Meet @ the Barre Life + Style blog by Amanda Elizabeth

Fashion•Forever 21•H&M•Nine West•Toms Desert Booties•Zara

5 Outfit Pieces in Heavy Rotation

February 4, 2014
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I don’t know if y’all have figured this by now about me….I like lists.  I wanted to share with you my top five pieces that have been in heavy rotation this season for me.  They are all super affordable!  Also they have washed and worn extremely well.

#1.  Zara Riding Leggings

I am not joking when I say order these right now.  Order them in navy and black….maybe even order two pairs of black and put one aside for next season.  The price point is unbelievable!  Like hello $35 and free shipping. They are thick and suck you in perfectly.  The waistband comes up a little higher so no muffin top.  It has a side riding panel and gold zippers at the top. I wear them with ballet flats, low pumps and they look absolutely perfect with boots.  My sister was lusting over them and they came back up on their website.  Order them I promise you will not regret it.  Sizing Guide…..I got a size small they look tiny when you hold them up but they really stretch and compress you in.  Click on this link for the leggings (some of my non blog savvy friends were asking about the links to things…..anything pink is clickable! ;-)

# 2 Nine West Ballet Flats

You know when you get a pair of ballet flats and you’re all excited because they are flat and should be comfortable?  Instead they rub the back of your heels and give you blisters?  Or like my Tory Burch ones that squeezed the back of my heel so badly that my heel would be numb by the end of the day.  I found these ballet flats at TJ Maxx they were $29.99.  They have a really pretty pointed toe and are beyond comfortable.  Mine have black rhinestones on the back of the heel.  The style is called Smile at Me.  I think they are old I can’t find them online but here is an exact dupe minus the sparkles.  Best part they are on sale score!  Get them I promise you will love them.  I literally wear mine 4 times a week.  They are so comfortable and there was no breaking in period.

I also really love these!  Valentines Day anyone?
#3 Southwestern Oversized Sweater
Continuing on with my post from yesterday about how I can now only online shop at Forever 21….I got this sweater when it was still August here in Florida because I knew the trends with oversized sweaters like this were here to stay (at least that is what Pinterest told me).  I bought it and sent it one of my girlfriends at work and told her to buy it even though it was still 95 degrees out.  We were both very happy because the next day it was sold out.  This one is very similar.  It has long almost kimono like sleeves and you can literally throw it over anything.  I get stopped at least three times a day when I wear it.  I also started cinching it with a thin belt (because Pinterest showed me how).  I also really like this and this as well.
# 4 Dark Gray Skinnies
I’m sure my office is sick of me wearing these.  I swear I have a few pairs.  I wear them with the above ballet flats, or these pumps mentioned in this post, or tucked into boots.  I found my ultimate pair at TJMaxx on clearance (I had one of those total “hits” days a few months back).  They are by BlankNYC.  They run true to size, I got a 28 in the them and they fit pretty standard.  Keep an eye out for them at your TJMaxx/Marshalls.  On clearance they were $29.  I could only find them so far online for full price but they had a lot of TJ’s.  Apparently the style is “spray on”….I don’t know all about that. I can you that I can breathe in them and they are appropriate for work.  I put a thin cuff at the bottom when wearing them with heels.  I also have two pairs from Forever 21 which have really kept their shape and don’t bag out after extended periods of wear.  Here is the link to the style…naturally no gray online…I found mine in the store…it was a miracle and they were on the clearance rack.  However they come in a million other colors.
# 5 Blazer from H&M
Don’t get me started on what a cluster that store is.  This is the only thing I have bought from there because I lasted 3 minutes in the store before I had a panic attack.  Maybe other stores are better but my local one is like total overload with people, clothes and very narrow pathways.  Also the dressing rooms were a wreck.  I tried this on in a mirror by the checkout line.  I wear it all.the.time.  I travel with it, crush it in a suitcase and then wash it in my standard washing machine.  I let it hang dry and it’s good as new.  It holds its structure really well and I’ve had it for two seasons and still looks really good.  Hello amazing price point! You may want to get two colors.  I have the navy and I wear it with everything.  I roll the sleeves up and it has a cute stripped pattern underneath.  Size Guide.  I ordered a size 4.  It fits snug.  I would recommend going up one size if you want to wear thicker pieces underneath it.
One Splurge If You Can Swing It-  Toms Desert Booties
I could go into a dissertation about these booties.  It involved stalking down some girl in Vegas who was wearing them and searching every Nordstroms and Toms Distributor but they were sold out last season.  The minute I got the email from Toms they were back…I ordered them….in August…..and they sat in my closet…until November.  They are so comfortable.  I wore them all day on Gaparilla and no problems.  Perfect wedge heel.  I wear them with the above skinnies and riding pants.  I have seen them with dresses….haven’t done that but trust me you will love them.  I have patients stopping me mid sentence to ask me about them.  You will not regret it. Of course this season they made plenty so you do need to worry about backorders….or stalking the poor people at Nordstroms…I think they are scared of me.
Well there you have it! My top 5ish things in my closet on serious rotation.  Do you have any these similar ones? What has been your go to pieces this season?  Share with me!  Hope you have a great day! xoxoxooxoxo

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Comments

  1. this post made me jizz so hard.

    1) 1000000% yes to the toms booties. i have 2 pairs – black and tan and i LOVE THEM SO MUCH. once i forgot where i put my black pair and couldn’t find them and damn near cried and tore my house apart looking for my beloved booties.

    2) yes to living in leggings all the live long day. but damn girl, $35 for a pair? that price displeases the cheap chinawoman in me. i’m wearing skinny sweat pants right now and pretending they’re leggings and they cost $7.99.

    3) i came >thisclose< to buying a sweater like that from old navy. it was on sale for $21 but then i thought: do i really need another oversize sweater? the answer is YES, ALWAYS but i’m trying not to spend too much so i removed it from my cart. and now i’m kicking myself for doing that.

    and i hate F21. i NEVER shop in there because it’s so disorganized and chaotic and the young humans in there make me crazy.

    kathy
    Vodka and Soda

  2. Love the blazer – I’m always looking for something I can wear at night with some great skinnies and that is the perfect blazer!! I bought a pair of skinnies from Ann Taylor Loft and I live in them during the fall and winter – burgundy and so perfect!! Those booties are super cute – I have a similar pair from loft as well…bought on sale from $100 for $10!!! Bargain hunters over here haha!

  3. Great pieces!! Yes, I love leopard footware… it’s a weakness of mine. Also, grey pullovers of any sort and distressed denim are my go-to staples. Something about that combo is always so chic but always looks effortlessly cool.
    Those suede booties are fabulous:)
    XO, Gina
    http://classyeverafter.blogspot.com

  4. i have some ponte knit leggings and i live in them. and flats. i go everywhere in flats (during the work week). then it’s party time in heels on the weekend hahah

  14. Adore this post! I am all over those riding leggings…about to order now! It’s hard to tell in the pics how navy the navy is. It kinda looks just like the black. I’m guessing they’re different in real life? Thanks for the recs! xo

  19. I love love love that aztec sweater! I’m the same way about F21 – their online selection is so much better than in store! And there is too much “stuff” piled into small spaces in their store, it gives me anxiety!!

  21. I do not own a blazer! I was supposed to purchase one last year but never came across one I truly had to have. The search continues and H&M might be my next place to search! Those leggings are amazing! So gorgeous.

  24. YES to good black leggings. I have about worn out my 2 pairs of Spanxx and am looking for another go-to brand. Those with my cognac Rebecca Minkoff riding boots have definitely been staple items recently. And love a good pair of leopard flats so hope Cupid brings you some :)

  29. I hate flats for that very reason–I feel like a good pair of heels is more comfortable to walk in (if you dont have to stand all day) but that’s probably because I’ve gotten crappy flats that rub all the wrong places! I’ll keep an eye out for these

  38. those shoes look so comfy – I just got a similar sorta pair and love them. also will look for those skinnies. all mine that I have now are kinda stretched out and blah looking.
    — jackie – jade and oak

  41. Thank you for your lovely comment on our blog, Very nice post, love the Zara legging and actually Zara is one of my favorite store but not sure about Nine West shoes I’ve been having bad luck lately with their shoes. Would you like to follow each other on GFC, Bloglovin and facebook? Please let us know
    a beautiful maison
    fb/abeautifulmaison

  44. I love the dark gray pants! My mother works at Marshalls. I will tell her to keep an eye out for them! She gets 20 % off once a month(at TJ Maxx and Home Goods also!), so naturally I do a lot of our shopping at that time.
    Stacy

  45. Those Zara riding pants are killer!!!! I have a cheaper pair from F21 that I have worn over and over!! I agree about H&M ours is always a wreck and the racks are close close together that I can hardly move.

  48. My leggings are getting so much use right now too that it’s unreal. I am going to have to buy all new pairs next year because I will have worn them out!

    agirlandhersparkles.blogspot.com

  50. I love your list! Those Zara leggings look perfect. I have to say, I practically live in my leggings haha. Also, I can’t wait to wear ballet flats again! It will be biker boots and thick socks for a good few months yet though, so cold!

  52. i LOVE those toms! may have to check into getting some of those. i can relate to h&m but somehow i can tolerate that store. it reminds me of forever 21 and their hectic racks and setup and i’m like you in reverse, i can’t shop there!

  54. Flats are so deceiving. They lure you in at the store by pretending to be comfortable while you walk around for 10 minutes and then once you get home the reveal their true, torturous selves. I got a pair of Reva’s for Christmas and I’ve been trying everything to wear them in. You’ve inspired me to do a post on it!

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