Mama's Wardrobe Wishlist

Confession time: I'm kind of a cheapskate.

Well, to be fair, I'm willing to spend cash on things if I think they're a good deal, truly, but most of the time, paying full price for something just makes me a little crazy. I love shopping at second hand stores, discount department stores, clearance racks often call my name... usually I end up buying something from "V-V boutique" (aka Value Village) and refashioning it into something similar to what I'm longing for in stores.

To that end, I am a prolific window shopper... and thanks to the internet, when I say window, I mean windows... I love looking through clothing websites, copying pics of items that I like and then looking for things to re-create at home for a fraction of the price. Yay cheapskates!

So I thought I'd share my current wardrobe wishlist with you, and tell you why I'm looking for these items.




First up:
Classic Outerwear

 

Trench from target $60

I love the mostly classic style of this trench, but the light blush colour, rounded collar and fuller skirt make it more feminin and flirty, which I love. I'd be looking for a trench at secondhand stores that's a few sizes too big so that I could recreate the fullness of the skirt, and perhaps rework a collar with extra material. A style like this works well for curvy girls like me since it's easy to leave the top buttons open and cinch up the waist with a coordinating belt. A style like this works well with everything from dresses and skirts to jeans and a tee.

Feminin and Fresh Dresses

Dresses! There are so many beautiful dresses out there this spring! Unfortunately a lot of them are going the shapeless dolman sleeve route - which looks great on people who are teeny tiny and look great in everything... but if you're a bigger, curvier girl like me, then tailored silhouettes are your friend. A fun fit-n-flare style has retro appeal and anything with a belt is a bonus! Here are some of my fave pics that I've been seeing around.

Dot Print Fit & Flare: Ricki's $90

Lace Sheath Dress: Ricki's $80

Red "Miracle" Peplum dress: Ricki's $90

Printed Pencil Skirts

Ah, the pencil skirt. Some may find this hard to believe, but this is a universally flattering item to have in your wardrobe. Seriously - it looks great on anyone... with ONE caveat: it has to FIT. Too tight and it looks, well, too tight. Too short is not very classy, too long and it can make your legs look stumpy... but if you can find a nice fitting pencil skirt that hits either just above or just below the knee, you're golden. And while I would advocate anyone having at least 1 pencil skirt in a neutral in their closet (my fave one is black with a cute kick pleat at the back) this year the trend is putting prints on pencil skirts. And I'm LOVING it. Here are the ones I'm craving for my closet.

Merona Print Pencil Skirt from Target $23

 

Print Pencil Skirt from Joe Fresh $39

Moving along from prints on skirts to...

Printed Pants/Shorts!

I love these as much as I love the skirts... maybe more since they're more wearable for everyday. And a print can be fun and fashionable, but if it's small and classic enough it can last for many seasons of wear.

Merona Print Chinos from Target $18 

 

Paisley Print Jeans: Joe Fresh $39

Printed Twill pants w/belt: Target $35

And the last couple of items I want to share with you are two classic silhouettes for shirts, with a slight twist that makes them trendy and on point for this season of fashion.

Classic shape/Trendy Prints

Everyone needs a great button down (or 10) in their wardrobe. They can be worn on their own, over other tops, under sweaters and jackets, opened up or buttoned up, sleeves rolled up or left down - the possibilities! What I love about this shirt is its seriously flirty high/low flared hem, and the delicate dot print and great coral colour. This also comes in an even more classic navy with white swiss dot, which if I was to purchase the shirt, I'd probably buy that colour combo instead as it will last fashion wise longer than the coral. If $$$ were no object however? I'd get one in every colour they offer!

 

High/low hem button down: Target $23

This classic, very slight dolman sleeved tee is taken up a few notches by this unique bird print. In this classic blue/white combination, I could see this shirt getting worn for quite a few years. Love it!

Bird print tee: Ricki's $40

Whew! That was a lot. I was going to share my pics for shoes and accessories for this spring, but I think I'll save it for another post.

I hope you enjoyed "window shopping" with me today. Do you look for trendy things each season? Or do you stick with the classics and make your dollar stretch? Do you refashion? 

Tea.