Here's the first of my two Thanksgiving outfits. My mom hosted for her side of the family for the first time this year. Normally my Grandma does it but she decided to take a year off and let me Mom handle the stress. I wore pants for this celebration because I knew my cousin's 2 year old would be coming and we like to play on the floor. I wanted to wear different shoes but it was really cold so I went with function over fashion. Not that these boots aren't fashionable.

Sweater: Context Three-Quarter Bell Sleeve Top (Lord & Taylor), Pants: Proenza Schouler Black & White Graphic Print Pants(Yoox), Boots: Gianvito Rossi 'Finlay' (Marshalls), Tights c/o Wolford, Necklace c/o Blue Nile

I wore this over the weekend to go to my cousin's son's birthday party. You may have seen the back of his head on Instagram over the last 2 years (I don't post his face since he's not my child and I think that's inappropriate for me to do.) It was on the warmer side that day so I decided to wear a three quarter statement sleeve. This is only the second time I've worn this top but it's so much fun! I love how bit the sleeves are at the bottom.

Sweater: Context (Lord & Taylor), Jeans: J Brand 'Mid Rise Photo Ready Super Skinny Jean' (Gilt), Boots: vintage (eBay), Necklace: Indulgems (Gilt), Watch: Platform 9 3/4, Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay)

October is my birthday month and I usually allow myself to splurge a little more than usual. But this month I attempted to curb that spending in favor of saving more for future travels. As usual things never go as planned! I got a $20 off of $40 for Lord & Taylor so I bought a super fun burnt orange sweater. I'm treating it as a wash because I cancelled my Renters Insurance (since I'm back home) and got a credit back for that. So it became "fun money," haha.

THEN Everlane had to come out with some $100 cashmere sweaters so naturally I took advantage of that and got a tee as well to get free shipping. I'm calling this cost $62 because I used the leftover credit mentioned above.  I also took advantage of my HautePoints and a free trade code (FALLFASHIONS17) on HauteTrader to get a BEAUTIFUL Louis Vuitton bag. Check out my review of the site, you'll also find another code for a free trade.

It was also my birthday this month and my parents bought me 2 fun pairs of shoes! AKA I picked them out a few months before and "forgot" my mom bought them.



THE (modified) RULES

1. Be mindful of purchases 
2. Quality over quantity
3. Basics are best

MY PROGRESS 

Clothes:

1. She Made Me Essential crocheted swimsuit via Net-a-Porter ($45, $150 retail,  Xmas $$)
2. G.H. Bass burgundy cardigan at Clinton Crossing ($0,  $7.5 w/coupon, $99 retail) 
3. G.H. Bass cargo pants at Clinton Crossing ($0,  $21 w/coupon, $69 retail)  
4. Disney Mickey tee ($10 at Target)
5. Who What Wear x Target Sleeveless Floral Dress ($30) 
6. Uniqlo Mickey Mouse sweatshirt ($30) 
7. Proenza Schouler tweed colorblock shorts via Roundabout ($57, $1680 retail)
8. Vintage Havana Floral Embroidered Sweater via Pearls & Plaid ($50, used gift card) 
9. *NEW!* Context Three-Quarter Bell Sleeve sweater via Lord & Taylor ($20, retail $68, used refund on renters insurance)

Basics:

1. Calypso St. Barth Gylden Cashmere Sweater via Gilt ($71, $295 retail, Xmas $$)
2. M.i.h Jeans Tomboy cropped jeans via Net-a-Porter ($98, $245 retail, Xmas $$)
3. Who What Wear x Target bodysuit ($14, $20 retail) 
4. FRAME Ribbed wool & cashmere-blend sweater via Net-a-Porter ($104, $325 retail, used advertising money) 
5. Alice + Olivia blue striped cashmere sweater via Roundabout ($25, $368? retail)
6. Everlane "Square Tee" in Burgundy ($18) 
7. Everlane "The High-Rise Skinny Jean" in Mid-Blue ($68)
8. *NEW!* Everlane "The Cotton Tee" in Rose ($15, $0 after renters insurance credit)
9. *NEW!* Everlane "The Cashmere Crop V-Neck" in Black ($100, $62 after using renters insurance credit)

Shoes:

1. Miu Miu ankle boots via Roundabout Resale - also here/here ($146,  $850 retail)
2. New Look Metallic Block Heel sandal via ASOS ($35, advertising $$) 
3. BCBGeneration 'Beverly' mule via Saks Off 5th at Clinton Crossing ($0,  $110 retail)  
4. Impo 'Omega' boot (or Onnie, can't tell) via DSW ($12, $112 retail - in black) 
5. Vince 'Mason' in pony fig via DSW ($23, $275+ retail) 
6. Nicholas Kirkwood suede prism pumps via Net-a-Porter sale ($250, $625 retail) 
7. Sam Edelman Lars slub satin espadrille slide via Net-a-Porter sale ($36, $90 retail)
8. Zigi Soho Velvet Floral Embroidered Open Toe Mules via T.J. Maxx ($20, retail $60?, used gift card) 
9. *NEW!* BCBGeneragion Yerra slip on sneaker (birthday gift, $79 retail)
10. *NEW!* Kelly & Katie Amour mule (birthday gift, $50 retail)

Bags:

1. Disney x Coach 'Patricia' with Mickey ears ($179 at Coach Outlet, $395 retail)
2. Chloe 'Faye' in Dark Purple via eBay ($1500, $1950 retail) 
3. *NEW!* Louis Vuitton 'Epi Sac D'Epaule' via HauteTrader ($0, retail $1600?)

 
Accessories:

1. Tommy Hilfiger (similar) via Clinton Crossing ($0,  retail $?)  
2. Mejuri Loop Earrings by Jamie! ($55)
3. Gucci aviator sunglasses ($300, bought in Rome)
4. Birthstone Star and Mickey Mouse ring ($15 with discount, used advertising money) 
5. Birthstone Mickey Mouse earrings ($15 with discount, used advertising money)

Gifted from Brands:

1. IRO Faxy Cropped Jean via Gilt c/o Wikibuy (retail $285)
2. Banana Republic Peplum Sweater c/o Banana Republic Factory at Clinton Crossing
3. Banana Republic Cherry Blossom 'Ryan' Pant c/o Banana Republic Factory
4. Banana Republic 'Sloan' in purple c/o Banana Republic Factory
5. Banana Republic ruffle sleeve top in teal c/o Banana Republic Factory
6. Banana Republic linen shorts c/o Banana Republic Factory 
7. Diane von Furstenberg Fanny dress (also here) c/o HauteTrader 
8. Missoni Purple Wool Chevron Metallic Knit Sweater Dress  c/o HauteTrader 

Total spent in October: $62

Total spent in 2017:  $1253 - $953 not counting the sunglasses
Total spent including Chloe Faye: $2,753 - $2,453 not counting sunglasses
Total spent with Christmas/advertising money included: $1636 - $1336 not counting sunglasses

*the money for the sunglasses came out of my vacations savings account rather than "regular" money

I recently went to the pumpkin patch with my brother and his girlfriend. Sadly it was misting the whole time and raining when we left so the photos of my outfit aren't the best. But I'm going to share them anyway because we took the trouble to take them. Luckily I knew I would be taking another tip to Jones Family Farm's in a few days so I wasn't too upset that we just ran in and out.

This bag is the third piece I've gotten on HauteTrader. I used 400 of my HautePoints to add this beautiful bag to my closet for free thanks to a Free Trade code for Fall! You can still use TradeWMegan for a free trade of your own! Don't worry, I'll be wearing the Missoni dress I got soon!

I've never been that into Louis Vuitton accessories, probably because I'm not a huge fan of their logo all over the bags. They just seem overly "look at my logo!" I would have made an exception for a bag like Mal from ReadyTwoWear had, for some reason this one didn't bug me. So when I saw that this plain, albeit beautiful, bag was a LV I was shocked. The color is gorgeous and it's a vintage bag from March 1994 if I read the date code correctly. The logo is still there, but I like how it is embossed so it doesn't stand out too much. It also comes with a cute little pouch that's perfect for your credit cards.

This particular bag, the Epi Leather Sac D'Epaule, is only available through secondhand markets now, but there are still plenty of bags in the Epi Leather Collection. After some research I found the following information on the line:

Epi Leather was introduced in 1985 as the brand's first permanent leather line, and it's been beloved for its durability and vivid color selection ever since. The leather is dyed, printed with Epi's famous three-dimensional wave pattern and then painted with a color-matching top coating, which ensures the colors are especially bright and makes the leather very resistant to water and wear. There's a reason Epi bags are so popular on the resale market: they require very little care to look virtually new for years.

Sweater: Context (Lord & Taylor), Jeans: J Brand 'Mid Rise Photo Ready Super Skinny Jean' (Gilt), Boots: Eighteen 68 'Megan' (Gilt) Bag: Louis Vuitton Epi Leather Sac D'Epaule (HauteTrader)