Style It Less » SIL Fashionista

Fall Look : Black Top, Skirt & Flats

Dexie Wharton — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:30:41 +0000

Katie Holmes’ TULLE pleated skirt look the other day inspired me to do my own top, skirt and flats look yesterday. Katie wore a cardigan over her top. My weather hasn’t been that breezy to wear any cardigan yet so I just went without it. I think I looked just as chic as Katie. Not as expensive but chic nonetheless.

Fall Look : Top, Skirt & Flats (Image © Dexie J Wharton)

Breakdown of my look after the fold…

Black Top with cap sleeves, *can’t remember where I bought it*

CATO Purple circle print pleated skirt, $9.99

CATO Turquoise Beads necklace, $3.99

Sterling Watch, gift

Sterling Hoop Earrings, *not seen*, $3.99

Black Bangle, $2.99

PAYLESS black patent cutout peep-toe flats, $10

Kooba “Alex” Tote, *not applicable*

A simple ensemble for a casual day. I hope you’re inspired by it to create your own top, skirt and flat looks as well. What I love about this look is I could actually wear knee-high boots with it too once it gets colder. Versatility is the key to styling it less.

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Under $50 Spring Look : Paisley Maxi Dress

Dexie Wharton — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:30:39 +0000

Like I promised yesterday, here is the first installment of my Maxi Dress Fashion show (haha). My spring look wearing the Forever21 Paisley Print Maxi Dress.

Spring Look : Paisley Print Maxi Dress & Gladiator Flats

Forever21 Paisley Print Maxi Dress, $22.80

Cato Gladiator Flats, $8

Sterling Watch, gift

Gold & Silver butterfly bracelet, gift

Teardrop earrings, $3.99

Black Sunnies, $10

This paisley maxi dress is gorgeous if I say so myself. Actually, my husband said it’s pretty . It’s also very comfortable and light. I have to tell you though that the dress is floor length. In the standing picture, notice how I was scrunching it on the side? Because it’s long and I wanted to show my gladiator flats in the picture too. I am 5′7 and the dress is still long for me. So if you are less than 5′7 height, you might have to get the hem shortened so you’re not dragging a tail when you wear it.

Overall, I love this maxi dress. And the whole thing (except the watch and bracelet) costs me $44.79

(Images © Dexie Wharton / Style It Less)

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Bargain Look: Gray Tunic, Jeans, Gladiators

Dexie Wharton — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:05:43 +0000

I found this gray tunic from Walmart for $3 which I thought is very simple and chic at the same time. The tunic is actually long enough to wear as a dress for a petite woman. I could wear it as a dress too but I’m afraid bending will be out of the question, heh. Here’s how I wore it instead.

Spring Look : Gray Tunic, Jeans & Gladiator Heels

Gray Tunic, $3
OLD Navy Jeans, $19.99
Gladiator Zipper Heels, $24.99
White circle cut out necklace, $3.99
silver hoop earrings, $3.99
silver bangles set, $3.99
Marc Jacobs White Stam Bag Replica, $52.69

At first glance you could say the tunic is a kind of juvenile but as I showed in my ensemble, you can make it look mature for an age appropriate ensemble. I liked it, do you?

(Image © Dexie Wharton/Style It Less)

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My Spring Look: Floral Print Dress & Wedge

Dexie Wharton — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:57:54 +0000

The floral patch print of my new spring dress is so pretty if I say so myself. I am so glad I also have a floral wedge that went nicely with it. A friend of mine who used to live in Europe sent it to me a few years ago.

Spring Look : Floral Print Dress & Wedge

Floral Patch print dress, $14.99 (from Walmart)
Floral Wedge, gift from Europe
Marc Jacobs White Stam Bag replica, $52.99 (Accessory Bug)
gold and silver butterfly bracelet, Christmas gift from the Husband
hoop earrings, $2.99
sterling silver watch, gift

Pardon the way I was standing on the first picture. I was trying to get the floral picture on the wedge so it could get some exposure but it wasn’t working. After so many unsuccessful tries I just took a lower shot. It worked in 1 shot.

(Image © Dexie Wharton / Style It Less)

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5 Places To Bargain Shop

Dexie Wharton — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:17:41 +0000

When it comes to bargain shopping there are 5 places I could honestly tell you that I frequent a lot. I actually have more than that, maybe about 10 places to bargain shop but I’m only going to share with you the 5 places I mostly go to for bargain shopping.

