Retro Summer Babes

You'd think that I love summer based on how much I love summer clothes. I hate the heat and being outside for too long, but I live for summer dresses, fruit prints, and sandals. So even though I may not be pumped for 90 degree days, I AM excited about this darling Lindy Bop dress and styling it all season long. 

As promised, here's my other matching outfit with Alyssa (scroll down to see!). Our matching in the last outfits was nothing compared to wearing the same exact dress and then going to get coffee and pop into a couple of vintage/consignment stores. Plus, not too many people dress like we do where we were so we didn't exactly blend in. It was a hoot, and people commented on it pretty much everywhere we went. A couple of women even asked if we worked in a diner. Fair. 

When we found out that we both had picked out the exact same dress this time, we thought it would be fun to show how we each style it. The funny thing was, we both expected the other one to accessorize it in the same way. I texted Alyssa the day before to see if she was going to wear a straw hat before I did, and she was convinced that I was also going to show up wearing my dress with saddle shoes too. 

Alas, we managed to style the dress in completely different ways. I love shirt dresses, and the color and arm ties screamed summer to me, so I really liked how it looked with a boater hat and these fun watermelon earrings. I felt ready to go to a BBQ or a picnic...but I was much happier getting coffee and going vintage shopping. 

Floral Gingham

Look who has been getting the motivation to blog lately! It was a busy weekend celebrating Father's Day, but the most exciting thing to happen was that I got my wedding dress! I went shopping with my bridesmaids and family last weekend, and I went back to one of the stores with just my mom and Jon's mom and Saturday. I ended up going with something completely different than what I expected, but I could not be more excited. I keep staring at pictures of myself in it like some sort of self-absorbed creep. I can't help it. It's just that good. 

In terms of clothes that aren't wedding dresses, I'm also so excited to share this new Steady dress. I've talked before about how Steady is one of my favorite brands for versatile vintage reproduction (not to mention local to me!), and they really stepped it up with their new spring line. I have a couple of other pieces that I can't wait to share soon as well, but this dress was an instant favorite. I've already worn it twice since getting it, and I actually wore it to try on wedding dresses since it was such an easy no-fuss piece to wear while still feeling cute.  

I sized up one size in this dress since the last swing dress I got felt a little tight, and the XL fits perfectly. Side note: can we take a moment to appreciate dresses that have adjustable straps? I always struggle with sleeveless items since straps are usually way too long on me, so I was relieved to find that this dress is adjustable for short people like me. 

Summer to Fall with Steady Clothing

If I had to choose some sort of mission statement for the way I shop it would be this: versatility, versatility, versatility. Living in Southern California - and therefore without real seasons - we only get a couple months of "fall" and winter. Because of that, I find it really hard to justify buying clothes specifically for the seasons and instead like to only buy things that I know I can wear year-round with the help of some crafty styling. That's why I'm so excited to be partnering with Steady Clothing today to show you how to style some of their pieces for both summer and fall. Well, in my case, summer and winter. But if you live in a normal location, my version of winter clothes will undoubtedly be more fitting for your fall. 

End of Summer Floral with eShakti

If you've followed me for a while, you'll know that my love for eShakti is nothing new. I did my first ever collab with them, and since then, I've had the pleasure of working with them multiple times and have gotten some of my absolute favorite dresses from their site. 

If you're just reading for the first time, or maybe you've somehow never been introduced to eShakti, you're in for quite a treat. eShakti makes gorgeous clothing that is all customizable, meaning that you make sure that whatever you order, it looks and fits exactly as you'd like. 

As usual, I had a tough time deciding between all of the adorable dresses that they offer, but when I saw this one, I knew it was it. It combines all of my favorite things: a collar (of course), my favorite color yellow, purple flowers, and a shirt dress. I customized the sleeves to make them cap sleeves because not only do I like the style better on myself, but I've also found that they are easier for layering under cardigans. The dress was everything I ever wanted. It even came with a slip, which is SO rare with dresses that tend to be a little sheer. Living in SoCal, I always look for thin dresses so that I can wear them in the heat and also layer them easily. The downside is that they tend to usually be a bit sheer, this getting a slip with this one was such a nice surprise.

