Fashion Friday: New Goodies

Yes, I know it's not Friday, it's Saturday...  I'm getting caught up!

I've really been trying not to buy as much in the clothing and accessories department in the last few months.  I've still picked up plenty of new goodies, but it's all been within budget!  I'm not one of those people that couple just completely stop shopping.  (Okay, I did that a few years ago in motivation of losing some weight...  It was motivational, but only to a point.)  I've been quite a bit pickier about what I spend my money on and have been trying to only buy items that I truly love and that I feel are flattering.  I've passed up quite a few "eh" items that were just okay.  I'm trying to not buy things just because they're on sale or because I have a coupon.  

My mom and I took a little road trip a few weeks ago to hit up a new outlet mall.  I allowed myself some "fun money" from my tax return to get some new goodies and sent the rest of the money into my savings.  

I love the pleating and the simple Coach logo!

This purse is my biggest purchase.  I'd really wanted a brown purse, but there just aren't any that I really love right now.  My current go-to black purse is about 3 years old and is starting to show some age, so I decided to invest in a classic black purse at the Coach Factory store.  (I saved more than 65% off the ticketed price!)

I had a little fun with the settings on my new camera!  

I love the clean lines and simplicity of this purse.  This style is called Ashley and if I recall, it's been around for a few years.  They had it in two sizes, but I really loved the black leather which was only available at this location in the larger size.  I'd have preferred the smaller one, but in all honesty it wasn't a big enough size difference (or price difference) for me keep me from making the purchase.  Love it!  

How awesome is Target?!?

These two are from one of my favorite places on Earth...  TARGET!  I picked up the pink and burlap purse back in January as soon as I spotted it.  I've been cutting back on my purse purchases in the last few years as I've been drawn to nicer brands and quality.  I couldn't pass this one up and even better I had some gift cards from Christmas to use!  The clutch is another super cute Target find.  It was actually a birthday gift from one of my best friends.  She knows me so well!  I love the colors and the size.  It's perfect for putting in your purse or for going out!

Loft and J.Crew Factory finds.

Two of my favorite stores are Loft and J.Crew / J.Crew Factory.  We don't have them locally, but I pretty much always hit them up when I'm out of town.  I'd had some reservations about this striped top from Loft, but when I tried it on I really loved the way it looked.  (Plus the President's Day weekend sale extra 30% off sealed the deal.)  The ivory tank in the middle is a from the J.Crew Factory.  I actually have the retail version of this tank from last year (in sage with the ivory lace) and I'd wanted the all ivory version, but never managed to snag it on sale.  I was super happy to find it at the Factory store.  It's perfect for layering or alone during the summer.  Finally, the pink sweater is the Thandie sweater in shocking pink, also from J.Crew Factory.  This picture doesn't do it any justice.  It really is an awesome bright pink and is perfect for spring.  It's also an almost exact replica of J.Crew's Tippi sweater.  I have two Tippi sweaters that I love and the Thandie is pretty much the exact same fit.  It's a teensy bit lighter weight, but I like that for wearing in slightly warmer weather.

Yesterday's AE finds.

AE is usually one of my go-to stores, but they've fallen victim to the nasty cropped and boxy trend that Gap just got rid of.  It's probably a good thing, because despite many trips there, I have not found very much at all.  I love these solid boyfriend tanks for layering, though, and found a couple colors not already represented in my closet.  I love wearing simple knit tank dresses in the summer and I like to layer them with  fun colors to brighten them up.  The one on the right is "neon coral" and I think will be a super fun pop of color under some of my dresses and tanks.  I also picked up a new headband and some cute earrings while I was in there as well.  Both the tanks and the accessories were buy one, get one half plus I had a coupon!

New accessories!  

I recently started following Rachel, Really and saw her rocking this pink and gold necklace from Forever 21 in this post.  I ended up having some time to kill later that day and wandered over to the mall to pop into F21.  I was (amazingly) able to find the exact necklace as well as the cute floral headband.  I have a love / hate relationship with that stores.  I love their prices (especially for trendy items I don't want to drop big bucks on), but I hate that their clothes are small and aren't made for people with boobs or hips!  I don't get a lot clothing wise, but I do enjoy their accessories.  My other hate is that my F21 has a very sad accessory selection.  Other locations have entire rooms for accessories and mine has just two little tables!  Fail.  The bracelet in the middle is from a local boutique and I purchased it with a gift certificate from a super sweet coworker.  I'd never been into the shop before and I loved it!  They had all sorts of cute accessories and home decor items.  I'm sure I'll be stopping in again in the future.

So, there you have it...  My recent spring purchases!  I've actually stayed within my budget and have been really happy with the things I've picked up.  In the coming months I'm going to be on the hunt for some new shoes / sandals (I have some really great old pairs that need to go to sandal heaven) and some dresses for weddings, showers, and just running around!