march budget

Popping in with a very quick post about March purchases -- there weren't many, it was a quiet shopping month that absolutely flew by!

As is often the case, my purchases have a nice cohesive color palette and will surely make friends with all of the other black and white and stripey pieces in my closet.

clockwise from l to r:

Club Monaco Tweed Blazer ($153) -- just a perfect little French-y blazer that looks great with jeans.

Uniqlo x Lemaire Striped Sweater ($40) -- I was happy to get my hands on one piece from this fun collab

Old Navy Striped Dress ($15) -- a great summer basic

Uniqlo x IDLF Sweatshirt ($29) -- this one is a disappointment, and probably going back. It runs super small (just as reviewers said) and the torso is quite short. Too bad, such promise!

Total -- $208 (not including the Uniqlo sweatshirt)
Monthly budget -- $200

Scoring the tweed blazer on a good sale felt like a win, so I don't mind spending most of my budget on one great piece. The cost per wear will be so tiny, I can feel it.

Lots of things on my radar for April. I feel like I fall in love with something new almost daily, and I have fairly expensive tastes right now. Here are the things I can't seem to get off of my mind lately:

yes, I need another blazer // I'm always on the lookout for cute shoes with a reasonable heel // another striped t-shirt // this one is a little crazy, but isn't it fabulous? I have a high school reunion coming up and there is a part of me that wants to show up in this...

Linking up with Fran and the budget bloggers -- did you buy anything good this month?

this is not a drill

Last year the shoe of the summer was an adorable little black and white cap-toed espadrille, either the Chanel original or one of many very good inspired-by versions (you remember, like these and these). This year there are plenty of espadrilles to go around, and they're even more fun. Different shapes, different colors, different prints -- your whole summer shoe wardrobe is set. Here are some of my favorites:

top row: last year Target did one of the best versions of the Chanel espadrille, and their dv Tia Espadrille has very cute slipper-like quality // Boden's Betty Espadrille packs a lot of punch for a casual shoe

second row:  a peep-toe and a bright color and a little wedge -- this sweet little shoe has it all // last year's model updated with a subtle silver shimmer and a teeny platform

third row: pink python print offers lots of fun pattern-mixing options // nothing says summer like a rainbow stripe of popsicle hues

fourth row: black and white stripes work with everything // the perforations on this Loeffler Randall pair give a beachy wicker vibe.

modern mary

I wanted to write a post about Mary Tyler Moore being one of my first style icons, but I feel like that ages me more than I'd like to admit. Sigh. Does anyone even remember Mary?

I discovered The Mary Tyler Moore Show years ago when Nick at Nite was the channel of choice for chronic night owls and they played some seriously old-school shows (and I don't mean reruns of Friends). In a nutshell, Mary Richards -- played by the extraordinary Mary Tyler Moore -- had a great job and a funky little apartment and wonderful best friend and a messy personal life and it all seemed pretty great to me. It was one of the first times I was really excited about the prospect of adulting -- she had a life that I totally wanted.

Mary also had pretty killer style. Mini skirts, scarves, and platforms shoes were staples, and when I saw this tweed mini I found myself building a very Mary-esque look. I call this Modern Mary because of a few easy updates: a cheery spring color palette (no sepia-toned 70's hues here) and some next-level pattern mixing. A look perfectly suited for my current life (great job, sweet apartment, disastrous personal life)...

my favorite striped shirt, a real wardrobe staple // a vibrant scarf that is an easy transition to spring // this bright, tiny bag won't hold much but sometimes it's good to pare down to the essentials // this tweed mini is timeless and will work nearly year-round // if they're as comfortable as they look, I feel like I'd wear these python platforms all the time


Tweed minis seem to be the thing for spring, here are a few other good options:

Kate Spade Mohair Mini // TopShop Check Mini // Loft Button Tab Tweed Skirt (on sale!)

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We made it through another week (some of us -- me -- just barely). On this Friday, I am feeling some cool, fresh colors and a skirt that might raise a few eyebrows around the office but will definitely take you to happy hour, dinner, and beyond.

This won't be a frivolous spending month for me, but it is were, I'd pick this skirt up in a heartbeat. Does anyone need a silver metallic pencil skirt? Probably not, but it's pretty cool and it's the kind of thing you'd have in your closet for-ever (like, in 20 years your teenage daughter will be begging to borrow it).

lavender is the perfect cool shade to tie this look together, and I think these sweet tassel earrings are fun but not too over the top for the workday // I love a classic white button down to balance a much fancier skirt // that silver leather pencil skirt you never knew you needed in your life // a soft, slightly purplish lip gloss is flattering on a lot of skin tones // a creamy leather tote is on my wishlist for spring // crazy floral pumps are so much more versatile than they seem (pops of yellow work in almost every look)