Free belt!

I have found myself drawn to a more subtle color palette for spring. I passed up this dress at Strut a couple times, then on a whim took it to the dressing room with me. Selling points? 1- pockets!, 2- Marked down to $11, 3- free belt!




Date: 29 Jan 11 | occasion: Le Garage Sale
dress: Strut | shoes: Lulu*s | watch: c/o TIKKR
When I was a kid, I loved buying shorts or pants or dresses that came with a belt. It's like "BONUS! What what!" In this case, I actually like the belt better than the dress, and I would have paid $11 for the belt alone. So esentially, I got a free dress with this belt. High five!

Shop ATX: Le Garage Sale

Not to be confused with the vintage heaven that is the City Wide Garage Sale, today I went to Le Garage Sale, where Austin area shops gather under one roof to sell their overstock clothes and accessories at rock bottom prices:

I scored two pairs of shoes from Goodie Two Shoes for $10/ pair and one dress from Langford Market for $20. I'm sure those items will end up in my outfit posts here in the next week, so I'll photograph them then.

Event name: Le Garage Sale
Locations: twice/ year in Austin, usually at the Palmer Events Center (also happens in San Fransisco)
Online shop: no, but see who the vendors are on the website
Price point: all over the map! $5- $400
Best buy: Everything at Langford Market was marked down to $20. All shoes at Goodie Two Shoes were $10. I saw some gorgeous tweed and vintage inspired coats for only $30 at Adelante.
Lust items: Cynthia Vincent wedges at Girl Next Door ($200), 50% items from By George, 50% Jeffrey Campbell shoes at Buy Definition.
Sales: EVERYTHING!
Recommendation: sign up for the newsletter to get reminders about this semi-annual event. If you don't mind the crowds, go early on Saturdays to get the most selection. If you're not shy about wheeling and dealing, go late on Sunday when a lot of vendors go even lower. Bring cash and wear something form fitting-- most shops don't take cards and have no fitting rooms.
Notes: Entry is $10, cash at the door. Parking is $7 at the event center but free in the lot at 1st and Barton (and free in the nearby neighborhood).Bring a drink with you because soda and water are $3.50 each at the event center concession stand. Youch! Those aren't marked down at all!

Do three wrongs make a right?

As I mentioned two posts down, I had been eying a jumper on the Strut website. I was really happy to see it in the shop (in blue) for the 70% off sale. I tried it on, and although I will begrudgingly admit I do resemble a great aunt on her morning beach walk in St. Pete, I think this is perfect for the hot Austin summers.


Date: 27 Jan 11 | occasion: Taverena lunch w/ Grechen, date at Bdubs!
jumper: Strut | blouse: NY&Co via Marshalls | watch: c/o TIKKR | necklace: c/o Le Mode | shoes: (unseen) Cynthia Vincent for Target

A tie-dyed, super wide-legged, one piece jumper? Oh, no you did not, Adams. How many wrongs is that in one ensemble?

[TIKKR and Le Mode are Adored Austin partners]

Rest in peace, Cynthia Vincent Wedges

I swear my dogs know which items of mine are my most treasured, and they eat them just to make me disappointed in them! Don't let this sweet little face fool you. She is a monster!

As I was getting ready for date night last night, Chris yelled up to me, "Hope you don't care about those Cynthia Vincent shoes anymore!" I came tearing down the stairs and sure enough, June was sitting on my shoe, trying to hide the evidence. As some of my long time readers know, I went to a bazillion Targets last year and called friends all over the country to find the Cynthia Vincent cognac gladiator wedges. Sweet Sydney sold me her pair, and it's been shoe love ever since. Here I am wearing my dear wedges for the first time.

Look how content I was. *Sob*.

I should have known these dogs had it in for these shoes by all the attention they gave them the last time I wore them:

Now they're covered in bite marks and one of them has the most important snap (the closure snap at the ankle) hanging by a thread. Literally:

I'm eying a pair on eBay right now, a half size too small, but maybe my shoe guy can do some kind of strap/ snap transplant surgery. Or maybe I'll practice ancient Chinese foot-binding so they'll work for me.

In related news, I may start a website solely dedicated to showcasing things my monster dogs have eaten.

Shop ATX: Strut

On Tuesday, I saw a Tweet from Strut declaring all inventory was 70% off. I had been eying a jumper of theirs online, so I packed Jude into his car seat and booked it over to the Guadalupe store.





I realized I hadn't been in the shop in over three years (not since I worked down the street at Buffalo Exchange), which is far too long. Even though I hit the 70% off sale on its last day and the shop was half empty preparing to bring in all new inventory, I was still able to find quite a few things, as you'll see over the next few days.

Shop name: Strut
Locations: five-- three in Austin, one in Dallas, and one in San Marcos
Online shop: yes- http:///shopstrut.com
Price point: somewhere between Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters
Best buy: awesome sunglasses at $10/ pair (marked down to $3 during the sale!)
Lust items: tons of statement making jewelry and vintage inspired tap shorts this season
Sales: often-- they're most known for their first Thursday sales. First Thursday of the month, they have some sort of in-store promotion.
Recommendation: follow Strut on Twitter to get the heads up about killer sales which happen both in-store and online. Just last week, they were doing 60% off all their online inventory and waiving shipping fees if you could do a pick-up in Austin.

[note: this Shop ATX feature is something new I'm trying. I hope to do these Austin shop visits on the fly so that I can get a fair representation of a typical shoppers' experience. I'll be visiting boutiques, vintage shops, and shopping events. Please let me know if this new feature is cool or totally lame!]

As seen on the StyleX SXSW blog

One really great honor for me was writing the first "style perspective" guest post for the official SXSW StyleX blog. I sang my love for this city, and you can read it here:

StyleX happens March 18 & 19 at the Austin Convention Center. You don't need a SXSW badge to get in, and it's free and open to the public. Just like SXSW is the place to discover new music, movies, and tech trends, SXSW's StyleX is now a place to discover your new favorite designers and brands. I can't wait!

Practical fashion

From time to time, I get asked to style folks, and this always bewilders me. Here's a crazy confession coming from someone who runs a "fashion blog": I don't think that I'm particularly fashionable. I don't own a lot of designer items like Sea of Shoes, and I'm not a mix and match genius like The Glamouri. I'm just a kooky lady with a penchant for animal jewelry, sequins, and tulle. I saw this dress at Lulu*s and had to have it:



Date: 25 January 2011 | occasion: getting a DBA for TxSC, impromptu shopping trip, city group
blazer: thrifted via vintage close-out sale (last seen here) | dress: c/o Lulu*s | loafters & belt: thrifted via Savers | bird ring: UO

When this dress came in the mail I was positively giddy and Chris said to me, "Yes, that looks like something you'd wear. Why don't you ever pick out practical things?"
"Practical things? Like what?"
"I don't know. Like jeans. Or a plain button down shirt."
"When is the last time I wore jeans and a button down?!"
"You're right. Pink and tulle. That's you."

Darn skippy, it's me! (I fear it may be Bobby Trendy as well, though...). And it is practical for me! I wore this to the tax assessor's office, shopping, to the grocery store, and to my city group yesterday. I mean, I wouldn't garden in this, but if wearing it to the grocery store doesn't count as practical, I don't know what does!

In the vein of 100% transparency here, Lulu*s is one of my dear partners, meaning they pay for advertising on my blog in exchange for exposure. The advertising money I accept here helps me to do really awesome projects like Adored Austin tv (launching soon!) and it helps me to be able to continue to grow my blog [more about all that here]. That said, I do get to pick out some courtesy items from my sponsors every once in a while, but I make sure to only get the things that I would actually buy for myself (i.e. they have to be in my price range, a part of my on going online wish-list, and they have to fit with my current aesthetic), so this c/o dress is a perfect example of that. But please know this. I was a Lulus shopper long before they were an Adored Austin partner. All of my partners are places that fit these strict requirements, and I will always clearly say when I have received an item for free.

Doing a "fashion blog" is a funny beast sometimes. Lately I feel this urgency to create more original content instead of my usual "this is what I wore/ this is what I did" shtick. At the same time, though, I acknowledge that a lot of y'all enjoy these types of posts, despite my reluctance to call myself "fashionable". So I think I've come up with a way to make my blog a little more fun and interesting, though. Wait for it. Adored Austin tv is coming soon, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Do not try this at home!

