Wednesday, May 11, 2011

work outfit: embracing the bow blouse


Right after I heard that bow blouses would be big this Spring and Summer. At first, I didn't think the look was for me, but I found this olive-hued piece for a buck, and figured I could try out the trend without breaking the bank. I liked it so much that I recreated its inaugural outfit to share with you today... also, I hadn't picked out my clothes the night before, so it was easier to go with the old tried-and-true. ;) Also featured are my favorite blazer, my favorite pants, and my shiniest shoes.

In other news, a friend of mine thought it would be fun if I contrasted the retail prices of my clothes with the prices I actually paid. The Asian side of me tsk tsks and warns against being a braggart, but the blogger side of me thinks people might find it helpful to see how much of a "discount" one can get by shopping outside of the normal retail realm. The latter impulse wins out for now, so here's a fun chart depicting price details (but please do let me know if you think it's too much):

Item Original Price My Price Vendor Type Location
Ben Sherman Cotton Blazer $200 $1 swap meet Huntington Beach
Merona Polyester Blouse $22 $1 swap meet Huntington Beach
Ann Taylor Slacks $88 $1 swap meet San Fernando
Carlos Santana Pumps $88.99 $25 Ross Los Angeles
London Fog handbag $150 $0 (X-mas money) Marshall's Costa Mesa
Outfit Total: $549 $28


Because of the secondhand nature of my clothes, some items are no longer available in stores. In these instances, I've done my best to find the closest approximations (considering brand, material, size, et cetera) for the purposes of price comparison.

1 comment:

  1. Great post! Love that you include a table with the prices! We do not have thrift stores here..

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