This outfit comes with a long backstory. But it's necessary to share why I had to make this purchase.  Back in February 2012 I posted photos of Burberry's Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. In that post I said:

[...] ESPECIALLY the owl print t-shirts. I don't care how much they cost but I am going to get my hands on one of those! I'm an owl obsessed freak…maybe it comes from my Harry Potter obsession but I think they are SO cute!

Spoiler alert: I ended up not getting one of the owl tees. Instead I DIYed my own version because I couldn't justify the $300+ price tag. The sweater version with the beaded owl retailed for $3000.

Even though I had my DIY version I still searched for the real version. I had alerts for "Burberry owl" set up on eBay and a couple other sites. Owl sweaters & tees came and went with me resisting purchase. A few months ago I got an eBay alert that one had been posted. I watched it knowing I probably wouldn't buy it since it had been so long.

But then quarantine happened and I got an offer from the seller to purchase it for $75. How could I resist? Luckily I was able to make the splurge because my recent Disney trip was cancelled and I had a negative balance on my credit card from the refunds.  The rest of the refund money will go back into my vacation savings account.

This isn't the exact version I had posted 8 years ago, the sweater is a little lighter and the neck isn't as high, but it is pretty darn close! You can even tell that the owl I recreated was this owl - the colors I chose were very similar. I couldn't replicate the design exactly because I couldn't find small enough beads in colors/shapes I liked.

We're getting in to warmer weather now but I really wanted to post this before it goes away until Fall. Luckily last week we had some cold days so I wore it lounging around the house.

I am still immensely proud of this shirt that I DIYed. It was inspired by Burberry Prorsum's Pre-Fall and Fall 2012 collection. I still want the adorable fox sweater from the same collection (it remains on my eBay search list.) Also, remember the first time I wore these Everlane jeans and said they would look better with no socks? I was right! Soooo much better this time.  Next time I might roll up the hem a bit too, we'll see!

Vest: Simply Vera Wang c/o Kohl's, Top: made by me (inspired by Burberry), Jeans: Everlane mid-rise skinny jean, Flats c/o Joie 'Dylan' leopard loafer, Bag: Louis Vuitton Epi Leather Sac D'Epaule (HauteTrader)

I've been trying to get out of my jeans and sweater rut so I looked through my fashion week folder on my computer and found this Daks Fall 2017 look I wanted to recreate. It's not exactly the same since I'm wearing a navy blue and boots instead of loafers, but it gets the feel! Who says you can't wear black and blue together, right?

Sweater: Phillip Lim x Target, Skirt: Siena Style (Coco's $10 sale), Boots: Candie's c/o Kohl's, Bag: Chanel Classic 2.55 Double Flap (Madison Avenue Couture)



The Inspiration:

I have had this look saved since July to recreate with my crazy vintage suede jacket - first seen here. Whenever I browse through Net-a-Porter's new arrivals I always find outfit inspiration. One of my favorite things about Net-a-Porter is that they style pieces into full looks rather than just showing you the item with jeans. I find that so much more inspiring. This particular look is for the Valentino Fringed Beaded Suede Jacket and was super simple to recreate with light jeans a black top and pumps.

Vintage Suede Jacket: William Barry - Brandon Colorado (Vintanthromodern), Top: Cullen (Rue La La), Jeans: Everlane "The High-Rise Skinny Jean" in Mid-Blue, Shoes: Nicholas Kirkwood suede Prism pumps (NET-A-PORTER), Bag: Chanel Classic 2.55 Double Flap (Madison Avenue Couture)


The Inspiration:

Each fashion week I go through all the collections to choose my favorite outfits* as well as looks I would like to recreate with pieces in my own closet. This look from the Belstaff Fall 2017 collection was pretty easy to recreate, the only piece I had an issue with was the striped top since I only have 3 and they're mostly Summery. But this Zara tee did the trick! Add in some purple accessories and I was good to go!

*I haven't finished going through the September collections yet because life has been a bit hectic...OOPS!

Shearling Jacket: thrifted, Tee: Zara, Jeans: J Brand 811 Photo Ready Mid-Rise Skinny (Gilt), Shoes: Vince 'Maxon' in Fig (DSW), Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay)



The inspiration:

I think I partly owe my love of blazers and Marc Jacobs to Emma Watson. When I was getting into fashion I helped to run a website dedicated to finding all the pieces Emma wore for different events and photoshoots, Sassy! I hunted for many of those pieces on eBay for my own collection and did manage to find a few over the years. This particular jacket was one she wore to a Teen Vogue photoshoot in 2005. It wasn't part of the actual shoot, it's from a small behind the scenes photo of her getting ready. Another one you've seen MANY times is a velvet Marc Jacobs blazer, last seen here.

I don't think I ever styled it like she did so that's what I decided to do this past weekend. Blazer? Check. White tee, light jeans and two-tone flats? Check! Easy peasy!

Blazer: Marc Jacobs (eBay), Tee: Everlane, Jeans: FRAME (Shopbop),  Flats: Chanel (eBay)



The inspiration:

Time for another look inspired by fashion week! Here's a nice simple, monochromatic look from Brooks Brothers. I went a little bit lighter than their navy but it's still quite similar. All you need are skinny cords, sweater and cardigan in the same or similar colors. Next find a matching bag and loafers, burgundy in my case. Top it off with a scarf tied at the neck and you're all set!

Funnily enough my bag and shoes are the same designer, bought at years apart, in different thrift stores. The bag was $2 and the shoes $4. Some of my best finds!

Cardigan: Kohl's (old), Sweater: Banjo + Matilda (The Outnet), Corduroy Pants: Abercrombie, Scarf: Jason Wu x Target, Bag: Etienne Aigner (thrifted), Loafers: Etienne Aigner (thrifted)

Fashion month is upon us so I decided to try and recreate a few of the looks with pieces already in my closet. This one didn't come out quite as good as I was imagining in my head, and I had to use my mom's brown coat, but it's not horrible, ha ha. All you need is a burgundy sweater/turtleneck, a grey layer on top and long coat. Then throw on some cropped jeans and black slides and you've recreated this look by Veronica Beard.

Sweater: Everlane, Vest: Ella Moss (Marshalls), Jeans: M.I.H. TOMBOY in Farrah (net-a-porter), Slides c/o Luxe Me Now, Sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs (Shopbop)

I posted some looks from Valentino's Fall 2015 collection last month and decided to recreate one of the looks. It just so happened that I had jeans EXACTLY like a pair they had, so how could I not try and replicate it? The only difference with my jeans is they're longer, so I took one photo with them pulled up so you could see how it looked! I had a hard time deciding between blazers but in the end went for my blue Marc by Marc Jacobs one, but I took a couple photos with my Etro blazer just to see how it would look. Which do you prefer?

Blazer: Marc Jacobs (eBay), Top: DKNY Jeans,  Jeans: Free People (Marshalls), Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs (Net-a-Porter End of Season Sale)

(stupidly I bent my leg in the picture with my jeans shortened so they look uneven! GAH!)

And here's the other jacket by Etro (from Roundabout Resale)

Back in October, Harpers Bazaar shared a bunch of 70s style icons and there was a photo of Farrah Fawcett (below) in wide-leg denim with an oversized blazer and color coordinated button down. Immediately I thought of this vintage blazer I got a couple years ago and had to recreate the look! I even left my shirt unbuttoned an extra button! It looks as though she had one more button un-done, but I'm not that brave.

P.S. Some sale updates:
SHOPBOP: Extra 20% off sale with code EXTRASALE
NET-A-PORTER: Now up to 70% off in sale!

Blazer: PBM Women's/vintage (Coco's $10 sale), Top c/o Oasis, Jeans: Free People (Marshalls), Boots: 3.1 Phillip Lim 'Peggy' (Barney's Warehouse), Necklace: BijouLimon (etsy)

The Inspiration: