Closet Vomit

With our interview complete, weeks later, the three of us hit the mall to find Sam the perfect, sexy date night outfit. LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

Our first stop? Macy’s. Lots of great dresses, and usually department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale;s have great sales on popular designers. (Hint: Signing up for store credit cards can often knock off an extra 15-25%!)

This Missoni-style print was beautiful and eye-catching, but not exactly the perfect fit. 

We loved this color on Sam! (JEWEL TONES!) But it was a little plain for our taste. Also: Sam owns a lot of royal blue. 

Sammy found this one to be a smidge baggy…

but we were fans of these cute buttons on the shoulder. 

We really liked this style, but we felt we could find something a little more flirty.

This cute sailor inspired dress was totally Sam’s style, but a bit out of her price range. 

We found some other dresses we loved at Bebe, but Sam found too form-fitting for her taste. (SHE LOOKS GREAT SAM YOU SHOULD BUY THEM) 

Sam’s a ham.

She really loved this one. 

This Guess one, too. Once we got to Express, however, things started clicking. 

Until, we found the one we loved. Just as a refresher… here’s our Sammy “before” on a typical date night. 

and… “After!”

We loved this coral strapless number, not only because of its flattering color, but seamless fit. Also fabulous? The price. $69, a cool ten dollars under budget.

We’d like to thank Sam’s sister Jenna for providing us with shoes and jewelry!

We thought the contrasting coral and turquoise was a great color combo for summer. 

Ready for her date!

But of course, a great makeover is always easy with a beautiful lady. Thanks for your help Sam. And as always, thanks for reading. 

XOX

Suzy & Alana

We love Sam. Sam is an old friend, a beautiful girl, and in search of a new date night outfit. We sat with this lovely lady to figure out what she was looking for. 

Suzy:You want us to help you find an outfit you can wear for multiple types of dates?

Sam:Well, you should ask me what type of dates we go on (laughs)

Suzy:What kind of dates do you go on?

Sam:I would say, depending on the weather, we are always down to see a flick.  And I mean we’re very picky about the flicks that we see. And it really depends on the weather.

Suzy:I mean it is summer…

Sam:Yeah its summer, now so if its nice out, mini golf, it’s a very competitive activity.  So maybe we go mini golfing, get ice cream and go to Marsh Creek. 

Alana:You’re also looking for something you can wear later, for multiple types of events?

Suzy:Like if you went to go get dinner and drinks, like something more formal?

Sam: Yeah!

Alana: I don’t know I was thinking something more casual.

Suzy: Oh.  Do you want something more casual?

Sam: Yah casual, I mean we’re going to get icecream, we’re not going into Philly at Buddhakan or anything.

Alana: What stores do you normally shop at, and do you shop with something specific in mind?

Sam: Hmmm, yeah well I go shopping because I’m usually in the mood for shopping, like I need to spend $60.  So I usually go with some sort of budget in mind.  I go to H&M and I browse the entire store multiple times.  I usually go in and out of the fitting room, I’ll always find something else to try on, I’ll take in like 25 things and I’ll like one thing, I’m really quite picky.. It has to be good for the price. I’m not going to buy something for $80.  So I’ll go to H&M, honestly still go to Forever21, I don’t usually leave satisfied.  They make their clothes for really short, skinny people.  Where ese?  H&M is the big one. 

Suzy: Do you ever go to GAP or Banana Republic?

Sam: Banana for more career stuff. I still go to Target too.

Suzy: Is there anything you wish to change about your wardrobe or your style?

Sam:  I would like to accessorize more.  And I like the idea of a dress that I can wear almost anywhere.

Suzy: We would love to help you with that, so what is your budget?

Sam: I don’t know, like $80?

Suzy: we can totally do that!

Suzy: Do you have any style icons?

Sam: I really like Kate Middleton, I love her clean lines and bold colors.  I mean I really have no reason to dress like her, but honestly if there is anything I need to tell you about me its that I need to wear jewel tones.  Do you see me, do you see this?  No pastels. 

Suzy: What are your absolute no’s?

Sam: No pastels, because of this, (grabs hair) and this (shows off pale skin).  My mother always tells me jewel tones.  Maybe if I  want to up my budget we include shoes because I need shoes I can wear with a bunch of stuff.  Because I have red heals, but how many times do wear red heels?  Maybe some wedges I could wear with a bunch of stuff? Because I’m currently wearing boat shoes and flats. 

So off we went, in search of a multi-purpose date night dress, under $80 and NOT pastel. For before and after effect, we snapped some shots of Sam in a typical, casual date night outfit. 

