Happy Halloween!

I swear I planned on photographing my Halloween costume for you today... but then I came home from work and took a four hour nap. Yep. Four hours. True story. I blame it on the junk I feasted on today at work - strawberry pretzel "salad" (if you've ever had this, you know salad really isn't a good word for it, ha ha), chips & salsa, and lemon meringue cheesecake. That last one? Literally the best thing on earth.

That being said... I didn't really think you would all be interested in seeing my bed head hair and rumpled outfit. Imagine me in a red skirt, orange turtleneck, orange kneesocks and red mary janes. Yes, I dressed as Velma from Scooby Doo. I'm constantly told I could be her (maybe it's the glasses?) so I decided to run with it this year. Plus, it was easy! I dyed my thrifted turtleneck and Target socks to match and already had the skirt and shoes.

I didn't want to leave you without a little Halloween fun though... here are some costumes from my past!

I wish I had a full body photo of my hippie costume - I wore a pair of my mom's old bellbottoms for that costume and continued to wear them after Halloween. I was a cool 8th grader, what can I say?

And my Dorothy costume? My grandma made it for me. I don't know if it is awesome or strange - but I wore the costume again two years ago. Yes, it still fit, though it was a bit tighter in some areas. I begged to be Dorothy due to the fact that I really just wanted some glittery red heels - which my mom made for me. I loved this costume, but I also love the movie.

The Rachel Zoe costume was put together quickly and was more or less an excuse to buy the maxi dress I wanted and wear a big 'ol blonde wig for the night. I had short hair at the time so it was really fun to have some longer locks for a while, even if it was in the form of a cheap Halloween wig.

What has been your favorite Halloween costume of all time?

Winning Wednesday: Great Fashion Giveaways!

Winning a giveaway is fantastic for two reasons: 1.) You have a new item to add to your wardrobe for free. What could be more frugal than that!? 2.) You are (most likely) introduced to a new company/store/brand/what-have-you. This is a great way to try something you either might not have bought on your own or try something you may have never heard about prior! I love that. This, my friends, is why every week I write a little post called Winning Wednesday.

1. The Diamond Trail is giving away a tote from Bagged and Loaded to two lucky winners! This shop sells so many adorable totes - but I think my favorite is the polka dot circle tote in midnight purple. Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: November 11, 2011

2. The Frugalista Diaries is giving away a super chic pair of earrings from Poshlocket! While you're there, be sure to check out Megan's amazing outfit & how she styled the same pair of earrings! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 28, 2011

3. Broke and Beautiful is giving away a $100 gift certificate to one lucky winner to use at PLNDR! PLNDR offers street wear for up to 80% off. Sounds like fashion frugality to me! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

4. Aquariann is giving away a black and white striped pair of legwarmers from Mademoiselle Mermaid! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

5. What Annie Wears is giving away a fabulous collection of makeup - from Dior, YSL and more - thanks to Timothy Hung Makeup. Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: November 4, 2011

6. Life Blessons is giving away a dress from Shabby Apple! Which one strikes your fancy? Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: November 13, 2011

7. Did you see that What I Wore is hosting a huge L.L. Bean giveaway? All you need to do is create a head to toe outfit using new L.L. Bean pieces and you're entered to win! I liked some of the pieces so much that I made a new Kaboodle styleboard out of some of them - check it out here! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

8. Kansas Couture is giving away a pair of gorgeous, unique earrings from Morning Sparrow! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

9. 365Hangers is giving away the most AMAZING vegan leather bag from Pippi Hepburn! I am crossing my fingers and my toes that I win this bag - I love the color, the style, just everything! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

Do you have a giveaway you'd like featured in one of my Winning Wednesday posts? Feel free to e-mail me the link/details or tweet me at @fashfrugality!

Substitute Your Look: Animal Print in Red

OK, so I have to say that I am normally not a huge fan of the color red, but this dress had me hooked the second I saw it. Perhaps it is the style? Perhaps it is the animal print? Whatever it is, I LOVE IT.

But.

$95? Not exactly fashion frugality there. It's not terrible, no, but not cheap either. I am not ready to commit for that price. How about you?

But this pattern! Oh, this pattern. It must be available to the rest of masses, right? Those of us who consider ourselves a little extra frugal?

Why, yes! Yes, it is! And it comes in the form of a scarf! I think that is a great trade off, as I'm not sure this is a print I would want to wear for next three years or more. I think a great way of adding in "trendy" pieces is to do so in the form of an accessory - which is what we have here.

What do you think? Fair substitution? Which would you rather wear?

October Is: Domestic Violence Awareness Month

{ I interrupt today's usual Winning Wednesday post to bring you this special message. }

Did you know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month?


1 in 3 families are affected by domestic violence. Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors — physical, sexual, psychological, and economic coercion — used by one intimate partner against another (adult or adolescent) to gain, maintain, or regain power and control in the relationship. Batterers use of a range of tactics to frighten, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, often injure, and sometimes kill a current or former intimate partner.

If you are in danger, please call 911, your local hotline, or (in the U.S.) the National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233 or TTY (800) 787-3224.

