Fall for prAna: Sustainable Fall Style

This post was created in partnership with prAna. Clothes were provided complimentary by prAna, opinions are provided solely by me.

With school starting up this week around these parts and a bit of an added chill in the air, I am feeling that never-seems-to-leave-you feeling of fall freshness and a new year. I'm in my thirties and haven't been in school for some time now but I never seem to lose that feeling of a crisp new year starting. I'm usually ready around this time to leave my summer clothes behind and start adding on the layers. I love summer but I am an autumn girl at heart. The season is rather fleeting here in Michigan as we move into full blown winter pretty quickly so I have to enjoy it while I can!

prAna recently contacted me to try out a few pieces from their fall collection. I thought this might be the perfect way to dip myself into some comfy autumn gear - something my wardrobe actually lacks! I've never been much of a tshirt and jeans kind of girl so when I get in that mood to throw some comfies on, I lack pieces that are things I would actually want to go out of the house in. Faded cotton sweatpants paired with my husband's old t-shirt is not usually a look I like to share outside of my at home world. ;-) You're welcome.

Chillin out maxin' relaxin' all cool warm... in my dropped shoulder pullover!

OUTFIT DETAILS

• Jeans: c/o prAna - Kara Jean in cargo green [exact / use GHFF15 for 15% off!]
• Sweatshirt: c/o prAna - Penelope Pullover in lacquered rose [exact / use GHFF15 for 15% off!]
• Shirt: Canyon River Blues chambray tunic [bought FREE!]
• Shoes: thrifted Aerosoles [similar]
• Glasses: Bonlook Skunkboy Twinkle Tort [exact]
• Bracelet: vintage copper bangle bought at a church sale [similar]

First, let's talk about these Kara jeans. Can I get an AMEN for jeans that fit in ALL areas? I often have an issue where my jeans might fit my legs well but then have a huge gap at my waist or require me to scoot them back up all the live long day. Not these. These jeans have the perfect amount of stretch without being too stretchy. I like the feeling of being "held in" without feeling like my clothes are too tight. These achieve that perfectly. They retail at $89.00 and are worth every penny because their cost per wear is going to essentially bring that cost to pennies.

I walked around Detroit in these over the weekend and didn't even think about what I was wearing... That's a true indication that these jeans are a winner. No adjustments necessary! If you take a look at their reviews, they have over 900 reviews with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars! I am always nervous to buy jeans online without trying them on but after reading some reviews and reviewing their size chart, I bought my usual size 8. Personally, I find they fit very true to size as I have not a single complaint to make about the fit. And let's talk about those cuffs... I love that they have this awesome detail. One of my favorite "trends" right now is detailed denim - whether it be an interesting color, embroidery or other little details like that. I think this oversized cuff gives a cool different, edgy look over regular skinnies... but the best part is that the cuff isn't permanent and can be changed up! I love a piece of clothing that I can wear more than one way!

Those cuffs, though!

Oh, and here is something important that we haven't talked about yet: prAna is also all about sustainability. Whether it is fair trade, recycled or organic, they do an exceptional job at creating pieces that are true to their aesthetic in a way that is also good to the rest of the world! For example, my jeans are made with 75% organic cotton. The use of organic cotton helps to cut down on the use of pesticides and fertilizers which is healthier for the cotton farmers and helps to preserve the biodiversity of the land they use to farm. You can learn more about the ways prAna is part of the sustainable clothing movement right here. If you've read my blog for a while or know me personally, you know I am a huge advocate of buying secondhand clothing. Over the last year, I've been learning more about the sustainable fashion movement and have been feeling a pull toward it in addition to my secondhand shopping. That being said, I'm delighted to try these pieces out from prAna and talk about that more with you guys going forward.

The Penelope pullover was an easy choice to add to my closet. I liked the idea that it's a sweatshirt with a twist. I dressed it down here but am looking forward to layering it over some of my dresses to wear to work. The cowl neck gives it a more dressed up look than a normal sweatshirt. This is a great, lightweight layering piece that allows me to feel comfortable and warm without being too heavy or hard to pair with other pieces. I love the way my favorite chambray is peeking every so slightly out at the top. And going back to sustainability, this piece is fair trade factory certified and made with 60% organic cotton. I consider that a look good-feel good kind of piece and I look forward to adding more like that to my closet.

