fall fashion – Budget & Brunch

When in doubt, cuff ’em, tuck ’em, and go!

November 25, 2019November 25, 2019by Budget&Brunch

Ya gotta love being either too short or too tall for clothes, am I right?

In my case, I am always a little too short for clothes that aren’t sized “petite” or “short” and lets be honest with ourselves, there is always a piece of clothing that doesn’t come in your size. Rather than trying to make myself fit into clothes, I am a firm believer in making clothes fit me 😏. When I find that my shirts or even my pants are too long, I “cuff ’em, tuck ’em, and go”.

What does that even mean?

Well let’s take shirts/sweaters for example, if you have short arms, like me, you may find yourself constantly pulling up your sleeves of feeling like you have no waist due to your extra long top. This drives me absolutely crazy, especially when I am doing something with my hands!

To solve this issue I have learned to cuff my sleeves, tuck the front, and be on my merry way out the door. I do this with pants as well. I personally do not like to tuck my pants in my booties (knee boots are different story); therefore, I cuff my pants–only when needed.

When cuffing my sleeves I try to follow the wrist rule. When I stretch my arms out, I want to be able to see my wrist bone. I also cuff only once or twice. I don’t like to add too much bulk (especially when layering).

When cuffing my jeans I take into account a couple of things. First, my shoes. Are they high? If so, I try to cuff them just above to where a little bit of skin is showing. Are they low? If so, I definitely want to go just above my ankle–this adds height! I also consider the jean and how I want the cuff to look. Sometimes, I go for a thicker cuff. This is to add visual interest. Other times, I cuff at just the hem line. This typically depends on the top I pair it with or my mood haha!

This “cuff ’em, tuck ’em, and go” technique not only adds visual interest, but it looks purposeful and thus, nobody will even notice that the clothes you’re wearing weren’t exactly “made for you” 😉.

With that being said, I pulled together some examples of outfits for you guys in which I have had to “cuff ’em, tuck ’em, and go” and I truly wouldn’t have it any other way ❤️!

Photo 2: Similar Sweater | Jeans / (Petite Option)| Boots

For reference, I am 5 ft tall. In photo one, I am wearing petite, photo two I am wearing regular, and photo three I am wearing regular!

*This also works with clothes that are slightly too short. Don’t get me wrong, there is a point of no return with some clothing, but if things are slightly too short, you can “cuff ’em” and pair them with higher boots to make the outfit look more purposeful and if you have high waisted pants you might even be able to tuck ’em 😉!

4 Ways to Style a Blazer with Jeans

November 8, 2019November 8, 2019by Budget&Brunch

First off, let’s talk about the blazer. When Madewell came out with the Caldwell Double-Breasted Blazer in Desert Check I knew I wanted it; however, it didn’t (and still doesn’t) come in petite…with me being 5 feet tall, I figured it wasn’t going to fit me well. Nevertheless, I went to Madewell just to try it out and lets just say, it’s what my blazer dreams are made of! So this blazer is supposed to be oversized which helps my issue of being short and there not being a petite option. The blazer hits me just below the widest part of my hips so when wearing it I always either front tuck my top or make sure it is a fitted top–this helps create a waistline and give your body more of a shape!

I did size down 2 sizes! I would normally wear a M (medium) in something like this, but I ended up getting an XS (x-small). This could be in part because of my height, so I would recommend trying this or if you don’t live near a Madewell maybe order two and send one back after trying them on! I was worried an XS may be too small on my arms, but it seemed to fit fine, but if you plan on wearing a chunky sweater under it, that may be something to consider when choosing a size!

You could wear this blazer buttoned, but I don’t mainly because I want to create that waistline I mentioned earlier. With that being said, if you do choose to button it the sizing could vary a bit there. Now, let’s get to the fun stuff…the outfits!

If you missed my styling video, you can catch it on my IGTV channel!

I cannot get over this tee, it has honestly just completed my wardrobe! I love the effortless look any graphic tee can give to an outfit. When paring a tee shirt with a blazer it tends to give off a put together look even when you’re actually as comfy as you can be! With the colors in this blazer being more neutral, I decided the pop of green from this tee would pair nicely. You could even pair a bright tee with it to go for a bolder look–however, I tend to stay within the duller more neutral color palette when it comes to my clothes.

I wanted to go with a “fun” cut denim so I went with my demi-boot cut jeans to carry the eye down my leg and flare out. Since I wore my heeled boots, this helped create some height! I’ve mentioned how comfortable these boots are before and I’ll say it again…they’re great! No, I don’t recommend hiking in them, but they’re a nice heel to have and go with virtually anything! Tie it all together with a cute bag and there you have it, an easy comfy yet put together outfit!

*There are only two sizes in the striped top left so here is a similar top.

This outfit is one of my favorites because of the pattern mixing. This can be intimidating, but here are a few helpful tips I’ve picked up along the way…

Keep your patterns in the same color family! For example, I paired my navy blue and white striped tee with a blazer that has hints of navy blue in it as well!
Choose patterns with different scales. For example, I paired chunky stripes with a pin striped pattern.
Keep it simple. What I mean but this is that although I mixed patterns up top, that doesn’t mean I need to mix them on the bottom too, which is why I went with a dark jean and white sneakers!

If you want more advice on different ways to mix patterns and prints, let me know! I could go into a lot more detail, but for the sake of this blog post not being a mile long, I’ll move on!

*Petite sizing in jeans

For outfit number three, I paired a classic white button down with a straight jean and boots! This is perhaps the simplest and most classic option for pairing a blazer with jeans. This look is chic and probably will never go out of style! The jeans I decided to pair with this outfit go over the boots just slightly and give me all the 90’s throw back vibes, which I am loving!

Pairing minimalistic jewelry with this outfit dress up the look while also making it look effortless! If you haven’t noticed by now, effortless style is my goal in life!

*Petite sizing in jeans

The final outfit gives me all the fall/winter vibes with a cozy turtle neck under the blazer! This is perhaps the only time, if at all, that I would button the blazer. I still kept the front tuck to create the waistline, as I did with all the other tops, but this look is very easy to wear. I went with a dark solid turtle neck (mine is navy blue, but I linked a similar one in black), which draws your eye to the blazer versus the top and helps make your waist appear smaller, not that you need to girl 😏! And again, I paired this with straight jeans and boots giving off those 90’s vibes!

So, those are my tips, tricks, and ideas for how to style a blazer with jeans. I hope this was helpful on some level and helps encourage you to mix up your outfits and dress outside of your comfort zone. Thanks for dropping by my corner of the Internet and reading style advice, until next time 😘.

4 Ways to Style a Leopard Midi Skirt

November 7, 2019November 7, 2019by Budget&Brunch

Ok, so if you have followed along with me for a while, you know that I am a shortie and I often look for clothes that help elongate my legs. Needless to say, midi skirts that don’t “shrink” me even farther are hard to find; so when I found this Leopard Midi Skirt for $15 (score)–I had to try it!

So I decided to style this midi skirt with 4 different “looks” in mind!

FYI: All items featured fit TTS and although this s=midi is no longer available I have linked similar ones at the bottom of the page!

Look 1: The Relaxed Look

*(FYI: My top is from Target but it isn’t available online so I found one on Amazon to link)

If there is one thing I love it’s comfort mixed with fashion! Pairing a graphic tee with a leopard skirt may seem like a bold move, but it can truly elevate a graphic tee so much. I decided to pair my “girls” graphic tee from Target with my Midi and I truly couldn’t love this tee shirt any more. Could it BE more perfect 😏?

I completed the look with some white sneakers and felt like I was ready to take on the world. I think this is my favorite look! You could also elevate the look with some minimalistic jewelry and a denim jacket for cooler days!

Look 2: The Sweater Weather Look

I couldn’t not incorporate a chunky sweater! With the temperatures chaining-at least here in NC-I wanted to show a warmer option. I don’t know about you, but I tend to get hot very easily; so although it may be 45 degrees outside, I need to wear something breathable. Pairing a cozy chunky sweater with a breathable midi is perfect for those of us that tend to get a little warmer during the fall/winter days! I paired a cream sweater to create a monochromatic look, because I am SO in to monochromatic lately and it can be so easily done.

Side note, iff you don’t get hot easily, you could always wear tights!

I decided to pair this outfit with The Kat Chelsea Boot for a styling cozy vibe. I absolutely love these boots and I am so glad I purchased them! They have quite a high heel but because it is a chunky heel and the inside is padded they feel great!

Look 3: The Holiday Inspired Look

Is there anything more classic than leopard paired with red? Wether is a bold red lip or a bold red turtle neck, it creates a timeless look! I wanted to show a holiday inspired look sense several Holidays are right around the corner (eek)!

The turtle neck helps create a cozy feeling and warm up the outfit while the midi skirt allows for movement and a little wiggle room just in time for the eating season 😉. I decided to go with my gold glitter mules from Madewell, because I mean what else would I pair with this haha. Although these exact mules aren’t available anymore, I have linked similar pairs!

To dress this look up even more you could throw on some tights and heels!

Look 4: The Versatile Look

Let me start by saying I love this Shrunken Ex-Boyfriend Shirt from Madewell! It was the perfect addition to my closet. I think having a dressy-ish button down in your closet is important because it is such a versatile piece. You can literally pair it with anything! This one in particular is a little shorter so it fits my torso great.

When putting these two looks together I wanted to show how versatile this outfit could be! You can go from business casual to business chic by simply swapping out the shoes! Of course, you can always elevate the look by accessorizing with jewelry or tights. I also decided to tie a front knot with this shirt to create a visual was it line and somewhere for the eye to fall. It also helps create a chic look with minimal effort!

There you have it folks, 4 different ways to wear a leopard print midi. I love how each of these looks creates a different vibe and you can wear it however you’d like depending on your mood!

Here are some more similar skirts in case the one linked isn’t your style! Hope you enjoyed the read, be sure to subscribe and let me know what you’d like to see next!

Similar leopard midi