Determined to get an Adored Austin fluff segment on the local morning news one day, I entered yet another video contest (no news on the Wanted Shoes video contest, yet). This one was for BurdaStyle, and we were instructed to follow a script and make their Charlie bag. The winner gets to film a little segment for It's Sew Easy on PBS. It films on location in Ohio, which may not seem like an awesome destination to some people, but one of my best friends (and college roommate) lives in Ohio, and I would get so much joy being able to see her again soon!

I'm 98% embarrassed that I made the bag incorrectly. I did this audition at one a.m. yesterday (seven hours before its due date), and was working on very little sleep at that point. After I realized my mistake, it was way too late to rip the seams and re-do the video, so I went ahead and submitted it for consideration because A- hello! I just learned to sew last July!, and 2- judging is partially based on energy... I had that in spades! Hopefully they can overlook the fact that I messed up. Or maybe they won't even notice! Fingers crossed!

Download the free Charlie bag .pdf here. Follow the directions on BurdaStyle... don't do what I do in my video!

Giveaway: win tickets to Le Garage Sale

I'm one of those people who sprinkles my English with French words to be funny. Sometimes I'll say thing like "trés hilarious" and "I like it beaucoup". Naturally, I like that the best shopping event in Austin is Le Garage Sale. But don't think that "le" is done in irony. Oh, no. Le Garage Sale deserves the "le". It's trés awesome, and now you can win a pair of tickets just by leaving a comment:

photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell

Fill out this form to enter:

[EDIT: entry period over- winners were contacted. Thank you!]

Winner will be drawn randomly and notified Thursday morning. Please check out Le Garage Sale for more information. I'll be there, and I hope you'll be there, too!

Dots, not feathers

Every year, my dear friends Todd and Jaime have an amazing joint birthday party. This year, they had a Bollywood Birthday. I didn't have time to run out and get a sari, but I had this thrifted tunic hanging out in my closet, so I just wore that:

Date: 22 January 2011 | occasion: Bollywood Birthday
tunic: thrifted via Savers | jeggings: DKNY c/o Marshalls | flats: Target

Todd and Jaime went all out for their birthday celebration, even hiring Nisha, owner of Henna Arts, to do henna tattoos for all the guests. I always thought henna tattoos were done with a stencil, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Nisha freehanding all our beautiful artwork.





Of course I got an animal. Can you see it? It's a peacock! I've always wanted a henna tattoo and felt a little like a cake being decorated while Nisha painted me pretty. A day later, the brown puffy paint fell off and my beautiful little bird looks like this (upside down):

He'll be here for a couple weeks, which is perfect for me. I've never been able to commit to the idea of a real tattoo.

Partner spotlight: Airbnb

If you're planning to come to SXSW or The Texas Style Council Conference or if you're just traveling in general, you really should check out Airbnb.com. I mean, look how cute their video ad is:Now before you go and think that I'm just posting this because they're a new Adored Austin partner, know this: I turn down 90% of all advertising inquiries I get because 1- I never partner up with companies unless I really love the company and 2- I don't partner with companies that I, myself, would not use what they offer.

That said, I do plan to use Airbnb. It's a site where you can find hotel alternatives while traveling (they "“connect people who have space to spare with those who are looking for a place to stay"), but the selling point for me is the fact that during ACL or even SXSW, I can list my guest room to make a quick buck. Austinites, want to make money during SXSW? Have a couch someone can crash on? List your place! I plan on listing my guest room next week just to see how easy it is to do so.

Airbnb has grown to a community of almost 200 hosts in Austin alone and over 6,000 Austin stays have been booked. Some Austinites have made more than $12,000 since spring 2010. Let me repeat that: $12,000 since last spring alone. That could buy you a lot of clothes, people!

Right now, for a limited time, there's a $50 Airbnb discount to all Do512.com users. Go read more about Airbnb there and check out the $50 giveaway!

SXSW 2011

I'm as pleased as punch!

Why? Well, because Katy from Kansas Couture and Kyla from Blue Collar Catwalk are coming to the Texas Style Council Conference!

And something else that makes me happy? I've been asked to lead a Core Conversation at SXSW on fashion blogging!

Date: 19 January 2011 | occasion: vet visit, quiet dinner at home
dress: thrifted vintage via Savers | shoes: thrifted Nine West via Savers | belt: Buffalo Exchange new merch

I'm going to speak about the brand/ blogger dynamic and my main love: how blog writers can connect with their readers in person. I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I do know what works for me. And I think I'm funny. I'm honored that SXSW asked me to speak. If you have an extra $675, oh, I don't know, laying around in your couch cushions, you can get your SXSW badge here. Now what ever should I wear?

Chuggin' along

The closet reorganization project is a much larger task that I had anticipated. I can now see why there are such things are professional closet organizers. Never in my life had I contemplated hiring one until now.

I did step one of Kendi's closet guide: purging. Irrelevant side note: the word purging sounds gross to me. It ranks right up there with moist. Blerg!

This is just my first pass of things I've decided I can do without. Again, I'm embarrassed by the sheer amount of waste/ consumerism of this, but nonetheless, I have committed to documenting this in hopes that I never, ever, EVER let it get like this again:

And this is just my first pass! I plan to do two more passes after I wash the three loads of laundry that were in a pile on the closet floor. Can you believe it? That is an entire full sized bed filled with stuff that I don't wear or use often enough to merit keeping. There's a pink Jansport backpack in there that I've held on to since college, a t-shirt that says "My dog barks louder than yours" that I got specifically to wear to Jimi's obedience classes... five years ago, and my cheerleading shoes also left over from college. You didn't believe me, but I told y'all I was a candidate for Hoarders! Do you believe me now?

I am excited about freeing up some precious closet space. I have stacks of clothes that are going bye-bye:

A couple of you have asked if I plan to do a "Shop My Closet" thing. I thought about it, and the answer is no. I just want this stuff gone. I don't want to have to photograph, price, and list everything, then hang onto it until it sells. I'm going to iron everything, fold it neatly, then take some stuff to Buffalo Exchange for some cash and drop the rest off at my favorite Savers in small sacks. As Annie pointed out to me via Twitter, every time you donate a sack of clothes to Savers, you get a 20% coupon. I'll just keep the unsellable clothes packed in bags in the garage, and every time I feel the need to get something at the thrift store, I'll grab a donation bag to take in. One bag= one item!

Something else I'm chuggin' along in is photography. One Saturday, Amy showed me how to white balance and choose an ISO. On Sunday, Matt and Andrew showed me how to get off auto-focus and learn how to do it myself. I took a picture of Jude this morning using my new tricks, and it turned out super cute:

I am so excited about upping the quality of my self-style photos. I could never dream that my photos could be as good as say, Keiko's, but I hope to get better and better from where I started day by day!

Let's hug it out

Don't ask me how my closet re-organization project is coming, because I haven't even begun! In fact, I added things to my closet after last week's trip to my new favorite shop Austin shop Plain Ivey Jane. Oh, internet, you were supposed to keep me accountable! Someone needs to come over here and give me a swift kick in the pants!

Speaking of pants, none of mine are clean, and it's cold here. This meant I got to wear a dress to date night.

Date: 14 January 2011 | occasion: dinner date night at Chon Som
dress: c/o Poetrie (last seen here) | cardigan: c/o Lands End Canvas via Lucky Style Spotters | tights: Target | loafers: thrifted via Savers | belt: swap item from last year's Rock n' Swap

This belt is a prime example of something that is adding to the clutter in my closet but I can't just let go of. This belt doesn't even work! It's been without a clasp since I got it, and tonight was the first time that I jerry rigged it up. Confession: Yep. I clipped a plastic clothespin to my belt to keep it up around my waist. Ghett-oh!

Go ahead. Make fun of me all you want. Today was a stellar day. I want to give the whole internet a hug: Instead, I'll just hug this computer. Why am I so happy? Well, I was nominated for a 2011 Texas Social Media Award, and the nomination reason is so thoughtful. There are an astounding 380 nominees, and granted, there's no comments on my page yet, but nonetheless I get really excited when my community sees that I have a real passion for connecting my readers with each other and connecting with the local-ish ones in person. If you'd like, leave me a comment over there so my page doesn't look so pathetic and bare. If you say something funny, I will personally high five you. Yeah, because that's just what you've always wanted: a high five from an unorganized style blogger who hugs computers.

Annoucing the TxSCC

Oh my gosh, you guys! I'm sorry I missed posting the last two days. My friend Grechen and I have been obsessed with cranking out stuff for the Texas Style Council Conference. And look what happened yesterday:

Registration opened! Beware. I'm about to use a lot of exclamation points below to attempt to convey how excited I am about this event.

Thanks to the 2nd Street District, we've been given an empty store space on the corner of 2nd Street and Colorado to use as our headquarters. Joanna from Keep Austin Stylish will make our space cozy and stylish. Friday's and Saturday's events are open to the public and Sunday's event is insanely affordable, so get a load of this:

We'll be using our space on 2nd to have a clothing swap on Friday night (the 11th) and to be our base camp for an exciting scavenger hunt/ boutique crawl on 2nd Street on Saturday. Honest Tea is bringing us some delicious tea and we have some mouth gaping prizes for the winning scavenger hunt team! Start organizing your teams of five now. Or not. We plan to divvy you up in teams when you get here.

On Saturday night, after our scavenger hunt, we'll be having a dance party (location TBA)! How do you feel about a "Clueless" themed dance? 90's plaid and knee socks? AS IF! Cover will be very low for the public, but free for Sunday's pre-registered attendees.

We're in talks with some major brands to partner with us on all this. We'll be announcing them as they are confirmed. We are still seeking out underwriters, sponsors, and partners, so if you're interested in getting your name out there and on this, please see the official TxSCC sponsorship page.

Sunday is the heart of everything. For the insanely low price of $45, you can get what we're calling a "Texas Style Council Passport". This passport gives you a weekend parking pass (probably worth $45 on its own since parking skyrockets during SXSW), the "2011 Texas Style Council discount card" (which will offer you exclusive discounts to local and online shops), Saturday's scavenger hunt/ boutique crawl, free admission to Saturday's dance party, admission to Sunday's pre-symposium brunch, a conference tote bag full of little goodies (for the first 100 registered attendees), admission to Sunday's symposium held at the beautiful Ballet Austin, and a very special invite to an off-site Sunday dinner and shop tour. Passport holders are all eligible for the "Bloggers' Favorite Things Drawing" in which our sponsors have provided some squeal- inducing prizes. On top of all this, you get to network with each other, connect with some exciting brands, and learn from some of the best and brightest bloggers, social media experts, and brands out there. This symposium is perfect for all fashion/ style/ beauty/ shopping bloggers, aspiring bloggers, shop owners with blogs, or even just curious folks who want to see this side of blogging. (I just used the word "blog" a lot there and the word is starting to look SO WEIRD to me).

We've confirmed some super well known, super knowledgeable symposium panelists including our keynote speaker Jennine from The Coveted and IFB, Pamela from Market Publique, Miss James from Bleubird Vintage, Jen from Jen Loves Kev, Kyla from Blue Collar Catwalk, and Kendi (and Bryan) from Kendi Everyday. There are a few others who are trying to figure out travel, so I can't announce those just yet. Registration opened less than 24 hours ago, but among the attendees, we've got Krystal from This Time Tomorrow, as well as Erin from Work with What You've Got and Diya from In Her Stilettos! I would love to add you to the list!

It all sounds too good to be true, right? If that's not enough, we've set up an online forum for you to request or offer lodging, organize shared transportation, or to just say hello. Go check that out here.

Anyway, all that to say this: This is huge! This is awesome! This is something that I hope everyone attends! TexasStyleCouncil.com. Jump on it!

Video: Date Night

I love making videos! I'm still getting the hang of this new camera, but here's a little project Adams and I worked on yesterday for the Wanted Shoes video contest that we were invited to participate in:

Wanted let me choose any of their shoes to feature in a "Date Night" themed video. I knew instantly that I wanted a pair of gray high heeled oxfords. They actually had more than one choice, so I ended up getting the Bedford Heels, which are now nearly all sold out. I love that oxfords are so popular this season!

