About My Look

It’s the next British invasion! Next Direct is one of the UK’s top high-street stores beloved by millions of Brits! Next has just launched American shipping (2 day delivery for a standard price of $10) and they’re hoping that style bloggers will help them to spread the word. Soooo, they were nice enough to send me the item of my choice and I couldn’t pass up these amazing platform pumps that retail for $68!

These shoes are so fun! The upper has a sporty flare of red, black, and gray striped leather with an inner black and tan zebra print lining. The covered platform gives the pumps a beautiful finish and they stand at a little over 4 inches tall. They are so super comfortable and can be worn with your favorite skinny jeans or little black dress! They reminded me of something Victoria Beckham would wear, so I couldn’t help but to pair these with my favorite studded sheath dress. You should definitely check out Next Direct… they have so much to choose from including shoes, apparel, and accessories at looks for less prices. You can also “like” them at Facebook for all updates including product giveaways, as well as advice on how to pull together any great new fashion look.

Skinny Jeans Look For Less

• Silence & Noise Menswear Blazer – Urban Outfitters $78.00 (last seen here)
• Pleated Short Sleeve Tee – Free People $48.00 (last seen here and here)
• Dark Lapis Skinny Jeans – Charlotte Russe $29.99
• Landver Clear Stone Ring – Ideeli.com $39
• Black & Gold Ring Zipper Purse – Forever 21 $29.80

Studded Dress Look For Less

• Black Silver Pyramid Studded Sheath Dress – Forever 21 $22.80
• Pewter Stretch Bracelets – Express $22.50
• Pewter Double Hoop Earrings Express $19.50

Related Looks For Less:

Today is turning out to be an amazing day, and it’s not even noon yet! First of all, it’s the 1 year anniversary of thelooksforless.com!!! I planned on celebrating my blogiversary shopping it up at the Zac Posen for Target sale that I’ve been excited about for months now. A fashion blog should be celebrated with fashion, especially when the Zac Posen and anniversary collide, right? Well, there were more collisions on my big day.

While in the dressing room trying on EVERYTHING that Zac Posen had to offer, I heard a couple of girlfriends chatting across the dressing rooms. They said that they were so glad that they found out about this sale on thelooksforless.com. How cool is that??? I couldn’t believe that I heard a couple of girls chatting it up about my blog!!! Of course I wanted to say something, but thought that may be a bit creepy for some chic to be shouting, “I am the looksforless.com” from another dressing room hhahaha.

It gets better. After I tried on all of my Zac Posen goodness, I rounded the racks once more to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Me and a fellow Zac Posen enthusiast started comparing notes about what we were going to take home, and I mentioned, “Hey, if you like this sale, you should check out my blog, thelooksforless.com. It is a blog about celebrity and designer looks for less”. Her response made my day… “You’re the looks for less? I check out your blog everyday. I have you bookmarked in my favorites!”. I think we were both a bit surprised to meet each other. I get quite a bit of traffic to my blog everyday, but what are the chances that I mention my blog to a fellow shopper for the first time ever, and she happens to read my blog. I’ll never do it again since my batting average is now 100%, hahah. This moment far surpassed anything I picked up at the Zac Posen sale, which speaks volumes, as you all know how excited I’ve been about the sale hahaha. It was meant to be that all this happened on my anniversary, right? I love it!

Did you all pick up anything at the Zac Posen sale? If so, I’d love to hear about it. My picks are above. I also wanted the Snap Tape Dress in blue but it was not at my local Target as the website had promised :(. If you missed out on the sale online, they usually restock within the day or week. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Related Looks For Less:

I’m having so much fun with my amazing new ring from Fantasy Jewelry Box. Fantasy Jewelry Box is well known for their incredible celebrity and designer inspired jewelry. They think that their customers deserve to look just as good as a Hollywood Starlet, without emptying their purses.

Fantasy Jewelry Box offered to send me the accessory of my choice if I’d let my reader’s know what I think of my selection, and I couldn’t pass up this beautiful teal and gold Agate ring. I am seeing this natural stone EVERYWHERE and the colors are gorgeous. Agate is a variety of quartz characterised by its beautiful grain and brightness of color. I love that, in addition to the natural colors and swirl pattern, it was also cut with an unfinished edge. This ring goes with everything – dress it up with your favorite little black dress, or go casual with jeans and a tee.

What I Love

• The color and natural beauty of the high polished stone.
• The goldtone adjustable ring, because I’m going through a gold (addiction) phase.
• The prices of the designer & celebrity inspired jewelry at Fantasy Jewelry Box.

Good To Know

• This is where I list what is less than fab about my item under review – came up with nothing for this beautiful ring.