Together with Miss Vinyl Ahoy and others, I vowed to wear the color purple today to spread the awareness in a small way. In fact, I wore my favorite vibrant purple shirt dress. Unfortunately, the crazy rain storm we had all day pretty much deleted any plans I had to take outfit photos. Never discouraged, I put together a purple inspired Kaboodle styleboard with some frugal ways to add some purple into your wardrobe.

October Is: Domestic Violence Awareness Month

1. Purple gloves: Merona Side Stitch Glove in purple, Target.com, $19.99
2. Desert Boot: Whisper Desert Bootie in purple, Wanted, $49.99 (on sale)
3. Pencil Skirt: Vintage skirt in purple, RenaissanceProfessor's Avant Garde, $15
4. Earrings: Flower Wheel Medallion Earrings in amethyst, 1928 Jewelry, $18
5. Striped Dress: Vintage Striped Cotton Dress in pretty violets, Juannabie, $10
6. Nail Polish: Sexy Divide, by Essie, $8
7. Sweatshirt: French Terry Pullover in Night Orchard, Old Navy, $15 (on sale)
8. Vintage Dress: Vintage Wiggle Dress in deep purple, Serendipity Mae Vintage Boutique, $14.75

Fashion Frugality Reviews: eShakti Blouse

When eShakti.com contacted me about doing a review of one of their pieces, I was more than happy to oblige. I had actually had my eye on their ruffled cascade front poet blouse so I knew the exact piece I wanted already! I received the blouse two months ago but I don't think I need to explain that a long sleeve blouse was just not weather appropriate for August. I am so happy that I was finally able to wear it!

Now, that being said, please keep an open mind. Today was quite possibly the most windy day I have ever encountered. Bring on the windblown photos! :)


Blouse: Ruffle Cascade Front Poet Blouse, c/o eShakti.com ($39.95)
Pants: Axcess (Liz Claiborne Co), Thrifted, OLD
Shoes: Tahari, Thrifted, OLD
Ring: Inherited from my grandma
Gold Earrings: Gift from my former employer
Glasses: SEE Eyewear
Purse: Gift from my boyfriend years ago (from Target!)

I know what you might be thinking: Katie, you're pale. Nude tops are not your thing. Guess what? Don't care. Life is too short to worry about such things! And I like this top too much! Lets do a quick rundown over some things I love about this top and eShakti.com:

First and very important: Did you know that everything eShakti.com sells is completely customizable? Enter in your specific size details and requests and your wish is their command - all only for an extra $7.50! They fully embody the idea that one size does NOT fit all and why should it? We are all different and all have different tastes.


The extra long cuffs and gorgeous fabric covered buttons (which are also down the front of the blouse) - I love little details like that.


The sleeve detail. I love this unique look!


Quite possibly my favorite part: The ruffle front - how adorable is this? Wait, it gets better: It is detachable! I love having multi-use items. I can wear this blouse with both the ruffles and without the ruffles for two totally different looks. (Note: Nevermind how messy it looks here. It actually ties around your neck, under the collar, quite nicely. The wind was blowing mine out of order.)




Topped with my favorite fall coat and the addition of one of my favorites rings, I was ready to go to work!

DISCLOSURE: Though eShakti sent me this blouse (free of charge) to review, my opinions on this blog post and all other posts are my own. I did not agree to give a positive review. I agreed to give an honest review.
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Unfortunately, the top I reviewed is currently out of stock! With that in mind, I put together a quick Kaboodle styleboard to show you some other ruffle favorites from eShakti.com.

Click above to learn more about each piece!

Winning Wednesday: Great Fashion Giveaways!

Winning a giveaway is fantastic for two reasons: 1.) You have a new item to add to your wardrobe for free. What could be more frugal than that!? 2.) You are (most likely) introduced to a new company/store/brand/what-have-you. This is a great way to try something you either might not have bought on your own or try something you may have never heard about prior! I love that. This, my friends, is why every week I write a little post called Winning Wednesday.

1. Rock Paper Vintage and Kiboots are giving away a pair of boots (of your choice) to one lucky winner! I think I would go with this pair! Click here to enter! (Thanks to Colorblind for passing on the world about this giveaway!)
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 14, 2011

2. MIA Shoes is giving away a pair of their new Uptown Girl Pumps to one lucky winner! These heels aren't even available to buy yet! Trust me, you're going to want to enter this one - these pumps are killer! Click here to enter on their facebook page!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 17, 2011

3. Going West is teaming up with MIA Shoes to give away a pair of their amazing Nolen heeled loafers. These are THE shoes of the season, in my opinion. Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 17, 2011

4. Dwelling and Telling is giving away a gorgeous personalized date necklace from Stella Collection! I love the idea/story behind this piece! Click here to learn more about it and enter to win!

5. Banana Republic is giving you a chance to show off your styling skills! Play their Lucky Dozen Game - they give you BR pieces to choose from and you create a look based off the situation they give you - and enter to win a $500 Banana Republic gift card! Thirteen gift cards will be given away! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: Enter everyday through October 29th!

6. Trop Rouge is giving away a different R&Em bag every day in October! How amazing is that!? Click here to learn how to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: Ongoing every day through October!

7. An Island Life is giving away a pair of Naturalizer shoes to one lucky winner - you get to pick your favorite pair! I'm loving their Aria black boots. Which pair do you like? Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 13, 2011

8. The Daily Julie is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Drugstore.com - thanks to Covergirl! Have you tried Covergirl's LashPerfection mascara? It is one of my favorites. Click here to check out Julie's thoughts and enter the giveaway!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: November 4, 2011

9. Statements In Fashion is back and she is offering up a great giveaway! Two readers are going to win a $25 gift card each to Forever21! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 16, 2011

10. Philosophy is giving you a chance to win one of five of their Think Pink gift sets of products! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

11. Memoirs Of A Little Thing Called Life is giving away an amazing natural gem necklace. It. Is. So. Pretty. (Please don't enter to win this because I really, really want it. Thankyousomuch. Ha ha.) Click here to enter to win (andsharecustodywithmeifyoudothankyouverymuch)!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 14, 2011

12. Blushing Noir wants to Halloween-ify your nails! Head on over to the site for the chance to win glow in the dark nailpolish and skull and crossbones Sally Hansen nail effect strips! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 15, 2011

13. Fashion Snag is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Seven Freedom 2 Express to one lucky winner! I would love to snag one of their bohemian coin necklaces if I won! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 15, 2011

14. Urbanknit is giving away one of their gorgeous Splash Shawls! Perfect for autumn layering in style! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

15. Collections is giving away a Dark Secrets of Wonderland bracelet from Shabby Apple. This bracelet would look great with a leather jacket, no? Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 22, 2011

16. 26 and Counting is giving away a pair of earrings from Poshlocket! I'm a fan of the gold pair myself. Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 13, 2011

17. Fashion Fractions is giving away a $50 gift card to LOFT! Check out how she styled pieces from their BCRF collection and enter to win!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 14, 2011

18. A Pretty Penny is giving away a design kit and Target gift card to customize a pair of Converse One Star sneakers! Head on over to her blog to check out how she redesigned her pair - they are so cute! Click here to do that and enter to win!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 14, 2011

19. What I Wore is giving away a LOFT $50 gift certificate, tshirt and bracelet from their Breast Cancer Research limited edition line. Five dollars from every bracelet sold will benefit the BCRF! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 31, 2011

20. Fantasy Jewelry Box is giving away a $100 gift card on their blog! What FJB piece are you craving for fall? I'm picturing this set paired up with so many pieces from my wardrobe! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 15, 2011

21. Sandy A La Mode is giving away a $20 credit to Jaclyn 1423. What would you use your credit on? I would buy the gold and green beaded necklace - I love those colors together! Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: October 17, 2011

22. Chellbellz is giving away a one year subscription to Vogue, a $25 Sephora gift card and a $25 H&M gift card to give thanks to her subscribers! I'd say that is a pretty great way to say thanks - what do you think? Click here to enter!
GIVEAWAY ENDS: November 1, 2011

Everybody, Everywear: DIY

Oh, hi! You've probably (maybe?) been wondering where I've been... well, between being sick last week and having a family member pass away, there was little room or desire for blogging. Honestly, you didn't want to see one little part of me. Everything was a big 'ol mess. My eyes were red, my nose was red, everything was disheveled.

That being said, I put forth at least a little bit more effort today. Yes, I do love me an Everybody, Everywhere day. This one was no different - DIY day! I initially had a more labor intensive DIY planned but I don't think I need to get into why it was not accomplished (see above). Instead, I took an easier approach...


Note: This is where you pretend like you can not see my kitty hairs and fuzz on my dress. Please also pretend that the pin on my necklace is sitting properly. Thank you. Forgive me, like I said, it has been a long week.

I'm not going to divulge my original DIY plan as I plan on still putting it into action at some point. So, when push came to shove last night at 10pm, I had to rack my brain for another quick idea. Luckily, I had just recently pinned this image of gorgeous necklaces made by Elva Fields to my pinterest account. Seriously, have you ever seen prettier jewelry? I LOVE these necklaces! Plus, I knew it was the perfect thing to put together quickly - great beaded necklace + my favorite pin? Done!


Dress: Karen Kane, Thrifted, OLD
Blue Tank: Poof!, TJMaxx, OLD
Necklace: No tag, Thrifted, $7
Pin (on necklace): Gift from Mom
Shoes: Naturalizer, Thrifted, OLD
Glasses: SEE Eyewear

I also really like that this outfit is a collection of old favorites. One of my favorite (and most comfortable, by far) black dresses, favorite pin (a gift from my mom from one of our favorite local stores) and favorite red shoes.






Did I mention my cat loves these shoes too? They've been graced with kitty claw and teeth marks but I'm not ready to let them go. I figure it isn't as noticable from far away... right?...


Want to see some more fashionable DIY? Click on over to Everybody, Everywear below!