Shop gal’s Blog

When I was in high school I fell in love with the Gossip Girl book series. It was like Sex in the City for the underagers, and man was I eating it up. I was one of those girls that would know the date the next book would come out and be the first to have it.  Fast forward almost 5 years later and the book series made it to the CW network.

 The series about some high school teenagers that live a scandalous life, having sex, boozing it at some of the most posh bars and restaurants in town, all the while they all are hooked up to this website Gossip Girl who sends text of scandal whenever they see it going down. Juicy Campus was a take off of it that recently got shot down.  Well last week I got really sick, so I decided on my day of sickness to lie in bed all day and watch the whole season one on dvd. It took roughly 2 days as there are 18 episodes but i’ve put it on repeat ever since. 

So what does a TV show have to do with fashion? Well it inspires it & what girl doesn’t want to dress like these rich girls from Manhattan. 

GET SERENA’S LOOK: 
Jacket bebe.com 
Skirt frenchtoast.com 
Boots jildorshoes.com 
Handbag londonluggage.com 
Necklace kimberlybaker.com 
Tights urbanoutfitters.com 

GET BLAIR’S LOOK: 

Shirt bluefly.com 
Skirt frenchtoast.com 
Stockings urbanoutfitters.com 
Headband marissacollections.com 
Handbag saks.com 

GET SERENA’S LOOK: 
Skirt frenchtoast.com 
Socks nordstrom.com 

(looks & pictures taken from instyle.com) 

And while not everyone can afford high end looks if you tend to buy more simple classic pieces, you can mix them together easier & dress them up with accessories. 

Speaking of shopping, I thought this might be a fun read over Easter Weekend. 

To buy or Not to Buy: Why we Overshop and How to Stop!

The title says it all, but pretty much it is about how to spend less shopping and finding ways to eliminate and put down items that we really don’t need. It also talks about ways to manage a shopping budget. Ha, I can’t say I’m not trying.

Tomorrow has to be one of my favorite holidays. When I was younger and in grade school, I honestly could have cared less it was St. Patrick’s day. Infact i’m pretty sure I hated it because it ment I had to wear the color green (which I am not a huge fan of) and if I didn’t wear green meant it gave every single  classmate the opportunity to pinch me.  

Now being in college, St. Patrick’s day has a whole new meaning. Not just the fun of drinking green beer, BUT the fact its like a huge giant party, all the bars have specials, I’m talking ridiculous specials (5 cents a beer til you use the restroom) I mean it’s out of control. You would think Central would close down school for the day so that we could all celebrate without getting in trouble for skipping classes.  Haha, ok so not all under agers take part in the festivities (their loss.) So why does St. Patrick’s day have to do anything with shopping, or fashion? Well because a key element to the “college St. Patrick’s day” are the ridiculous t-shirts that you can get away with wearing. I like to consider myself a classy girl, so when I picked out my St. Patrick’s day shirt that says “Kiss me i’m irish (then the irish is crossed off and it says) Drunk.” I reminded myself it wouldn’t be classy to wear to class since i’m drinking right after. SO I purchased another one that says “Kiss me i’m irish, today.”  

So here are a few of my favorite picks online. 

I was never one to love wearing scarves. Infact I think the first time I EVER wore a scarf was last year when I bought a fake burberry one from a co-worker. Since then i’ve expanded my collection greatly and find that I wear a scarf with 90% of my outfits.

Ae.com

My favorite scarf of the moment that I wear all the time is a black and white cheetah print one from The Buckle that I bought last fall. I wasn’t sure about it when I first bought it, but  the sales girl had one on and it looked sweet.  I didn’t start to wear that scarf until probably November.  It started as an accent to a boring pink tank and black cardigan. It now is a staple in my wardrobe. If you know me, you probably know EXACTLY what I’m talking about because I wear it that much.

Urbanoutfitters.com

Its kind of funny to me, but the other day one of my sorority sisters asked me “How do you wear a scarf.”  What she meant is this hip way to wear a scarf where its like a triangle in front.  Truth be told though, there are MANY ways to wear a scarf in which each of them create a different look.  It might sound dumb and I feel bad if one of the guys in my 202 class have to read my blog this week.  But, here are a few different ways to tie a scarf.

The easiest way to wear a long scarf is just to hang it around your neck, with the ends dangling in front.You can also tie a loose knot around your neck or just sling wider scarves over a single shoulder. Another way to wear a long scarf is to place it horizontally in front of your neck, throw it back so that both ends are resting on your back, then grab the right end with your left hand and vice-a-versa, bringing the two ends to your front.

If you’re attending a special event and want to present the most pulled-together, polished look possible, tie  your scarf the “right” way by following this simple method.

1. Start by folding a square scarf diagonally so that it forms a triangle.
2. Fold the wide end (the long side of the triangle) over itself repeatedly until a slim band is formed.
3. Lay the folded scarf over your neck so that one end is longer than the other.
4. Bring the long end over the short end and pull it through the loop.
5. Repeat this step.
6. Pull taut and wear either at the side or center of the neck.

Personally, I like to switch up my scarf tying. At this given moment I’m favoring the leave one side long and the other side short wrap it once around my neck and let it fluff out look. I think it looks cool, but I could be wrong.

Have you ever wanted a blanket that kept you “snuggly warm” while allowing you to do regular everyday tasks such as answer the phone, read a book or better yet hold a baby. Well your day has come with the Snuggie. The Snuggie aka a backwards robe that resembles an outfit a monk would wear has become all the rage. If you’ve never seen the commercial please check it out: 

The commercial says it all, but its fashionability (i’m going to coin that term) is not so much. I would be caught DEAD wearing one of those cult robes. I have always been the type of person who has to match my outfits including pajamas. I mean I figure you never know who might knock on your door to hang out OR if some idiot on the floor above you is going to burn down the apartment complex you live in. The Snuggie however, is just plain dumb. Do you really need a Snuggie instead of a blanket to answer the phone, eat snacks, hold a baby, watch TV and play on your laptop. The answer is a easy one, no. A normal blanket will surely do. Unless this Snuggie can keep you toasty warm in -100 degree temperatures and is fire protect-ant any person who buys it, just wasted 19.95 + shipping.  

This guy get its check out his video (this is actually really amusing & yeah he swears so beware. ) 

I have to admit,  that last video is hilarious “your daughter can’t get a date to prom” haha so true. It boggles me. So I’m  sorry if any of you actually purchased such a ridiculous looking blanket or robe, if you can return it I would. I mean who wants to be known for being “that person” with a Snuggie. Worst of all what if your that person and you have a hot date, they come over and see you have one. Oooh the embarrassment, you’d more then likely never see that person again. 

I’m just kidding it might not be that bad. But really, say no the Snuggie.

If your single who would you rather spend your Valentines Day with then your best friend. Lucky for me, mine drove two hours to do just that yesterday and we went and saw the new movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. The movie which first came out as best selling novel, was one that relates so much to my life its not even funny. 

    Its about a journalist living in New York City hoping to get her chance at a big fashion magazine. She loves shopping and swiping her “magic card” all the while being up to her eye balls in debt and getting stalked by bill collectors.  Well ok maybe not all that is me to a T but I am going into journalism, I would love to live in a big city and I love shopping. Not to mention I was that idiot 18 year old with 12 credit cards with high credit limits that loved to shop . Unfortunately I admit I am still paying all those bad boys off and I am almost 23 but hey at least I’m only down to 4. 

What I really liked is that for most girls myself included can really relate to a book/movie like this. Shopping is indeed amazing. I get a natural high when I find the perfect jeans, add another pair of Uggs to the collection, or buy useless things that I don’t need for pure entertainment. There is just something about shopping that makes me feel better. While some  people have their comfort foods, I have comfort stores.  My personal favorites are Forever21, Victoria Secret, Nordstroms & The Buckle.I remember last year my boyfriend at the time and I had got into a really heated argument, I was for sure thinking it was over so I headed an hour to Lansing and did some damage. One new black Coach handbag, 3 outfits from Victoria Secret’s Pink Collection and a new Abercrombie & Fitch puffer coat later I felt much better about everything at the time, my bank account suffered severely. Shopping trips like that don’t happen often though and I’m glad they don’t. After being in college for four years and paying off credit debt I’ve tried to be careful with my purchases. I admit I like nice things, but I have learned there are many things you can live without.

As if warm weather couldn’t be upon us any faster, we had our first 50 degree day in Michigan this weekend. It was such a tease because now its back to 30 degrees and I almost had the guts to leave the apartment without a coat on. Then I referred back to my strep throat I had just a few weeks ago and decided not to take my chances. 

So needless to say I wore my wool coat today, but not because I wanted too and with that started my search for a new spring jacket. The thing about Michigan that most other people in the United States don’t have to experience is that everyday can be a different temperature. It was 52 on saturday, 49 on Sunday and 28 degree’s today, two weeks from now it might be 70 for 3 days in row. You never know. So with that you need quite a range of options on hand.  So after checking out a few of my favorite sites here are some of my top picks for this spring: 

Above Elegant Floral Coat from Forever21. $34.50

Long double breasted jacket from forever21 has a tie waist belt. Perfect for dressing up a pair of jeans, or dressing down on your way to class. 

Above The Boyfriend Blazer. American Eagle $59.50  

Just a simple blazer perfect for a casual dinner out. 

Above The North Face Khumbu Jacket. MooseJaw. $60-80

Featured in Pink Fever/Asphalt Grey. A great jacket to move from winter into spring. Comes in over 10 colors. 

Above Silence & Noise Motor cycle Jacket. Urban Outfitters. $128.00 

Broken in Faux leather & cropped waist makes this jacket one to break into the summer season. Comes in White & Black. 

Above Isabel. Abercrombie & Fitch. $200

Super soft double breasted buttons, front tie belt and button down shoulder tabs. Has Vintage  Abercrombie wash. Classic fit. Perfect for any occasion. 

I have to admit, i’ve never really gone snowboarding. I mean I got one once for Christmas when I was about ten. My dad had bought it because the guy at the sporting goods store said it was all the rage, and my dad thinking we had a pretty steep hill in my back yard would get its fair share of use. I used it maybe all of one or two times.

So this year, i’ve had the courage to get the gear and go. I know I don’t have a clue what i’m doing, but I figure there are enough sorority sisters, and frat friends for me to go with that I might as well start at it. Of course while hearing i’d be falling more then standing up, I figure I might as well tumble down the hill in style.

I started scouting my snowboard outfit in early November, I didn’t know where to start but I was a huge fan of Moosejaw in lansing, that and the guy was really cute who was talking bindings, goggles and which Burton board was better. He however didn’t get I needed to match. I couldn’t go tumbling down the mountain with a board that didn’t match my snow pants and jacket, that didn’t match my gloves that didn’t match my hat. Lets be serious now I didn’t get best dressed for anything back in high school. So I was left to search for the ultimate matching outfit on my own. I searched high and low online for months. If you’re ever in search of snowboard gear check out The House, Peter Glenn & to my surprise eBay.

I found my ideal outfit on Burton.com but if your really looking for deals you need to shop around. There is no reason to pay full price for anything Burton. It is ideally an awesome brand, if not one of the most expensive brands in snowboard gear but there are enough stores online and around the country that will have it on sale especially after christmas. Thats exactly what I did. I found this jacket online, then I tried it on at Dicks Sporting Goods in Okemos, then I found it on sale $40 cheaper at Peter Glenn & here we have it my snowboard jacket.

The snow pants were a little bit harder to get though. I wanted the same plaid but the black version, they were on sale $40 cheaper at Dicks, but regular price at Peter Glenn. So I bought these at Dicks.

Needless to say, I can’t wait till this Friday when I go snowboarding for the first time and tumble down the hill with style.

I am one of the worst “bloggers” known to mankind. School has become my life. I have classes everyday from 9-3:15 work at the salon from 4-8 and then well meetings, studying, and hopefully some vodka to take away the stress. All this is good with recruitment coming up, and i’m focusing myself on that and picking out what tshirts i’m dressing my sorority in. SO i’m holding off on my blog until its set up and all pretty when Jess (Delicious Design Studio) is done with it in October/November with a sweet layout and what not. Its really going to be sweet. So until then.

Noelle Jumper- Delias
Originally uploaded by jad0re_pink

With less than a week left until school starts (for me atleast.) I still have some major blogging to do on some of my favorite pieces of this fall. So I might cram in a few pieces today to make up for my lost time while moving.

When hitting up the mall with one of my besties we headed in to Delias and came across this adorable jumper. You can wear it dressy or casual and it is perfect for my work (receptionist at a hair salon) as well as on the way to class. The line was super long for the fitting room so we just put the jumper over our clothes mid store to check it out. I am usually either a Small but sometimes need a Medium. This jumper was huge as a medium so I tried on the small which still was a little roomy.

You can buy the jumper online from Delias for $39.50 or in the store.