Related Looks For Less:

Yes, it’s true, I’m addicted to HauteLook. I just can’t help myself. This is the 3rd mega sale I’ve hit at this online boutique in a month, but with up to 75% off most items (for one day only) and the credits I rack up when my friends make their first purchase, I am saving BIG TIME!!!

I had no idea that Jimmy Choo made sunglasses until I saw them at HauteLook and the selection is amazing! The Jimmy Choo Karin Sunglasses retail at department stores for $370 and are marked down 71% off at HauteLook.com to $106!!! Also, I had saved up another $60 in credits, leaving me with an amazing pair of sunnys for only $46! That, my fellow fashionistas, is a MEGA look for less!!!

More Invite Only Shopping

I check them all daily. Most open around 11am or noon and sell out quickly.

• Gilt Groupe – $25 credit after your friend’s first purchase has shipped.
• HauteLook – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Rue La La – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Ideeli – $25 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Billion Dollar Babes – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.

Related Looks For Less:

I ended up with a few more credits from HauteLook.com and had to spend them right away, of course! I love these invite only shopping sites… they’re my latest addiction. As if my budget wasn’t already loving these deeply discounted boutiques, you also get a credit when the friends you invite make their first purchase. So far, I’ve stocked up on Rock & Republic jeans (for $19 after the discount and credits), Free People legwarmers (for only $12), and now… more Free People.

Tie-dye and fringe are so popular right now and I love that I found both in this one dress, and the colors are beautiful. I can’t wait to pair it with tights and leggings. I love the jacket because I wanted something casual for hanging out with friends, grocery shopping, walking the dog… well, mostly because I’m addicted to jackets, so any excuse will do I suppose, hahaha.

More Invite Only Shopping

I check them all daily. Most open around 11am or noon and sell out quickly.

• Gilt Groupe – $25 credit after your friend’s first purchase has shipped.
• HauteLook – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Rue La La – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Ideeli – $25 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Billion Dollar Babes – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.

Related Looks For Less:

I finally did it!!! I invested in my first pair of designer jeans… but, this is “The Looks For Less” after all, so you know I didn’t pay full price. If you missed my post last week about the “invite only” shopping sites, then you should definitely check it out. These sites offer a few designers a day, for only a day, at deeply discounted prices. As if the discount wasn’t already a great deal, for each friend you get to sign up, you receive a credit ($10 to $25, depending on the site) when those friends make their first purchase.

And then, there was the kick-off of the Rock & Republic boutique on sale now at HauteLook! Oh, I thought I was going to go crazy because these sites sell out so quickly and I just couldn’t decide what pair I wanted. They have such an amazing selection to choose from and I couldn’t add a pair to my cart quickly enough. They offer current jeans that you would find at Neiman Marcus, not an outlet mall. Also, I’ve had 10 friends make a purchase at HauteLook, at $10 per each bud, leaving me with a $100 credit! The Rock & Republic jeans are already 1/2 off at $119, so after cashing in my credit, I got them for only $19! I just can’t believe it! Today is a very exciting day for my closet!

More Invite Only Shopping

I check them all daily. Most open around 11am or noon and sell out quickly.

• Gilt Groupe – $25 credit after your friend’s first purchase has shipped.
• HauteLook – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Rue La La – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Ideeli – $25 credit after your friends make their first purchase.
• Billion Dollar Babes – $10 credit after your friends make their first purchase.

Related Looks For Less:

Thanks so much to everyone that commented on my LuLus.com “You Be The Blogger” contest. Because I was the blog with the most comments, I won a $100 shopping spree, yay!!! Also, Lulus chose one random commenter to my winning post, Kathy, to win a $50 gift card… so it paid to help me win this contest :) Thanks again to everyone that participated.

Apparently, I’m not done with fall just yet as you can tell by my shopping spree board above – lots of black, white, and gold. Never thought I’d mention fall and white in the same sentence, but it is all the rage this season and fashion rules (no white after Labor Day) were meant to be broken. I am ADDICTED to jackets, so both above were a must have for me. Some girls are hooked on purses and shoes… I am hooked on jackets. They transform any outfit! Also, I love the 80s revival trend going on right now, but I think I am only interested in participating to the extent of an off the shoulder tee. I couldn’t decide between #3 and #4, so I threw them both in my cart :) The lengths are different so I think I’ll get a lot of use out of both. I’ll wear the short one with different colored tanks and the long one with leggings or skinnies and a jacket as seen in look #2. I had to have the lace top, because, as Rachel Zoe mentioned in her “No So Basic Guide” to 20 wardrobe essentials, a feminine blouse is a must have. I can’t wait to wear this on my next date night.

