Showing posts with label Fashion. Show all posts

Wearing pencil skirts I used to always feel like a kid dressed in grown up clothes- they just didn't seem right and always hung somewhere around mid-calf (Kay, I know you feel me on this one). Until, that is, a miraculous blow out sale at Banana Republic in which I learned about petite pencil skirts (this is the one that popped my petite skirt cherry). I've always had in my head that "petite" means tiny/skinny, and I've always had a booty that would not be considered tiny or skinny, but that day I learned that "petite" is a length thing, and if your body is 5'4" in length or shorter you should be wearing petite. Old Navy has this nice graphic to explain it on their website, and Old Navy is Banana's cheap/poor red-headed sister so this goes for both:



So here is my round up of my fav affordable petite pencil skirts for the spring. I mean summer. I mean, whatever season it is right now that involves temperatures that are 48 one day and 88 the next day.

1. $17.99 @ JC Penney || 2.  $19.99 @ JC Penney || 3. $25.77 @ NY & CO || 4. $54.99 + 40% off = $34.99 @ Loft || 5. $26.99 @ Macy's (seersucker! Hello summer! use promo code "memdeal" for an extra 15% off) 6. $24.99 @ Gap

My fav pencil skirt looks via Pinterest:
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I think nothing tops off a good work pencil skirt like pointed flats (or heels if you don't have to walk all over the falling apart streets of DC). I just ordered these taupe flats and also love these and these. 

 QUESTION:  What are your summer work wardrobe essentials? 

 Linking up today at Little Friday, Lovely Thursdays, Look What I Got, Tres Chic Fashion Thursday

Broke Girl's Work Wardrobe: The Pencil Skirt (should YOU be wearing petites??)

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Oh hey, summer! I thought you forgot about us here in DC, but you showed up this week nice and strong with 90 degrees and about 100% humidity! And of course yesterday as I was moving a million boxes with no AC hooked up yet, you decided to crank up the humidity again. Of course you did. So here are my essential summer running items:

C9 Women's Running Short
$16 C9 by Champion Women's Running Shorts @ Target: Surprise- Target is number one on my list! I have had these shorts for years and they have endured hundred of miles running with me. They're durable and they don't ride up (big booty girls rejoice!). They run true to size and come in lots of colors.




$13 Under Armour Victory Tank Top: Under Armour how do I love thee, let me count the ways...sweat wicking technology, affordable prices, no chaffing, and you fit normal sized people. I love you, Under Armour. I order a lot of Under Armour gear via 6pm.com - it usually runs about 50% off.


Running Socks
$10 Saucony Women's Ultra Cushioned No Show Socks: $10 may seem steep for socks, but when it comes to running socks it's actually a bargain. Saucony is a trusted running brand, and the soft wicking material pulls sweat from your feet (ew have you ever finished a run and had PRUNY FEET IT IS DISGUSTING) which keeps your feet dry and prevents blisters and calluses and all that other beautiful stuff that comes with being a runner's foot. I prefer the cushioned socks for a little extra padding, but that's just me.


running tank
$16 New Balance Run Racerback Tank (2 panel): Another must-have from 6pm.com. I like the semi-fitted nature of this shirt because it lets your midsection breathe a little more than with the tighter tanks.

Sports Bra
$7 C9 by Champion® Women's Reversible Compression Racer Bra: Again, Target. And again, a sports bra that has been with me for hundreds of miles and never let me down. Plus it's reversible. And it's sweat wicking for $7. I really don't have anything else to say.


Running T for a Cause
$15 New Balance Short Sleeve Pindot Tee: And again, 6pm.com via Susan G. Komen Foundation. A portion of the proceeds go to Susan G. Komen Foundation, plus it's a good running shirt!

Running Headband
$12 Athleta Running Headband: It wicks, it breathes, it stretches, and it keeps your hair out of your sweaty face while you're running. I like these headbands a lot because they also look pretty decently normal for running headbands. Also check out Jasmine from Fleurty and Fit's Etsy Store where she sells her Fleurty Bands- I bought this one- they have velvet on the underside so they stay in place! OBSESSED.



$24 Asshole Tank Tops: These aren't sweat wicking so I wouldn't actually wear them running due to the fact that I sweat like some kind of wild animal and I'm pretty sure I could possibly drown in my own sweat without the wicking material. Anyway, these are fun and I do love them.


Linking up today with Little Friday, Lovely Thursdays , 

Essential Summer Runner Wardrobe Pieces

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Online thrift stores. It's a thing. I REPEAT: ONLINE THRIFT STORES ARE A THING. Peniless Socialite introduced me to Instagram Shopping and I've pretty much been sucked into a black hole of online thrifting. This is really a thing and I am really never leaving the house to shop again. Here are the ones I've found and the info.




