All photos in this post by the amazingly talented Jennifer Hagler

Everyone who knows me, knows that I love to shop.  Once upon a time, before I had kids, shopping was my favorite past time.  I would shop ALL the time.  In store shopping.  Not online shopping.  All kinds of stores too!!  I’m a firm equal-opportunity shopper, after all. 😉 I have always been a savvy shopper, though, and always got a thrill out of finding amazing deals.  So, I never actually spent a TON of money.  Is TON relatively?? Probably.  LOL.  BUT, it really was never a lot.  After all, I was a poor college/graduate student/postdoc for nearly 3/4 of my life.  Sigh.

Anyway!  It should therefore come as no surprise that Black Friday is one of my favorite days to shop.  This year, I plan to hit up the stores at The Summit.  It so happens that we will be in the area on Thursday and Friday, so The Summit is going to be my target location to shop.  If you are in the area or had planned to shop there anyway, make sure to use the list below to strategize your shopping schedule.

Thanksgiving Day
Bath & Body Works        6pm – 12am
Belk                                    Open at 4pm
Carmike Cinemas          Opens at 11am
Flemings                           11am – 8pm
Gap                                     Open at 6pm
Macaroni Grill                 12pm – 8pm
New York & Co.              6pm – 12am
Season’s 52                     11am – 9pm
Toys R Us                          Open at 5pm

Black Friday*
Anthropologie                8am
Belk                                    6am
Bed, Bath, & Beyond     6am – 11pm
Charming Charlie          6am
Guy Mayer                        8am – 8pm
Pier 1                                  8am – 10pm
Talbots                              7am
Urban Outfitters            7am
Victoria’s Secret            6am
Williams-Sonoma        8am
Lizard Thicket                6am

*Stores not on this list will follow regular center hours, 9am-9pm.

Remember, Belk opens at 4pm on Thanksgiving day.  If you know you definitely can’t make it on Friday, perhaps you’ll stop on Thursday and walk off some of those calories from your Thanksgiving meal while shopping!  Belk is debuting their Free People November Collection and other holiday collections for those upcoming holiday parties.  On Black Friday Belk Summit Free People will have a Gift with Purchase when you spend $250 or more. While supplies last, so don’t miss out!

If you shop on Thursday, mention this post/email to receive your Gift with Purchase when spending $250 or more!

I was at The Summit last week and found these adorable shoes at Gus Mayer.  They are perfect for holiday parties where you know you will be standing around for long periods of time, OR where you know you will be getting your dance on!

They were super reasonably priced too, so make sure to look for them on Friday when you stop by the store (note that Gus Mayer will not be open on Thursday).

If you are shopping on Friday only, make sure to also check out the $3000 gift card giveaway details on The Summit’s Gift Card giveaway info page, linked here.  You will have an opportunity to win some moola for that much needed shopping! YAAAAS!

One of the things I love to do when Black Friday shopping is to have a checklist of items I want to make sure to buy.  Holiday presents, clothes/shoes/makeup for holiday parties, end-of-the-year gifts for teachers and colleagues, etc.  You can find some amazing deals and so if you go with a list, shopping will be easy and hopefully help you save some time in the weeks leading up to December holidays!  Here’s one I created for you to print and take with you:

PDF version here: black-friday

I will be sharing my finds on Instagram, Instagram Stories, and Facebook so make sure to follow along there!  Also, make sure to comment below if you find any amazing deals.  I’m certain other readers would love to hear about what goodies they too can find while shopping.

Finally, I hope that everyone has an amazing and food/fun filled Thanksgiving!  Be safe, be healthy, and above all, be loving!

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!

I partnered with some momma’s on Instagram this and next week to feature some fun looks for fall.  If you’re interested, check out hashtag #MomsDoFallFashion and you’ll find all the looks we come up with for two weeks.

It’s still pretty hot here in AL, and as I photograph outfits real time for the most part, I decided to share one of my favorite fall outfits from last year for the challenge.  Remember when I told you about a Luxe for Less version of the Burberry poncho?  Well, turns out the same poncho is a hit again this fall!

I coveted the poncho, but at a steep $1395 + $300 for monogramming, the poncho remained in my dreams alone.  I searched high and low and found some options that will work again for this fall season.

|| One || Two || Three || Four ||

My local mall has a monogramming kiosk (Time Machine Hoover), so I ran there and $12 and a day later, I had a monogrammed poncho!!

Boots are also from Forever 21 but no longer available, so here are some other options you might consider, ranked from least to most expensive: SheIn || Steve Madden (favorites) || Bebe || Stuart Weitzman.

A DIY version of the Burberry poncho for fall.  It was a no-brainer for me!!  Hopefully it is for you as well and hopefully you get to snatch one this fall if you didn’t get a chance to last year!  Happy shopping, friends!!!

PS – There is a $250 Nordstrom gift card giveaway coming up soon!  Stay tuned!

Until next time! Stay ‘Chic’!

Do you have pieces in your closet that you just have no idea what to do with?  For some reason, that was this camel vest for me.  I had the hardest time figuring out what to wear it with.  Should I pair it with a sleeveless top?  A short sleeve top?  A loose-fitting top?  I mean, what in the world?!  #firstworldproblems

Anyway, I decided an all black base would work for this.  So that’s what I went with!  I had a lot of walking to do yesterday, so I also paired it with the comfiest pair of shoes I own.  Check out my masterpiece, lol.

|| Top || Pants || Vest, similar || Shoes || Bag || Necklace ||

Not terrible, right??  It’s also great for regions of the US where the temperature is changing and you’re having to layer more and more.  The vest adds some warmth in AC intensive office environments, but can be taken off when taking a walk outside.  Note that the exact vest is not linked above, but I tried to find something as much like it as possible.  THe one above was purchased at Marshalls, so check your local Marshalls or TJ Maxx in case they have any residual pieces hanging around in the racks.  Otherwise, check out the one linked above which comes in three different colors and is made of cashmere!

Until next time!  Stay ‘Chic’!