So, I may have doubled my $100 gift card budget (oops); but then… I did get 15% off with my “the looks for less” promo code and free shipping for spending over $75. Savings ($100 gift card), savings (15% off), and more savings (free shipping)!!! That justifies it, right???

1. Nekhbet & Black Gem Chain Necklace in Gold – $12.00
2. Bardo Navy & Cream Waist Jacket – $41.50
3. Off-Shoulder White Cropped Crew Sweater – $49.50
4. Oversized White Off-Shoulder Ragland Tee – $27.00
5. Black Lace Ruffle & Button High-Neck Top – $40.00
6. Black Crop Faux Fur Lined Jacket – $77.00

♥  EXCLUSIVE Promo Code: Enter “the looks for less” at checkout for 15% off site-wide. Plus, get free shipping on orders of $75 or more.

Related Looks For Less:

About My Look

I am so in love with the black, blue, and ivory floral Wildflower Dress from Free People. The sweetheart neckline and empire waist are so fun and the teal fringe under-layer is my fav! At $138, it’s a little on the pricey side for my “looks for less” budget; however, I do plan on getting more than a few uses out of it. I bought it for my sister’s baby shower coming up in March and I’ll dress it up with tights and a cardigan for a little more coverage. In the summer, I’ll probably pair it with leggings and ballet flats and loads of sparkly accessories. If you missed our ‘1 Dress, 4 Ways’ contest a couple of months ago, you should check it out for endless inspiration on getting your money’s worth out of your favorite dress!

I purchased the gold cuff from Forever21.com a couple of weeks ago, and have worn it every day since. I love chunky bling on my wrists, but hate the noise of bracelets or bangles – therefore, my new addiction is cuffs. Just one big silent cuff, haha. I picked up the leggings (last seen here) from Bevello.com and they are so super soft!!! The nail polish is my latest addiction from OPI called “You Don’t Know Jacques!” (last seen here).

The Breakdown

• Wildflower Sweetheart Empire Floral Dress – Free People $138.00
• Black Rayon / Spandex Leggings – Bevello.com $20.00
• Gold Polished & Textured Cuff – Forever 21 $6.80
• Gold Hoops & Flower Earring Trio – Charlotte Russe $4.00
• Black Patent Double Strap Mary Jane Peep Toe Heels – Target.com $18.88
• OPI “You Don’t Know Jacques!” (NLF15) Nail Polish – Amazon.com $5.45

Related Looks For Less:

I have to admit, I was never a big fan of scarves, until now!!! I just hadn’t found a scarf that I was wow’ed by for myself, but always LOVED the look on everyone else. My sister is the queen mixing an adorable scarf with a tee, a super cute fitted jacket, and jeans and I’ve always thought her style was so fun.

AffordableScarves.com offered to send me the scarf of my choice and I couldn’t resist the Megan Sparkle Scarf. I got it in the mail yesterday, wore it with my new Christmas jacket, and received soooo many compliments! The color is beautiful and I love that it translates well for any season. It has a hint of a gold sheen and luckily, it wasn’t made with that cheap glittery thread that tends to be itchy. Beyond the beautiful color and comfy fabric, the infinity style is so on trend and the pattern is very Missoni. Five stars for this scarf, and the best part, it is only $14.95!!!

♥♥♥ 15% Off Sitewide Sale at Affordable Scarves

Related Looks For Less:

For those of you that may have missed it, I did a series a little while back called The Zoe Effect. I dressed up in my 7 favorite Zoe Reports (the daily style newsletter from Rachel Zoe) and posted a pic a day to this blog. In three of the looks, I featured an amazing silver snakeskin patterned cuff from one of my favorite Etsy designers, DirtyStory. The designer realized I had featured her by the amount of traffic the posts were sending her way. As a thank you, as if that was necessary, she allowed me to select the cuff of my choice. How cool is that? Of course I couldn’t pass up her offer because her cuffs are so beautiful. They range from soft pastel and monochromatic colors to very vibrant and bold peacock and damask patterned cuffs.

I chose the black, gold, and turquoise damask cuff because I love black and gold for the fall and the royal turquoise was a nice unexpected pop of color. I’d love to pair it with some black, gold, and turquoise beaded earrings. I’m not much of a necklace fan – my daily jewelry usually consists of bold earrings and bracelets. With that said, I hate to wear noisy bracelets and bangles, especially to work. A cuff is the perfect way to embellish your wrist without the distracting sound effects!

black menswear blazer, a long white tank (it’s Florida, I can get away with it), dark skinny jeans, and my black ALDO ballet flats. LOVE!!!

Related Looks For Less: