Suede by the Sea

You would never know it just driving through my town, but I only live ten minutes away from the ocean...ten!  It's a straight shot down the main highway, and voila, the beautiful beach!  I can't believe it took me so long to use one of these beautiful spots as a space for shooting outfit pictures!

After being super stressed out about work, I got a surprise package in the mail from Fossil; aren't packages in the mail just the best??  It's like your birthday or Christmas just came early!  They sent me the prettiest seafoam colored bag from their newest collection, and the first thing I thought of was summer and the ocean!

So I headed over to one of the marinas near the beach (if you look hard enough you can see the big bridge in the background that takes you over to the beach!)!

Lace Up Top: Nasty Gal || Fur Vest: aerie, old (similar) Bag: c/o Fossil || Watch: c/o Fossil || 

Jeggings: American Eagle || Booties: found on Poshmark* (similar, similar, similar, similar) ||
Sunnies: aerie || Necklace: Forever21 || Earrings: House of Harlow, via c/o Rocksbox**

*sign up and use code PNXBH to get a $10 credit!
**use code classicallycaitxoxo and get your first month FREE!

Anywhoooo, I have the entire day off today (which is extremely rare for me right now), so how do I spend it?  In true fashionista form I spend my time off breaking in a new pair of shoes and shopping!

I love how long and skinny these Lucky Brand booties (an awesome Poshmark find!), paired with my black jeggings, make my legs look!  It's a great trick, pairing black pants with black boots give you the illusion of having legs for days (the same works when you wear nude heels--pointed toes the way to go in my book--and your bare legs)!!

And this suede lace up top?!  I've been looking all over for a suede lace up top that I actually like (sometimes, but kinda a lot, I'm super picky with my clothes...haha) , and I finally found this one on Nasty Gal and I'm in love!!  The cut isn't so deep and open that it's overly revealing, and the laces can be tightened or loosened to show off a little more or less.

Umm, and it's silky soft, so you're gonna wanna just go ahead and put that in your shopping bag; you're welcome.  :-P

Who else is on the suede craze bandwagon?!  :)

Going for the Gold

Fun fact: one of my favorite ways to shop is to thrift!  My sister and I started really bonding as we got older and one of the things we like to do together is to hit thrift shops!  Thrifting is great for any of you fellow fashion thrill seekers who like the rush of finding an awesome bargain.

Plus, what's better than scoring a ton of amazing designer labels for next to nothing?!

Gold Tee: Savers thrift find (check here for one near you!; this similar tee is statement piece for sure!) || Blazer: Old Navy || Ripped Jeans: American Eagle || Sneakers: Puma || 

Bag: Marshalls find (this white CALL IT SPRING similar version is a must have!) || 

Sunnies: Nora NYC (these Steve Madden sunnies have a similar feel!) || Ring set: c/o Rocksbox (use code classicallycaitxoxo for your first month FREE!; similar here) || Watch: c/o Fossil

This golden beauty?  I found it at Savers for only seven bucks!  Can you believe it?

If you haven't gone thrifting ever, Savers is a great place to start, it's not as overwhelming as many places can be.  Everything is super organized and it's much easier to find things than at most places.  But try and go when you have enough time to spare, because once you make your first awesome find, you'll quickly turn into a treasure hunter in there, and time flies fast!

I've found all sorts of goodies shopping at Savers: Kate Spade, J. Crew, and Lily Pulitzer just to name a few!

Even better?  Bring in your gently used donations and receive a coupon!  They always have some sort of coupon when you donate; usually like 10-30% off, or sometimes they have rewards cards that you get stamped each time you go and then it adds up to a coupon---it varies, so make sure to ask when you go in!

Anyone else love a good thrift find?  :D

Weekend Chic

Yesterday I talked about how at the end of the week, I like to dress down, but still remain chic; however, that feeling usually only lasts one day, lol.  About 98% of the time I prefer to be dressed up, no matter what, but that doesn't mean that I'm uncomfortable.  Since I started really getting into fashion because of my Insta and this blog, I've been able to figure out how to be dressed up without feeling uncomfortable and restricted.

One happy medium is through denim.  Jeans are created in such a wide variety of styles that it's super easy to dress up and down a single pair of jeans without breaking your budget.  I practically live in these American Eagle ripped jeans, because they look expensive, but are perfect, under $60, and are super comfortable.

Blazer Cape: Romwe || Bow Tie top: Banana Republic (similar for $35 here) || 

Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters || Flats: Charlotte Russe, old (similar here) || 

Bag: Marshalls (this BP. bag has a similar vibe!) || Hat: aerie || 

Sunnies: Wish app (free to download the app!; similar here) || Watch: c/o Fossil || 

Bracelet: gorjana; c/o Rocksbox subscription (use code classicallycaitxoxo to get your first month FREE!)