1. Instagram Shopping 
  • How it works: Search #ShopMyCloset  or #ClothesForSale, click on the picture of the item you want, and follow the directions in the person's bio. It's usually something like "leave your paypal email and the word "SOLD" in the comments". 
  • Safety: So-so. Since it's individual people it IS a little bit sketch. I look for profiles that other (REAL) people have commented and bought things. Also making sure they use regular paypal, not friends and family. Hold on to invoices, etc.






  • How it Works: Twice is an online store that buys and sells secondhand namebrand clothes and handbags. You can sell or buy. 
  • Safety: Totally safe. All money goes through the store, not individuals. Plus they offer 30 day returns! And I have a friend who has used this more than once so I know it's safe.






How it Works: Basically like Craigslist but much much better. Set up a profile that includes your sizes and preferences, and Poshmark matches you up with people who have these items in their "closets". If you see something you like you comment on it- either that you are willing to pay full price or to bargain (lower price or clothing swap). You can search tons of name brands or not so namebrands. They also host parties 3 times a day to show new items and favorites. I still don't get the parties. 
Safety: Safe. Poshmark has it set up that you pay Poshmark and they don't give the seller your money until you tell Poshmark that you have received your order.







4. Vinted
How it Works: Same as Poshmark, just without some of the major retailers and stores.
Safety: Safe. You enter your credit card through Vinted's secure server and they don't release your payment to the seller until you confirm you got your order and it matches the description. You can track shipping through the website.







How it Works: We all know and love Asos, this is their marketplace where anyone can sell anything to anyone. Individuals, small businesses and boutiques are all selling stuff on here.
Safety: Since Asos is a major brand I feel like it's safe, but you pay the sellers directly through paypal. You can report something that seems fishy to Asos Marketplace, and you can return your items if it isn't what the seller said it would be. If your order does not arrive, the website says to resolve it via Paypal.

What online bargain shopping am I missing?? Do you sell your clothes on Instagram and/or online? Let me know!

Linking up today with Little Friday, Lovely Thursdays, Fashion Thursday, Look What I Got

Online Thrift Stores - IT'S A THING

Thursday, May 8, 2014

I'm currently packing my bags to fly out of DC for a bachelorette party in Milwaukee (yes, you read right- Milwaukee, Wisconsin) for one of my best favorite friends and I am so freaking excited!!!! I'm going to be reunited for a whole FREAKIN WEEKEN with my two best friends from my year in Rhode Island- we lived AND worked together- and it's going to be a blast. Plus I've never been to Milwaukee! Any suggestions? Anything I can't miss while I'm there? Food I HAVE to try (it's a cheat weekend)? Drinks I have to drink?

So all this pre-wedding fun has me thinking about how the heck I'm going to afford to dress myself for all the weddings this summer. So many weddings! So much money going towards airfare/bachelorette parties/gifts/showers/that little thing that is MY wedding/renovating a house, I got approximately $0 to spare to look nice. These are my favorite finds for $30 or less (PS what did people do before online shopping?): 

 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. | 9. 

Things I'm obsessed with: the patterns, #5's details, #6's lace, #4's black insets, dreaming of being tan enough to wear #3 and #7, and everything about #9. Every last thing.

I have a few formal weddings coming up too and am going to order from Rent The Runway . I went ahead and got the premium membership for $25/year which gives me free shipping (for TWO dresses at a time- get it, like I order a size up for back up, but only pay for one rental), free insurance for the dresses plus a free birthday dress (which is hilarious considering we call my birthday Lindsay de Mayo since it falls 2 days before Cinco de Mayo, and it's just a big ole Mexican style sh*t show...Nothin wrong with a sh*t show in a pretty dress!) Also, when you select a dress you can see other people (aka real humans aka people with bodies and curves not just skinny models) wearing the dresses- um YES PLEASE why hasn't every online store caught onto this?! My friend ordered the most beautiful dress  for her rehearsal dinner and I was sold. For my upcoming formal weddings I'm thinking this and this or maybe this?!?!.  Which one should I pick??! Help (please)! 

And a little #TBT to honor my bff whose bachelorette party (and the other one I'm about to be reunited with) I'm about to go to- this is us meeting Leslie Hall, a rapper from Iowa who also happens to hold the Guiness World Record for Largest Gem Sweater Collection. This is real. Just a tiny claim to fame. And if you need a good laugh check out her website.
Also note my hair straightening phase and overplucked eyebrows phase I went through for a few years..


Check back tomorrow for a guest post from the wonderful Southern Komfort, but for now:


Where do you shop for wedding guest dresses? Sites I don't know about??

Linking up today at Little Friday, Lovely Thursdays, Look What I Got, Tres Chic Fashion Thursday

Spring Wedding Guest Dresses Under $30

Thursday, April 24, 2014


 Alright yall, this is the post where I reveal all my secrets, aka my online shopping spots. This is how I do everything. What am I missing? Where do you find the best deals?


Travel:
  • Hotwire: Hotels, hotel alerts, rental cars (my friend got a $7/day rental car this way, um yes). With hotels, you don't know the name of the hotel, only the stars/amenities/general location, until after you book which is a little sketch but I've always had great luck with this, and it's always been the least expensive (I've done it in Memphis, Boston, Savannah)
  • Kayak: Compares flights/hotels etc between all the big sites (expedia, tripadvisor, etc).  Set Kayak Alerts to e-mail you when your trip's prices go down, plus they show charts of how likely it is that the prices will rise/lower. Amazing.
  • CruiseCompete: Travel Agents vie for your business. Whoever gets you the lowest deal on the cruise you want (includes flight and excursions!) wins. Totally free! My co-worker swears by this, and we are doing it for our cruise in December.
  • Travelzoo: Always tons of good deals on all-inclusive vacays. I also buy baseball tickets here?
  • AirBnB: Stay in people's homes when you vacation- generally half the price of hotels. You can find dog-friendly homes, choose "whole house" options or just "rooms" or "bed and breakfasts". My friends just booked their honeymoon via AirBnB, and Sahra stayed at a B&B in Mexico City via this site too so it's legit internationally! 


Workout Gear:


Clothes:


Kitchen Accessories


Dogs:


Accessories/Jewelry/Makeup

Furniture/Home:

What am I missing? Where are your favorite online shops??

 Linking up with some of my favs today: Little Friday and Lovely Thursday

Broke and Bougie BEST Discount Websites Index (i.e. Broke and Bougie Bible)

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Welp it's official! Now that Kate Spade has come out with a line of Keds we can all rest our feet easy and wear sneakers with everything! But since I've never been one to spend more than $30 on anything, these are some of my favorite sneaker chic looks with some bargain sneakers (sidenote: I've never said "sneakers". I say "tennies" but I couldn't think of a catchy phrase involving the word "tennies". I also say "pop" and "cut off"- anyone else?).

My fav looks:
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Target has 40 OPTIONS UNDER $20. YES. 40 styles, colors, patterns of awesomely chic sneakers that are $20 or less. Some of my favs are this $12 turquoise Keds-ish pair and this $12 coral pattern pair.

H&M has 13 options under $20. I am ALL about this $7 leopard print pair (pictured above!) and this $7 camo pair.

I like these simple little $12 white ked-ish sneakers from Forever21.

Charlotte Russe has these sweet $12 polka dot keds-ish shoes & these $12 skull & crossbones. And don't judge but I kind of like this $10 folded-over look from Apple Bottoms.


Also I got to attend The DC Ladies  5th Birthday party and FINALLY hang out with my blog crush Jackie from Chronicles of a Dietician. Weird story but Bloglovin suggested I follow her and after a few weeks a put 2 and 2 together and realized we were connected through about 5 million people (she was even roommates with some of my best high school friends...freakishly small world). Jackie is a legit dietitian so her blog has great recipes AND is really informative. Here we are with one of our many friends in common in the photobooth:



Linking up today with some awesome blogs- check them out for other great fashion steals and good reads! Little Friday,  Look What I Got, Thirsty Thursday, Lovely Thursday

Sneaker Chic (under $20)

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Remember when we used to not wear white before Memorial Day? WELP that's one for the #TBT. I love the white pants look, maybe because it reminds me of summer or maybe it's because it's so bright and happy (unless it's snow. if it's snow I'm not even acknowledging its existence) or maybe because you can pull off a work look and casual look with them. These are my favorite looks via Pinterest, and favorite places to find the affordable white jean.


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$20 Yellow Blazer // $13 Polka Dot Shirt //  $29 Nude Peeptoe Heel


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And saving the best for last, the most wonderful ever, Chrissy Tiegen ahhh I love her. If you don't follow her on Twitter/Instagram you have to. Really, do yourself a favor and follow her because she. is. EVERYTHING. The funniest. I wanted to ask her to be in my wedding party because she would just fit right in but that's creepy and restraining-order status so I'll stick to just extending a bachelorette party invite and hoping she shows?  jk jk jk..kind of..but really..
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$9 Beige Top // Chrissy Tiegen Presence: Priceless. 





The affordable white jean (Sidenote- my go-to for pants is TJ Maxx because they have every type of fit so I recommend starting there if you're not a big online shopper):



Linking up today with Lovely Thursdays, Look What I Got, and Little Friday LinkUp - go visit to find some awesome blogs!

