Dress For Less

My sister- in-law, Kelly over at Kelly's Korner, did a great post today about "recession fashion" -- dressing cute for less. She asked all her readers to share places they like to shop and where you can find fashionable items for less. So I thought I would share some of my fashion secrets! Ha! I am so not a fashionista, but I do think I am pretty good at finding some steals every now and then, so here are some of my favorites!

(I am probably repeating a lot of Kelly's hot spots, because she named most of the good ones!)

My #1 place is of course Forever 21! I have shopped there ever since college and I love it because I can always find something I like, and I can buy more than one item and not feel guilty! So cheap and so great!

My #2 spot is a store called Zara, that I think is in most major cities. I love this store because it is organized by colors! But they also put coordinating pieces together, including shoes, so you can "see" the whole outfit. I love that because sometimes I have to see everything together or on someone before I know I like it. So it helps so much! And the clothes are really reasonably priced, but look expensive to my eye. The only downside is that their sizes can be odd sometimes -- so a top that is super cute on the hanger might be really awful when it's on -- so it can be hit or miss.

My #3 spot is Anthropologie. I know what you are thinking ... so expensive! But their sales are great! I feel like if I am going to a nice event then this is a great place to dress up an outfit. The downside is I can tend to get really depressed when I see shirts for $120, and it can be hard to be patient to wait for things to go on sale. But check back weekly and it is usually in the sale room! 

Of course when it comes to jewelry I love Forever 21, or Sam Moon, even Target. But my best go to resource is ME! I love to make jewelry -- and if I have time, I just make a piece to go with my outfit. I still have a website for Carrie's Creations, but I have not updated it in a year or so. I have made several items since then, and my style has actually changed quite a bit, (my pieces are now much simpler) but it can be a chore to update it. Between getting married and teaching, I just have not had time. But check back this summer because I plan to get to work!