New Arrival for Spring! Ali Ro Wrap Dress

Just a few days ago, Gilt had a great sale on women's clothing, where I picked up this number in anticipation for spring!

At $49 and such a sassy pattern, how could I say no? Ali Ro markets to young professional women with a social calendar packed tighter than that last pair of heels on my shoe rack. So duh! Match made in heaven, right!?

The jersey knit means that I probably could have/should have sized down, but I went with my usual 4. Could have gotten away with a 2, it's a little loose. But luckily I can use the tie to cinch it in a pinch. It falls to the knees, so I could definitely wear this to work or out to dinner.

Ellie clearly likes it, too!

On a different note, this was actually my first purchase from Gilt, though I've belonged to the site and checked it religiously for a year or two. And I have to say I was REALLY satisfied with their service. My dress came in just 3 days. I've waiting upwards of 3 weeks for purchases from Beyond the Rack. Plus, Beyond the Rack's return policy sucks.

For better or worse, I'll have to start buying more through Gilt :)

Improvisation at Anthropologie

So this promotion has been going on for a few days now, almost a week. 

While I shop A LOT more than I probably should, I have to give myself credit for buying 99% of what I do on sale. But I was pretty disappointed with this Anthro sale. It was picked over before I could get to it, and although there were a lot of sweaters on sale, nothing piqued my interest, so I decided to invest in a few houseware items. 

I had been looking for a cream/sugar set for a few weeks when I came across an adorable white creamer and sugar dish with watercolor-like designs in it. Unfortunately, it sold out as soon as it went on sale for $5 online (of course), and I missed my chance. 

A trip to the Southport Anthropologie - my favorite location in Chicago, BTW - confirmed that none were left in store or online. Sad face. I decided I would invest in a full price one because I wanted a cute set for my New Year's Brunch, and my new X-Mas money would be the perfect excuse to spring for full price. However there were basically no cream and sugar sets in the store. NONE. Well, there was a plain white one, which was pretty, but my dining room is kitschy, and I wanted something fun. I asked a sales associate and scoured the store until I found this one tucked into the corner of a cabinet: 

Cute, huh? But there was not matching sugar bowl :( And the sugar bowl was even cuter with that cute little spoon and all. 

Time to improvise! I grabbed one of their chalk board spice jars, which I've also been eyeing for a while and regret not picking up during the Christmas promotions. I filled it up and wrote "Suga" in chalk on it. Success. And super cute. I think the mismatch goes along well with the eclecticness of our dining room. 

What is it about Anthropologie? I always feel this cheesy sort of carefree-ness when there. Like I can experiment and be creative with my look at that store. It's like the carefree commercialism of that store somehow dupes me into being inspired to buy their products to make me think I'm experimenting with looks they've already somewhat put together. Whatever, as long as I feel pretty, right? 

But then when I take it out of the store, I totally lose the confidence and start to question my style choices. If  only all the world could be one big colorful Anthro store...sigh.

Goal for this year: Have more confidence to be creative and experimental. 

Holy Holidays!

What a great holiday season this has been!
I spent a week in Cleveland with my family, came back to Chicago on Friday, taught a few group fitness classes, then headed to boyfriend's grandmother's house for Christmas with his family. And boy is his family generous! I'm so lucky and thankful to have them in my life. My immediate family consists of three people. I hardly knew any of my grandparents, they all passed before I was 8 years old. My father has one brother and my mother is an only child. Around our table sits my mom, dad, sister, and any boyfriend we might be dating at the time. So to be surrounded by boyfriend's sister, her boyfriend, parents, grandparents, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews is a treat I wasn't able to grow up with. They may complain about the chaos around their table, but I think it's so much fun. 

And while visiting family is always a blessing, there is something so comforting and relaxing about being back in our little urban Chicago apartment. 

After we came home today, I hit up TJ Maxx for a few items. 

A new basket to corral our many mittens, scarves, and hats. For the past few months, they were living in a duffel bag behind the couch.

A few new serving dishes for New Years Brunch

I picked up all of my ingredients for my first annual New Years Day Brunch, straightened up the apartment, and hung an entire wardrobes-worth of clothing from Grandma and mom. Now it's time to relax, plan out my Brunch cooking strategy, and catch up on reality TV. 

I can't wait to finally have an excuse to use my "Cheers!" plates from Williams-Sonoma. My mom bought these for me last year - six plates, each says "cheers" in a different language. 

Wish me luck in cooking this New Years Brunch with an almost guaranteed hangover.

Madewell Coming to Chicago!

 Image from Here

Am I late on this news? 
I don't care, as long as it's really happening!

Madwell is apparently opening in 2013 at 1103 N. Rush, where Starbucks used to be. 

I can't even contain myself. 

This is the best news since Obama was voted back into office!

It's like a J. Crew for a slightly more urban crowd. 

Eeks!

Is that from Anthro?

I am an Anthropologie FREAK. It's not a secret. When I packed up my closet to move into my current apartment, I realized that a solid 90% of my wardrobe came from Anthropologie. Woops.

Now, just to clarify, 90% of what I buy from Anthropologie is also bought on sale. I my opinion, they have great sales, and if you can hold out long enough, you can get some great pieces for a very great price.

Last year, before Christmas, Anthropologie had a MASSIVE 50% off everything sale. OMG.
This year, no word of a major sale like that again, though for the past few days, Anthropologie has had quite a few great, though random, items on sale for around 30% off, like these AG Stevie Cords ($50 in stores) and a few sweaters.

A lot of their house decor/candles/vases/kitchenwares are on sale for an extra 30% off, so if you've been eying something, I think now might be the time (though you could wait until the weekend to see if they bring us an X-Mas special).

Because I spend way too much money at Anthropologie, and can't walk out of that store without a cream-colored bag in my hand.

My newest finds: 

Manor Mary Janes - I saw these shoes on the website and called one of my three local stores (Yes, Chicago has three stores!) to put them on hold in a 7. The site lists that these run small, but my usual 7 fit perfectly. They might not be super practical for winter, but the temperature has been pretty warm here for the past month.

I usually don't like to pay over $40.00 for anything, I wait for sales, but these are kind of perfect, so for $49.95 (down from $108) they were MINE! I haven't walked around a full day in them, but they feel like they'll be pretty comfortable, perfect for running around Chicago in.

Gift-Trimmed Pumps - I don't know if I like these...do you like these? I'm always on the look for some solid nude pumps that will look good with anything. These have a fun little present bow on top, but I haven't decided if they look cute or weird. BUT THEY WERE ONLY $19.95. So why not, right? If I decide I don't like the bow, I can always take it off and find a cute disc or fabric piece to put in its place, a fun DIY project! The heel height isn't too uncomfortable, though the leather is pretty stiff, and I can see myself getting a heel blister from wearing these all day/night.

Albeit Lipstick in Bisque -   A while ago, I heard that Anthro's new makeup lines weren't a great hit, but this barely there neutral is going to be my new go-to. Albeit lipstick in Bisque is a slightly rosy, bit darker beige. It's even a bit moisturizing and goes on smooth.

 

 White Poppy Vase -  I'm only slightly obsessed with the line of flowered vases that Anthro sells. I also have this one so whenever I see one on sale, I'm sure to pick it up. You have to be careful with these, the petals are fragile, and before you buy, inspect the vase for chips. I grabbed the white poppy vase for $14.00, down from the original $20, so I'm happy! It's currently sitting on my nightstand.

 If there is a big sale this weekend, I'll definitely be there.  My bank account will not be happy, but I will! Don't forget to finish your Christmas shopping and good luck wrapping up all those presents!

Mom's Weekend

J. Crew Majesty Peacoat in deep violet

This weekend, my mom decided to come to town - the perfect excuse to try new restaurants and explore new stores.

I met her downtown (she found her way from Midway on the El all by herself! I'm so proud of her :) ) and where's the first place we went? J.Crew! Not necessarily new, but I did buy a new coat that was much needed - and was on sale for 30% off! Thanks, J. Crew!

We considered getting tickets for "Potted Potter" (a Harry Potter spoof play now playing at the Broadway Playhouse), but the only tickets left weren't in great seats, so she bought me and boyfriend a pair of tickets for a later date as a Christmas present. This play received an A+ review from the Tribune, so I'm stoked!

We hoped to make your way over to the Merchandise Mart for One of a Kind Show - this is a giant craft show and sale in Chicago from December 6-9. The majority of Merchandise Mart is usually closed to the public, consisting of high-end designer workspaces and showrooms, but for this weekend, the building is opened up for these designers, and other artists to come in and display their creations. Unfortunately I had to head home to teach a BodyPump class at 3pm, so we stopped for a sandwich at Grahamwich and then went back to my apartment. We'll definitely be stopping by One of a Kind Show tomorrow.

Every heard of Grahamwich? It's delicious. Upscale sandwiches and salads at a typical Chicago lunch price by MasterChef Graham Elliot. And it's not too far from my office.

I'll have to add Graham Elliot and GEB (Elliot's other restaurants) to my list of places to visit.