Wanted has launched a new YouTube channel and they invited 10 bloggers to make a video for it (see also: my YouTube link). Cutest video will win a prize! I don't think the winner is based on number of votes (thank goodness! I always feel awkward asking my readers to vote!), so I hope the folks who decide the winner likes this. We had a lot of fun making it. Wish us luck!

P.S.
Don't you just love the song in the video? Please check out my dear friends' band Trees of Lyres on Facebook. Matt was so nice to let me use their song. Trees of Lyres are, like, the cutest couple, ever (click that link for proof). Like what you hear? You're in luck! MP3's are for sale here.

[shoes c/o Wanted specifically for this video contest]

It never should have come to this...

Late last night, I joked about scrapping 90% of my current wardrobe and starting over from scratch. Ever since then, I cannot stop thinking about it.

This is, perhaps, the most embarrassing post I've ever done or ever will do. All joking aside, people, I have a very serious problem. Internet, meet my closet:
It didn't always look this way (proof 1 and 2), but ever since I had Jude, my closet has become overwhelmingly messy. My clothes have taken over. Truly, I'm cringing about posting this photo, but I can feel that I've lost control. I honestly feel like I should be on the tv Hoarders! My laundry room looks the same, and my closet is spilling over into my bedroom now. I even have clothes stashed in my guest room closet, my office, and our fall coat closet. Most of these are clothes from thrift stores or things I've had since college and have kept them thinking, "Oh, it still fits and it's still in great condition, so I'll just hang on to it."

I am very scared. I can't find matching shoes, I've lost my favorite belt, and I haven't seen my short, black slip in ages. So I'm doing it. I've posted this photo as a BEFORE. I'm purging and I'm making a solemn promise to myself, my husband, and my readers that I will never, ever let this happen again.

Now someone send in the bulldozer and excavation team! This time next week, expect me to show you a completely different photo. I'm using Kendi's guides to get things done. [see purging, assessing, and organizing]. Afterward, I'll do one trip to Buffalo Exchange and donate the rest to Savers. From here on out, I will let things go.

You cannot even believe how nervous I am.

Style Station still rocks my world!

Every time I drive from Dallas to Austin for an audition, I reward myself with a stop at Style Station-- a middle of no where thrift store filled to the rafters with amazing, vintage finds (previous posts 1 and 2). I hadn't been since February of last year (almost a whole year!), so I was excited to stop in. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my memory card, so I wasn't able to snap any photos, but the owner Art shared with me that Texas native and the super famous model Erin Wasson did a shoot there for the August 2010 issue of Italian Elle. Art proudly showed me the photos and the tiny jean jacket Erin had left there. I looked up the photos again when I got home, and I absolutely love them:

[Photos by David Mushegain]

The entire spread is so inspirational. I think from here on out, I'll ask myself every morning, "What would Erin Wasson wear?" This may mean I have to scrap 90% of my current closet and start all over, though. Not that I think that's a terrible idea... hmmm... the wheels are a-turnin'! I just may do that!

I picked up a few things at Style Station this time, and Art gave me a free Style Station shirt and met Jude for the first time.

I could not resist this frog necklace. I love his warts!


The skirt and top on the right will be a refashion/ diy project. I want to make a mini skirt and a cropped vest out of them.


I am a sucker for sequins.


This paisley blouse caught my eye because of its jersey knit waist band and giant shoulder pads.


The cats hiding in the paisley cinched the deal! Hilarious and totally going in Loving Linus!

The next time you are even remotely close to Style Station, you have to stop in (Proof? Check 'em out on Yelp!). Art will talk your ear off, but grin and bear it. He loves his shop and treats his loyal customers dearly. Plus the man knows how to stock an old gas station with quality, unique vintage goods!

It's very hard to find, but the secret is to exit at Wiggins Road. If you're southbound on 1-35 take exit 347. If you are northbound on 35, exit 348 and cross over to the west side access road. Beware! It's a two- way access road. Art closes shop at 7 p.m., but if you call and ask extra nice, he may stay open a little later for you. Tell him Indiana who has that fashion blog in Austin sent you. But don't even get him riled up about the government or big business or war or his son. Or do. No one tells a story quite like Art.