free people

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A Ruffle In Time

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Having Anthropologie come out with a collection of twenty classic pieces in July that they entitled “The Archival Collection” was kind of bittersweet for me. Bitter, because I had all ready bought a couple of things and my budget was gone. But sweet, because I still had my twenty percent off code and a very generous gift card from my sister to make this purchase not as painful.

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There was only one item I wanted from the collection. Needed. And it was calling my name. The Archival Ruffle Skirt. It was love at first sight.

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I know I can carry this skirt into every season. I am showing it here with my Anthropologie Deirdre Lace Wedges. In the fall I will pair it with my brown boots and long sleeved lace shirt. It will transition nicely. I think a chambray shirt would look lovely with this, as well.

This skirt fits my old fashioned sensibilities perfectly. I love the color. I love the layers. I love the length. The material. The ruffles. It is flirty and fun. I was sure my husband would hate it. But he loves it. Yay!

I am wearing my Anthropologie Cameo Creature Locket with the giant bulldog head that I love. It also happens to be on sale now.

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The shirt was a purchase very early this year. It is a lace Free People top via Nordstrom Rack. I almost did not get this. But I am so glad that I did, because I wear it all of the time. It goes with everything.

Did you purchase an Archival item from the collection? What was it? And does it make you yearn for a time gone by?

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It’s The Little Things: Getting Your Hair Done

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I feel like the biggest dork doing a post on this, but I am bursting with excitement! I have been really depressed this week. The kids going back to school is looming. I spent three days in a row in pajamas. The same pajamas. I knew I needed something to snap me out of my funk.

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I got my hair done! This may not seem like a big deal. But, believe me, it is. First, I am cheap about my hair. I only get it done every three months. It had been five months since I had had my hair colored and cut. I had been putting it off. I have had the same hair dresser for ten years. I loved her, but some things changed. I will not write about the circumstances. It is not my story to tell. But it was an agonizing decision for me.

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So, two days ago, I went to a new hair dresser recommended to me by my good friend ( thank you forever, Bridgette!). I love her! It is a huge relief to have finally made a decision. And have the outcome be good. At least, to me. I left happy. It just felt better to get my split ends cut off.

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I feel refreshed. Reenergized. Like myself again. I just wanted to share.

It’s the little things: A haircut. Who knew?

P.S. Just in case you wanted to know: the outfit is mostly Free People. It is Free People’s Trapeze slip in seafoam (I believe that is the color. I purchased it a long time ago. That color is now gone, but there are a lot of different colors still available). The top is called Golden Age Top. The jeans are ten years old from The Gap. The lace shoes are from H & M last year. The necklace is my daughter’s. And I totally copied the layering look from the Free People Me stylist pictures. ; )

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A Crochet State Of Mind

I cannot get enough of crochet lately. I love it all. Did you know I have even crocheted a blanket? Actually, I have crocheted one complete blanket and three quarters of another one. I keep meaning to finish it. Kind of like this thought.

Okay, crochet. Love it! Bring it on:

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All right, here I am talking about crochet and my first outfit has no crochet in it. I make sense like that. The shoes I am wearing are my very favorite shoes in the world. They have this lovely lace on them. It looks like crochet. I bought them during Anthropologie’s additional 20% off sale. They are Deirdre Lace Wedges. I am not a shoe girl, but I can feel the lust with these. I am wearing them in all three outfits.

My mom gave me a gift card for my birthday. I snagged this skirt and used her gift card for it. Then it went on sale and I got a price adjustment. I still had money left over from the gift card. Yay! The skirt is called Waverly A-line. I am wearing a size 2 in it. Yes, a 2. I have no idea how to feel about this.

Excuse my excess of make up in this pic. The kids were gone and my husband and I went on a date night. I do not know why I feel like I need more make up at night. I never like it.

I paired the skirt with a Free People lace top I bought at the beginning of the year from Nordstrom Rack. The necklace is a layering necklace from Anthropologie. I layered a pink tulle skirt from Free People (from this post) via Nordstrom Rack underneath the skirt. The skirt all ready has tulle underneath it. I felt it needed more tulle. No explanation needed. I felt very feminine in this outfit.

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I bought this Anthropologie Edme & Esyllte Field Corduroy Skirt over a year ago on eBay. It is my very favorite skirt. Unfortunately, I think it is a little big now. I wear this skirt every other week. There are so many things that go with it. This top was from Nordstrom Rack. It is a brand called Daniel Rainn. I had never heard of it. But I like the top. The detail might be more lace than crochet, but I felt it was close enough for this category.

The necklace is a layering necklace from Anthropologie. It is my favorite.

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I bought this crochet dress from eBay almost a year ago. It is originally from Anthropologie. I wondered why it looked different. Then I remembered I usually wear a belt with it. Doh! Oh well. I paired it with my flag necklace from Anthropologie.

Have you jumped on the crochet bandwagon? Can you crochet? I crochet in a straight single pattern. My mother-in-law tried to teach me how to do the double knot once. It blew my poor little mind.

Need more crochet?:

I am wearing my multi-color rainbow crochet vest here.

I am also wearing a crochet dress in this post.

And another favorite dress that I have worn and purchased in May, but have not blogged about yet, is the Mix in the Crochet dress by Free People. I own it in the rose color in medium. And I LOVE it.

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I’m Bad

I was being so very good last month. The “bestest” of good. But my mother-in-law and I went shopping five days ago: At Nordstrom Rack and Marshall’s. Oh man. The deals they had that day. It felt like a dream. I found so many sale items I had been waiting and waiting for. And everything was at least 60% off.

If you are looking for a crochet top to layer with (which I was), Marshall’s has a ton of them right now. They all seemed to be under $15. They also had some good Nanette Lepore pieces. And Nordstrom Rack was teeming with Free People items, galore. So many pretty slips. It is a very, very good thing it is my birthday this week. I had my husband wrap most of it up.

[And just a quick note regarding sizing. I am almost always a medium, but I tried on all sizes in clearance. I have said it before, but it might have made its way to clearance because of wonky sizing. Almost everything I am wearing or purchased that day is either a small or a large. I used to wear an XL or sometimes XXL. So, to me, the letters on the tag are just that, letters. They mean nothing to me.

And you never know. Try it on!]

Here are my outfits from last week:

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I loved this dress so much, I could not wait to wear it. So, it did not get wrapped with the rest. It is Free People’s To A “T” Crochet Slip dress. It was originally $168, but I scored it for $39. Almost 77% off! The tag said $65, but it rang up for less. The under slip is not included. It is Free People’s Seamless Dot Slip that was at Nordstrom Rack for $20, instead of the original $58. It looks putty in color. The necklace is from Simply Livly on Etsy. She gifted me the necklace and I wear it all of the time. It is $15 in her shop and I love it.

I felt perfectly “me” in this dress. It reminded me of the “doily” dress from Reality Bites. But I am wearing undergarments. Phew!

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I also purchased this shirt from Anthropologie last month for $24 (with a price adjustment for the 20% off sale currently going on). It is called Paisley Trails Tee. It is sold out, but I have seen it pop up again three times this week, so I am still including the link. I am wearing a medium. It was originally $88. I wanted to pair it with my pink Pilcro stet pants from Anthropologie. Could not find them. So, I paired it with jeans. I am creative.

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Necklace is Free People’s Solid Supernova on sale here. Shoes are from Anthropologie last year, by Seychelles.

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And I purchased this little strapless dress for $23. Originally $44. It reminded me of the Tarana Maxi dress from Anthropologie (which I think is so beautiful, but this worked for me). The silver necklace was a gift from Free People for participating in Free People Me. It is called Pewter Short Chained Collar. My post about it is here.

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I paired it with my Cloth & Stone chambray shirt from my closet.

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And a purple t-shirt from Splendid that I also picked up that day.

The shoes in the pictures are my favorite from Anthropologie last year. They are called Tracy Reese Corchorus Wedges.

That is all for now regarding my gluttonous behavior. This week. I also gained five pounds in the last two weeks. So, now I am super cranky on my diet. Good times!

Have you scored any deals lately? Please share!