SHOP IT: prAna has kindly offered my readers a discount shopping code! Use promo code GHFF15 and get 15% OFF at prAna.com. Hurry - the code is only valid through NOVEMBER 20TH!

Disclosure: The Kara jeans and Penelope pullover were provided free of charge from prAna. Both products were selected by me, styled by me and all opinions shared are my honest thoughts. #fallforprAna

Linking up with Style Wise Link Up!

Wearing & Reviewing: Victoria Emerson Wrap Bracelet Review

Disclosure: Victoria Emerson provided me with a bracelet of my choice for free to wear and review. All thoughts written below are 100% mine.

If one does not post outfit pictures does one really get dressed?

HA! I kid, guys. Of course one gets dressed. I like to think I wear cute outfits almost daily (ok, let's be honest, every day cannot be a cute outfit day... sometimes it's just a "this will do" kind of day, ya know) but between life, the snow and cold air in Michigan, limited sunlit hours, dog time, planning a wedding and gym time... I never seem to get around to taking pictures of any of them! Life happens. Luckily, life slowed down a bit a couple weeks ago and I got a chance to convince my fiancé to snap a few photos of my outfit on our way to a relaxed family dinner.

• Jean Jacket: thrifted Old Navy [almost exact match]
• Stud Sweater: thrifted [cute tshirt option]
• Maxi Skirt: thrifted and REVERSIBLE to a different animal print!
• Boots: Blondo via Amazon [exact]
• Wrap Bracelet: c/o Victoria Emerson [exact]
• Glasses: Zenni Optical [exact]
• Earrings: Gold hoops - an old gift from a previous AWESOME employer

I'm in the middle of a love affair with gold and skulls, guys. Random? Maybe. But there it is. Gold and skulls.

I've had this gold studded sweater in my closet for a few years now but seem to always forget about it. It's one of those 1980's kind of oversized, light poly sweaters that looks terrible on a hanger but once you have it on, you're like... hmm, this looks kind of cool and slouchy. Like, maybe I should be wearing this more often instead of just letting it hang for months on end without any wear. (This might also be an indication I have too many clothes. That's just a story for another day though.)

This maxi skirt embodies the perfect animal print. A little bit of tan, a little but of black - wearable with both color families. I found this particular skirt on a thrifting trip I did while on vacation a few years back in Traverse City, Michigan. I like my souvenirs to be thrifted too. So much more useable than a silly tourist trap souvenir you'll discard later on, am I right?

When Victoria Emerson reached out about sending a bracelet over to me, I eagerly agreed to try out one of their pieces and share my thoughts here on my little corner of the internet. I really liked what I saw on their site: pretty, affordable pieces of jewelry - exactly what the doctor ordered for Fashion Frugality! I chose the jet hematite and gold skulls on black wrap bracelet and could not be any happier with it. I absolutely love that it has a slight edge to it (hello, skulls) without being over the top. From far away, it simply looks like simple gold beads. Up close, fun skull arm party. (Does anyone use the word arm party anymore? I must be late to the party. Har har, get it?)

A few more good points - it is super easy to put the bracelet on yourself and, bonus, this type of bracelet works great for any wrist size! I have abnormally small wrists and sometimes find that a lot of bracelets are way too loose on me. Wearing a wrap bracelet like this means you can essentially customize it for your wrist size. In addition, while I love me some bangle bracelets, can we all agree that they are not desk work friendly? I mean, unless you like to listen to the sound of your bangles hit the desk every three seconds. I don't and I am quite sure my co-workers don't as well. That being said, this wrap bracelet is the perfect wear to work look! It has a close fit to your wrist, doesn't dangle and doesn't clang against your desk as you work. At $24, I consider this a great, affordable look.

Love my bracelet? Head on over to Victoria Emerson to get one for yourself or another piece of their beautiful jewelry. Right now you can save 20% with coupon code "fashionfrugal20"!

LOVE THE LOOK? SHOP SIMILAR ITEMS BELOW!

Linking up with: The Pleated Poppy!

Channeling Jenna Lyons

I'm beginning to think that Jenna Lyons (president and executive creative director at J. Crew, if you don't know) is my spirit woman. I'd say spirit animal but she's obviously not that. The woman knows how to dress and I've caught on... she seems to always pair her eye catching glasses with the perfect topper. A jacket. A coat. A blazer. A button up. The woman always has the perfect topper - be it simple or be it statement, it always looks perfect and very HER. I love how she looks classic even when she is wearing something very un-classic. I decided to switch that up and paired my very un-classic glasses with a classic topper...

Jeans: Old Navy [exact for $22]
Blazer: Apostrophe, Thrifted [love this tuxedo jacket for $32.90!]
Tunic Button Up: Worthington, JCPenney [polka-dotted J. Crew for $24.99!]
Shoes: Franco Sarto, Thrifted [similar in patent leather for $17.70!]
Eyewear: Zenni Optical #636024 [exact - just $19!]
Monogram Bracelet: c/o 9th & Elm [exact]

There's something so delightfully easy about black and white, a blazer and a button up, denim and oxfords. I'd love to say I'd like to "simplify" my closet and cut myself down to all black and white pieces... but a girl just needs some color in her life. I do, at least. These glasses are one of my favorite colorful pieces. I get a lot of questions when I wear them: Are they real? As in, do I have prescription lenses? Yes, most certainly. My driving is better for it. :) Do they glow in the dark? Har har, no. But I guess that would be pretty cool. Does the color hurt your eyes? Only first thing in the morning when I am half awake. Only slightly kidding. Some people love them, some seem horrified by them. It's cool. I fully realize neon green is not every person's cup of tea. (I dislike tea, for the record.)

My favorite piece of jewelry right now is this perfectly sized monogram bracelet that I picked up thanks to 9th & Elm. I've been admiring monogrammed pieces for a while now but was never sure what type of piece I would want to get monogrammed for myself. When I saw this bracelet I knew it was the piece I had been looking for - silver, small but not too small, and affordable. It works well worn alone and also stacked with other bracelets.

Can we have a keeping it blogger-style real moment, please? First of all, yep, my shirt is hella wrinkly. These photos were taken around 7pm after a full work day, a walk with my new puppy and plenty of playing with my puppy. Wrinkles happen, man. Second of all, my fiancé (engagement/wedding stuff is another planned post, I'm getting there... I swear) told me I was wearing this bracelet wrong and made me fix it before I took photos so that my monogram is facing anyone in front of me instead of facing me. I feel like it is strange to wear that way. Am I wrong? Please school me: how do you/would you wear a monogram bracelet? Am I silly for wearing it facing me?

PEACHY KEEN

Recently I took a trip to Kohl's to use up some Kohl's cash I had earned from buying my guy a new set of luggage for our vacation to Cozumel in May. I went in on the hunt for something perfect for summer and, as a requisite, it needed to not be a dark color. Lately, I feel like all I ever wear is black! Summer is here - I need to start dressing like it!

I came across this peach toned dress on the clearance rack and it fit the bill perfectly. It's sleeveless so it's perfect to wear now AND wear later (something I always aim to do with my clothes), has great color, and is super comfortable. Oddly enough, though I bought it with summer heat in mind, the first time I wore it, it was actually a slightly chilly day so layers were a must.

Dress: ELLE from Kohls [similar for $34.99] - FREE after Kohl's cash & gift card
Lace Sweatshirt: Dots [Similar in navy for $22] - $15
White Jean Jacket: GAP via Salvation Army [LOVE this one!]
Shoes: Mossimo from Target [d'Orsey version for $20] - $6.48 clearance find
Necklace: Vintage estate sale find
Eyewear: Zenni Optical [exact] - $25.95


LOVE THE LOOK? SHOP SIMILAR ITEMS BELOW!

Linking up with: Passion for Fashion at Lena B, Actually!

Put a bird on it!

