Weekend Update: The Runway at TJ Maxx

Top // Banana Republic; Skirt // Banana Republic (similar here); Belt // Marshall's (similar here)
 Leopard Flats // Jessica Simpson (worn here, similar here); Necklace // Friedasophie (worn here)

This weekend I had a little free time to myself.  So, what did I do?  I went shopping.  I popped into TJ Maxx.  The TJ Maxx near me recently started a Runway department.  TJ Maxx's The Runway features more high-end designers than normal, like Prada, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch and (my favorite) Rebecca Taylor.  The prices aren't that great.  $130 for a Rebecca Taylor dress, and Gucci dresses are still marked at $600.  I think Bloomingdale's has better clearance prices.

Here are some of my favorite finds in The Runway department.  I'm going to stalk these items and wait until they hit clearance.  Please note, the OOTD I included with this post has NOTHING to do with TJ Maxx or high fashion.  I just really liked this outfit.

Rebecca Taylor Studded Crepe Dress - $129.99

Rebecca Taylor Floral Print Blouse - $119.99

Marc Jacobs Dress - on clearance for $100

Star dress - I can't remember the name of the designer (Vintage something)

Linking up!

Friday's Fancies: Stars and Stripes

Dress // Old Navy (similar here); Sunnies // Betsy Johnson (similar here);
Flip Flops // Steve Madden (worn here, similar here); Earrings // Anthropologie (worn here, similar here)

This year I was pretty lazy about planning my 4th of July festivities.  I went shopping in the morning and then just went over to my parents' house.  They have a pool, a patio and a fridge full of food and beer.  That's pretty much all I need.  

I sort of underwhelmed the Scot with my 4th of July planning this year.  Last year I took him to Washington DC.  Yup, last year I showed him the most American 4th of July ever.  This year I showed him true American laziness and apathy.

I carried this theme of lack of planning into my outfit.  I did not have a single red accessory.  I had the perfect dress to wear, but I had to do coral, white and blue.  If I had planned better, this is what I would have worn:

4th of July Outfit by veggielawyer

Linking Up

Stuff I Wore: Stripes n' Sneaks

Dress // French Connection (worn here, similar here); Shoes // Target (worn here, similar here); Bangles // Target and Forever 21 (worn here); Necklace // J. Crew Factory (worn here, similar here)

Hat // Target
If you're wondering, yes I did switch out the hat.

Love Rings // JewelMint (similar here)

I was shopping in a small boutique in the mall a few weeks ago and I saw a pre-teen girl shopping with her two dads...her two ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS dads.  The daughter was moping around the store in her Umbro soccer shorts and Adidas Sambas while her dads threw countless pink sparkly items at her.  She says to one of her dads, "Dad, I don't want any of these things."  Her dad replies, "Honey, you have to start dressing sassier!!"  She replies, "Daaaad, I don't want to look sassy.  I just want to look like everyone else."  

This girl is the voice of a generation.  She just put her finger on how every single girl between the ages of 12 and 18 feels.  

I think I can speak for most women out there.  We spent the better part of our teenage lives just trying to fit in.  I remember that there were days when I would purposefully wear the same exact outfit as several of my friends. I think around 18 or 19 I stopped being a Stepford teen.  Now, I'm like a male peacock doing a mating dance wearing the brightest colors and patterns I can find.  I've come so far, yet I know exactly how that little girl in the mall feels.  I just wanted to tap one of the dads on the shoulder and say, "Just take her to Sports Authority and let her buy a t-shirt.  She'll discover fashion in a few years."

Stuff I Wore: Goin' on a Picnic

This week's theme for Friday's Fancies is Picnic Primped.  I am assuming we'll see a lot of A-line floral dresses.  Now, I love a great A-line floral dress.  However, I decided to go a different way....NEON 80's PARTY PICNIC!!!

Neon T-Shirt // Target, similar here
Denim Skirt // Eddie Bauer, similar here
Canvas Sneakers // Target
Necklace // Express, similar here and here
Hat // Marshall's, similar here

Ok, I have safely determined that neon and canvas sneakers are back in style (Target told me that).  But, are denim skirts back?  They better be, because I found this baby crammed behind a suitcase in my closet and it's ready to see the light of day.