I've already worn this dress twice, but I first wore it on Saturday to get coffee with my friend Whiteny at Morning Lavender. I'd been wanting to try this coffee shop for a while since I've been seeing people sharing photos of it, and it was even cuter in person. I did feel a *little* judged when I made a big mess with my croissant, but whatever. I can't be classy ALL the time, right?

Colorful Summer with Dolly and Dotty

It's hard to believe that it's not actually summer. It's hot as hell most days, and it just feels like summer is in the air. Naturally, I'm already dressing like it is too. The folks at Dolly and Dotty were kind enough to send me this dress and one other recently, and I can honestly say that this dress is spectacular. It's one of those pieces that took me forever to figure out how to style just because there were so many ways I could have done so. It's so versatile and fits perfectly that I can already see myself wearing it to death all year. Not only is it very well made, but it also has pockets - obviously that in itself is reason enough to love a dress. It feels perfect for days at the park (like this one) or days walking around downtown. 

Speaking of perfect, yesterday included both of those things and more for me. Jon and I spent the first half of the day taking pictures (yes, he's an experienced Instagram boyfriend) and walking around both the park by our apartment and the downtown area across the street where a little farmer's market happens every Sunday. In the afternoon, we headed over to my parents' house to celebrate Mother's Day. My brothers, sister-in-law, and nieces and nephew were there, but Jon's parents also joined. We're incredibly lucky that not is Jon's immediate family small, but our parents get along really well so we've be able to do some holidays together in the past year or so. It's really the best to have both sets of parents in one place and see our families like each other so much.

Don't forget to enter my 6 year anniversary giveaway!

SSDGM with The Five15

Welcome to part 2 of my collab with The Five15! In my last post, I mentioned that my virtual friendship with Angie started because of our shared love of pop culture and feminism. Really, though, the thing that started it was My Favorite Murder. This isn't the first time I've mentioned it, but it truly is my favorite podcast. In fact, talk to almost anyone (mostly women) who listen and they'll also tell you that no other podcast compares. It's not just a podcast; it's a community. The bi-weekly show hosted by Georgia Hardstark and Karen Killgariff inspires such passion in its fans that's hard to believe the subject matter is so dire. Yes, the podcast is about murder, and yes, it's extremely funny. Karen and Georgia have a way of taking true crime and making it compassionate, thought-provoking, and, well, funny. It's a way to lighten up the subject for those of us fascinated, but also to learn about protecting ourselves and become educated on real issues and culture. Karen and Georgia are the first to admit that they aren't experts on the subjects they're speaking on, and they willingly take critiques and better themselves from them. 

I'll be honest, I can't say that I was the biggest true crime fan before listening, but I had heard that the podcast was good and decided to give it a try. This was probably two years ago and it since has not only become my favorite listen but also sparked a huge interest in true crime that I didn't realize I had. One of my favorite parts about it, though, is the community. I'm constantly finding more people online who are also fans, and it instantly becomes a conversation. If I know someone is a murderino, it's clear that we'll be good friends. 

I absolutely love everything from The Five15, but her MFM items are the BEST. I also have this shirt in black, and while I didn't think it was possible to love it any more than I already do, I am obsessed with this grey and pink version. The illustrations are all little nods to the show and quotes from Karen and Georgia. If you're into MFM, you seriously need one of these. I also have one of the keychains, and it's so ridiculously perfect. Angie is a sweet baby angle. 

Don't forget to enter my Six Year Anniversary Giveaway! 

Take Me to Hogwarts with The Five15

I don't know if I've mentioned it much on the Internet, but my love for Harry Potter runs deep. It was the first book that really got me into reading, and I started the series when I was 8, not long after The Goblet of Fire came out. My grandma had gotten me the first book for my birthday, and I was devastated because I was sure that I was going to get a Barbie. I barely glanced it at first until my parents told me that I had to read some of it before I could watch TV. Funny how what first felt like a punishment turned into a lifelong love. It didn't take long for me to get into The Sorcerer's Stone and soon, I was pouring over the books. I got almost my entire family to start reading them and when a new one would come out, we would pre-order it and wait in line at Border's for the release. When we got a new book, I would do everything I could not to put it down (even reading through dinner) so I could finish it as fast possible. The readings were followed by re-readings, and naturally I was just as into the movies. I actually just reread them last year for the first time in years, and it was just as exciting as the first few times. 

All of this a longwinded way of saying that, naturally, I couldn't get over how great this raglan from The Five15 was when I first saw it. I found Angie on Instagram probably about a year ago or so, and we quickly became virtual friends. Her art is SO impressive, and I'm constantly waiting to see what she comes out with next. Not only does she share my love of certain fandoms (I have another post coming this week), but she also shares my passion for feminism and advocates for women, equality, the LGBTQA community, and more. A great amount of her art directly supports these groups, and a portion of the proceeds from all of her sales goes toward organizations that support women. Obviously I jumped at the chance to collab with her, especially because of how amazing this shirt is.  The illustrations are the cutest, and it's comfy as hell. I love dressing up T-shirts, and this one was way too much fun to style. 

Welcoming Spring with Lindy Bop

I am very aware that I will regret saying this in a few months, but man am I glad that it's warm again. I'm tired of wearing tights, and I'm ready to break out the spring dresses. Speaking of which....this dress. It's incredible. Last week, Lindy Bop reached out to me about reviewing a couple of items, and I may or may not have freaked out about it. Lindy Bop is one of my favorite brands, and I have yet to be disappointed with an item from them. 

I debated a lot about this dress. It's certainly not an average neckline for me, and I was worried that I wouldn't wear it much. I finally decided that this was exactly the opportunity to try something new, and it was worth it. This dress is a dream. The neckline ended up being far more flattering than I was expecting, and the retro girls on bikes is the cutest print I could ever hope for. Not only do most Lindy Bop dresses have pockets (like this one!), they're all amazing quality as well. 

If my dazzling recommendation has convinced you that you too need this dress in your life, size down. I'm usually a large, but I've found that most Lindy Bop dresses generally have a decent amount of stretch and fit best when I order a medium. Just another reason so love this brand.

Wish-Fall Thinking

Hello and welcome back to those of you still reading whenever I decide to resurrect this little ol' blog! Yes, it's been some time, but I'm happy to say that I have officially survived Black Friday/Cyber Monday and am still alive and blogging occasionally. Working in e-commerce, the past couple of weeks have been pretty crazy, but it's finally (almost) over. Now, I have more time to focus on my own Christmas shopping and trying to not buy myself everything in sight. Actually, I don't really have a choice. I had to get my brakes fixed right before Thanksgiving, and it was not cheap, which means my shopping habits right now are more about trying to squeeze in as many Christmas presents as possible and less about buying those cute dresses I'm eyeing on sale. 

Regardless of car issues, I'm still enjoying with little fall weather we get and getting excited for the holidays. It's been getting slightly cooler here for the most part, and I am loving being able to wear tights and boots again whenever the weather allows. My favorite part though? Decorating for Christmas. Jon and I spent the other night blasting Christmas music while hanging up our Christmas lights and decorating our TINY tree. Believe it or not, Jon has a weird obsession with candles, so our place has been smelling extra comforting as well lately. My favorite scent by far is vanilla, which is why I was so excited to try The Body Shop's new vanilla pumpkin line as well. I'm not usually a big lotion person, but I can't get enough of this hand cream. It smells so good and like fall in a bottle. Even if we don't quite get fall weather, I can least pretend when everything smells so much like the season at home! 