This Romwe blazer cape (see how I styled it with my fave stripe tee, here; it's under $30!) is perfect for a casual chic vibe; the sleeveless, cape gives you the nonchalant blazer-thrown-over-the-shoulder look, without the effort of trying to keep your jacket on your shoulders without it slipping off every two minutes.  Definitely a classic piece that's a must-have for any fashionista's closet!

And paired with this Banana Republic neck-tie top, it's the perfect blend of menswear inspired weekend wear.  AKA: cool girl chic (and yes I've come to realize I use the term "cool girl chic" a lot; but seriously, isn't that what any fashionista strives for?) *high five*.

What's your favorite way to dress up your weekend wear? :)

Leather Clad Ballerina

It's universally know that Mondays kinda suck, and when it's freezing outside (hello single digits), they suck even more.  So an all black ensemble seems appropriate for such a blah day, right?  Absolutely!  But, even though Mondays are blah, your monochromatic OOTD doesn't need to follow suit!  My favorite way to make an all black (or any color) outfit cool is to play around and mix textures; today I mixed leather (faux, as I'm a fashionista on a budget, haha), knits, and netting, with gold and snakeskin accents for some added interest.

And like I said, it's freezing over here (my car was reading like one degree, *sigh*), so how to mix up those textures?  Layer!  I paired my (faux) leather peplum tank (because I love to preach versatility in a wardrobe; make your clothes go the extra distance outside their made for seasons!), with a ballerina wrap sweater.  Not only does this mix knits and leather, but both pieces paired together give you a bangin' hourglass silhouette (*high fives*); between the sweater that cinches you in at the waist, and then the peplum flaring out from the same point you have created some killer curves whether you were born with them or not--easy peasy.

I've been after a veiled beanie for ages, and I finally found one the other day while I was shopping at H&M...needless to say I am a super duper fan of this classy meets cool accessory!

And how simple and perfect are these Gorjana earrings from my latest Rocksbox?!  These can be worn with pretty much any outfit; sign up for their months subscription box, and use code 'xoxoclassicallycait' to get your first month free!!

I absolutely love an all black outfit with pops of shiny gold; it's so simple, and yet edgy at the same time!  This ring set was also part of this month's Rocksbox, and I loved them so much that I bought them immediately after trying them on and falling in love with them!

And this watch?!  The perfect blend of classic and modern!  I love the mix of gold and silver, and then a clean leather band.

This little crossbody is one of the reasons I love thrifting; only $2, and it's classic style makes it a staple piece! 

Totally got caught by my neighbors across the street when I was taking these pictures...haha.

SHOP MY LOOK

Leather Leggings: Kohls, old (similar here; ASOS also has a similar pair, available in regular, petite and curvy!!) || Peplum: old, similar here || Wrap Sweater: aerie || Snakeskin sneakers: Poshmark* find, similar, high top version, here || Watch: c/o Fossil || Ring set + Earrings: c/o Rocksbox* || Collar Necklace: Forever21 || Initials Necklace: b-day gift from Richie; etsy, BipAndBop || Hat: H&M outlet (similar here)

*Poshmark: use code PNXBH when you sign up (it's free!), to get a $10 credit towards your first purchase!
*Rocksbox: use code XOXOCLASSICALLYCAIT when you sign up to get your first month free!

Summer to Winter

Today's one of those "ehhh" days; it's still snowing on the East coast, but I didn't wake up to a "snow day, don't come into work" text (...the worst), which kinda made me feel blah, so I wasn't really trying to put any effort into my outfit.  Luckily, all the pieces I grabbed this morning kinda happened to go together (phew!).

I wore this super twirly cotton kimono, over the summer (see how I styled it in this post!)...that's right, this is from aerie's summer 2015 collection--it's a beach cover up.  What's great about pieces like this, is that you can wear them year 'round, depending whether you layer it over a sweater or a swimsuit!

If you're one of the lucky ducks escaping the cold and heading somewhere warm for winter break, a cotton kimono (like this one from Steve Madden) is the perfect addition to your travel wardrobe.  You can layer it over your sweater for some comfy chic airport style, and then once you've reached your destination, it doubles as a cute beach cover up!  Talk about versatility!

And because cotton kimonos are relatively nice and light, they don't take up a lot of space in your luggage!  Win.

SHOP MY LOOK!

Beach Cover Up: aerie, old () || Sweater: aerie, old (similar here) || Turban: Paper Doll Vintage Boutique (similar here) || Puff keychain: Wish app (similar here) || Bag: Michael Kors || Boots: Macy's (similar here) || Jeggings: American Eagle Outfitters || Sunnies: Wish app (similar here) || Watch: c/o Fossil || Rings: Slate, c/o Rocksbox (similar here)*

*use code classicallycaitxoxo to get your first month of Rocksbox for FREE!