fashion Archives - Thrifty Wife Happy Life

LuLaRoe Review

November 5, 2018 by Katie Haller

Have you heard of LuLaRoe yet? If you are like me, you probably know of them or maybe even know someone who sells it. I mostly know LuLaRoe for their colorful prints and leggings. The clothing brand focuses on selling comfortable clothing for all women, all sizes. You can buy LuLaRoe from an independent retailer, through Facebook groups and pop up parties. I was recently contacted by one of my followers, Crystal, from @coffeewithcrystallife. She sells LuLaRoe and wanted to send me some of their clothing to try out and see how I liked it. Of course, I said yes! I had never actually looked closely at anything from LuLaRoe, so I was expecting a lot of leggings with big prints. That was not the case at all. Crystal had a lot of really pretty dresses and tops in her boutique. Some had patterns, some had simple prints or solid colors. There really was a wide variety to choose from, something I wasn’t expecting. I picked out 3 items, so today I want to share them with you.

The first item I picked out was this striped dress called the Amelia. I can never pass up a striped dress. This dress is super comfortable and I love the fit. I really love the quality of the fabric too. It’s very lightweight and breathable. I tried styling it casual, but I personally think that it looks better dressed up. I’m thinking that I’m either going to save this dress for a wedding we are going to next fall or I will wear it to a Christmas party this year, who knows maybe I’ll wear it twice!

The other 2 items I picked out was a black tank top and a long grey duster cardigan called the Sarah. Again, both of these clothing items are very good quality and extremely comfortable. I feel like you can’t go wrong with a simple tank top because they are perfect for wearing under cardigans and jackets, then in the summertime, you can wear them on their own. The duster cardigan is so cozy! I’m loving the length of it! The other day I wore it with leggings and I didn’t want to take it off. I also love that it has pockets!

I’m so happy that I had the chance to try out LuLaRoe because I can finally find out what all the fuss is all about. I was really impressed with the quality and the comfort of all these items. I also really love that LulaRoe caters to all women. Their sizes go from XXS to XXXL. Fashion is for everyone, no matter what size you are and I love that this company recognizes that. The only downfall that I could find is that their clothes are a little pricey, at least for my budget. I typically don’t spend that much on my clothes, however, I am never afraid of a splurge.

If you are interested in trying out LuLaRoe, head over to Chrystal’s Instagram (HERE) or Facebook group (HERE) to learn more.

Striped Swing Dress

May 11, 2017 by Katie Haller

Did you know that May is one of my favorite months? I have so many great memories of the month of May. There are flowers blooming, great weather, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, my wedding anniversary is in May… what’s not to love about May? That’s why today I wanted to share a look that would be perfect for any event you do this month, featuring one of my favorite dresses that I bought last Spring.

I found this adorable striped swing dress last spring at Nordstrom Rack. (original post here) I just love how lightweight and flowy this dress is. My favorite way to wear it is to layer it with my denim jacket. I swear this jacket goes with everything and I wear it all the time. I accessorized the look with my cognac purse and wedge sandals. I love accessorizing with cognac, especially with black and white stripes. People used to tell me that you can’t mix brown with black, but I think that’s such a silly fashion rule. Cognac is the perfect shade of brown to mix up with your black and white.

Here is the look. Oh yeah… did I mention that it was really windy the day I took these pictures? Even though it was hard to get good pictures with the wind, it did make for some fun photos.

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Shop my closet

Dress- Nordstrom Rack (similar similar) || Denim Jacket- Jessica Simpson (similar) || Purse- Last Call Neiman Marcus- (exact) || Shoes- Old Navy- Thrifted from the Goodwill- (similar similar)

I hope you have a great rest of your week!

What to Wear for the 4th of July!

June 28, 2016 by Katie Haller

I love the 4th of July! It’s always been a special holiday for my family and me. Not only is it our country’s birthday, but it’s also my dad’s birthday. I have a lot of happy memories spending this day with my family while growing up. Ever since I was a little girl, I always had to make sure that I wore my red, white and blue on Independence Day. Now that I’m an adult, not much has changed. I still look for those colors in my closet to make sure I’m festive for whatever I have planned on that day.

Some easy ways to put together a great 4th of July outfit is to look for basic pieces like shorts, tank tops, and skirts, then accessorize them with some holiday flair. For me, I like to accessorize with my red beads and add some denim in for my blue.

Whether you plan to spend your day at the beach, a picnic, barbecue, parade, fireworks or even if you have to be at the office…here are some easy ways to incorporate red, white and blue into your look.

I like this casual maxi skirt look. It’s perfect for a hot summer day, plus it’s super comfortable!

I love this white Ann Taylor dress. I actually wear it as a bathing suit cover up most of the time, but when you pair it with some wedge shoes, red beads, and a denim jacket; it can really dress it up nicely.

This casual look is perfect for a day time BBQ, then you can add the denim jacket to it for evening fireworks. I love the navy and white stripes in this tank top.

This is another great evening to look for fireworks. Having a red sweater in your closet can definitely come in handy, especially for holidays.

This look is a great work outfit for the day before the long weekend. We all know that a workday can drag on, especially the day before a holiday weekend. Dressing up a little bit festive can make your day more fun!

Those are my 4th of July looks. Follow me on Instagram @thriftywifehappylife to find out what I end up wearing this year on the 4th. I hope everyone has a safe a fun holiday!

Shopping Finds

May 4, 2016 by Katie Haller

After having a baby, shopping is just not the same anymore. Going to the store and leisurely shopping the way I used to is not easy. But last weekend I decided to face my fears of shopping with an infant and just do it. We ended up having a nice little Sunday afternoon out bargain shopping (Jack slept the entire time of course). I ended up at my favorite store at the moment… Nordstrom Rack. I still had $25 on a Nordstrom gift card from Christmas, and when I get a gift card, you know I’m going to make the most of it and stretch the money as far as I can. Since I’m trying really hard to be disciplined with my spending habits, I tried to stick to my spring/summer wish list that I made a few weeks ago (post here). This way I was able to remember the things that I really wanted and not get sidetracked.

I’ve been wanting a new pair of jeans for the longest time. This might sound crazy coming from someone with a closet full of jeans, but you can never have enough denim. I had something specific in mind. I wanted to find a pair of jeans with a thin stretchy material that would be nice and light for the warmer weather, and also had distress faded look to them. I ended up settling on a pair of jeans with no holes and thicker material. They were only $12.97 and they fit well. I felt that I couldn’t beat the price so I bought them. Once I got them home, I tried them on and realized I had made a mistake. Despite the great price and fit, they were not the jeans that I was looking for. So later in the week, I made a quick trip back to Nordstrom Rack to return them. While I was skimming through the clearance racks I stumbled upon this pair of jeans for $13.50. I was so excited because they weren’t there earlier in the week and they were just what I was looking for, including the price. I was very satisfied with my exchange.

(similar)

My other Nordstrom Rack purchase was this striped swing dress that I bought for $18.97. Now I know on my shopping list I was looking for a bright spring color dress. I’m still searching for one, but I thought that this dress was a safe bet for me. I love black and white and I love stripes. I figured that I would bring some color to it with a fun necklace. This style of dress will be perfect for the hot desert summer that we have here in Las Vegas.

(exact)

My last purchase was from Target and it came straight from my shopping list. I was looking for a pair of braided sandals to replace the white braided sandals that I bought at Target years ago. I ended up pretty much buying the same pair in the cognac color. I paid full price, but they were only $15.99, so I wasn’t sad about that. Target is one of my favorite places to buy shoes because their shoes are always affordable and they are made well for cheap shoes. I know that I will get plenty of use out of these sandals.

(exact)

Whenever I get new clothes I love to put together new outfits and share them. So here are a couple looks I came up with.

Here I put together 2 looks with my new jeans. On the left, I have a casual look with my new sandals. On the right, I put together a dressier outfit with a blazer and heels.

Here are 2 outfits with my swing dress. The first look on the left is simple and perfect for the hot summer weather. On the right, I wore my wedge strappy sandals with my denim jacket to dress it up a bit more.

I hope you like my shopping finds. Hopefully, you can find some great spring deals too! Happy shopping!

Recreating Your Wardrobe

March 22, 2015 by Katie Haller

With it being the beginning of a new season, it’s the perfect time to head out to the stores and stock up on some new spring looks. Well, if you’re trying to save money, you might want to rethink that idea. For me, I’ve definitely been feeling the urge to go shopping lately. I have a new job and the weather keeps getting warmer and warmer. I’d love to go drop a bunch of money on a new wardrobe, but I can’t do that on my budget. One thing that I have always found helpful to keep me out of the stores when I get that itch to go shopping, is to reinventing my wardrobe. It’s time for me to get creative and take a deeper look at my clothes to find new ways to wear them.

One way I’ve been recreating my wardrobe lately is by taking a second look at older pairs of jeans. I have too many pairs of jeans to count, yet I always feel like I need a new pair. This is probably because I don’t wear all of them. I still have jeans that I wore in college sitting in my closet. Instead of buying new jeans, I’ve been trying to wear my old ones, but just style them a little differently by rolling them.

Here are a couple examples.

I’ve had these American Eagle jeans for a while. I bought them at TJ Maxx for a really great price about 6 years ago. They have escaped my clothes donation bag a few times, mostly because they’re my only pair of ripped jeans. I’m not really feeling the flared jean look as much anymore, so instead of getting rid of them and shopping for a new pair of ripped jeans, I decided to style them a little differently by rolling them and making them look more tapered. Now I have a cute casual pair of jeans to wear.

Give your jeans a new look by rolling the bottom

These jeans are from Express. I bought them on clearance a few years ago. I really haven’t gotten a whole lot of use out of them until now. They are cute straight-legged jeans, but they’re a little long on me. So I’ve been just rolling them a bit. They have been a great pair of jeans to wear during the week to work.

Another way that I have been reinventing my wardrobe, is by mixing my winter clothes with my summer clothes. I really like the look of mixing my winter tops with shorts and dresses.

Here are a few examples.

I wore my navy blazer (Target) with a striped navy tank top (Target), light khaki shorts (Old Navy) and white sandals (Target).

Black sundress with red boyfriend cardigan and leopard scarf

For this look, I wore a black sundress (Target) with a red boyfriend cardigan (Target). I accessorized with a lightweight leopard scarf (Charming Charlie) and leopard flip flops (Express).

LC Lauren Conrad black blouse with shorts and wedge sandals

This look is great for a warm summer night. I wore a black LC Lauren Conrad blouse (Kohl’s) with my khaki shorts (Old Navy) and my wedged sandals (Kohl’s)

If you’re bored with your clothes, the best advice I can give to you is to accessorize them up! Accessorizing can take a simple outfit you wear all the time and turn it into something brand new.

Here is a great example of what accessories can do for an outfit. This is one of my favorite black sun dresses. I bought it at Express when I was in college, so it’s been in my closet for awhile. I usually wear it in the summer with a simple necklace and some flip flops. I decided to try it out with my coral necklace and wedged sandals. Now I have a great new look perfect for a summer night or even a tropical vacation.

I bought this dress last spring at Target. It’s super cute on its own, but when I accessorize it with my green bead necklace, silver belt, black cardigan and wedge shoes, I have a new outfit! It’s perfect for work, church or even a shower luncheon.

It really doesn’t take much to make your old clothes feel like new again. You just have to get creative. Before you do your spring shopping this year, look in your closet first and try something new. You never know what you will find!

Shopping Finds- Searching for a Bathing Suit on a Budget

March 7, 2015 by Katie Haller

It may not feel like it for most of the country, but summer is right around the corner. With this in mind, I’ve been searching for the perfect bathing suit. I’ve been in desperate need of a new bathing suit for a while now. Since I don’t have a body like a Victoria Secret model, bathing suit shopping has never been fun for me. Yet I still love a great swimsuit. If you can find something that flatters your body, you’ll feel great!

Now that I’m 30, not 21, I wanted to find a 2 piece that would be flattering and age-appropriate. I also wanted to find something affordable. Usually, I’d wait until late summer when bathing suits get marked down, but with 80-degree weather in the forecast for next week, I couldn’t hold off that long.

Before I buy anything, I always go right to Pinterest to get an idea of what I want. Here are a few of my favorite bathing suit pins.

Top Left: Victoria Secret Top Right: Victoria Secret Bottom Left: Revolve Bottom Right: Anthropologie

As you can see, I love a black bathing suit. Black is classic and flattering, plus it goes with everything. I like that I can mix and match my black tops and bottoms with other bathing suit tops and bottoms that I have in my drawers. This way I don’t only get 1 new bathing suit, I get 3 new bathing suits. I also wanted a bottom that would cover my backside and acute top that also had decent coverage.

If money was no object, I’d probably buy all 4 of these bathing suits above, but since I can’t really afford to buy even one of them, I had to look around for a suit in my price range. I always try to stick to a $30 budget for all my clothes, including my bathing suits.

I ended up finding a cute bathing suit last weekend at Target. They had a buy one get one 50% off sale going on. Target bathing suits usually run between $12.99-$24.99 per piece. Because of the sale, I was able to stick to my $30 budget.

Push-up Halter Bikini Top (Here) Keyhole Side Tie Bikini Bottoms (Here)

This bathing suit is the perfect suit for the summer. I’ll be able to keep my eyes open for some cute clearance tops and bottoms to mix it up and also some cute beach cover-ups. Target is still having their BOGO bathing suit sale, so I’d definitely check it out! They have a great selection and I’ve always had good luck with Target bathing suits. Happy Shopping and don’t forget, summer will be here before you know it!