How To: Successfully Thrift Shop

Black Velvet Blazer (Banana Republic)  //  Striped Necktie Blouse

White Denim for Fall

Printed Navy

dress: MK (thrifted) see more options below
cardigan: Talbots
espadrille: Kate Spade (similar)
bag: Ivanka Trump
aviators: Tory Burch
watch: Fossil


As you may have heard (or maybe you haven't) Nordstrom is having its annual Anniversary Sale. The store is putting up its fresh and new fall/winter merchandise for sale for a limited time. After that, the prices will go back up until after the season is over. The internets (i.e. bloggers) are going nuts over it. Nordstrom has this early access thing for all the cardholders for about a week and later the rest of us mere mortals can shop it too. I do not own Nordstrom credit card, neither do I want to. First of all, I don't have that much money to spend on designer items that (may) sell out, and second, I can wait a few days.
Well, in case you can't wait, you can sign up for credit card (HERE) and than shop your heart out. But on Friday when the doors will be open to the public, you better make sure you have your shopping list ready, because things will go fast for sure. Come back tomorrow for my best picks from the sale (most items I pick will be under $100, including designer apparel). Let me do the digging for you so that all you have to do is shop the best items Friday. Are you ready? Get your wallet out girlfran!

Link Up: The Fashion Canvas, I do deClaire

Shop Navy Dresses

Same Time Last Year

Outfit 1

Outfit 2

Outfit 3

Outfit 4

Outfit 5

Around the first week of June last year, I posted these outfits on my blog. I can still tell you what was going on when I took the pictures, where they were taken and who I was doing after the photoshoots. It's funny how many memories are connected to the clothes we wear. For example, my wedding dress holds a lot of memories and is very important to me as it was a gift from my future husband. He wanted me to have the dress of my dreams (not sparing any expense), therefore I will keep it for the rest of my life. On the other hand, this eShakti striped dress wasn't such a great fit and I had to pass it on to my cousin. 

I'm also thinking about the things I wanted to accomplish in a year, and how far I have come. Although I'm not one of the top earning bloggers and very far from even thinking about making living out of this hobby, I like doing it. I love seeing how my style has evolved over years and how much my tastes have changed. Having a few more collaboration and sponsorship opportunities helps as well .

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to those who have been following me, supporting me and encouraging me along the way. I could not have done it without the help of my awesome husband, photographer sister and all those who visit/comment and share about my blog. 

Thank you so much for reading and following this girl's humble dream!

Link Up: Mama and More 

Furry

shirt: LOFT
jeans: J.Crew
vest: thrifted (similar)
shoes: similar
bag: Ralph Lauren

I love fur vests but have been hesitant to wear one because it add about 10 pounds. With that being said I still want to style it for a cute winter look. We've been having such mild temperatures lately that a vest is all you really need. I'm enjoying the warmer (relatively speaking) weather but have very little energy to do much outside the house. This pregnancy is sucking the life out of me and I'm not even kidding. I did get dressed once last week and this is what I wore. 

Thank you for stopping by.

xo, Anna

Color Blocked Fall

dress: Eddie Bawer  Thrifted (similar)
blouse: Loft (similar)
shoes: Liz Claiborne (similar)
bag: similar, splurge, steal

Well, another week has gone by and I'm reminded, yet again, that time is a precious commodity. I'm loving fall this year, and that's an understatement. Warm sun-filled days and crisp cool nights; the smell of apples and cinnamon in my house as I whip up some fall-themed muffins. It's simply breathtakingly beautiful! I'm also gravitating towards cooler colors and lots of color blocking this fall, as well as sleeveless dresses with blouses (remember this look?). This is a second look this fall and I can't get away from it. I hope you are enjoying this time of the year and having a good time of your life. 

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Trendy

skirt: Thrifted (similar, similar)
blouse: Forever21 (similar, similar)
shoes: Liz Claiborne (similar)
bag: similar

Well, oh well, looky here. Someone has fallen to the peer pressure and bought into the trend, and it's very obvious who that someone is. The very first time I saw a leather skirt on one of the bloggers I honestly thought it was a little too much, too tacky and not for me. Fast forward year later, and I'm the one wearing it but when it comes to items like that, it's all about balance. I could not (well, I guess you could) wear it with anything like sequins or print but rather with an understated top and nude heels. Is it church worthy? I don't think so because it has too much of a sexy factor and shines like crazy. (And no one wants to see my rear in grease-like accent haha).

Do you buy trends as soon as they come out, or does it take a few years for you to warm up to the idea? Do share ladies. Thank you for stopping by.

Fall Is For Plaid

dress: Thrifted (similar, similar)
cardigan: J.Crew
shoes: Tahari (similar)
tote: similar

So it's fall, like officially! And the only thing that will signify its coming is plaid everything. I love the come back of plaid in fashion and welcome it in my closet this fall. From blazers to dresses and scarves, I just can't stay away from it. Although it can look a little ancient, with addition of correct accessories, it looks chic. Hope you are enjoying this gorgeous time of the year and exploring some unbeaten path with your loved ones. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Floral

blouse: LOFT
skirt: thrifted (similar, similar)
heels: H&M (similar, similar)
bag: Ali Express (similar)
belt: LOFT (similar)

There is nothing like a nice family weekend with plenty of good food and relaxation. We had a lovely father's day weekend with a cook out and lots of daddy-and-me time. But here is to a new week with tons of laundry to do while my dryer decided to die on me. Thankfully it's warmer outside that I can hang everything on the clothes line outside. I love how the clean clothes smell when they dry outside - it brings back so many childhood memories. And my mom said it brings back her childhood memories when she looks at my midi floral skirt. Everything circles back in fashion and if you hold on to something long enough, you can wear it again in about twenty years. 

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by! 

Beauty Demands Sacrifice

sweater: J.Crew
skirt: thrifted (similar)
shoes: Zara (similar)
belt: Loft (similar)
glasses: DKNY 

The hardest part about blogging is not the pictures in freezing cold temperatures, or the hours of planning outfits. It's not even the enormous amounts of time we spend at the computer editing photos and networking with other bloggers. It's coming up with the post titles. I'm not joking when I say that I think about the title more than I think about what I'm actually going to say in the post. I always wonder if I should name my post after the outfit or whatever I'm talking about. Or should I tie the two things together and make them related, somehow? For example, in this outfit I'm wearing yellow sweater so I could talk about the lack of sunshine and name the post 'you are my sunshine'. That would be very lame and pretty pathetic though, wouldn't you think?

Instead I'm going to talk about how I was dying while wearing these shoes today because, well, beauty demands sacrifice. There is a saying in Russian that goes something like that but it's very hard to translate cultural phrases into another language because you loose the meaning. Well, even in English everyone understands that to look put together you have to sacrifice something. Whether it's sleep, because you have to wake up an hour early to do your hair or comfort, because you are wearing four-inch stilettos that make absolutely no sense at all. Except that they totally go with my midi skirt and add some height. That's all folks.

Thanks for stopping by!