Outfit:

Faux leather fleece-lined leggings (poshmark.com), $29.00, American Apparel skirt (Richmond Thrift Shop, Richmond VT), free, Obey tank (Shalom Shuk, Burlington), $3.00, belt (gifted), Dolce Vita boots (gifted), Zara sweater (Zara, Spain), $10.00

I call these my “cat woman” pants.  They offer the super power of being both warm and stylish.  They are also high waisted for a nice little tummy tuck.  Even shinier in person!  Poshmark.com, a site to buy and sell fashion, delivers again!  The seller had sold hundreds of these pants and had great reviews.  Unlike most items on the site, these were brand spanking new and worth a little bit of a splurge!

I paired the pants with a virtually free outfit.   Like magic, this skirt does not ride up. Gifted belt/shoes from my sis to pull it all together.

Occasion:  Hanukkah!

The Festival of Lights is upon us, and I seriously think I ate enough potato pancakes (latkes) and donuts (sufganiyot) for the year!  We eat fried foods in commemoration of the miracle associated with oil lasting 8 nights in the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem.  I celebrated with Minyan 802, Champlain Shalomies, and a Jewish rock band at Temple Sinai called דג, hebrew for “fish”…intended to be a take on the band “phish”, followed by a brisket potluck.  So much delicious food and community!  Happy Hanukkah, until next year!

Label-less genuine suede jacket (Richmond Thrift Shop, VT), $15.00

Aunt Dinah’s scarf, priceless

Lucky Brand shirt (Marshall’s, New York), $25.00 (splurge alert)

Outfit:

This genuine and soft suede jacket is flawless!  It is also lined to keep you nice and warm on those mid-weather days.  I found similar items on eBay for around $100!

It is rare that I can identify the previous owner of a thrifted item…but this jacket belonged to somebody named Joan Beach.  The name was written with sharpie, in the neatest handwriting possible, on the inside of the coat.  It was written so perfectly, I originally thought it was the designer!

I crafted a story of Joan’s life in my head.  She grew up in Brooklyn in the 50s, with a passion for violin and poetry.  Although she was not very well-off, she had a few signature clothing items that made her feel sophisticated and classy.  This jacket was from a bargain department store, yet still cost a pretty penny for the time.  In 2010, after a divorce, she moved to Vermont for the solitude, quiet, and cheese.  Her jacket no longer fit her lifestyle, so when her daughter went through her closet years later, she thought “this is a bit impractical for my mother…I think it’s time she parted with it”.  Being that it wasn’t her style either, she decided to donate to her friend’s thrift store in Richmond.  There is nothing over $20 in the store, so the volunteer who received the coat thought, “fifteen dollars is probably fitting.”

That day I snagged this beauty and its story lives on!

Occasion:  Thanksgiving and The Book of Mormon

Yet another wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with the family!  With over 40 people at my house (all my dad’s side), each person brings something and somehow each year it gets better and better as everyone perfects their signature dish!  It was a feast!

On Sunday, before coming back to Vermont, my parents surprised me by getting us tickets to see The Book of Mormon on Broadway!!  It was incredible!  I did not expect to laugh so much, but the characters were hilarious.  Goes down in the books as one of my favorite shows!

Outfit:

Rose petal crop top (Forever21, White Plains NY), $5.00, Denim short (Forever21, New Orleans LA), $20.00

This look screams summer time…and dang is it a hot one!  I love the off the shoulder look for an even tan and to show a little skin ;).  It’s a must-have season trend.  This particular Forever 21 top is made from such soft, stretchy material and goes great with high waisted jeans.  I know I’ve been posting a lot of Forever21 outfits lately, and they are not the most respectable company, but hopefully I do enough thrifting to balance it out!  More thrifted finds to come!

Occasion: Bobcat Cafe

After an incredible hike at Mount Abraham with my friend, Kirsty, where it gloriously poured for a few minutes the second we hit the top, we rewarded ourselves with food from The Bobcat Cafe in the cute town of Bristol.  We attacked!  We could not stop talking about the herb fries with aioli to the point where the people next to us said they had to try them!  They were perfectly crispy and seasoned, McDonalds sized, and oh so good!  We also had delicious wings with honey mustard.  Needless to say we matched the burned calories, but it was totally worth it.  I suggest making the drive out there…even if you are merely craving fries!

Outfit:

Forever21 dress (Hand-me-down), Just Fab Sneakers (Shalom Shuk, Burlington VT), $5.00

Thankfully my sister, Jess, and I are close to the same size.  When she gets tired of her (awesome) wardrobe, I get dibs on all of it!  I love a dress I can just throw on and feel casual and girly.

