Style Challenge with GlamSoup

What can YOU do with a basic black tee?

This was the style challenge that Jerrita from GlamSoup — a girly web magazine — threw my way. GlamSoup features DC-area bloggers on the site and I was very flattered when asked to be interviewed! Once I revealed my penny-pinching ways, GlamSoup decided to test my thriftiness and asked me to style a black tee using items from my closet.

You can read the full interview over at GlamSoup. Moral of this challenge? Always have a few basics on hand to serve as the base for any jazzy outfit.

Thanks Jerrita, for featuring Style Me Thrifty on your site!

[My outfit: Target tee, White House Black Market belt, JBrand jeans (c/o), Etienne Aigner heels, F21 short-sleeved cardi and earrings (old)].

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Dancing with the Stars: Glittermania!

Calling all reality TV viewers. Are you a fan of Dancing with the Stars?

I’ve been a participant in an intense DWTS bracket with my friends for the past several years. While the men in our lives follow fantasy football leagues, me and 40 other grown women compete for our own mirror ball trophy (well, cold hard cash actually — which is even better!). Our bracket competition is almost as fierce as all that glitter on the DWTS stage!

And really, who doesn’t love glitter?! I am swooning over all the sparkly dresses I’ve seen this season — like Kristin Cavallari and Kym Johnson below. Those DWTS costume designers know what America wants: more sequins, please!

How gorgeous are these champagne colored sparkly dresses? Yes, I realize they’re totally impractical for real life (um, and for gals who EAT), but let’s use them as inspiration to find some sequined items for us non-dancers.

I give you Dancing with the Stars-inspired glittermania!…

Constellation Overload Taupe Sequin Top – $55 from Lulus

Striking Gold Dress – $104.99 from Mod Cloth

Sequin Strip Racerback Tank – $34.90 from Express

WallapapHer Sequin Vest – $32 from Nordstrom

Way-in Sequin Cold Shoulder Shift Dress – $72 from Nordstrom

Pyramid Stud Stretch Ring – $6.00 from Charlotte Russe

Glittery Cutout Platform Heel – $28 from Charlotte Russe

Michael Antonio Palmero Flat – $23 from Endless (I own these, they’re super fun!)

Lulu Townsend Chainmail Clutch (3 colors) – $24.95 from DSW

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Be More Productive (in Heels!)

Sometimes when I’m falling asleep at night, I daydream about the day when Style Me Thrifty becomes my full-time job. I realize this goal is about as far away as Mars, but it’s still fun to fantasize about!

In the mean time, I get my writing fix as an editorial manager for an awesome non-profit organization. Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing 180 of my marketing colleagues at our global marketing conference in sunny Atlanta, Georgia (sidenote: why is Georgia wine so sweet, ya’ll?).

There was a speaker at the conference that blew our minds with tips on how to be more productive at work. Since I know many of you are hard-working, fashionable women, I thought you might appreciate one particular suggestion for improving one of the biggest time wasters: MEETINGS. Are you ready for this?…

Host standing meetings. As in, Do Not Sit Down.

My first thought was: GENIUS.

My second thought was: But I’m wearing heels!

(I’m sorry, it’s so easy for my mind to turn to fashion, even in professional situations).

I absolutely love the idea of holding meetings where no one sits down. Standing up speeds everything up and forces you to quickly talk about the most important issues. And if you’re a women wearing a fabulous pair of heels, I have a feeling that the meeting will be even more likely to zoom by. Who wants to stand still in stilettos for more than 20 minutes!

So I challenge you all to host a standing meeting this week in heels. The higher the heel, the more efficient the meeting! Productivity never looked so good.

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Earthquakes and Practical Shoes

Around 2pm yesterday afternoon, I was just finishing up my routine teeth cleaning at the dentist when the ground started shaking. I stared at the receptionist. She stared at me. We both froze. And then she yelled, “It’s an earthquake! I’m from California!!” and bolted towards the door frame.

Insert nervous laughter.

Then minor panic.

Then relief.

Once the earthquake passed, I walked back across the street to my office building to find my coworkers filling the sidewalks and side streets. It almost looked like a block party.

With trusty smart phones in hand, we read about the ‘quake on Facebook and debated correct earthquake safety tips (crawl under a desk? stand in a door frame? run outside?).

Then my eyes gazed down to our feet (always a fashionista, even in times of crisis) and I realized that all the women were still wearing their heels. I couldn’t help but think: earthquake safety tips should include advice about changing your footwear before evacuating! A girl needs to be prepared!

So let this blog post be a lesson to us all. The next time you have to evacuate a building (fire drill, power outage, terrorist scare, earthquake), grab flats, flip flops, or sneakers. It’s the practical shoe choice when descending 10 stories out of your office. You would never be caught up a creek without a paddle — nor should you find yourself in the midst of a natural disaster in stilettos.

Take it from by best friend. Her building in DC closed down as a safety precaution after the earthquake. With crazy Metro delays, she decided to make the hour and a half walk home. In heels.

She told me: “I was wearing my damn work heels.  At first it was fine. Then I thought I stepped on glass but it turned out to be a blister on my heel, which is awesomely painful today.”

Luckily, a blister will heal, but had the earthquake been bigger or something worse than an earthquake, proper footwear would have been a crucial part to any evacuation plan.

So I ask you, readers: do you know where the closest flip flops are? (filing cabinets make great storage bins!).

Practical shoes never looked so good.

Go Nude

I do my best thinking during Body Combat class. I realize this sounds a little random, but I like having an uninterrupted hour to be alone with my thoughts… while also beating the snot out of an imaginary opponent.

Some days, I contemplate life’s important questions: maybe about my career path at work or deciding what colors to include in Style Me Thrifty’s new logo (get excited!). And other days, my thoughts turn a bit more superficial, as in: how can I make my legs look longer?

[I know, my brain is a scary place to be!]

But as I jabbed and kicked my way through Body Combat this week, I started thinking about my height (an average 5’4”) and got stuck on the fact that I want the long legs of a 5’10” model! By the time our cool down song came on, I had come up with a simple solution that I wanted to share with everyone.

Go nude.

Nude shoes, that is. Pop on a pair of nude heels and you’re able to instantly create the illusion of longer legs. It’s like magic! Heels that match your skin tone trick the eye into seeing a leg that goes on for days. Instead of cutting off your legs at the ankle (which is what bold colored shoes can do), the eye follows your leg all the way to the ground. That’s exactly the few extra inches I’ve been looking for. The proof is in the picture:

Corso Como Del Beige Patent – $129
Cheaper/lookalike version by Chinese Laundry – $68.95
(Skirt from JCrew outlet)

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Here are a few more nude shoe options, all under $100!

Where to shop (click above photo to enlarge):

1) Aldo Ragonese – $22.49 (GREAT deal!) from Aldo

2) BP Platinum Twirl Sandal – $59.95 from Nordstrom

3) Arturo Chiang Womens Chanps Wedge – $78.99 from Endless

4) R2 Women’s Castine Pump – $50 from Endless

5) Seychelles Women’s Chirp Open-Toe Pump – $89.95 from Amazon

6) Boutique 9 Women’s Karyl Open-Toe Pump – $85.49 from Endless

7) Seychelles Change of Venue – $66.85 from Zappos

8) Report Grover Flat – $62.95 from Zappos (since I know you love flats!)

9) Kelsi Dagger Kaden – $89.10 from Zappos