CATO

CATO – I’ve only discovered CATO about 2 years ago actually. Before that, whenever I saw the commercials featuring beautiful dresses and tops I thought they were expensive. The first time I visited the store inside a mall I was surprised how reasonable the prices are. I could walk in there, grab 5-6 items and only spend about $50. That’s because I usually go to the clearance racks. The ones that aren’t on sale are still pretty affordable but I learned early on that if I wait at least 2 weeks, some of the items from the regular racks would be on the clearance racks with their respective sale prices. CATO has tops, dresses, jeans, shirts, shoes, accessories and even home decors. Plus Size line is also available. To describe CATO more clearly is by calling it the feminine, grown-up yet trendy version of Forever21. If you’ve ever thought that CATO is for old women I’m telling you now, you are wrong. 30’s is hardly old. Step inside one time, check out their clearance racks and I can assure you that you’ll be inside a CATO store every 2 weeks or so.

TJMaxx

TJMaxx is the quintessential place to shop for brand names in affordable prices. You will find brands like XOXO, Jessica Simpson, DKNY Jeans, Nine West, Unlisted, just to name a few. TJMaxx is similar to ROSS. They pretty much carry the same brands in good prices. I say the more stores like that, the merrier. I’m just hoping one of them doesn’t close like Goody’s which also carried the same brand items in bargain prices. The trick on finding really good stuff at TJMaxx is having patience. When you first enter the store, you’ll see racks right next to each other. It could get overwhelming even to someone like me who likes to dig for bargains. If you decide to go bargain shopping at TJMaxx I suggest you have a clear head, no rushed schedule, and are willing to dig, dig and dig even more.

Old Navy

OLD NAVY is one of my favorite go-to place for jeans. I’ve found other items there of course but I’m happy to say that Old Navy Jeans fit perfectly with my body. I’m blessed with curves and well-endowed bottom. Besides L.E.I and Levi’s jeans, ON Jeans fit me nicely. Old Navy fashion tends to be trendy as well but it has classic aspects to it. Of course you can’t ignore how affordable Old Navy clothing are too. It’s a perfect place for the whole family to shop at.

Wal*Mart

Wal-Mart — If you look beyond the name of Kathie Lee Gifford’s clothing line, you’ll be surprised to discover trendy and stylish items from Wal-Mart. Brands like No Boundaries, Metro7, GEORGE, and surprisingly, Levi’s as well. I have found many fashionable and affordable things from Wal-Mart through out the years. I’ve found dresses, tops, skirts, shorts, and shoes. And like I said, Levi’s jeans and jackets. I give Wal-Mart credit in paving the way for my flats obsession. For a long time I refused to by myself a pair of flats because I prefer heels but one day I saw a blue polka-dot flats for $7 and my flats love-affair sprouted like crazy ever since.

Payless

PAYLESS — This is THE shoe store where I buy my shoes all the time. I love the prices especially during the BOGO sale. What you see in the picture is just 1/3 of the pairs of Payless shoes that’s in my closet. And yes, I wear them all but not at the same time of course .

There you go, my favorite 5 places to bargain shop. I used my own pictures to show you proof that I actually do shop there and I’m not just blogging about them because it happens to be my job that I love. I hope you consider these places if you haven’t already. They’re the best places to shop at, recession times or not. All you really have to do is dig among the clearance racks and have a sense of what you like to wear to represent your style identity.

(Images : Style It Less)

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Recession Shopping : Hypnotik Black Tunic

Dexie Wharton — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:00:39 +0000

The last top I found when I went recession shopping at the “going out of business” Goody’s store is this Hypnotik Black Tunic. It used to be $30 but I ended up paying only $9.96. It wish it was lower than that but oh well.

The sleeves are split with 2-button detail. The banded hem is the one that actually caught my attention at first. I’m looking forward to wearing this come Spring and Summer time. I’d probably wear it with a pair of jeans and heels or flats. I could wear it now but it’s still cold and I really don’t feel line wearing a coat over the top. I want to showcase the banded hem albeit it’s simplicity .

(Images : Dexie Jane Wharton / Style It Less)

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Recession Shopping : Ashley Judd Tops

Dexie Wharton — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:06:32 +0000

When I bought my Ashley Judd white jeans from Goody’s the other day, I also found 2 cute tops from the Ashley Judd line. Goody’s is going out of business by the way. They’re selling everything with 50 to 70% off of the original prices. Go visit a Goody’s store near you and hope you find some items you like. Meanwhile, here are the 2 Ashley Judd tops that I found.

Ashley Judd teal smocked short sleeves with keyhole-tie top. It used to be $25 but I only paid $9.96. This teal top would look beautiful with the white jeans and any of my denim jeans for that matter.

Ashley Judd brown embroidered top. It used to be $30 but I only paid $11.96 for it. Another top for jeans or even shorts.

I wish the prices were lower since it’s a going out of business sale anyway, but oh well. I’ll see if I could dig for more when I go back there before Goody’s completely disappears. I hope you do as well .

