Viva Las Vegas - Day One: An Evening In Paris

 

[This photo was taken at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas.]

 

E here, as promised in my last post, I will be detailing my recent vacation to Las Vegas. But first, per the recommendation of a friend, I'm going to provide some quick, easy tips on how to successfully plan outfits for a trip. Planning what outfits to bring on vacation can be time consuming, and even stressful. I don't know about you, but I need plenty of time in advance to pack for a trip! In order to prepare for a vacation, I rely on three easy rules when packing; 1) comfort, 2) quality, and 3) quantity. When it comes to comfort, I try to only pick items that I deem to be "essential" i.e. -can't live without. In terms of quality, I pack items of good quality that I know I will get maximum use value out of for an extended period of time. Finally, when it comes to quantity, I rely on the last two standards as a guideline for choosing the number of particular items to pack.

 

 As a seasoned traveler, I only travel with one carry on suitcase, therefore it's really important that I pack items with quality and quantity in mind. For example, the blazer that I'm wearing in this photo meets all of my guidelines. It's comfortable and extremely versatile when it comes to planning outfits, and is also lightweight and easy to pack.

 

 

 On this particular trip I wore the blazer a lot. Since it's black it matches just about everything, and provides that extra touch of polish to an outfit. The amazing thing about this outfit (shoes and accessories included) is that it was all under $40. [Everything except for the dress was thrifted.] As I've said before, you don't have to spend a lot of money to look like a million bucks! Its as simple as throwing on your favorite LBD (little black dress) with some chunky jewelry, and other fun accessories.

 

 

Thrifted items; blazer: Express $6.99 (Value Village,) wedges: Aldo $12.99 (Goodwill,) clutch $3.99 (Goodwill.) Non-thrifted items; dress: Maggy London $24.99 (TJ Maxx.)

 

 

Isn't the view spectacular? By far one of the best views I've had at dinner in a long time! Not only does the Eiffel Tower restaurant at the Paris hotel offer a great view, but it also provides guests with an authentic French dining experience.

 

 

 

 

 In case you're wondering, the food was just as good as the view! I had the mackerel and it was exquisite. Back to the view, we had front seats for the fountain show at the Bellagio hotel across the way. [Pictured below]

 

 

Not a bad way to kick off a fun, relaxing week-long vacation if I don't say so myself. If you happen to find yourself in Vegas with a few extra dollars to spend, I highly recommend you pay a visit to the Eiffel Tower restaurant. Well that's all for today, check back soon for more details on the trip, and how I spent my time. Happy Saturday!

-E

 

Letting My Inner Biker Chick Out!

 

 

E here, as the weather gets colder its time to kiss those lighter clothes and flats goodbye, and trade them in for heavier clothes and boots. As much as I love my cute skirts, dresses, and flats, I think I love my fall/winter wardrobe more! As I mentioned before in a previous post, I really like experimenting with layers. Besides, I have a serious boot addiction!

 

 

I really do love a good pair of boots, but I also have an affinity for jackets; whether it's a trench, a blazer, or drumroll.....a motorcycle jacket. In addition to shoes, or great accessories, jackets add that finishing touch to an outfit. In this case, the motorcycle jacket was the focal point of the look that I was going for. When I think of a motorcycle jacket, that iconic image of James Dean wearing a black, leather motorcycle jacket comes to mind. He looked so cool and so stylish in the jacket, which was the inspiration for this look. After all, you have to let your inner badass, biker chick out sometimes right?

 

 

The thing about wearing black is you have to know just how to pair it with the right pieces and accessories so it doesn't end up looking too gothic. Personally, I wear a lot of black! I don't know why, but whenever I go shopping I'm always drawn to black. There's something about black that is just so sleek and classic. Not to mention the fact that black always make you appear thinner!

 

 

Thrifted items; motorcycle jacket: Express $27.50 (Crossroads Trading Co,) boots: Steve Madden $22.50 (Crossroads Trading Co.) Non-thrifted items; jeans: JCPenny's $25, skull scarf $20 (Nordstrom,) Sheer blouse: Forever 21.

 

 

That's all for today. Please stop by again soon! Make sure to bundle up those thrifted duds as the weather gets chillier.

-E

What I Bought: Tips for Success

 

 

 

 

E here, as you have probably realized by now I am quite the avid thrifter and I take pride in my thrifting abilities. Like other thriftnistas, I have a knack for scoring great brands for cheap; whether its by means of thrifting, or selling and buying clothes at recycled clothing stores, or simply on a clearance rack at a retail store. Almost 85% of my wardrobe is thrifted, or I bought it at 50% - 75 %  off in a store. While most people are deterred by the thought of rummaging through racks of other people's used clothing, I look at it as the thrill of the hunt!

 

 

Everything you see pictured was: a) bought as a result of selling/trading @ Crossroads Trading Co, b) thrifted from my local Goodwill. Total cost? I only had to pay for about $35 worth of the Crossroads trade(s) (I sold at 2 separate locations.) As for the Goodwill items I got several of the items on the green tag special which was $1.29 (I will discuss how to shop Goodwill tag specials later in this post,) for a grand total of about $40. [The Goodwill total also includes housewares not pictured.]

 

Price breakdown of traded/thrifted items: 

Crossroads Trading Co.

1. Gap trench coat: $20

2. Beige Gap jacket*: originally $18.50, 50% off - $9.25

3. Express motorcycle jacket: $27.50

4.Steve Madden boots: $22.50

5. BCBG Generation dress: $16.50

6. Nautical sweater: $12.50


 

 



I absolutely love the details of this jacket; from the zippered sleeves to the zippered chest, and the detailing of the white collar flaps, the overall look is sleek and polished - giving the classic motorcycle style a modern makeover. Express tends to put out fairly high quality clothing, and this monochromatic motorcycle jacket is a good example. I was ecstatic when I saw it, and couldn't believe that no one had snatched it up yet! Just my luck I guess. I think out of all my loot, this jacket was my by far my favorite find.



Another trench to add to my collection - check! The best part? Its hooded!



A girl can never have enough boots right? I agree!


 

One thing to keep in mind when shopping at recycled clothing stores like Buffalo Exchange or Crossroads Trading Co, is that there is always a markdown rack. Almost any store that you go into, whether its a department store, boutique, or a recycled clothing store will have a sale rack of items that are periodically marked down to make room for new arrivals, or items that are damaged/defective. I have found great deals this way because an item will be marked "as is" due to a snag, or scuff. This dress for example had a small stain on it, but nothing that a tide pen can't take out.
 

Goodwill

1. Betsey Johnson dress: $7.99

2.Forever 21 dress: $5.99

3. Vigoss jeans: $5.99

4. Beige Ann Taylor sweater: $7.99

5. Loft heart cardigan: $4.99

6. Forever 21 tank*: $5.99 - $1.29

7.Old Navy tank: $4.99

As I mentioned earlier in this post, Goodwill has weekly tag specials in which you can get items for half off, (or in this case for $1.29.) Unique to Goodwill stores, every day of the week is a color tag special (except for senior discount day) and "the manager's special" where a particular type of item is on sale (i.e. - 20% off jeans.) You can find out what the daily tag special is on the Goodwill website, or in store where it is posted on every other rack, and is also announced on the intercom.

 

 

 

I don't typically go for zippered dresses, but this Betsey Johnson dress was absolutely adorable and was such a great price that I couldn't pass it up!

 

 

 

 Hopefully, based on what you've seen here I can convince all of you thrifting skeptics out there that you can find quality, designer, brand name clothing for great low prices. Thanks for stopping by! Check back soon for more tips.

Happy thrifting!

-E