#ShopGenius

{ What I Wore to teach: J.Crew sweater (similar) // dress ℅ Muse Apparel // shoes ℅ Sole Society (see similar below) // sunglasses ℅ Silvano // Pour La Victoire purse via Nordstrom Rack* }
*purchased with a gift card from Nordstrom Rack

all photos | Zipporah Photography

Shopping for me is a treasure hunt. I do not have the budget nor the closet space to bring home everything I "like". The items that come home with me have to be serious LOVE status.

I had the great pleasure of attending the Nordstrom Rack Market Street store Grand Opening while in San Francisco & it was the ultimate treasure hunt! So many designer labels, dreamy Spring pieces & budget friendly finds! It was hard, but I kept my eyes on the prize, looking for a high quality cross-body bag. Pour La Victoire has been on my radar for a while (#wishlist) & I was pleasantly surprised to find a great selection of their bags at the Rack! 

I had hit the jackpot: classic black, more pockets than I could handle & in soft leather with high quality finishing details. Best part, this bag was originally $325, but the Rack price was $119 - a 60%+ savings! This highly versatile, & budget friendly item was a no-brainer purchase, filling a hole in my closet that will be a go-to bag for YEARS to come. Certainly a piece with a cost per wear of pennies!

My shopping confession: it only looks expensive! #ShopGenius #Frugalista

Have you had a shopping treasure hunt score at Nordstrom Rack? Share your shopping confessions & shopping treasures found at Nordstrom Rack on Instagram using the hashtag #ShopGenius. The best submissions may be featured on Nordstrom Rack’s Instagram account & if you tag me, I will be regramming my favorites as well! Follow along with Nordstrom Rack on Instagram for all the juicy shopping confessions in the months to come.

What is your best shopping secret? Any shopping confessions to share??

read the directions

As a graduate student, I had 2 categories of clothes: 

1. jeans + button downs + flats, for school

2. short skirts + heels, for going out on da town

It worked for me, it was easy, I didn't put much thought into it.

Now, now… I'm going to be a teacher (part time currently, full time starting in June) & I need to add professional attire into the mix. Part of my recent style paralysis is due to the fact that I want to find professional attire that not only works for wearing to teach, but also for my everyday lifestyle as a 26 year old - going out with friends, date nights, running day to day errands, etc. This goal is as much for budgetary purchases, as it is about maintaining a well curated closet.

{ What I Wore: dress ℅ Muse Apparel (now on super sale!) // Urban Outfitters blazer // Steve Madden Pumps (similar) // Daisy Gem chunky chain necklace (similar 1 // 2 // 3) }

all photos | Zipporah Photography

Muse Apparel gifted me this dress for Christmas (thanks y'all!) & I thought it was perfect to wear it to work. However, as I was getting ready to put it on, I noticed it had the cutest tag with an illustration of three women on it. One woman was wearing a chevron peplum dress, another had on just a chevron top & the third one just a black skirt. I gave it a double take - the chevron peplum dress made sense, but what about the other two?

Spoiler alert: this dress is a transformer!

{ What I Wore: Banana Republic trench (similar) // Le Tote tank & necklace // ShoeMint heels // skirt, detached from the Muse dress }

The peplum top zips off, leaving behind this gorgeous black pencil skirt. I love that it has a bit of a leather look to it & the zipper detail is my favorite! Two completely different work outfits from 1 dress (& I can dream up so many more)!

{ What I Wore: Gap cardigan // chevron peplum top, detached from Muse dress // Chip & Pepper for Belk denim (these are flattering for age 15-75!) // ShoeDazzle heels (similar 1 // 2) // tassel necklace ℅ GroopDealz }

And then the peplum top can be worn on its own as well. This outfit suits my general day to day activities perfectly!

Moral of the story - if your clothes come with directions, read them!

What piece is easily transformed in your closet?

P.S. Today is the last day to enter to win 1 of 2 custom prints!

ENTER HERE

P.P.S. My school is heated by radiators that make every room the temperature of the Sun & by this point in the Winter tights make me ragey… so I just run from my car to the building. Not perfect, but it works. Kindly excuse my blindingly white, bare legs!

#LiveLikeAMuse

I am beyond thrilled to be partnering with Muse Apparel for their #LiveLikeAMuse campaign. How can you not get on board with a company whose mission is to promote “the bold & confident woman who sets trends & makes a statement no matter where she is or where she’s going”.

I know I certainly want to live like a muse, being inspired by all around me & inspiring others!

dress c/o Muse Apparel

What makes a woman a Muse? 

I believe a woman can be a muse in her everyday life! Turning a normal day into one that is just as fabulous as any other day because of the way you present yourself as a muse. 

I started this blog to discover the Muse inside of me.

I am an everyday woman, with a regular budget & a job that allows me to get away with wearing sweatpants to work, but I wanted to document my urge to get up every day, soaking up inspiration from everything around me & dishing out a lit of my own along the way.

 

To celebrate the muse inside every woman, Muse Apparel is giving away a special prize – a package of handpicked items that personally inspire ME to live like a muse.

Head on over to see the day in the life of ME & enter to win my special prize package. 

 

How do you #LiveLikeAMuse? Between trips to the grocery store or library or work, how do you make sure you’re still fabulously a muse even if you’re not in a fabulous location?

For this campaign, the more entries for my prize package I get, the more chances you'll have to win! In addition to the grand prize that I handpicked, Muse Apparel is also giving away gift cards! 

Get interactive & share how you #LiveLikeAMuse on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram & Facebook & you could be featured in the campaign too!