Ring // Old Navy, similar here

Watch // Fossil

Ok, and here is my pretty picnic dress...that would match my picnic blanket.  I would also like to say for the record that I've never been on a picnic and that if I did really go on one I would not wear either of these outfits.  Sitting on the ground in a dress or skirt is perfect weather for a wardrobe malfunction.

Friday's Fancies: Picnic by veggielawyer 

And if you're wondering, yes all of my photos today were taken by the lovely Elena.  She mostly photographs plants, but has been branching out into people pictures lately.  Check out her Flickr page. If you'd like a print of any of her photos, just send me an email (pennilesssocialite@gmail.com).  Elena does charge for prints of her photos, but it's a small fee.  My house is decorated with many of her prints.

Stuff I Wore: Prep it Up

When I saw this outfit in a recent J. Crew catalog, I knew I had to have it.

So, after shopping my own closet, thrifting and searching discount stores, I came up with this version

Cardigan // Liz Claiborne, worn here, similar here
Tee // Gap
Blue Pencil Skirt // Thrifted, similar here
Necklace // J. Crew Factory, worn here
Topsiders // Rocket Dog, similar here

And my high school flannel-wearing self is puking over the sheer preppiness of this outfit.  If you had asked that Nirvana-loving teen if she'd someday wear boat shoes proudly, she would have laughed your face.  Well, maybe not laughed in your face because she was waaaay too cool to even be affected by your opinions.  She would have snorted apathetically.  

And if you want to adorn yourself in preppy goodies, head on over to Target.

Merona Eireen Wedge Sandal

Merona Women's Side Tab Ponte Dress

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips: Mad for Plaid

Note card box

Plaid Rainboots

Stuff I Wore: Copy Cat and a Crazy Dog

I was inspired to create this look when I saw this post at Kendi Everyday.

Shirt (dress) // French Connection, similar here
Belt // Target
Shoes // Target, worn here, similar here
Liquid Silk Skirt // J. Crew, worn here, similar here
Necklace // J. Crew Factory, worn here, similar here

And I was inspired by some websites to look into getting some Prozac for my dog.  Yeah, she's that insane.  The Prozac is supposed to stop the growling at strangers and pacing around the house for an hour if the wind dares to brush a branch against the window.  And if the Prozac doesn't work for the dog, I'm going to get myself a prescription so then I won't care that she's a horrible dog.  So, I'm a copy cat and I have a crazy dog.

Stuff I Wore: An Uncontrollable Mess

The title of this post references the mess that is my apartment, but also the mess that my hair stylist was the last time I got a hair cut.

As you can see from this picture, my apartment is a mess.  At the time this photo was taken a few weeks ago, work was crazy (still is) and laziness was setting in outside of the office.  As you can also see from the boxes in the background, I also went on a little online shopping binge.  The Scot was pretty busy with work and school, so spending 15 minutes in the morning taking my picture was not high on his of priorities (I know, his priorities are not straight...haha).  This picture was a result of a snap and run.

Dress // Target
Cardigan // Joe Fresh, worn here, similar here
Necklace // Debenham's, similar here
Tights // Hue
Yellow Flats // ??, worn here, similar here

And now on to my hair stylist.  She is adorable and bubbly and awesome and I always envy her style.  Last time I saw my stylist, she was wearing that Target dress.  She looked so cute and I knew I wanted that dress.  However, when she bent over in that dress, I could see her entire booty!  A mess!   So, I purchased the dress in one of my Target hauls, but I sized up in the dress to get a little length and paired it with tights.  In the summer I may even just put some spandex shorts on underneath just in case.

In honor of this Target dress I'm linking up with Fabulous But Evil for Target Tuesday and sharing a few other Target dresses.

Strapless Dress
I love the pattern mixing in this dress!

Chambray Shirtdress
I think this is the perfect substitute for Anthropologie's pricier Fremont Dress

Let's Go Big Blue!!

Just a quick post before I run off to my friends' house for the Giants game. I hope you're all routing for the G-men today! This is what I wore to watch the game last week when the Giants overtook the Packers. There's a Giants shirt under there, but I worry about those NFL copyright rules. (or I just forgot to photograph the shirt underneath).  Today I will be donning my Eli Manning jersey.  (I got it super duper on sale when Eli was not doing so well earlier this season).

I don't even have time to edit this photo and put in the tag with the outfit details!!
Shirt // Forever 21; Boots // Steve Madden; Everything else // Target

Stuff I Wore: First Outfit of the New Year (OOTD 1.2.12)

Similar Dress here and here
Similar Boots

I wanted to start the new year off right.  So, I put on one of my favorites, Anthro's Sing Sweetly Party Dress.  And I took some new and improved pictures outside!

Since the Scot just moved in, we needed to purchase a few things for the apartment.  He insisted on having a desk and bookshelf.  So, off to Ikea we went.  We easily found a desk and bookshelf, but then it took us the rest of the afternoon to agree on a desk chair.  The Ikea portion of our trip was pretty short, about an hour.  And then it took us 4 hours to find a mutually agreeable desk chair.  The desk is in the  living room, so I told him I don't want it to look like a cubicle, but he really wanted one of those high-backed swively office chairs.  We settled on a faux leather chair from Marshall's.  I think it was originally part of a dining room set, so we got it for $50.  I guess if the biggest fight we've ever had has been about a chair things can't be so bad!

Stuff I Wore: OOTD 12.29.11

Polyvore Set
Similar Dress here and here
Similar Boots

And here's another outfit I wore during my casual week between Christmas and New Year's.  I think this will finally finish up my outfits from 2011.  

I was meeting my friends for dinner that night, so I decided to go a little less casual than jeans.  I bought this dress on my trip to Cyprus in October, which I still have to finish posting about.  And as you can see from the background, I could not decide what to wear.  This is what happens when I do not plan ahead.

Dinner was great and I got to catch up with a friend who moved to Miami a few years ago and only comes home to New Jersey for holidays.  I felt like my butterfly-printed summer dress would make her feel more at home.  I figured throwing on a pair of leggings, boots and a cardigan makes a sun dress appropriate for winter...right?  I was wrong.  I was FREEZING all day.  Seriously, this dress is made of the thinnest cotton known to man.  Note to self, what is cute is not always practical.

But how could I resist this adorable butterfly print.

Stuff I Wore: Clean Slate

My new camera arrived in the mail a few days ago, a Canon S95.  I am just not ready for a DSLR, but I am going to start perusing used ones on Ebay in the coming months.  So, I am going to overload you with noisy OOTD photos one last time.  I am just going to rip it off like a band aid and show you my remaining outfits in one fell swoop and start the new year off with better photos.  My New Year's resolution (besides volunteering more) is to provide you with better quality photos.  This probably means I'll have to start enlisting the help of The Scot in the mornings to take some outdoor shots.  On second thought, maybe I'll just get a tripod.
This first outfit is composed completely of items I purchased on Black Friday and while Anthro ran their most recent 50% off sale items promotion.  I was really skeptical about the Triad Peasant Blouse, but it's such a great versatile piece.  I thought it looked too short and Little House on the Prairie-esque.  I was very wrong.  I've also worn it out after work with just a pair of jeans.

OOTD 12.13.11 (Polyvore Set) 

And here are more Anthro items that I got at the 50% off sale.  The Endless Corduroy Skirt is so darn cute.

OOTD 12.15.11 (Polyvore Set)

This casual outfit is a result of my J. Crew outlet outing with my sister.  My sister and I disagree almost completely on fashion.  She's more khakis and polo shirts and I'm more...well, bright pink and rhinestones.  There is really only one thing we agree on, and that is J. Crew.  When we walked into the outlet, my sister said, "I feel like I'm home."

OOTD 12.18.11 (Polyvore Set)
I apparently don't make my bed on Sundays...don't tell my mom.

And I organized this last outfit around my Secret Santa gift from work.  Somehow my secretay knew I would love a sparkly leopard print scarf!

OOTD 12.22.11 (sorry no Polyvore!)

A close-up of my awesome Christmas gift.