SLAYING WITH A SHOESTRING — Socially Staci J

Every year, around Halloween, I would have the same recurring nightmare that managed to haunt me even during the day. Sometimes, I would have trouble sleeping through the night, knowing that I had to inevitably face this frightening challenge ahead of me. The months of October and November represented darkness and despair, and I knew I needed to find a way to break this shackle of fear. It was too overwhelming. Almost crippling. I couldn’t even check my emails without the devil trying to rattle my cage. All of those emails from ASOS and Topshop reminding me of the chaos that was my life. “Oops, did you forget those items in your cart?” “Since you bought this, we know you’ll like this.” Wrong Satan’s leprechauns, I LOVE that. But I can’t afford to keep giving you all of my coins. I have trips to plan and I have wine to buy. Why can’t money be limitless, like my potential?

That was my life a few year ago. Aimlessly wandering the world trying to prevent myself from hunger and broke-ness. I needed to make a change. Because no matter how cute the outfit, being broke will surely make you look like a bamma. Or at least, make you feel like one. So I was determined to slay, look fly, be fashionable, or whatever the term you prefer, on a tight budget. And that is what I did. I know you may think that I have a lot of clothes in my wardrobe, and this is true. But I don’t spend a lot of money on one article of clothing, unless it’s a statement piece like a great coat, or over the knee boots. Also, a lot of my clothing is timeless, so I’ve accumulated my wardrobe over a number of years. I’m still wearing a pair of black suede ankle booties from Calvin Klein from 9 years ago. That’s right, I’ll spell it for you…….NINE. This was way before the big bootie trend even existed and honestly, I can’t find another pair like them. I’ve tried.

This post is going to be about taking a budget of $300 that almost everyone can afford, and creating an entire wardrobe for the season. Unless you have recently lost a ton of weight, or gained (no judgment), no one is totally building a wardrobe from scratch. So most pieces can be interchanged with current wardrobe staples you already own. But even if you are starting from scratch, this is still a really good list to get you started. Since we’re in the dead heat of Fall/Autumn, obviously, this post will reflect pieces for this season. And as always, these will be pieces that you can buy now. You’re welcome and enjoy!

Tops

First, let’s talk about bodysuits. If you don’t own any, why not? And more importantly, are you serious? Bodysuits are God’s gift to women, because they are super inexpensive to produce, so the average retail on a really cute one is about 30% less than a comparable cute top. They are also super flattering to almost any body type. Zara has some amazing ones and honestly, I couldn’t believe the price. I really hate the cliché, they can be dressed up or down, although this is true. But what I will say is that the look and fit of a body suit, instantly takes an outfit paired with a pair of jeans to a sexier level. See my pick below. I have this same bodysuit in black. It also comes in taupe. I’ve already got you covered in black on this list, so I figured you needed a little more green in your life. Green is one of those colors that flatters every skin tone, particularly this shade, which serves almost as a neutral. And the quality is amazing for the $19.90 retail. It’s one of those pieces that is appropriate for work, but would still look sexy if you were meeting a guy out for drinks right after work. Just slide on a pair of skinny jeans and over sized hoops (Staci style hoops), and you’re good. This is the "ready for anything" top.

http://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/t-shirts/body/bodysuit-with-long-sleeves-c841532p3931004.html

Rolling Total $19.90

Man……listen. Listen to me. The top below is the simplest thing, but it’s oh so chic and it can be paired with basically anything. The off the shoulder trend is really hot right now, almost to the point of nausea. But you need this top in your life because its oddly classic and only $19.90. It comes in a crisp white and basic black. I picked the black simply because it’s easier to wear in the winter months if you live outside of Texas. Given our current weather pattern in Texas, we could wear this all year with no layering involved. When you purchase this top, and I strongly suggest you do, just remember that you can style this in multiple ways. The easiest way to style it would be to wear it by itself over faux leather leggings and booties, for a dressier look, or over skinny jeans and a pair of Adidas Superstars for a more casual look. Simple, right? But I would encourage you to have more fun with it. Like, pairing it under a leather or blue jean vest, which gives it a little bit of an edge. And if you live in a climate where it is too cold for shoulder bearing, this can always be paired under a blazer or a jacket. This is one of those items that you can wear all year long. So go get it.

http://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/tops/view-all/off-shoulder-blouse-c733890p3816020.html

Rolling Total $39.80

If you’ve ever been to Fashion Nova’s site, you know that they aren’t known for their modest clothing. In fact, they are definitely one of the queens of provocative clothing. It's not really my style. However, I absolutely love their denim pieces because of their wide selection of high waist styles with unique distressed finishes. Sometimes I would browse the other sections of the site, but I rarely see anything that I would actually wear. So I was more than pleased to find this distressed over sized sweater for $29.99. Every year, I add an “interesting black sweater” to my “to buy” list simply because sometimes I get lazy and I want something that I don’t have to work hard to make look good. This sweater fits the bill. But for the love of baby Jesus, please don’t pair it with distressed jeans. That’s simply too much. A simple skinny jean (keep it skinny because of the volume on top) will complete this look.

https://www.fashionnova.com/collections/sweaters/products/edge-of-heaven-sweater-black

Rolling Total $69.79

I really like this one sleeveless shoulder navy sweater from ASOS. It’s interesting and chic. And its another sweater that can be worn to work, if sleeveless shirts are work appropriate in your workplace. If not, pair it under a blazer and you’re still fine. You can still whip that blazer off for happy hour. This retails for $34.00, which is a steal for this much fashion. And I honestly haven't seen anything like it from other retailers.

http://us.asos.com/asos/asos-sweater-in-rib-with-one-sleeve/prd/7289616?iid=7289616&clr=Navy&SearchQuery=&cid=2637&pgesize=36&pge=2&totalstyles=1150&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=3

Rolling Total $103.79

Your wardrobe update wouldn’t be complete unless you picked up a little something to wear to your office holiday party. This metallic little number can be worn on or off the shoulder and it’s a bargain for $29.90. And trust me, it looks much more luxurious in person. Pair this with a black pant or a mini skirt with black tights and booties. It’s a lot of shimmer on the top, so you want to have a more toned down look on the bottom.

http://www.zara.com/us/en/woman/tops/blouses/metallic-effect-top-c763513p3785069.html

Rolling Total $133.69

Dresses/Bottoms

Below, it may seem like I picked the most simple dress on the planet. But trust me on this. This is one of the most versatile pieces you will have in your wardrobe this season. Mock neck and turtle neck styles instantly chic-ify any top or dress, so that’s the first thing to love about it. But more importantly, you can wear this dress in numerous ways and no one would even know it was the same dress unless they were secretly stalking your every move. I love how the model is styled in this look with sneakers. However, belt this number and put on a leather jacket, black tights and flat ankle boots, and you’ve got a completely different look. Or simply pair it with a long cardigan and high shaft stiletto boots. This is also a nice layering piece. Pop an over sized sweater over it and wear it as a skirt. The possibilities are virtually endless. It also comes in black, which would make this even more versatile. You can rock multiple "all black" looks with this dress and pair it with a fashion colored tight like maroon, mustard or even purple. I know that it is easy to sleep on these types of basic pieces, but these are usually the pieces that get the most wear.