Four Outfits With Novelty Vinca Jewelry

T-Shirt: Daisy Natives via Hello Holiday / Skirt: Modcloth / Ice Cream Earrings: c/o Vinca (exact)

When I was in jr. high, I had a strong obsession with big earrings. I lived for pairs from Claire's, and the longer they were, the better. Of course, I eventually got older and the trends I liked when I was 13 no longer seemed cool. Over the years, my taste in jewelry has gone through a number of incarnations. I went through my "pile on as much possible" phase, my "wear a million rings at all times" phase, my "statement necklace only" phase, and my "dainty gold jewelry" phase, among others. Lately, I haven't been wearing much at all and have been leaning more toward scarves and such, but I think I'm finally ready to jump back on the big earring train.

Of course, it helps getting the opportunity to try it out with adorable pairs from Vinca, an awesome women-run small business out of Austin. They kindly let me choose some AMAZING jewelry, and I couldn't help but style them all immediately. The ice cream earrings are clearly my favorite (especially after seeing them at the Museum of Ice Cream), but keep reading to see how I styled my other pieces. It's not every day you get jewelry that matches all of your true passions: ice cream, eggs, dogs, and french fries.

(P.S. Don't forget to check out my Orange County photo locations guide!)

Artsy Gingham with TopCashback

I'll admit that before I had visited, I was definitely one of those Californians who thought Iowa sounded boring. Living on the west coast, we have a tendency to generalize all Midwest states, which is something I'm not proud of. After visiting my best friend Jenn in Iowa City for the second time last week, I can safely say that I am fully convinced that Iowa City is a seriously cool place to live. It was hard to choose just a few places for backdrops for these photos, and we honestly could have stopped at any number of spots while shopping downtown for these photos. 

It turned out to be the perfect day to bust out this gingham Asos dress. As if finding a cute summer gingham dress wasn't enough to be excited about, I purchased this one through TopCashback and almost immediately received 5% of what I spent back. Considering I have such a shopping addiction, it's a wonder I didn't start doing this sooner. TopCashback works directly over 4,000 brands and retailers to offer 100% of commission back on purchases made through the website. Most of my favorite sites are already on there, including Asos, Modcloth, J. Crew, and more, meaning that any time I shop, I can go through TopCashback and get money back. I'm always looking for ways to shop on a budget, but making money while shopping is even better. From now on, I'm just going to say that I'm earning a living by buying new things. It's technically true. 

As you all know, I do my best to only work with companies that I truly believe in, and I fully recommend using TopCashback. The process could not have been easier, as all I had to do was decide which website I wanted to shop with, go through the link on TopCashback, and shop as normal. Within a day, I had money back in my account from my purchase, and transferring it into my Paypal account is just as easy, especially since there is no minimum needed for a payout (one of the most annoying parts of working with similar websites). If you're planning on shopping (and let's be honest, you are), you can sign up for a free account through this link and start earning money too. 

Self Love Club

I am so excited to share that I officially an ambassador for Heartman Clothes! I found Heartman through Instagram a little while ago, and I was immediately in love with the brand when I learned that they donate proceeds from all of their items to worthy organizations. I included Heartman in my Guide to Makers Who Donate Money, and I've been following along with them ever since. I don't usually enter ambassador searches, but I really love the shirts Heartman makes, so I decided to give it a shot. Turns out, the love was mutual! I'm pumped to get to be part of the team and share more with you all.

I had such a hard time choosing my first shirt, but I ultimately had to go with the Self Love Club tee. I feel passionately about all of the causes that Heartman donates to, but it felt appropriate to go with something that represents confidence, body image, and feminism. 10% of the proceeds goes to I AM THAT GIRL, an organization that helps girls with self-doubt and provides a safe space and honest conversation. I'm definitely guilty of thinking of "adult" issues when it comes to feminism (like the wage gap, abortion, etc.) that it gets easy to forget that feminism has to start early. You can read more about I AM THAT GIRL here and donate directly here. 

You can also get 15% off at Heartman Clothes with the code ELANA15. Get yourself a cute tee that does some good!

Giveaway: Enter to Win A Dress from Apricity and $20 to Femme De Bloom

Can you believe that this month is my five year anniversary of blogging. How did that happen?? I'll have a little introspective post up soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share a little giveaway to thank all of you for following along these past five years. This started as a fun little side project, and it has turned into a full-blown hobby, complete with an amazing community. I can't thank you all enough.

To celebrate, I've teamed up with two small businesses - one of my favorite clothing brands and one of my favorite accessories brands - Apricity and Femme De Bloom. Both have created some of the best pieces that I own, and Eileen and Melanie are two of the most inspiring business women I know.

The winner will win the Apricity dress of her choice and $20 to Apricity. I'm jealous that I can't enter myself! All you have to do is enter through the Rafflecopter widget below. You have until midnight on 5/9. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Off The Shoulder

If I said that this is my new favorite outfit, would you believe me? I know I tend to say that about most outfits, but I suppose that's not a bad a thing. I guess it wouldn't really make sense to have a personal style blog if I didn't actually love what I wear. I honestly don't know why I stayed away from off the shoulder tops for so long. I was seriously convinced that I couldn't pull them off, but now I want a million of them. This one is particularly dreamy, and I can't get over how much I love it with this perfect yellow skirt. I kind of feel like a Disney princess in this outfit.

Part of that may just be the pictures my friend Hanna took of me. We went to a big park near my hometown, and it's always ripe for good spots. I've taken pictures a couple of times, and it really never fails. 

Other than taking cute pictures in cute clothes, I've still been getting over being sick and working. I'm so excited that all of my favorite shows are coming back this month (Fargo, Better Call Saul, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Silicon Valley, Veep, etc.), but I still need something to hold me over in between episodes so I'm rewatching Community. Again. I'm even making my way through the dreaded season 4 again, which, is true commitment. 

Vote Local

If you've been following along with me during my journey to becoming more politically active, you know that I was very apathetic about voting until last year. I used the flawed electoral college as my excuse, and I will forever be ashamed of it. Fortunately, I've since learned what a mistake it was to feel that way, and I'm proud to now be an advocate for social change. I've been using the past few months to finally become more politically aware and stay involved in the national conversation (though, let's be honest, I had to take another break from Twitter), but my priority now is to start to think and get involved on a local level.

This shirt from Culture Flock could not have come at a better time. I have been loving using blogging as a platform to connect with small businesses, women entrepreneurs, and makers using their talents to make a difference. Culture Flock is an independently owned female-run business out of Springfield, MO and the women behind the brand create the best selection of tees, tanks, sweatshirts, stickers, and more. In addition to being cute, they also donate proceed from a few of their items to organizations like the ACLU and The Conservation Fund. You can also find Culture Flock in my Guide to Makers Who Donate Money. I'm particularly partial to the I Believe in Science Shirt, the Gentle & Kind Shirt, and the Introvert Pin. I also have one more piece from them that I can't wait to show you.

The Culture Flock team is using this shirt to encourage using websites like Vote 411 to find out when the next election in your area is. There unfortunately is no information about my district at this time as there aren't any upcoming elections, however, if you find the same, you can also use the following resources:

US Vote Foundation

Upcoming elections in California

My Time to Vote 

The Feminist Resistance Giveaway and Fundraiser

I am so excited to pair up with Lisa of @lalafauxbois and Color Theory Shop on the Feminist Resistance Giveaway! This is the giveaway where everyone wins. Most of us can admit that things feel pretty shitty right now, so instead of just complaining about it on the Internet, Lisa and I decided to use our powers for good (in addition to complaining about it on the Internet).

We've teamed up with 20 (!) small businesses, artists, and makers to offer two lucky winners each a prize pack filled with feminist swag. Instead of using social media as entries this time, though, we're asking for donations. Every $1 donated to Planned Parenthood equals one entry. Donate $10 and get 10 entries. You get the point. All you have to do is upload a screenshot of your donation and enter the amount in the widget below. Please note that if you'd rather donate to a different worthy cause, perhaps because you've already donated to Planned Parenthood this week or you feel more strongly about another, we'll gladly accept those as entries. We're aiming this toward Planned Parenthood because Lisa, our sponsors, and I all feel that women's reproductive rights and accessible health care are important, but there are a million causes that need our help right now. You can find a handy list of suggestions here.

Once you've donated, here's what you'll be entered to win:

Prize Pack #1

No Catcallin' Pin from Honey and the Hive | @honeyandthehive // Nasty Woman T-shirt and agenda from Google Ghost | @googleghost  //  Print from Design Squeeze | @designsqueeze // Fight Like a Girl hat from Queen for Dinner | @queenfordinner // Amelia pin from Doozie Bella | @dooziebella // Not Your Babe and Unicorn Pinata pins from Luella | @shop.luella // Feminist with a To-Do List notepad, pencils, and feminist century pin from Hello Holiday | @helloholiday  // Two vinyl stickers and pussy pin from Holly Oddly | @hollyoddly // Girls Supoort Girls pin from Daisy Natives | @daisynatives  // Four pins from Radical Buttons | @radicalbuttons 

OR

Prize Pack #2

Boss Babes coloring book and pin from Creature Type | @creaturetype // Pin and Sticker from Ectogasm | @ectogasm_art // Pin from Cry Baby Club | @thecrybabyclubofficial // Feminist T-shirt from Jen Zeano Designs | @jenzeanodesigns // Art print and Nasty Woman pin from Made Au Gold | @madeaugold //  Smash the Patriarchy necklace from Bang Up Betty | @bangupbetty // Patch from Little Arrow Shop | @littlearrowshop // Boss Babes Unite and boobs pins from Band of Weirdos | @bandofweirdos // T-shirt from Culture Flock | @cultureflock  // Nasty Woman pin from Kate Gabrielle | @kategabrielle //  Girl Boss pin from Red Bandana Pins | @redbandanapins

All you have to do to be entered to win is donate at least $1. That's it. You can upload a screenshot or a picture of your donation confirmation. Want to print it out and take a picture of your cute self holding it? Sure, go for it. As long as we can verify your donation, you're entered. We highly recommend following the amazing women involved as well. This giveaway is open to US residents only and ends at 11:59 pm PST on 02/27. Good luck!

ThredUp Kensie Dress + Old Navy Cardigan

As an avid secondhand shopper, it's no surprise that I wanted to work with ThredUp. I'm adamant about the fact that most of the best pieces in my wardrobe come from thrift and consignment stores, and while I'll always love the hunt of thrifting in stores, I'm constantly looking for new ways that my lazy self can do so from the comfort of home as well. Naturally, this means that I'm in love with browsing through ThredUp, an online consignment store. As I've said countless times on here, not only is shopping secondhand a great form of recycling, it's also a great way to get unique pieces on a budget. 

This time around, I got three piecs for about $30, which goes a long way on ThredUp. In addition to a skirt that I'll feature in Wednesday's post, I picked out this Kensie eyelet dress and Old Navy cardigan. I've been trying to do a better job of shopping smarter and getting clothes that I won't want to give away in three months (as I'm known to do), and I'm proud to say that I feel confident that I succeeded. This cardigan is such a perfect, comfy staple piece, and I've honestly worn in three times since I got it last week. My wildcard pick was this dress though. I was not sure how this dress would be in person, and once it came in a bit brighter than I expected, I wasn't sure I could pull it off. Once I put it on, though, it was love at first sight. It fit like a glove and ended up being such a fun addition to my closet. What I love most is how surprisingly versatile it is. It's fantastic for layering and easy to dress down, but it also would be my go-to piece to pair with heels for a wedding. I really cannot wait to style this dress a million more ways. 

I love when I give rave reviews with all honesty, so I'm excited to let you know that my readers can head to ThredUp and use the code HANDM50 for 50% off first-time orders up to $50 on H&M pieces. My next post will feature a new staple H&M item from ThredUp, and trust me, you'll want to get one for yourself. 

eShakti Dress + Beaded Collar

Ever since I started blogging four years ago (has it really been that long?), I've been lucky enough to work with eShakti. They sent me my very first item for a product review back in the day, and since then, I've gotten some of my best dresses from their site. Naturally, I was beyond excited when the opportunity to work with eShakti came up again, and I think I may have chosen the best piece yet.