Disclosure: I was provided with a MakerWear hat of my choice and Target gift card in return for my honest opinion of the product and brand. Opinions expressed are always, always my own. The compensation received will never influence my content.

Now that we've talked about hats let me show you the MakerWear hat that I picked out!



Skirt: Vintage, Hand me UP from Suze! (similar stripe skirt in pastel shades)
Sweater: Merona, Thrifted (similar green cableknit sweater)
Denim Jacket: Old Navy, Thrifted (similar and under $40!)
Boots: St John's Bay, Thrifted, $4.60 (similar brown boots under $30)
Necklace: Old Navy, $4.99 (gorgeous triangle shape necklace alternative)
Hat: ℅ MakerWear [retails for $16.99]
Glasses: Firmoo, $6.95 [exact pair]

Naturally, out of all their hats, it was the Put A Bird On It hat that spoke to me… I'm loving it for two reasons: 1.) It's navy and I think I'm having a color love affair with navy right now and 2.) The birds give it a vintage, happy feel. The artist that created the design is J.J. Spectre who, according the artist bio (all can be found with each hat on the site and the tag that come with the hat), is a unicorn who is a design nerd and type lover. Sounds like a fun guy/gal… hope they're enjoying how I styled the design!


Since the birds are quite colorful, I thought I would go that route too. As you can tell, it was a sunny day and, despite being cold, a sunny day calls for color, am I right? This skirt is such a favorite of mine… I could never believe Suze gave it up, but I'm glad she did and that it came to live with me! This denim jacket is also quite a go to for me… I think it was supposed to be a dress but I use it as a jacket - it fits perfectly over almost everything and covers all the right areas. :-)

I had the day off on Monday so I wore this to do some thrift shopping since it was a half off clothes sale day at Salvation Army. Super comfortable and easy to wear… I normally wear a headband when I don't feel like washing my hair, but I think this hat is a great new addition for those kinds of days! Why did I never think of that before? Cute accessory doing double duty to cover up yesterday's hair? Yes, please.


I love that the underside of the hat brim is a different color than the rest of it. It adds a fun pop of color that I think looks great with my glasses… or my Sally Jesse Raphael's, as I call them. Please tell me you know who SJR is or we might have issues... Plus, red and navy together are just so classic - you can't go wrong with that combination.


One of my favorite things about the hat is that IT FITS MY HEAD! Such a novel concept but I swear I often try on hats and they never seem to really fit my head. I don't know if I have a small head (I wouldn't think so), but all baseballs hats normally feel really roomy on me. This one fits perfectly snug and I think the leather strap and buckle on the back might have a lot to do with that. It allows for a really good fit and it is still easy to adjust while you have it on which I really liked - it made it easy to get the perfect fit without having it take it on and off each time.

So, let's review:

• MakerWear is powered by the people - they call it "curated crowd sourcing" and they're using it as a powerful new way to bring fashion to market. Independent artists make designs, the best designs get made and…
• They are sold at Target! I'm sure you can agree - it's one of the best stores. Click here to see if they are available at a Target store near you. (Unfortunately, they're not available in every store yet but let's change that, shall we!?)
• The hats retail for $16.99. Less than a twenty spot for a new accessory that looks cute AND covers up that dirty hair that we all know you didn't wash this morning……. ;-)

________________________________________

Ready to become a part of the MakerWear revolution? There are a few ways you can take part:

1. BECOME THE FACE OF THE REVOLUTION! Become the role model for the maker revolution… not only will you star in their photoshoot, but you'll also win a $1,000 Target gift card. Uhhh, HELLO! Click here to learn how you can enter! I would love to see one of my readers win this!

2. JOIN ME FOR A TWITTER PARTY! I'll be joining the @MakerWearDesign twitter party hosted by @ThriftyChicMom and @TammileeTips tomorrow, January 22nd, at 9pm. You'll definitely want to come too because there will be fabulous giveaways: five $25 Target gift cards, one $100 Target gift card and 15 MakerWear hats! Head on over to Thrifty & Chic Mom to view the official party details. See you there!

SHOP THE LOOK: