Legally Charming Style

Hey, hump day (and second day of March)!

So I'm hoping this look is one of the LAST ONES that I post with tights for a few months. Let me tell you guys--I love tights and am so excited for them come September/October, but by this time I'm so ready to put them back in the closet! I can't even tell you how many times I have let out a giant sigh in the last month at the THOUGHT of encasing my legs in tights yet again.

That being said, I had to put them back on because I loved this look from February SO MUCH I couldn't let the time pass without me showing it to you.  The sacrifices I make for y'all, I'm telling you. ;)

I have a big love of primary colors. A big chunk of what I own falls into the primary colors category, from shoes to purses to tops and pants. And I love pairing them with both basic black and with each other, so this outfit was pretty much the culmination of my obsession with them. I know, I have weird obsessions like pairing together primary colors--thank goodness I'm a fashion blogger, am I right? Otherwise things would get awkward if all I talked about how much I like outfits like these.

I wore this look to the office a few weeks ago for a couple of reasons: 1) These vintage (new-to-me) shoes needed to see an outfit immediately and 2) I had a sneaking suspicion this jacket would look fabulous with a black dress. I am so happy with how this turned out! I think it's one of those looks that's both conservative and a little bit bold at the same time. I felt perfectly appropriate showing up to my 9-5 job in a law office with it on, and I suspect I would have been just as comfortable going out for drinks after or dinner without feeling too overdressed.

Happy March, and here's to color!

xoxo

Carisa

It's a special Leap Day edition of the blog!! 

Welcome back guys!

It's been a very, very long week and I had to take an absence from blogging for personal reasons. I am so happy to be back, though, and starting this How to Score series!

The idea behind these pieces started after always being asked, "Where did you get that?", "How much did that cost?", and more often than not, "Can I go shopping with you?" These posts are my way of taking you shopping with me and share with you insider secrets on how I score pieces for super cheap while still achieving a chic wardrobe!!

And first up is a handy little site called ThredUP!

I first started hearing about ThredUP a year or two ago, but I had never checked it out because I didn't online shop. *gasp* I know. What?? Crazy town! I've always had a hard time with online shopping because being a petite curvy girl with wide feet has its disadvantages. >.< Buuuuut lately I've seen the light and that's thanks to this wonderful site!

What's ThredUP? It's basically an online thrift store that has thousands of clothing and accessories for women, men, and children priced at up to 90% off, including designer brands! They offer a multitude of sizes, colors and styles and pretty much everything is super adorable. They're also a pretty ethical company with positive, community-empowering values, including offering participants the chance for a portion of their sales to go to a local school of their choice.

I initially started shopping on ThredUP because they offered me a credit to check out their wares, and I found that I loved what they were offering! I'm all about discount clothing and thrifting, and I love that I can put money towards my community by doing it.

I'll admit I was nervous about shopping online because I still had those ghosts of fear about nothing fitting. So I ran through and picked items that I knew would fit based on designer/brand, clicked 'buy,' and waited.

Everything was SO CUTE!! The only piece I've been able to wear so far (just because of weather) is the floral skirt in this shoot, and I love it. It's an H&M piece that was just $10! (What a deal!) It's perfect for spring and I can't wait until I can wear it without tights and lace up sandals or wedges. :)

So what advice do I have for you about shopping on ThredUP? Check it out here!

1) If you're nervous about sizing, choose brands you already know. There's a lot of stuff from cheaper national box stores, including Old Navy, H&M, Forever 21, Banana Republic, and more. If you know your sizes in those brands, then you know that anything you pick from them will fit.

2) Take the style quiz. ThredUP offers an online style quiz you can take that curates your own shop of brands you love. I used it and that's how I found the peach top I picked up, because it was Old Navy (where I shop a lot).

3) Narrow your searches based on what you're looking for. ThredUP allows narrowing based on type of item you're looking for, color, size, style, brand, and price. This allows you to narrow stuff down if you're specifically looking for a yellow midi skirt or a striped shirt from J. Crew.

4) Take some risks! The beauty of thrifting (and thrifting through ThredUP) is that you can take some risks with pieces. It won't be as big of an investment if you order discount Tory Burch boots from ThredUP and never wear them than if you order from Tory Burch online at full price and never wear them. (There's also free returns, so if you get something and hate it, you can return it!)


Wanna try out shopping now? Check out my shopping link here and get $10 off your first purchase!

xoxo

Carisa

*I was provided with a $30.00 to ThredUP in exchange for posting about the company on my Instagram page. I have received no other compensation for this post and all thoughts & opinions are mine! 

Happy Wednesday evening!!

So lately I've been feeling outfits that are all black and white. I mean, REALLY feeling outfits that are all black and white. It's been consistently in my rotation because it's simple, easy, and has felt fresh after some recent color overload!

The problem with all black and white, of course, is that it can get really boring really quick. REALLY quick. Who wants to look at their wardrobe when it's consistently monochrome? Not trying to dog on anyone whose thing that is, but it's definitely not mine! I'm a girl who has to see at least a little bit of color.

So what's my solution? Throw in little POPS of color!

I love love love pops of color. I always have something on that makes an outfit more fun--I'm rarely carrying an all-black purse with an all-black outfit because it just isn't as fun! Looking at something bright helps my day feel happier and go by faster. :)

The easiest way to do this is through throwing on a colorful accessory. A black and white outfit can be super fun with a bright red shoe (see previous post) or a coral purse (see above)! This is also true of a bright necklace, a fun scarf, or something equally cheerful to throw off the black and white scheme. This is also an easy way to have fun if you work in a relatively conservative office--a floral bag goes a long way to make a black suit and white top more fun!

How do you like to spice up your monochromatic looks? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

Carisa

It's almost Valentine's Day! Which means it's almost date night for some of you (for me, it means a Galentine's Day cider and cheese tasting--so excited!). And while date night can have any kind of uniform, there's something about a Valentine's Day date that feels extra special. So why not take the time and dress extra special?

I wore this look to go to the theater with a friend of mine to see As You Like It, one of the fluffier Shakespearean comedies and one of my favorites. I wanted to do something a little different from what I usually do, but still right within my girly, romantic vintage vibe.

I went with a button up and ribbon bow, which was a little play on menswear without taking it head-on! I love this gorgeous tiered skirt too--I picked up at a swap meet for free! But the real star of this show is...

These shoes.

These are the shoes that launched a thousand compliments, y'all. I'm serious. I wore them to the theater and while my friend and I were in the bathroom, EVERY WOMAN of EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC complimented them. I'm serious. I spent about fifteen minutes only being able to utter several variations of "thank you." When Taliah and I photographed this shoot outside a diner in Charles Village, the bartender came OUT OF THE RESTAURANT to tell me I was rocking the shoes. And who doesn't want to get complimented 24/7?

The best part? They're only $31. Yes, seriously. And the link above will take you right to them!

And isn't giving yourself the gift of gorgeous shoes the best Valentine's present of all?

xoxo

Carisa