As I'm sure you're all aware by now, eShakti offers a beautiful range of clothing, all customizable by size and style. Being able to input custom measurements is one thing, but the chance to change that one detail you can't stop thinking about and get your ideal piece as a result? It's the best. I immediately fell in love with the Windowpane Check Buttoned A-Line dress because it seemed perfect for fall. However, as someone who lives in a place that's warm essentially all year, I find it hard to justify owning too many pieces with longer sleeves. I end up gravitating more toward sleeveless pieces that can work well under cardigans when the weather does drop below 70 degrees. And so, I stuck with this perfect fall color and pattern, but I removed the sleeves and chose a boat neckline so that I could easily wear collars underneath it - which is exactly what I did right when I received it. This dress could not be any more perfect, but how it could it not? It's as if I designed it myself. I know this all sounds so hokey and too much like a paid advertisement, but eShakti in no way told me what to write, and I really do mean what I'm saying. I'm pretty pumped about this dress.

Earth Day with Schoola

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Schoola. Once I discovered the website (while browsing through Reddit), I became an instant fan. As a lover of thrifting and education, Schoola - an online thrift store that donates 40% of its proceeds to schools and the Malala Foundation - is a dream come true in terms of shopping and being a good person. So of course, when I get the opportunity to work with Schoola (a website I've praised many times with no prompting) in celebration of Earth Day, I was ecstatic. 

I can't say that I'm the most, ahem, environmentally conscious person. However, when it comes to shopping, I make the effort. Americans send 10.5 million tons of clothing to landfills each year. The easiest way to avoid that? Buying used and donating clothing, of course. That's what makes thrifting so wonderful. In addition to saving money and presenting creative challenges, thrifting is recycling. 

Since I am guilty of buying too many clothes, I'm proud to be donating many of pieces to Schoola. It's free and easy to do so; just request a donation bag on the website, and one is sent free of charge, with return postage paid for as well. All of the items on Schoola are donated, some of which are even new with tags, including stylish donations from Modcloth. Schoola was kind enough to send me two beautiful dresses donated from Modcloth, and I took it upon myself to style them both with items purchased from second-hand stores. Click through to see more.

New-ish

I am so excited about sharing this outfit. It's slightly different from what I would normally wear, yet it combines three of my favorite pieces currently in my closet. For starters, there's this gorgeous statement necklace that Happiness Boutique sent me. Happiness Boutique is a jewelry company based out of Germany, and I couldn't help but drool over the selection when they contacted me about reviewing a piece. I had about 20 tabs open of different statement necklaces I couldn't choose between, but I ultimately decided on this turquoise and pink one. I love that it's a unique, attention-grabbing piece, but it's still slightly more subtle than most statement necklaces. I can already tell that I'll be wearing this one on heavy rotation. The company has been so nice to work with, and I definitely recommend the site. Plus, they have a pretty sweet rewards program, which is always a selling point.

I picked up this dress over the weekend after considering trying a tank or T-shirt trapeze dress recently. I tried on a couple at Target, but didn't love any, and I hit the jackpot with this clearance $10 dress at TJ Maxx later. It's a completely different shape for me, and I feel a little naked without my standard fit and flare silhouette, but it's insanely comfortable and a good piece to dress up or down. I already know that it will come in handy as plan attire for when I fly to Portland in two weeks. 

That brings us to these shoes. Ah, these shoes. These were the other Hello Holiday item I purchased, and in all honesty, I went back and forth on them a lot before proceeding with checkout. The're so unlike anything else I usually gravitate forward, but they are just so...cool. I couldn't resist trying them, and I've already worn them multiple times since I got them a week or two ago. As I'm sure you know from reading my blog, I stick to flats almost exclusively, but these shoes are making me think I need more chunky heels. Between the dress and these shoes, it's what I like to call me "new-ish" look: going with slightly different shapes, but the same general aesthetic.