For months I was looking for a high top white sneaker (I had my eyes on a pair of Vans, but didn’t really want to spend the $60…).  I happened to visit the Shalom Shuk during my lunch break.  I thought, once again, I am going to strike out at my old favorite thrift shop…until I saw these perfect condition, pleather, Vans knock offs.  As luck has it, they were exactly my size!  Yeah, they’re poor quality and probably won’t last me an eternity, but for $5, I’ll take it!

 

Outfit:

Forever21 dress (Forever21, White Plains NY), $27.90

My uber talented friend, Katie Paquette, took these beautiful pictures at Shelburne Orchards!

I felt like a lady wearing this mid-length, floral wrap dress from Forever21.  I am still a hardcore thrifter, but sometimes the trendiest finds are just a small price tier above second-hand.  I chose to wear black heels with this number, but you can dress it down with sneakers.  I’ve worn it to work, as well as going out on the town.

Round out Spring and bust into Summer with YOUR personal style!  Or follow my lead by buying this dress here!

Occasion: The Kitchen Table

When all of the Burlington restaurants were booked for a parent visit during Memorial Day weekend, I had to venture out to neighboring towns.  Kitchen Table, in Richmond, Vermont, popped into my head as a place I had never been, but was curious about.  The restaurant is based in a beautiful, traditional style house.  The gregarious and eccentric waiter added to the experience!  I had some of the best, most innovative, farm-to-table food I’ve had in Vermont…and that’s saying a lot!  The appetizers were insane – the freshest beet salad with bread and butter cauliflower, cheese and sauces; huge, juicy mussels with Red Hen bread, bacon and aioli; and a yummy fish ceviche.  I can’t think of a better way to start a meal!  For main courses, I had the pork rack with cabbage, sweet potato puree and ramp butter, my dad had the steak frites, and my mom had the scallops.  Mmmm mmm!  Highly recommend!

What a special night with my favorite people of all time!

 

Obey tank (Shalom Shuk, Burlington VT), $3.00

Ann Taylor tank (Battery Street Jeans, Burlington VT), $3.00

As the weather gets nicer, out come the slinky tanks!  Both were dirt cheap finds under $5 and have become go-to going-out-fits.

Occasion:  Duende for brunch

Duende, my favorite, reasonably priced food spot in Burlington (where I take all my visitors), has recently expanded their breakfast menu and it is BANGIN’.  They have Shakshuka, a popular Middle Eastern dish, with poached eggs in a tomato sauce with spices…it was super flavorful and super filling!

Duende is ornately decorated and so unique.  It’s dimly lit and has all kinds of cool lamps.  It is priced very reasonably to boot!

Outfit:

Love Sam blouse (Marshalls, Williston VT), $14.00

This blouse was originally $298 at Anthropologie, selling on eBay for $100.  I had never heard of the brand, but I instantly fell in love with it!  And for under $20, it was an easy decision.  This ultra femme shirt has a burnout, velvet, floral pattern with a cold shoulder.  I love the sheer sleeves with the tie at the bottom.  Velvet has made a comeback and I am happy to find something in my budget to join the trend.

Occasion: Lilly’s in White Plains

 

 

While home in NY, I tried out this restaurant in downtown White Plains, with my good friend, Abbie, that was PHENOM.  It was tapas style…and actually filling!  The sweet potato fries were up there among the best, and they came with chilli oil, whipped ricotta, honey, and herbs!  So flavorful! The cauliflower had a delicious muhammara sauce, and the burrata with arugula pesto and black mission figs hit the spot!  Love Abby(ie) squared dates!

Outfit:

Embroidered sweater (h&m, White Plains NY), $17.00 (on sale from $50), Flying Monkey jeans (Mixology Clothing Co, Scarsdale NY), $40.00 (on sale from $75), Chinese Laundry block heels (DSW, White Plains NY), $40.00

Grey sweater (h&m, White Plains NY), $19.99 (on sale from $60), gold drop hoops (Jules by Joanne, Scarsdale NY), $10.00

When I go home to White Plains for vacation, I know that there will be a fair share of retail therapy.  My mom and I did not fool around!  We hit up all of our favorite spots – Forever21, h&m, DSW, Target…fast fashion retailers that I don’t have in the non-chain land of Vermont.  I usually dart straight to the sale rack, especially when I’m in the unfamiliar territory of a store with items above $10 (oh do I love dirt cheap thrifting!).  But you can find some pretty trendy things when you have a store like h&m that carries unlimited, cheaply made products.  These sweaters were special finds!  As I’ve mentioned, I have a love for embroidery (trending like cray) and cozy sweaters.  I found both for under $20!  Sure, it’s the end of winter, but in cold VT I think I can manage a good amount of wears before it’s time to whip out the sundresses!  I can basically live in this super soft, dark grey sweater!

Loving pairing both sweaters with these super comfortable jeans that I can kick, stretch and kick in (Molly Shannon SNL skit. anybody?!), and my new block heels that will sass-ify any outfit!  Excited to pair these shoes with flow-y dresses and shorts as it gets warmer!

Occasion: Kripalu Retreat

On my way home, I stopped in the Berkshires for a retreat at Kripalu, a meditation and yoga center.  It was AMAZING!  I was in a program called “Embrace Your Weird” by Lisa Jakub and it covered tools for anxiety (something I know all too well) and being your most authentic self.  I absolutely loved it and took so much away from a 2 1/2 day visit.  It is in a picturesque location and when I wasn’t in the program I was exploring, doing a free-sprited yoga dance, and eating THE most delicious, healthy food (pictured above).  I felt restored, revitalized, and filled with positive nutrients to carry me through to the Spring!

Outfit:

Free People Songbird Sweater (ebay.com), $30.00 (orginally $98), Joie maroon pants (hand-me-down),  Clarks boots (postmark.com), $85.00 SPLURGE ALERT, scarf (gifted)

OK – so this is not my cheapest outfit ever, but the sweater and shoes are staples for the winter.  I recently got hooked on a website called poshmark.com.  It’s a consignment site where you can post all of the things you want to sell from your closet and scroll through millions of other people’s closets.  I’ll admit…it’s addicting.  Pretty much anything that you could ever want is stored on this site, which can be overwhelming if you don’t have a specific focus.

I was on a mission to find a waterproof, cute boot that would be super comfortable to walk around in through all conditions!  I came across these Clarks and they had never been worn!  They were originally marked at $160, and advertised as $100.  I negotiated it down to $85.  Still pricey, but I thought they were a good deal!

They are lined in fur and I love that I can trudge through puddles with no fear!  Waterproof for the win!

Occasion: Gun Control March

It was a powerful experience to be a part of the Gun Control march in Montpelier and part of a nationwide event.  Youth eloquently and assertively spoke in front of thousands saying, “Enough is enough!”.  Gun control is something that I believe in strongly, but I don’t like that people are scapegoating mental health.  Mental health is not the problem.  People struggling with mental health challenges are not more likely to hurt others, it is people who have violent and abusive backgrounds that should be denied access.  In general, I am against guns, especially powerful weapons like semi-automatics.  But this is not a mental health problem.  Ok, I spoke my “peace”.

It is amazing when people come together for such important causes.

Outfit:

h&m overalls (Goodwill, Burlington VT), $4.00, j.crew shirt (Second Time Around, Burlington VT), $12.00, Dolce Vita shoes (gifted), arrowhead necklace (forever21.com), $3.00

I had a long, tireless search for a flattering and affordable jumpsuit.  Many times these attached top/bottom outfits look like cotton pajama onesies.  They create the saggy butt effect, and they are REALLY hard to pull off!  When I saw these form fitted, jean h&m overalls at The Goodwill, I could not believe my luck!  They were exactly my size, in great condition, and the cost of an expensive cup of coffee.  Overall’s can look dated at times, but this cut with the skinny bottom is totally trendy and fun!  I am excited to try them with a crop top and sneaks in the summer!  Trouble, my friend Erin’s dog, makes an excellent accessory as well!

Goodwill usually leaves me drained with a headache from all the aisles and aisles of crapola, but this particular trip was totally worth the meticulous search!

Occasion: August First

August First is a big, open cafe with high ceilings and lots of natural light from the glass, auto garage-like walls.  I love the ambiance, but I’m not thrilled about their over-priced sandwiches and decent coffee.  However, there is one thing that makes me especially happy.  This Sesame Chicken Bowl with baked chicken, roasted broccoli & sweet potatoes, chickpeas, quinoa, walnuts, spinach, and sesame dressing is something to write home about.  It’s $11 (close to what I spent on my outfit), but it is a nice treat once in a while to fill my tummy with healthy goodness!  I would even say that the atmosphere here is so inviting and cozy that it’s worth spending a few dollars more than you would like to on the food!  They also have excellent baked goods!