Late summer sale finds brightening up my closet…

I love the smoky blue-grey of Free People’s Classic Vegan Crossbody (now $30).

NOTE: There will be a home sale tomorrow at Anthropologie. No sale guessing game tonite! Also, LAST CHANCE for my closet sale — items remaining heading off to local consignment on Tuesday…

As summer rolls on my patience pays off. I didn’t need very much in the way of warm-weather clothing this year so full-price temptations were few. Now as the fall clothing starts to roll in while the temperatures remain high I’m taking advantage of sale prices to fill the little holes that remain in my summer wardrobe for this year.

One of my favorite sale buys recently is Free People’s Classic Vegan Crossbody (now $30) above. You can get a great idea of the size of the bag via the model shot on the product page. I came across the bag in FP’s huge, recently-expanded Rockefeller Center (NYC) flagship store. I was immediately drawn to the smoky, cloudy blue-grey color and the buttery texture, which is pleather but still has enough of that leather look and feel. I love the smiley-face style CĂ©line-evoking front, which has a lip pocket. Inside there’s a zipper pocket attached diagonally, which helps the bag keep its rectangular shape. It’s not a huge bag — for example my iPad fits either on its side or bottom with plenty of room to spare but my sleek, relatively-tiny work MacBook sticks out when slid in on its side…the bag is not wide enough to fit the laptop slid in on its bottom.

What I can fit in is plenty for the day-to-day though: a small makeup bag, my wallet, my keys, my iPad, my huge noise-cancelling headphones, face wipes, hand sanitizer, my iPhone 6, and occasionally a pair of sandals to trade my heels in for after a long day or on the way to work. And on the weekends it’s so easy to tote a large a bottle of water around, a must for these dog days of summer. For $30, it’s hard to beat that function!

More closet-pleasing sale finds, inside…

I know I’ve talked about the Ingleside Pullover (now $50) a lot, but it’s because I love it so much! In fact I’m showing it off on my Instagram this morning. I wore it practically every morning in Hawaii and on chillier days or evenings it’s the perfect mix of warmth and breathability (courtesy of the lined lace panel in back). Size down in this one — it runs large.

I’m wearing the Ingleside mostly with the Pilcro Embroidered Denim Roll-Ups (now $60), which I can’t believe hit sale already! The embroidery in front and part of the back is so lovely…it gives these light denim roll-ups something special. Size down in these too — I took a 28 in these instead of my usual 29. They loosen up quite a bit as you wear them.

Takara Heels (now $50)

While impatiently waiting to see if the full-price Klub Nico Taite Heels ($168) pop back in my size, I noticed the similar Takara Heels (now $50, also by Klub Nico), which are much more wallet-friendly. Why one pair is full price while the other is on second cut I’m not sure, but I’m not one to complain either! Perhaps the fit is off ridiculously…there are no reviews to help out so it’s anyone guess. Based on the reviews for the Taite Heels it sounds like Klub Nico runs a little small so I’ve ordered the Takaras in both a 9 (my usual size) and a 10 (one size up) to see which pair works better. I will be sure to report back!

What I love about both of these pairs of heels is, well, actually, the heel! As my lifestyle has turned more and more towards athletic endeavors I’ve found stiletto heels with non-platform fronts to be increasingly difficult to walk in. The balls of my feet and my arches just can’t take it anymore, especially on the cobblestones near my office where my ankle feels like it might snap with one wrong step. I have found some luck using these arch supports (truly wonderful!) with some of my favorite pairs of heels but I’ve also admitted to myself that my days of 4.5-inch non-platform stilettos are likely over. So the thicker, more supportive heels on these shoes look perfect for me.

You can see the sale-priced Takara heels on Anthropologie’s models here, here, here, and here. It looks like the shoes are a little big on the model in the last shot but they look pretty fab in the first two shots! The full-price Taite heels can be seen on models here, here and here. Both of these shoes look to be Anthropologie exclusives…I can’t even find them on Klub Nico’s official site.

LOFT T-Back Trapeze Dress ($65 on promo from $90)

Another Instagram share from my weekend was this beautiful LOFT swing dress that has a glamorous, flowy capelike back. The T-Back Trapeze Dress comes in both this lovely hunter green (which vacillates between being sold out on online and available in select sizes, it’s plentiful in stores though) and a more ethereal off-white. Right now the dress is on promo for $65, no code needed. I’m not sure when the promotion ends…possibly tonite.

In full disclosure I have to admit that this dress is rather shapeless from the front. In fact, it kinda looks like a tent at times. It runs large (I purchased the dress in a small instead of my usual medium, and if they’d made it in an extra small I would have preferred that). Of course it is supposed to be that way and on someone slim with a small chest I’m sure the effect is all-around glamorous. However on someone like me with a beautiful hourglass shape, it may seem like I’m hiding my light under a bushel.

So, why buy it at all, you ask? Because in motion, the dress is absolutely stunning. The cape in back catches the dress and creates a total goddess vibe with each stride. Viewed from the side in stride it takes on a total eye-catching appeal. It got a WOW out of my guy and that’s exactly the effect I was going for. Plus it’s comfy as hell and you can eat a big brunch with it. I’m pleased as punch. This Zara dress ($40) is another very recent date-night dress pickup that I love.

In front the dress has a small thin keyhole with hook-and-eye closure. To help out the proportions on my body a bit, I tuck in the panels from this keyhole to create the illusion of a deeper v-neck (my Instagram shot shows what I mean). The I layered on two necklaces — a shorter bib (on promo for $25) to highlight my face, and a longer lariat (also on promo for $25) to tease the deep v-neck I created. The overall effect? Lovely.

Come to think of it, the Takara Heels (now $50) mentioned above would look great with this dress. Hmm…

Steven Razle Pump (now $40-$129)

The pump I actually wore with my new LOFT dress is the Steven Razle Pump, which is available at a variety of price points which I’ll break down below. Now I know I just said two items ago that my days of wearing 4.5-inch stiletto heels are over…but these sandals have a platform in front that makes the heel feel lower and takes away the pressure on the balls on my feet. In fact, they’re pretty comfortable. I wouldn’t want to be standing all night in these but for a few hours walking around mixed in with plenty of sitting I was fine.

Added bonus: the lower front ankle strap also makes my legs look incredibly slim. A beautiful bonus feat. The strap closes with velcro and I question the long-term durability of this. So I wouldn’t want to pay full price for these. The sandals are available in white, grey (shown above) and black. I’m between sizes in Steven so I purchased in these a 9.5, 1/2 a size up from my usual 9. They’re a little loose on me but the 9 was too tight, so it works.

Availability and price points:
6PM — $66 in grey or white in limited sizes (no black).
Amazon — price ranges from $40-$129 depending on your size/color selection.
Dillards — now $46 in limited colors and sizes (no white).
Nordstrom Rack — $70 in very limited sizes, currently black or white only (no grey).
Shopbop — Black is on final sale for $39 in very limited sizes; grey is full price (no white).
Steve Madden official site — $50 in white only, very limited sizes.

If the Ingleside Pullover‘s stripes made you happy but the weight and longer sleeve did not, another sale buy getting plenty of wear is my Madewell linen bicoastal tee in rugby stripe (now $35). This heathered slightly sheer top is perfect with a pair of denim shorts or over a short skirt — I like it with J.Crew Factory’s Flared Skirt (now $40) in neon dahlia or neon papaya, both of which are quite bright.

The tee runs large and has slightly droopy shoulders, which is great on someone like me with broader shoulders. I went for a small in this top — one size down from my usual medium. The top is short; I can just barely tuck it in the skirt. If you want it to be slightly longer stick with your usual size or perhaps even size up and go for the off-the-shoulder look instead.

J.Crew Kylie Dress in silk chiffon (now $110 + 30% off with code COOLSALE)

I know y’all are going to think I’m nuts for saying this…but I really, really like J.Crew’s party/bridesmaid dresses. I often wear them to summer events and bathe in the compliments I get on these frocks. I wore the Kylie Dress in silk chiffon (now $110 + an extra 30% off using the code COOLSALE at checkout) in the ‘parisian yellow’ color shown above (a light, airy, not too bright pale yellow) to a party in Central Park and everyone loved it. The one-shoulder Grecian look is wonderful on my pale-skin dark hair combo. I had a denim jacket with me for when it got too cool in the shade, and I wore J.Crew’s Pop Flower Necklace with it. (Sold out online — there is a small version of it now that is available.) I wear this bra underneath the dress (it smooshes my boobs slightly but overall works quite well.) To complete the look I wore a simple pair of sandals.

What sale pickups have you loved recently?


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