Tag: latina bloggers connect

Thrifty Thursday’s – Office Chic on a Budget

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I love to dress up for work.  That’s no secret.  That said, I don’t like to spend a lot of money on my clothes.  But, if you’ve read my blog before, you already know this. 🙂

People often ask how I find such amazing deals.  It’s really quite simple: anytime I walk into a store or load a store’s webpage online, I head straight for the sales section.  At Target, for example,  I go straight for the clearance section and always walk right over to the 70 and 50 percent off racks.  Online, if browsing Piperlime.com, AnnTaylor.com…you name it; I first click on the Sale tab, then immediately sort by price (low to high), and don’t consider buying anything that isn’t marked off 60% or more.  I guess the other important part of this is that, I don’t shop for special occasions or for certain outfits.  I’m always on the hunt for deals and steals, so that if a special occasion or a need for a new outfit rolls around, amazingly priced options already exist in my closet and I don’t have to stress while in the store because “I can’t find anything to wear”.  See, being prepared works even for avid shoppers like me!

That’s how I’ve manged to score some of the outfits below!  Check them out:

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Photo: My 5-year old son

The skirt in the outfit above is from the Target clearance racks.  It was marked down to about $5. I paired it with a $10 top from the sale section at Forever 21, a $6 necklace from Francesca’s (also on sale), nude BCBGeneration heels from TJ Maxx (super old), and my 10-year wedding anniversary gift…Louis #3 (thank you bunches, hubby!!).  Replace the shoes and bag with items you already own (aka ‘free’), and you have a decent outfit for work for less than $25!

This next outfit cost $16 total, minus the shoes (but they are so old, they are practically free now, haha!):

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Photo: Hubby

This dress was tucked between all of the XL clothes on a clearance rack at the Gap.  It is a small.  Moral of this short story: Be a signage skeptic!  Just because the rack sign indicates the clothes are not in your size, doesn’t necessarily mean that one or more items have been misplaced and are waiting for you to find them!  So, $11 later, this dress was mine!  Add a $5 necklace from Walmart (another lesson to be learned here…be an equal opportunity shopper), and $16 later, you have a prim and proper outfit for work!  You could even wear this to dinner with colleagues or to church on Sunday!

My latest find was an Ann Taylor blazer (pictured below), paired with another Gap dress I scored online.  Take a look at the two items I scored for $23:

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Photo: Hubby

I happened to stop by Ann Taylor this past week and they were having an additional 60% discount on all of their sale merchandise.  This blazer was on sale, but originally priced at $200.  I got it for $15!  Major #winning moment!  The dress I purchased for $8 (originally ~$45) earlier in the year during a flash sale on Gap.com, the necklace was $15 at Lotus Boutique, the belt was $8 at Anthropologie (also old), and the shoes/bag, well, we’ve already covered those above. 🙂

So you see, a little bit of savvy shopping can go a long way!  All looks are office appropriate and won’t break your bank either.

Here are a few basics from JCrew.com, all under $24 with code SOSWEET.  The items below are all in the ‘Sale’ Section, and you get an additional 40% off the marked sale price…AND, don’t forget to sort by price!!  The sale is going on in stores as well.

 

I’d love to hear about what amazing deals you score!  Comment below, send me a Tweet, or comment on Instagram.  Happy shopping friends!

Until next time!  Stay Chic!

Thrifty Thursday’s – A ‘Chic’ Giveaway with Fab’rik Boutique!

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fabrik-exteriorImage credit:  The Homewood Star

Thrifty Thursday’s sometimes means that YOU get to be thrifty by scoring a free pair of jeans!! Let me tell you how. 🙂

I recently had the opportunity to visit Fab’rik Boutique in Homewood, AL.  Fab’rik invited a number of local bloggers to a Denim Dinner Party, and I was one of the lucky ones!   What’s a Denim Dinner Party you ask?  Well, in this case, it turned out that we were invited to check out the store’s well-curated inventory, try on Fab’rik’s selection of designer denim, AND select a pair of jeans to give away on our blogs!  How awesome is that?!  Take a look at the options:

Fabrik Denim Options

From left to right: Flying Monkey, Fab’rik, and Spanx jeans.  One of these pairs could be yours! (Photo: Fab’rik Boutique)

The dinner itself was not only decadent but elegantly displayed.  I was too busy checking out the store’s inventory to take any photos of the food unfortunately, so you get pictures of clothes and accessories instead. Take a look at some of the enticing things I found:

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Fab’rik’s main display table, filled with a plethora of affordable goodies! (Photo: al.com)

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Gorgeous statement necklaces! This one is only $42! (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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Chunky bracelets and statement rings?  They’ve got them! (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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How fab are these bracelets?! Perfect for stacking. (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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Very on-trend colored-stone, statement earrings. (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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Isn’t this just super chic?! I love this coat.  I may need to go back for it! (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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What a deal!  This white Jack coat is only $66!! (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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I’m a lover of statement earrings and these were no exception! (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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Including this hat I LOVED.  How does it look?? (Photo: Chic in Academia)

The clothing selection was also on point.  Dresses, tops, pants, skirts…all well-known brands and with most things under $100, ranging from as low as $30 for a pair of shoes to $60-ish for a coat or dress.  Check out these booties I scored for just a little over $30:

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Qupid Booties, Fab’rik Boutique (Photo: Chic in Academia)

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Comfy enough to wear to a weekend play-date! (Photo: Chic in Academia)

IMG_20140929_213906And I also received a pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans (courtesy of Fab’rik, THANK YOU!!), which I LOVE!  Styled here with a red blazer and some leopard print booties.  (Photo: Chic in Academia)

Can you tell this is going to be my new, favorite place to shop?? 😉  You can find more of these items at Fab’rik, 1817 B 29th Avenue South, Homewood  Alabama,  35209, (205) 582-9447.  Fab’rik also has some items available online and can be found on their main website: http://www.fabrikstyle.com/.

Now, for the good stuff!  To be entered to win a pair of these jeans in YOUR size, read the rules below!

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A free pair of jeans will be perfect for Fall! (Photo: Fab’rik Boutique)

I will give the winner a voucher that can be used towards a pair of Flying Monkey, Fab’rik, or Spanx jeans (~ $100 retail value) OR, if you live out of state, I will personally select the jeans for you and mail them straight to your home (you pay for shipping)!  Sounds reasonable, right?  And exciting!

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I will consult with these lovely ladies, including co-owner and store manager, Melissa Mistrot (middle) to select the pair of jeans that will best suit you!

Here are the rules to enter this giveaway (each method counts as one entry, so you can enter up to 4 times to win):

  1. Leave a comment below telling me why you would love to win a free pair of jeans from Fab’rik.  You must follow this blog via WordPress or via email to be considered.
  2. Repost the giveaway photo on Instagram, tag @chic_in_academia and @fabrikhomewood You must follow both accounts on Instagram, and use the hashtag #ChicFabrikgiveaway to be considered.
  3. Tweet about it!  “Giveaway with ChicInAcademia – Free Jeans! http://wp.me/p37HsV-Mo “.  You must follow Chic in Academia on Twitter to be considered.
  4. Pin it on Pinterest!  Pin any of the images above with the caption “Giveaway with ChicInAcademia – Free Jeans! http://wp.me/p37HsV-Mo “. Must follow Chic in Academia on Pinterest to be considered.

Good luck to everyone and as always, Stay Chic!

Thrifty Thursday’s – #PurplePurse 2014 and the Celine Luggage Inspired Tote

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Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Allstate Foundation® and Latina Bloggers Connect.  All opinions are my own.

This week, I am combining two topics for my Thrifty Thursday’s post.  Originally, I had only planned to post about the ‘Luxe for Less’ Celine Luggage inspired tote that I found at Forever 21, but then, I learned that I was selected to participate in the Purple Purse 2014 campaign.  The Allstate Foundation Purple Purse campaign is making it fashionable to talk about the domestic and financial abuse that traps women in abusive relationships. I thought it might be worth combining the two and increase exposure for this very serious topic.

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For those of you who are not familiar with the campaign, the Allstate Foundation has been working since 2005 to bring attention to the issue of domestic and financial abuse.  This year, they partnered with Kerry Washington (yes of the show, Scandal, and fitting to talk about her today since Scandal premiered tonight!!) to bring even greater awareness to their efforts and raise money for this cause.

Screen Shot 2014-09-25 at 10.04.35 PMThe beautiful Kerry Washington!

They have made quite a splash on social media, using the hashtag #PurplePurse and helped to raise over $800,000 as of this evening!!  Part of what they are doing to raise awareness is encouraging women to post pictures of their #PurplePurse style.  Add a purple purse to your outfit, or perhaps a #PurplePurse tassel (many thanks to Latina Bloggers Connect and All State for mine!) and post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Receipt of the #PurplePurse tassel coincided with my discovery of the Celine Luggage Inspired tote.  Let me tell ya, I put them both to use immediately!  I have coveted the Celine Luggage tote for a LONG time now!  Long time.  Perhaps since I was an egg.  Take a look at the beauty that is this bag for yourself:

fall_2014_leathergoods_26Celine Luggage Tote in Light Copper

But I was not about to spend $2800 on a bag!  So, of course I was ecstatic when I found this inspired version at Forever 21:

IMG_20140922_172030My very own luggage tote!  Only $32.90 at Forever 21.

The #PurplePurse tassel is the perfect addition to what has become my favorite work tote!  It fits my MacBook Pro, fits over my shoulder, and goes with most any outfit.  Take a look at how I have styled the tote so far:

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Perfect with a classic office outfit…pencil skirt and button-down top.

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Even perfect for travel!  Cheers to my luggage and tote!

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Finally, channeling Elle Woods of Legally Blonde with my darling Murphy in tow!

Not bad for an inspired bag, right?!  Especially to use as a work tote.  Adding tassels to bags is currently very on trend, and I have contemplated getting a tassel of my own, but am glad that I now carry one that represents something.  One that helps bring awareness to the seriousness that is the domestic and financial abuse of women worldwide.

Visit PurplePurse.com to get more information, and participate in the challenge on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter between now and 10/3/14!  Before I conclude this post, I leave you with some facts and statistics to better inform you, and hopefully encourage you to participate in the challenge and/or donate to this very worthy cause.  Open your heart and wallet to stand up for domestic and financial abuse victims and those who serve them.

Finally, if you or someone you know needs immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.

Domestic and Financial Abuse Facts and Figures

  • Domestic violence affects one in four women in her lifetime – that’s more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer
    and lung cancer combined.
  • Most people think only of physical abuse when they consider domestic violence. Yet, financial abuse happens in 98% of all cases of domestic violence and is one of the most powerful ways to keep a victim trapped.
  • Domestic violence and financial abuse often go hand-in-hand, but nearly 8 in 10 Americans have not heard much about financial abuse as a form of domestic violence. The number one reason domestic violence survivors stay, leave or return to an abusive relationship is that they don’t have the financial resources to break free.
  • Two-thirds of Americans believe that domestic violence is a serious problem, yet just over 1 in 3 have ever talked about it. Allstate Foundation Purple Purse aims to make it fashionable to talk about this difficult topic.
  • You can help ensure domestic violence survivors – likely someone you know – aren’t financially trapped in an abusive relationship by joining the Purple Purse Challenge.
  • The Allstate Foundation is investing more than half a million dollars in the Purple Purse Challenge. The more donations each nonprofit gets, the more it can compete for Allstate Foundation incentive funding. Go to PurplePurse.com between Sept. 2 and Oct. 3 to join the Challenge and help a nonprofit near you.
  • Kerry Washington, Emmy-nominated actress and domestic violence activist, is serving as a Purple Purse ambassador to help raise awareness for the cause and has designed a limited-edition purple purse. The purse was created to represent the center of a woman’s financial domain and to inspire women to reclaim their financial independence.

Until next time!  Stay chic!