Affordable White Jeans Looks

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Don't mind me over here pretending March means spring - not 100% chance of snow (I know, so dramatic). This year I'm doing my spring shopping online since it is too cold for me to leave the house for anything but work and the liquor store, and I am allll about these florals this spring. These are my favs, all under $40.

1.  |   2.   |  3.  |  4.  |   5.  |  6.  |  7.  |  8.  |  9.  |  10.  |  11.


Also needed to include this to remind us of our floral roots- Clarissa, the mother of Floral who truly explained it all: 








Linking up today:


The Grits Blog

Spring Florals Under $40

Thursday, March 6, 2014

While I'm soaking up the San Diego sun my good friend Charisse is taking over Thursday on Broke & Bougie! Enjoy!

I'm Charisse, a twenty something non-profit professional. I also happen to be a full-figured fashionista and often Lindsay's personal stylist. I am so excited to finally get the opportunity to write a post of Broke and Bougie!

While getting ready for the ballet this weekend, I had a mini meltdown because I had nothing to wear and not in that "I have lots of stuff but just not feeling what I have" kind of way. In that moment I decided I needed to maybe a get a couple of new items to addto my wardrobe to get me fashionably through the Winter. I started with my usual plus size friendly online shops: Asos Curve, Target, and Simply Be. I wasn't really finding anything I like and then I remembered that I had read on one of the plus size blogs that I follow that Talbots is a great place for curvy girls. Not only do they go to size 20 in their straight sizes BUT they have womans and womans petite. When I think of Talbots I usually think of Boca, sweater sets and loafers but I thought why not try, you never know right? Plus a trust fashionista can make anything work. Boy am I glad I went with it, Talbots is currently having a huge end of season sale; up to 60% off all items. I purchased 3 pairs of great pants for $87 original retial price, wait for it......$387!! SCORE

Prints and textures seem to be on trend for fall 2014 so I will definitely get some wear out of these next season. If you are afraid of wearing prints on bottom, ease your way in with a subtle mono-chromatic print like these purchased in black.

I also have seen jewel tones making a return on the runways at Mercedes Benz Fashion week (streamed through Youtube) like these velveteen pants I got in a burgundy color.

Another item coming in strong this year is the tuxedo pant. I found this pair for under $30.

All pants were ankle length (another big trend) which is perfect for my 5'3 frame, they tend to hit just where I like it.

Moral of this story: open your mind to all retailers, you never know what you may find. Being a plus size woman who loves fashion is sometimes hard. The fashion industry is slowly moving towards seeing us as actual style influencers worthy of stylish and accessible clothing and not just people who need shrouds of drab clothes to cover a body that we are trying to change (come on Jenna Lyons, extend JCREW's sizing already).

Do you have any great straight size cltohing stores that work for a fuller figure? If so share away, I am always looking to add to my arsenal.

**Follow Charisse's fashionspiration on Pinterest

$20 Tuxedo Pant @ Talbots

$ 20 Curvy Velveteen Ankle Pants

Print Pants @ Talbots


Guest Post: The Best of Plus Size Pants (you'll NEVER guess where we found the best)

Thursday, February 20, 2014


Yall! Set an alarm!! It's virtually impossible to find actual discount Toms sales but this is legit so set your alarms and get up for Zulily's massive Tom's sale! They have women's, men's and kid's in all styles and sizes. Also after you buy you can send a link to your friends and when THEY buy you get $15 off your next purchase. If you follow this blog you know I buy everything from bakeware to jewelry  to atheltic wear on Zulily. Basically if I own anything namebrand, it comes from Zulily- you know this girl doesn't pay full price for that kinda stuff.

*Word from an experienced Zulily bargain shopper: last time they had a Toms sale the site crashed around 9:30 am, so I suggest getting on this bright and early. Especially if you, like myself, have the most common shoe size in the world (8) and it automatically sells out everywhere in every style that anyone else wants to buy.

Check out some of the Toms styles coming on Zulily:

PS did anyone know Toms has a bangin men's line? I had no idea! Good thing Harrison doesn't read this blog because he'd be seeing his birthday and Christmas gift this year (first 2 below). 
 
Gonna put my yonce (aka fiance) in a pair of these babies for $44 Gray Denim Desert Botas

$74 Black Suede Brogue
$37 Hemp Embroidery Classic

I got these!! $31 Natural Zebra Zag Classic

$44 Multi Knit Classics- look at that lining!

$44 Natural Zebra Zag Wedge Sandal

$42 Coral Crochet Wedge Sandals

Why do I want these? Is this my secret longing for Uggs to be acceptable again? $48- Blue Leopard Denim Fleece High Botas


$48 Mixed Taupe Suede Tribal Boots

DISCOUNT 40% OFF TOMS SALE!! On Zulily TOMORROW (or today depending on when you see this)!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

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