Fall into Fall....and blogging

So ladies {and gents?}, welcome to my blog! I'm sad to say that this new little venture was inspired by my bestie, LAS, moving to the other side of the country.  She started a blog to document her adventure, and now I'm thinking I'll follow in her footsteps. Not the footsteps to Los Angeles, of course, but the footsteps of archiving my own adventure.

I have a lot of loves in my life; my husband Thompy, my job, my family, my cat, crafting, television....the list goes on. But there is one relationship that has been an up-and-downer my whole life. And that's my relationship with fashion. I have loved clothes as far back as I can remember. I can spend hours leafing through pages of Vogue, and I'm guilty of filling "carts" on endless.com, shopbop.com, and net-a-porter.com, only to slam the lid of my laptop and sulk off to bed without buying a thing. My problem? NO MONEY. I've always started each season with the high hopes that I will swiftly collect all of the high-priced pieces that I've been coveting for months, and that I'll be the best dressed girl in the city. But my hopes are quickly dashed once I come to grips with the fact that it will take me weeks and weeks to scrape together enough cash for one measly pair of Fendi loafers...and after all that saving, I'll be left with no money to purchase an outfit to wear with my gorgeous new shoes! So I wind up in a funk, totally frustrated and feeling like I'll never be rich enough to be stylish.

But I have decided that this travesty will end......and it will end this season. Fall is my ultimate favorite time  of year, both for the weather and the trends. I love to layer, I love boots, and I L-O-V-E sweaters. I love preppy touches (like the aforementioned Fendi loafers), but I also love to be a bit rough around the edges. I have a laundry list of pieces that I want to purchase for the fall (and winter) and I have decided that I won't rest until I've got them all in my closet. But instead of making myself crazy (and more broke than I already am), I'm pledging to use those luxury pieces that I lust after as inspiration for things I can find, and more importantly afford, at the Gap and DSW. This will be the season that I'm stylish and thrifty. And I'm going to lay it all out here for you to follow.....

Here's my list of dream pieces for Fall/Winter 2010, in no particular order :-)
*black boyfriend blazer
*tweed shorts
*lightweight military style jacket
*over-the-knee boots
*saddle bag
*drapey, three-quarter sleeved cardigan
*chunky knit vest
*cropped, slouchy pants
*embellished, deco-style white tank
*oxfords
*printed, tie-neck blouse
*boldly patterned mini
*wedged desert booties
*lacy blouse
*cargo leggings
*swingy, sequined jacket
*riding pants
*a cape with toggle buttons (like Paddington Bear!)
*neon cashmere
*lace-up boots

It's a long list, I know. Thompy has made me aware of this on more than one occasion. But with each posting, I'll be sharing with you my inspiration piece as well as my "girl's gotta eat" piece. (Because let's face it....I do need to have some money left over for groceries after all of these purchases!) Whether I find it on-line or in a store, I'll be sure to document it here. Hopefully, we can all realize together that fashion need not be frustrating. And let's hope there are some deals out there for me......because I've only got a few Lonely Benjamins in my bank account.