This was the dress I chose for the swanky Taste of Western event in Oklahoma City. I loooooooove to dress up, but sadly I don't get a chance to go to many fancy events here in Norman. So if ever one comes along, you can be certain I'll seize it to theeee max!


I've never worn a long dress to an evening event before and was dying to try. I shopped online like craze until I found this lilac stunner on Threadflip. It's by H&M... I didn't realize they made fancywear. Anyways, I had credit in my account so I snatched it UP. FOR FREE. That cannot be beaten, frans. Don't you heart the fabric texture?


With such a subdued (colorwise) look, I knew I could carry a more bold purse. This gorgeous thing was a gift from one of my besties in Japan. It's meant to be carried on formal occasions with a kimono! The colors happened to go perfectly with my outfit.


During other more important duties, I often googled "celebrity nude dress" and came up with some inspiring results for jewelry. (I also came up with some results that cannot be shown, I guess because of the word "nude.") But the thing I noticed was that there were quite a few low-on-the-arm-party looks. Not too much jewelry. Just a few fab statement pieces. Hmmmmmm, I like it. That's why the only jewelry I'm wearing are these lovely earrings that I got from F21 eons ago.


 And for shoes, my old faithful companions, these lovelies from Antonio Melani. Comfy as can be for a night of walking and eating and walking and eating some more. I'm sure I was 13 pounds heavier by the end of the night so non-deadly shoes were key.


 See you again soon! Bai!
JUURI

I can help direct traffic today because my sweater is SO FLUORESCENT! It's a bit blinding, for real. I love the slouchy, comfy style matched with my super-versatile leather look leggings. Can you believe I got them years ago on eBay for $12? They haven't failed me yet and I wear them constantly.


I bought this lovely Tory Burch satchel recently by my magical methods. I'm not the hugest Tory Burch fangirl, but this was one time that I had a case of a very overreactive trigger-finger whilst viewing an eBay auction. The next thing I knew, I was the winner. Oops. Oh well. I love the purse after all!



I went to Dillard's the other  week in search of some perfect black pumps. As I was intently scouring the sale rack, I spied these lovelies shoved away on a bottom shelf. They were just my size! I tried them on in a wild frenzy, asking a random nearby lady if she thought I looked good. (She said yes.) Win! They were Antonio Melanis (so comfortable) on sale for $32!


The heels are acceptably tall so I don't look like a shoe sissy, but low enough that I can do human behaviors like walk. The ankle straps ensure that my feet don't pop out mid-gait, and the double strap ensures that I look totally smashing.

Can you see that I'm having a good Friday? I hope you have a nice weekend toooooo!

Julie <3


Sweater: Forever 21 (old)
Leggings: eBay (old)
Bag: Tory Burch (buy it here!)
Heels: Antonio Melani via Dillard's (sold out)

When you live in an area of the country where fashion is not on most peoples' priority list, you can get some funny looks when you dress nicely. People will ask

"Why are you all dressed up?"

"Who are you trying to impress?"

"How can you even walk in those shoes? It's not worth it."

They may make judgmental statements like

"She is so vain."

"She's so annoying and pretentious."

"She's just trying to flirt with every man she sees."

But I say this:

I'm dressed up because I enjoy fashion with all my heart.

I'm trying to impress myself, since I'm my own harshest critic.

It does sometimes hurt to walk in these shoes, but you get used to it the more you do it; and it's kind of a challenge. 

Yes I might be a little vain, but if you would take the time to get to know me, you'd see that I'm neither arrogant or pretentious...just rather exuberant (like a kid), and a bit too naïve for my own good.

I try to be kind to everyone I meet... whether male or female. And if being kind to males is interpreted as "flirting" by some insecure females, that won't stop me. I'm going to be kind anyway.

Don't let other peoples' apathy dampen your creativity. Don't let their gossip stifle your exuberance and sweetness. Dress up because you want to, and dress down when you want to. It's all about feeling happy and comfortable in your clothes. #overdressedandhappy

 Yes, you read that right. This is not a post about buying knockoffs, borrowing, stealing, being a consumerist hoarding fiend, or being irresponsible with money in the name of fashion.

This is a post about being clever with a little bit of money, keeping track of it, and watching it grow in designated ways. It's not hard to do either; it just requires a bit of patience. How else do you think I always have a designer purse for most of my blog posts of late? They are all 100% authentic and belong to me. I'm not even rich at all.

And I don't say "designer purses" as if I'm someone who will follow anyone with a "brand name" like some zombie fangirl. It's simply that usually, the purses which have insurpassable quality + design ARE some sort of designer brand. And as you grow up, you start to see the value of quality over quantity. And I think that's a good thing.

Anyway... this is how you start.

1. Save $50 or so. That shouldn't take most people too long if they are very determined. With this $50, buy a *used* *authentic* designer brand purse on Craigslist, Ebay, Threadflip, or some similar site. If you pay attention, you'll see them everywhere. People often don't know the values of what they're selling, and aren't bothered to check. If you need advice doing this, ask me in the comments below and I'll be happy to answer. The key is to find a purse that you can re-sell later for quite a bit more than $50.

2. Clean up your purse and enjoy it for awhile. It's fun to have something new! At the same time, list it on one of the sites above at a higher price. Maybe $100. Maybe $215? Check the prices of other "sold items" to see what a fair amount would be. Good photographs and descriptions go a long way.

3. Whilst you're in mid-enjoyment of your purse, you'll most likely get an email that says "Congratulations! Your item has sold!" Huzzah! Step one is complete. Now you have much more than $50 in your hand.

4. Repeat the steps. Use your $100 to buy a purse that you can re-sell for quite a bit more than $100. See how this goes? Before long, you'll have waaaaaay more than what you started with (and you can decide whether to buy a super expensive purse, or buy multiple purses) and you have gotten to enjoy a load of them. All this without borrowing, stealing, breaking the bank, or being being unable to pay rent.

Everybody WINS!

<3 Julie

PS. I'm writing this blog post after having ordered my very first brand-new purse from Kate Spade, thanks to the method above. And I have money left over. Woooooo!

I love dresses that have at least some type of structure. It's an easy way to look crisp & neat at any angle without worrying about weird wrinkles making you look fat or creepily-shaped.


 I'm also a fiend for floral, a sucker for light pink / baroque-style, and enamored with flare dresses... so all that = Julie walking out the shop with this new purcha$se. Since it's über-comfy and machine washable, I can foresee myself wearing it all the time.


Who doesn't love a gathered Coach purse? I'm always drawn to interesting textures. This bag is a little droopier than I expected though, so I only use it when I'm wearing somethings structured. Or else I'd look like Miss Hippie Flowy-Droops being assaulted by gravity.

I also hope you love my gun ring because I do. Guns & flowers are always a good combo!


And, the other wonderful thing is these new white heels I got from selling clothes on Threadflip. I like to keep my "credit" in there after selling clothes, so I can cash out on fantastic finds like these. The slingback helps keep the heels nice and tight so they don't pop off my feet. Try signing up today for free and see if you like it!


Dress: Forever 21
Shoes: Guess Hondo Heels via Threadflip
Ankle Bows: Handmade
Bag: Coach. Buy this one here!
Jewelry: Forever 21, Body Central, & eBay