http://www.hm.com/us/product/4448?article=54448-B

Rolling Total $158.68

Can we talk about Target for a second? Looking at this faux leather dress below from Who What Wear and three Who, What, Why questions come to mind. Who has been sleeping on Target? Everyone. What is the matter with us? I don’t know. Why are the retails so good? I don’t know. Target has definitely slowed down on their designer collaborations, because of consistently slow sell thrus. Instead, they partnered with the popular blog site, Who What Wear, to offer a contemporary collection that is available year round. I’ve scored a few of their pieces, like their teddy bear bomber jacket that I LOVE. (not included in this list, but still available) and a versatile black dress that I wore to death during the summer and will continue to wear this fall. The quality and fit of most of their items is pretty darn good. The price points are on par with their inline Merona and Mossimo lines, but the quality is better. Check out the dress below. This faux leather dress below retails for $35 and could easily retail for at least twice that amount. Wear it as is, wear it under a blazer or under a sweater. I don’t have to tell you how versatile this dress is. This is a steal!

http://www.target.com/p/-/A-51238270

Rolling Total $193.67

This is another piece from the Who What Wear collection from Target that I am establishing as a simply must buy. This faux leather skirt is adorable. The fit is absolutely perfect and again, it’s simply well made. I tried this skirt on last week and it took all of the willpower I had not to buy it. Instead, I opted for the bomber jacket because I have a leather look skirt as well as a genuine leather skirt already in my collection. So I refrained. But you should not. This can be styled with basically anything, including sneakers. If you don’t have anything like this in your wardrobe, this is about the best buy you will find in the market today.

http://www.target.com/p/women-s-faux-leather-birdcage-skirt-who-what-wear/-/A-51237590

Rolling Total $226.66

Shoes

For fall/winter, the only two updated staples you need in your closet are boots or booties. Since this is a budget list, I selected a couple of bootie options because they are a lot more versatile than high shaft boots. Anything you would wear with a boot you can wear with a bootie. ANYTHING. Just add tights. However, not all things that work best with booties can be paired with high shaft boots. For example, high waist jeans and a crop sweater could look a little heaux-ish with high shaft boots, depending on the style boot. However, this look is instantly toned down with ankle booties, no matter the style. Also, ankle booties are more economical, so then there is that. I chose a few styles that I really liked from Target, because they tend to do a really good job offering an assortment of booties with decent quality. Both of the chosen styles are $37.99, both are extremely comfortable and both are relatively well made for the price. They should last you one good winter, maybe two. The first is a faux leather option in deep tan. When buying shoes that are not genuine leather, faux suede tends to look more expensive than faux leather in most cases. I also like the block heel that gives it a more contemporary look. However, the belting detail is what makes this a must buy.

http://www.target.com/p/women-s-francesca-western-boots-cognac-mossimo-supply-co/-/A-50845659

Rolling Total $264.65

The next and final item on this list is a pair of ankle boots from Target that I actually own. I purchased them a few weeks ago and I have worn them nonstop. They are a pair of ankle booties from Target's DV Collection. These booties are the perfect fit and very comfortable, which is why I have worn them more than any other pair of shoes I own since I purchased them. I’m usually not a fan of the western style boot, but something about these shoes just works. The braided detail and the silver hardware makes it special. And the faux leather doesn't look cheap or poorly made. For $38, this was a win.

http://www.target.com/p/women-s-dv-elda-western-booties/-/A-50989751

Rolling Total $302.64

YES!!! We did it. Okay, so we went over 2 dollars. However, I would assume that most of you have the Target debit card (which is free by the way), and you save 5% on every purchase. That would save you $7.20, so the total using your card would put you under budget at $295.44. Let’s do a tally of the items that were included in this mock haul.

Fall/Autumn Haul

Green Bodysuit Top

Black Off The Shoulder Top

Black Distressed Sweater

Navy One Sleeve Dressy Sweater

Metallic Off the Shoulder Top

Grey Turtleneck Dress

Black Faux Leather Dress

Black Faux Leather Swing Skirt

Brown Faux Suede Booties

Black Flat Ankle Booties

That's 10 items to refresh your wardrobe for Fall! If your budget is half of that, remove a pair of shoes, a couple of tops and maybe the skirt. That still leaves you with about 6 good Fall pieces to rejuvenate your wardrobe for the season. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.

SSJ