hello, dears! this post kicks off a new style feature on this blog that we'll be affectionately referring to as "budget babes" - essentially, it will be a style session of some kind on a set budget! this is super exciting for me because i get to mix two things that i absolutely love - styling outfits and bargain hunting!
about a week or so ago my friend beth sent me a facebook message asking for help styling her bridal shower outfit. at that point, she didn't have anything - no dress, no idea of what she wanted. i told her i'd be happy to help and a few days later she told me that she had just found an amazing dress at the j. crew outlet. it was navy, above-the-knee, v-neck and perfect on her.
so we laid out some loose guidelines for what we were looking for. for shoes, beth was pretty set on wedges (since she would more than likely be outside for at least part of the shower) and i was hoping for a pair in nude or blush to pair with the navy dress. she also needed a little cardigan or shrug to throw on in the evening, a belt of some kind and jewelry. she said that she doesn't really wear earrings, and since the dress is so classic and simple a bib necklace was the general decision for bling. with our mental list prepared, we set off!
we hit macy's first, but nothing quite right was available in her size (although she did get an amazing pair of wedges as a back-up and ended up keeping them). so we went to tjmaxx, where we found almost everything she needed! we started with shoes and poked around for a while before i spotted the perfect pair - a taupe patent wedge with thick criss-crossed elastic straps and back-zippers. she put them on and it was a total no-brainer, they looked perfect.
after the shoes were settled we went on the hunt for a shrug or cardigan. it was between a little mustard cardigan with flowers at the neckline, an adorable short-sleeved cream lace jacket that had a few pearl buttons at the waist and a super lightweight blush-toned cardigan with pleated chiffon panels from the clearance section. she tried on the little lace jacket first, and it was just a bit too sweet for what she was looking for. the mustard cardigan was really cute (and i love pairing yellow and navy!) but a bit heavy in weight for the weather we've been having. the last one she tried was the blush cardigan, and it was a total gem! the color against the navy was exactly what i had been hoping to find in shoes - and since we had gone with a deeper neutral for the wedges, the cardigan was perfect.
finally we popped by the jewelry counter (which beth didn't know existed!) and she was like a kid in a candy store! there were bib necklaces EVERYWHERE. she tried on a couple of funkier chain necklaces, but ended up deciding on a brushed-gold piece with rhinestone detailing which looked like it was made of vintage pins.
we found a little white patent skinny belt at marshall's to finish the outfit off, et voila! our trip was a total success! she's super happy with her outfit and her pieces and she looks and feels amazing in them! so, without further ado, my first budget babe, beth!
dress - j. crew outlet, on sale for $56
sweater - tjmaxx, $20 on clearance
shoes - tjmaxx, $34.99
belt - marshalls, $7 on clearance
necklace - tjmaxx, $29.99
she did a really great job of staying within a reasonable budget (she spent a total of $147.98 all together) and looks like a million bucks in her outfit. i think it's the perfect mix of sweet, sexy and edgy and has such a vintage feel. i love love love it and i can't wait to see photos from the shower!
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