Pearls & Twirls

Best Pieces To Buy Now

End of season sales are great and oh so tempting but it’s always important to shop smart! This morning I’m sharing my tips on which pieces to snag now during the end of season sales on Fox 43 and wanted to share my tips here as well. {Watch the segment here}

Like I mentioned yesterday I’m not a huge fan of neutrals and basics. I’m often very tempted by the half off feather skirt or the sequin dress that I’ll hold on to until next year and likely forget about. But right now is a great time to stock up on basics!

Denim

There are often lots of great deals on all denim, not just the seasonal, trendy pairs. If you’re a designer denim kind of girl, this is definitely the time to stock up! Nordstrom and Shopbop both have some awesome deals on a lot of their denim! I got my pair of DL1961 jeans for less than $50 this time last year and wear them all the time! It takes a little time to find the right pair in your size but it’s totally worth it!

Little Black Dress

Little Black Dresses are timeless and a piece every girl should have in her closet. Right now you can find some really stunning ones on sale! I found one at a local boutique for half off a few years ago that’s absolutely gorgeous and is my fancy LBD I pull out when I’m in a pinch! It’s always nice knowing I have it at any given time!

After doing a little shopping on the Shopbop sale there are seriously a ton of great black dress options. This flowy Tbags one is very similar to the My Kind of Lovely one I’m wearing here and this AQ one has a great shape and is only $125!

Light Layering Pieces

Another thing I like to stock up on are light layers like cardigans, kimonos and light jackets. These are pieces you’re certain to wear well into spring and bonus points for choosing lighter colors like grays or pastels! Gap, Old Navy and J.Crew are all great places for items like these and are almost always running a sale this time of year! (See what I got from the J.Crew sale here)

Shoes

This one needs no explanation! There’s a a time and a place to buy shoes and that’s always. Sale or no sale I’m usually buying the dang shoes but I have snagged quite a few of my most loved pairs at a great price! Those sparkly ones? You bet! And my recent Steve Madden obsession booties (pictured above), they’re on sale right now too! Scoop em up while you can!

I will say it really is a great time to splurge on a designer pair of shoes if you’re like me and can’t really afford the real deal at the regular price. I always love browsing the Shopbop shoe sale and The Outnet for some seriously gorgeous shoes at great prices!

by Katie Posted on January 22, 2015

Posted in Shop | Tagged DL1961, Gap, J.Crew, My Kind of Lovely, Old Navy, Shopbop | 2 Comments

Back in Black {and White}

I’ve always been a girl who loves color. When given the option to choose between a handful of colors I often gravitate towards the brightest, prettiest color even though it’s much harder to wear than choosing the same item in a neutral color. I often just think the neutrals are basic and boring.

Until lately, that is. Black and white is such a classic color combo but I’ve just recently come to the conclusion that it doesn’t have to be boring. It can actually be really cool. I paired this black & white check top with a fun skirt and over the knee boots for a more modern vibe that’s anything but boring! It also made me realize how many black & white looks I’ve posted on Pearls & Twirls this winter! Definitely a lot more than in the past. You can find a few of my favorites here: 1, 2, 3. Oh, and this top is less than $15! Hop over and snag one before they sell out!

gifted Sheinside top | J.Crew skirt | Steve Madden boots | ASOS clutch

by Katie Posted on January 21, 2015

Posted in Outfits, Winter Outfits, Winter style | Tagged ASOS, J.Crew, Sheinside, Steve Madden | 2 Comments

Bloggers Who Budget: Winter For Less

We’re back with another Bloggers Who Budget series and I’m back in my go-t0’s! This J.Crew sweater is seriously a favorite and my fuzzy Teddy Coat from Forever 21 is the only jacket I’m wearing this winter! It was my obviously choice for this month’s Winter for Less theme and is 100% my favorite item I’ve purchased this season!

Shop Similar Jackets:

And don’t forget to check out everyone’s post!

Want to join the link-up? The third Monday of each month at 8 AM EST, you can head to any one of our blogs and link-up your post. We kindly ask that you follow our blogs (via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram). Also, please link back in your post and if you tweet, please use the hashtag #BloggersWhoBudget.

Upcoming themes:

February: Leopard for Less ($75 and under)

March: Color of 2015: Marsala ($75 and under)

April: Spring for Less ($75 and under)

by Katie Posted on January 19, 2015

Posted in Bloggers Who Budget, Outfits, Winter Outfits, Winter style | Tagged Forever 21, J.Crew | 4 Comments

Heart Happy: Vol 8

Haaapppyy Friday! I’m finally starting to get back in the groove of things and after taking outfit photos before work three days this week I’m actually starting feel like a productive blogger! Not to mention I actually went to gym this week and have been drinking green smoothies for breakfast and lunch…whaaat?! Now if I could just get my life organized things would really be lookin’ good! One thing at a time though…ha!

I’m really trying to work on that 101 in 1001 list and #12 was to give up shopping for 1 month. Something so easy but I just haven’t taken the time to do. So next month is officially #NoSpendFeb! And a great way to work on one of my 2015 goals of staying creative because it forces me to get creative over here with re-mixing and trying out new blog posts! It’s a win – win! (Oh and the wallet will be grateful as well….)

And, just like any good shopaholic, I’ve got to get my fix in before February 1st so two of the best sales that I’m shopping right now are BaubleBar and J.Crew!

J.Crew not only has a ton of markdowns but are doing an extra 40% or 50% off sale items! Use code SHOPNOW

BaubleBar: Buy 2 Items get 15% off with STASH15 | Buy 3 items get 25% off with STASH25 | Buy 4+ items get 30% off with STASH30

Happy Shopping!

by Katie Posted on January 16, 2015

Posted in Heart Happy, Shop | Tagged baublebar, J.Crew, shopping | 4 Comments

Kimono

Somehow I’ve become quite obsessed with kimonos this fall and winter. They’re pretty much the easiest thing to wear and I’ve quickly racked up quite the collection. I now have 3 black ones that I pretty much just have on rotation (last worn on the blog here). One with jeans one day, another with black J.Crew pixie pants the next and another with a black tee shirt dress. I’ve pretty much just been mixing and matching all the black pieces in my closet and top it off with a kimono on any given day. The easiest way to throw on a really simple outfit and look a little fancy!

My kimono is from my shop My Kind of Lovely (and we still have some available – and they’re on sale!) but ASOS has a ton of great ones!! I’m in love with this poppy print one!

Shop More Kimonos:

by Katie Posted on January 14, 2015

Posted in Outfits, Winter Outfits, Winter style | Tagged ASOS, Karen Walker, Moon & Lola, My Kind of Lovely, TAudry, vintage, Zara | 3 Comments