(Images : Style It Less)

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Recession Shopping : Ashley Judd Jeans

Dexie Wharton — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:03:28 +0000

If you haven’t heard it by now, Goody’s is going out of business. The website is not even available anymore. It’s really sad because I love that store. I’ve found great brand name stuff (polka-dot dress, Breakin’Loose white dress, etc) there in very affordable prices. If you remember, Ashley Judd’s collection made it’s home at Goody’s in 2007. From tops, jeans, coats, and bags. I’ve always wanted to get my hands on an Ashley Judd item but they were still a little pricey for my wallet.

Now that Goody’s is going out of business I figured I might as well take advantage of it. I said the store has brand names in affordable items but I do think they need to lower their sale prices further. If they really want to get rid of their stuff, they need to slash more off of the original prices. There are still a lot left because with how the economy is going, shoppers are not willing to pay $25 on a top if they could easily get the same thing at TJMaxx or Ross for $10 or $5. Just a thought.

Having said that, after digging through a LOT of racks, I found an Ashley Judd Flare White jeans.

This Ashley Judd white jeans is regularly priced at $39 but I only paid $13 for it. I wish it was lower like $10 since Goody’s is going out of business anyway. What can I say, I wish for bargains too much . Oh well, $13 is a good price. I’m looking forward to wearing this white jeans soon. Most probably in the Spring and Summer. I also found an Ashley Judd Teal top that would go nicely with this. I’ll talk about that some other time.

If you have Goody’s in your area, check it out now before everything disappears. I’d probably visit the 2 stores near me sometime before they close. I’m biding my time. I’m trying to wait ’till everything are like less than $10 (LOL).

(Images:StyleItLess)

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Look For Less : School Meeting Outfit

Dexie Wharton — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:00:12 +0000

My husband and I had a meeting with our 5th grader’s Teacher and Guidance Councilor yesterday and here’s the Look For Less I came up with for a School Meeting outfit .

multicolored ruffled tiered top, $10

OLD Navy cuffed jeans, $14.99

unlisted bow peep-toe pumps, $10

Accessories : charm bracelet (n/a), twisted drop hoop earrings ($2.99), sterling watch (n/a)

Celebrities like Kate Holmes, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba has been seen around town cuffing their jeans so I thought I’d do it too. It reminds of the fashion trend when I was still in college which I actually liked around that time. Apparently, I still do. Besides, I was cuffing the jeans before the celebs caught up with the “cuffed jeans” trend, heh.

The floral printed heels may look a little funky with an already patterned tiered top but I like it. The concept looks better in person. By the way, I put on a faux leather jacket to keep me warm.

(Images : Dexie Jane Wharton / Style It Less)

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Mothers Do Wear Chuck Taylor’s

Dexie Wharton — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:18:54 +0000

Let me explain the title first. The day after I cropped and put a collage together from the pictures of me wearing the Black Sabbath Hi Top Chuck Taylor (3rd picture), I checked the entries from the Converse “The Doors” Sneakers giveaway and a comment from Joni made me smile. Apparently her daughter told her that Mom’s don’t wear Chuck’s. She couldn’t be more wrong .

I’m a Mom of 2, a 10 yr old boy and 2yr old girl. Look at the pictures above, I’m wearing Chuck’s . I also have a pair of the black hi-top Black Sabbath Converse sneakers (5th picture). I’m still pining over a pink pair, and the low top white “The Doors”. AND, I would definitely love to get a pair from the Pink Floyd collection as soon as it’s out. I don’t mean to put Joni and her daughter on the spot but Yes, Mother DO wear Chucks. It’s the only canvas sneakers I wear as a matter of fact. I’m not a sneakers (only when working out) kind of girl but I’d rock a Converse Chuck Taylor, anytime .

Click “read more” for my outfit’s breakdown….

Only 9 Graphic smocked top, $3 (on sale form TJMaxx)
Levi’s Low Rise Flair Jeans, *can’t remember how much
Hi Top Black Sabbath All Star Converse Chuck Taylor, $49.99
white Circle cut out chain necklace, $3.99
Sterling silver bangles, $3.99
Sterling silver hoop earrings
Sterling silver watch

I would’ve loved it to showcase the Hi Top Black Sabbath All Star Converse Chuck Taylor by wearing skinny jeans or a straight leg jeans that’s cuffed at the hem but I didn’t want to change pants and we were about to leave so maybe next time .

I do need to visit my hair stylist to get my bangs trimmed and layer the ends of my hair again. I’ll do that soon. I want longer layers this time around so I’m trying to grow my hair longer even more.

Don’t forget to check out my Hi Top Green Converse “The Doors” All Star Chuck Taylor giveaway. Good Luck!

(Images : Dexie Jane Wharton / Style It Less)

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