather mini-tote (aaah! We can't resist a freebie!), so we decided to subscribe-- just in case we were missing any fabulous deals for our readers (and also in case we decide to care briefly about what's popular rather than just what's gorgeous to us).

We are thrilled that we "splurged", as we've already discovered a couple of fantastic thrifty resources and were inspired to search for less pricey alternatives to a few luscious pieces we spotted.

We just ordered two of these chiffon handkerchief-hem skirts to layer under shorter skirts.

What a fabulous solution for those just-too-short pieces and to add some extra color to an outfit! (OK we admit we ordered one in black... we couldn't help it). $16.10 at discountdance.com - Lots of colors, and so cheap... can't wait to incorporate them!


Apparently Forever21 has launched a new line called Love 21 that is, quite frankly, a little bit less slutty (longer hems, flowier fabrics, as Lucky says). We absolutely adore this dress in caution orange which is making us possibly consider lifting the ban on orange in our personal wardrobe!

It also comes in a hot turquoise they're calling jade... This cut is so universally flattering, and you really can't beat the price of $22.80 and the semi-synthetic fiber (rayon- did you know it was made from cellulose, not oil like nylon?)


One of the most adorable trends in the "spotlight" was bustier dresses, and we love this flirty but innocent-looking pale yellow eyelet-trim version:

This one is cotton and viscose (another semi-synthetic made from fibrous organic material rather than oil), from Charlotte Russe. At $29.99 it just about busts our summer-dress budget but the detailing is awfully cute and very similar to a Calvin Klein we tried on at Marshall's that was still $50 even on clearance.


They found and we loved a watery-print dress by Necessary Objects for $57 (that now seems to be sold out), but this fantastic skirt from Forever21 captures the same spirit for only $17.80!

Target has a new designer/brand, Tracey Feith, turning out really super cute, flirty dresses. We weren't the biggest fans of the floral one Lucky chose, but this adorable cobalt and purple-- with more eyelet-trim-- spaghetti-strap one makes us very happy, especially with the zipper to harden up all of that ruffling.
Again, slightly expensive for our personal tastes at $31.48 but keep an eye on it and surely that clearance price will continue to drop.


They also featured a gorgeous cobalt tie-dye swimsuit (pictured in link only) that hurt our theoretical pocketbook, even at 30% off the original $128, so we sought out something similar, and found what we think might even be more beautiful!



Apparently Amazon carries Newport News clearance. Who knew? This one in ombre multicolor is $39.00, down from $59.00.


We had never heard of WindsorStore.com, which seems to have a pretty awesome selection, and while there are plenty of pricey pieces, we found this absolutely demure and delectable little purple floral on sale for $29.00. Not bad!


As always, hope you love the finds- can't wait to hear from you- and happy shopping!

Unbelievable Shoe Steals

Thanks to another fashion blogger (sadly we've forgotten which) who turned us onto UrbanOriginal (http://www.urbanog.com/). The site is a bit overwhelming so we'll start with just great shoes $10 and under today.

Lots of pairs are (sadly) available in only one size (this is clearance, after all), but if you're lucky enough to be that size, score! ...Like these sexy gladiator-ish stilettos in bright pink for FOUR DOLLARS! But only if you're a size 9. Le sigh.

For our tiny sisters, these black gladiator-inspired Mary Janes- size 6 only- are only $7 (Also available in brown size 8):

Have you been wanting to add a little extra brightness to your outfits? How about some sunny yellow platform wedges with precious bow detailing? In sizes 9 and 10 at $8:

Another bright option is this crazily Fleuvog-y pump in orange and red wingtip, only $8, sizes 5 1/2, 6 and 7 1/2:


If you're a wee lass really into the gladiator thing (we don't quite get it but understand many people are!) and/or the metallic trend for the summer, check out these tall silver strappy sandals, $9 in sizes 5 1/2 and 6 1/2:


More bright wedges, for sizes 8 1/2 or 9, $9. Every girl needs some hot pink shoes, don't you think?


We love platforms for the extra height without the killing of our feet. These ones might be a tad on the extreme side, but the toned-down maroon red keeps them out of trampy territory. Available in whole and half sizes 6 to 9, $9:

If you're willing to venture out of the $10 range, there are literally hundreds of pairs of shoes here. Not to mention other apparel (stay tuned for another blog!)

Enjoy the finds and happy shopping!

P.S. The site is currently offering free shipping on all orders $50+ within the continental US! Enter code FREESHIP during checkout! Bonus bonus!

Packing for Vacation!

We decided to do a feature on packing (mostly) light and combining clothes for different outfits while on vacation. In our case, we're going to be camping at a hippie festival in Oregon for a week with the brother and niece (sweet!). We need half of our checked bag for our sleeping bag. So we have to try to cram a week's worth of clothes for our picky self into that half bag plus maybe a few incidentals in our carry-on in case they lose our bag en route like the last trip there.

We're bringing 4 skirts (hey, they're light!), one pair of shorts and one pair of jeans:

Vacation Packing: Bottoms by ThriftyStylist featuring Old Navy

These aren't exactly they- we bought our tie-dye and purple batik skirts both on Etsy and the blue skirt from Vicky's- but it's a decent enough color representation anyway.

For tops, 3 solid tank tops and one tie-dyed, 2 long-sleeves and a hoodie:

Vacation Packing: Tops by ThriftyStylist featuring Dorothy Perkins

You may be noticing a heavy purple theme. There usually is one to our clothes, but we figured we might as well stay fairly monochromatic on this trip for the most coordination options. Many frequent travelers advocate this with black and white or beige, but if you're obsessed with a color, like us with the purple, and hell-- going to a festival-- we think you can go with a bright instead.

For footwear, we need decent walking shoes for being on our feet most of the day shopping and niece-sitting, so we're bringing our Chucks, some moccasin-y fake suede Payless boots that are on their way out anyway and can deal with mud if need be, our new (from Famous today, $10 with the sale- Dr. Scholls, silver with a bow, and soooo cushy!) flats and (also new from Famous, Rampage, $20, ) sequined fucshia/orange flip-flops (unfortunately not represented as fancily here):

Vacation Packing: Shoes by ThriftyStylist on Polyvore.com

So... without further ado, here are 12 outfits from these 17 pieces, plus a cameo of an impostor posing for the great dress we blogged about from DancingTreeCreations of Etsy (who we're so excited to meet in person at the festival as she is vending there!!)

Vacation: First Three Outfits by ThriftyStylist featuring Converse shoes

Vacation: 2nd Three by ThriftyStylist featuring Dorothy Perkins

Vacation: 3rd Three by ThriftyStylist on Polyvore.com

Vacation: 4th 3 by ThriftyStylist on Polyvore.com

We are leaving on Wednesday! So no blog for a week from then from us, sorry :( But hopefully we'll have some amazing handcrafted creations to share with you when we return!

Let us know what you think of the packing plans! Did we do well?