Find it Cheaper

The Hopleaf dress - Modcloth - $62.99
The Plumfield dress - Modcloth- $62.99

This find it cheaper is kind of tricky... it's not really easy to get these dresses at a discount, but the effort is really worthwhile because of the ridiculous amount of money you would save.

I found the dresses available wholesale at Theme Clothing for $23.00 each. At Modcloth they are $63. You need to have an account to view them (just having a wordpress account works) and -- here is the tricky part -- you have to buy 2 smalls, 2 mediums and 1 large. Eek. BUT if you have friends who all love these dresses and fit these sizes you get the dresses 60% off of what Modcloth asks! If you want them desperately & don't have friends who do- you could always leave comments on this post stating what size you'd like, and if we get the right amount of people for each size you could do a collaborative order. I for one think it's worth it for the savings :) Or if you have the ready cash, you could just buy the five dresses & sell the four you don't use on your blog or ebay. You could even make money by just marking it up $5-$10 a dress, and it would still be 50% off of what Modcloth is asking.

FYI though, you might want to check out my previous post on this dress style, and how it isn't meant for the curvy figure...

I promise the next Find it Cheaper will be a lot easier to buy!!

a furry subject

As an animal lover, vegetarian and animal rights activist, I have always been vehemently opposed to fur and leather. So when shopping, I always made sure that anything resembling leather was 100% man-made. No real leather for me! But for some reason I drew the line at faux fur. The mere fact that it resembled animal fur kept me from buying it.

But last year, when stores started rolling out more faux fur coats & accessories I started to re-think this decision. Early last winter I was shopping at Kohls, when in the jewelry department I saw an old lady walk by in a floor-length fur coat. Obviously real, I thought to myself, and gave her a really dirty look. Not minutes later I saw a girl my age (early 20's) walk by in the pajama section, wearing a cute pea coat with fur trim. Awesome coat, I thought to myself, and admired the obviously faux fur lining.

When I snapped out of my clothing-envy-daze I realized that both of these women had on something resembling fur, but I automatically assumed the old lady was wearing real fur & the young girl was wearing faux. The same would hold true, I think, for two middle aged women -- one wearing huge diamond rings, a Prada bag and a perfect coif (obviously real fur) and one wearing flats, leggings and a non-designer bag (obviously faux fur) If you're old or rich, I think the fur is real. If you're young or not rich, I'll tend to think it's faux. Obviously there are many rich old people who have qualms with wearing animal fur & go with the faux. Obviously there are young people who splurge on a real mink hat. But for the most part, this is my perception.

Perhaps all of this reasoning was just my brain's way of convinving myself it was o.k. to wear faux fur. (After all, I do wear faux leather!) But aside from its relevance to my own personal decision to wear faux fur or not, I think it's an interesting thought. Now that we know where fur comes from, and what the process does to animals, is it a consensus thought that most young people nowadays will only wear faux or vintage? When you see young people and old people wearing fur, do you have the same inclinations to think what I did?


Here are some examples of some really nifty faux fur options available online, really gorgeous clothing and not one animal was harmed in the process of making them.

Luxurious shag jacket
F21 - $32.80

Jealous of Fame stole
Modcloth- $59.99

Motel Leopard Faux Fur Short Coat
ASOS - £65.00

Snow Leopard Faux Fur Coat
Urban Outfitters - $124.99

Faux fur swing jacket- brown/black minx
Target - $39.99

Faux fur hat- grey
Target- $14.99

Adorable!

I'm not a photographer, but even I am in love with this ring! I can't help but think how cute it would be if it took mini photos too, but that's probably asking too much for $7.99

Camera ring from Ruche.

It'll look so much better on you...

When I'm doing online clothes shopping, I often forget (or subconsciously ignore the fact...) that I am not a sprite, petite little thing like this:


No, instead, I am (albiet not nearly as drop-dead-gorgeous) assembled more like this..


I know, I know.. curves are great, embrace your hourglass figure, yadda yadda yadda... but really it STINKS to be curvy when all you want to do is wear a cute little number like this:


During one of my "I am petite and flat-chested like Audrey Hepburn" fantasies, I slurged on this adorable dress from Modcloth. Well, it came in the mail today and basically I looked like a stripper raiding her 12 year old daughter's wardrobe. It just looks so dumb on me.

So anyway, long story short-- the dress, as beautiful, cute and lovely as it is (even more lovely in person than it was online, and the fabric is gorgeous!!) just doesn't fit my figure. I was going to just send it right back to Modcloth, but the dress is totally sold out on their site. So I figured I'd offer it up to anyone who wants it here, first, before packing it up (since, if you wanted it, you wouldn't be able to buy it from them anymore)

If you're interested, just drop me a line at kategabrielleart@yahoo.com

You can view the specs here -- I'm charging the same price as Modcloth (since I'd get that money back if I return it anyway..) but shipping is free. It's a size Medium.

Style That Gives Back...

Hey, Millie here! I just love finding spiffily cool items that can actually help someone else in the world.

When you buy any of the items in this post you will be directly helping someone in Africa, India, and elsewhere in the world (some of the items in this list were actually MADE by women in Africa). That just gets me to utterly exited!

When you click on each item you will see what they each individually support/the story behind it!

TOMS.com
"TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about."

Vegan Habitante TOMS ($54)


Burlap Woven TOMS ($54)


Remarque Youth TOMS ($38)

Vegan Olive Wrap Boots ($98)

Overlooked.com

"We are not a charity. We are not a ministry. We are not seeking donations. We simply want to offer you easy, practical ways to help people that have been overlooked and make the world a better place. When you buy our merchandise you allow us to provide children in Africa with mosquito nets and clean water. You allow us to free young girls in India from sexual slavery. You allow us to loan money to women in poverty to start new businesses for a chance to support their own families. We are more than just another charity, ministry or t-shirt company. We are Overlooked."

5 Years of Clean Water ($20)


Because Somethings Were Never Meant To Be Caged ($20)

Homelessness ($20)



Freeset Olive Cross Bag ($21)


Malaria Prevention Organic Cotton Tote ($20)


Light Gives Heat.org

"Empowering Africans through the encouragement of economic stability and creative endeavors. Motivating people in the West to 'be the change they want to see in the world'."




Confetti ($17)


Organic Hope Shirt ($15)

Epoh Patchwork Bag ($35)


One.org
"ONE is a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization backed by more than 2 million people who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa."


Feed One ($65)

P.S. I personally own a pair of TOMS (their "Be the change" shoes) and they are so amazing! I wear them EVERYWHERE! Also, I am currently undecided whether to buy a "Clean Water" shirt or a "Caged" shirt! Ah, the decisions!

-Millie

Kate's closet

About six months ago I cleaned out my closet & tried selling some stuff on ebay. Selling on ebay has never been a pleasant experience for me, and this last time wasn't any different so I made a pledge to myself to never do it again.

Well as you can tell from my previous posts here, I'm not exceptionally good at purchase restraint, and that problem is exacerbated around Christmastime. So when my outrageous etsy bill showed up in my inbox on January first, I faced quite a dilmenna. I'd spent most of my savings on Christmas presents (okay, fine, I admit, AND a few dvds and clothing...) and the Christmas rush on etsy had come to a standstill. What to do? Where do I get money?

The answer to this question is ALWAYS selling my clothes. But this time I thought I'd try something a little different before I put myself through the agony of ebay again.

I have all of the clothing & accessories I'd like to sell listed here, with details and prices for each item. If you're interested in buying something, just e-mail me at kategabrielleart@yahoo.com and I'll send you a paypal invoice. Any questions, or for more pictures, feel free to ask in the comments! If I'm not your size, or you know someone who might like something listed please pass the link to the post along so I don't have to resort to (shhh!) ebay. Ugh.


You might remember this hat -- I wrote about it on Spiffy when I purchased it from Modcloth last year. Well, it turned out to be too big for my head (It's not large, I just have an unusually small head) so I never even took off the tags. It's in PERFECT condition. I paid about $45, you can have it for $27. SOLD


Faux fur white winter hat from my Dr. Zhivago phase. It's really adorable and fluffy & has leopard print inside lining. Never worn. $10 SOLD


Black cloche hat from Forever 21 with a little bow on the side. Same problem as hat #1-- my teeny crown. $10


Vintage black toque hat -- also from the Dr. Zhivago phase-- It looks a lot like this when it's being worn *and yes, it will make you look like Audrey Hepburn* $10


This is actually my favorite dress in my closet but, as much as I wish I could, I will never grow the extra few inches that this dress requires to look normal. (Do not buy if you are 5' tall. Just a warning.) It comes down almost to my ankles and looks kind of silly on me. BUT if you are 5' 5" or over, this will look AMAZING on you!! It reminds me of Ginger Rogers or Ruby Keeler daywear. It has amazing purple satin lining and spiffy buttons going down the back. The belt is removable. The whole thing is assembled beautifully and made from a really thick, waffle-weave material. Size 10 Never worn. $30 SOLD

I adore this dress, but again it was a fitting problem-- my bust is a little bit too big for the dress (I think it's a juniors size dress, which I didn't realize when I ordered it) Never worn. Size M (Juniors probably) $20

Sweater/Cape from Forever 21, a really comfy blue fabric with buttons up the front if you want to wear it open. Worn once or twice, size M. $10


Really adorable swing 3/4 sleeve coat from Old Navy. Only worn once or twice. Size M. $20.

Out of print Marlene Dietrich Juniors babydoll t-shirt. Worn often but in perfect condition. Size L (but would fit an adult S/M) $10

THE most awesome t-shirt ever made. Unfortunately, I needed to go up a size so I never ended up wearing this one. Out of print Frank Sinatra Juniors babydoll t-shirt. Size M (but would fit an adult S/M) $20


Audrey Hepburn Juniors babydoll t-shirt. Worn often but in perfect condition. Size L (but would fit an adult S/M) $10


Vintage cropped summer sweater with a really cute back! I think this is from the late 60's, and it's in perfect condition. Would probably fit S-L, there's no tag. $10 Detail of the back:




Out of print Greta Garbo Juniors babydoll t-shirt. Worn often but in perfect condition. Size L (but would fit an adult S/M) $10

Old Navy square neck, lined white blouse. Perfect condition, never worn. Size L $5


Brand new, never worn sweater vest from Forever 21. I call this my Rhoda sweater, it reminds me of something Rhoda from Mary Tyler Moore would wear (been watching a LOT of that show recently!) but it's never left my closet. Size L $8


New shirt from Forever 21 with tags still attached - Size L. I bought it in three colors but didn't like red that much and forgot to send it back :) $8


Dress from Target, worn once or twice. In perfect condition! Size M-L $10


Really adorable shirt from Forever 21 with a detailed crochet pattern at the bust (see below) Never worn, size L $10



Black sleeveless shirt from Forever 21 with a cute bow detail at the strap and mini pockets at the bottom. Worn once or twice. Size M $5


Striped shirt from Target, worn once or twice. This shirt has a kind of odd straight cut so if you have any kind of hips on you, which I do, I wouldn't recommend buying it. Size M. $10


New aqua shirt from Old Navy, never worn (despite the wrinkles lol, it's just been in my drawer for a while.) Size Petite M. $10


New sleeveless green shirt from Old Navy, with tags still attached. Size M. $8


Oversized purple Old Navy tunic. No tags attached, but I think it's probably a L or XL, could also work as a bathing suit cover-up. Never worn. $8


Old Navy fleece 3/4 sleeve white sweatshirt. I think this is ADORABLE beyond belief, but I have it in a dark green color that I like better, so I don't wear this one. Hardly worn, in perfect condition. Size L. $15