• Question: What is the weather going to be like this weekend? Can I wear shorts or will it be too cold? Thanks Closet Vomit!!! - Anonymous
• Answer:

  It’s gong to be 100 degrees with humidity.  I would suggest a maxi dress or bikini.  And don’t forget the sunscreen!

• Question: Would you rather spread margarine on your face or spread you're face on the margarine? - willstall
• Answer:

  Spread margarine on your face-DUH! I wouldn’t want to smear my mascara.

Finally! Sorry, we’re uh, a couple weeks late on this post… who knew working a real job took up so much time?

So, I (Alana) bought these bad boys on impulse at Express, the ticket said $40, but when I was rung up, they were only $30. I knew I had to have these shoes.  I thought they would be the perfect summer work shoes (no socks required) or fun shoes to go out in the city (closed toe and heel means they are not coming off like flip flops).  I rarely wear heels out, so I try to keep my footwear funky.

First off, let me note- I am not a model.

For this outfit I am wearing black jeggings Gap  neon pink lacy bandeau bra Arie, chiffon tank American Apparel denim vest, necklace  Forever21 feather earrings Fashion Bug

Who doesn’t love some unusual animal jewlery?  Snagged this alligator at Macy’s. But these shoes can work for work too, just by changing some pieces and adding some accessories. 

Flats are great for the office, especially if you spend a lot of time on your feet. 

We like to add bold lip color when we’re wearing lots of neutrals. 

My top is actually a lacy dress from Urban Outfitters, it’s form fitting so I can wear it under this flouncy skirt when I want. Body-con dresses are great for layering, especially with skirts that have lots of volume. 

Skirt with belt H&M

This is Alana’s dog, Max. He’s a great model. 

Sparkly shoes are super versatile, punk-rock vibes for going out or channeled into a romantic look suitable for work. Either way, we think you could definitely make good use of them. 

Happy Shopping!

XOXO

Alana & Suzy 

Impulse Buy! Sparkly loafers, check back later this week to see how I wear them

Hey Fashion Mavens,

We’re here to bring you some affordable and fun fashion tips. We’re both young and pretty broke- which has made us the queens of bargain hunting, style scrounging and deal hustling. We’re here to share the wealth. 

We’ll be styling our family and friends and bringing our readers along for the ride, trying to solve one fashion problem at a time. Whether it’s looking fresh at the office or finding the dress for a date, we wanna make sure you’re dressed to impress. 

WARNING: Sometimes we may be employing a little tough love, but its only because we hate that shirt as much as we love you.

Love,

Alana & Suzy

To start off our styling expedition, we choose my gracious brother- Romolo.  He just got a  new fancy job in the marketing world. Romolo felt that his clothes were a little uptight compared to his bosses, who wear shorts and tees every day of the week.  So we started with a short interview on what he likes and absolutely won’t try (SPOILER: he tried it and LOVES IT).

Romolo was on a budget, asking us to keep his shopping spree under $200. 

This is Romolo’s typical outfit for work. Consider this his “before” photo. We think he looks pretty dapper, but could definitely use some spicing up. 

What fashion problem do you want to solve?

Romolo-Well lemme me tell you. I just got a new job and I have a wardrobe of dress clothes. I’ve got like 10 dress shirts, 3 dress pants, a nice pair of dress shoes-which would be great if I could wear my dress clothes every day, but the culture of the company is casual, and I am the most dressed up person there.  Everyone wears Phillies shirts, jeans and sneakers, so, my problem is, I don’t have a wardrobe thats casual enough for me to wear to work but at the same time is professional and respectable.  You know what I’m saying?

Where do you normally shop?

Uhm, Marshalls, to like, you know get a deal, I am a bargain shopper at heart, always have been always will be.  Sometimes the outlets.

Whats your shopping style? Do you go and have something in mind, or do you go with a budget, or do you go to a specific store?

I usually know what I wanna buy, or have an idea of what I wanna buy, but if I see something that catches my eye I’ll consider buying it.

Do you normally leave the store with what you intended on purchasing?

Well, normally I don’t buy anything, so I’ll go there and just look at shit and then leave.  But uh, I need to put more of my budget into buying clothes right now.  Because I need a fashionable, casual, respectable wardrobe for the workplace.

Are there any absolute no’s that you will not buy?

(laughs) Skinny jeans, I’m not wearing effing spandex jeans on my legs its uncomfortable, I feel awkward, I feel like I’m exposed.  You know?  But I’m open to try anything, I have faith in your abilities Alana.

Who’s style do you most prefer, Ryan Gosling, Don Draper or Andre 3000?

I would have to say Ryan Gosling, I like all of their styles, and I appreciate them, but I have to go with Ryan Gosling.

——-

So off we went to our local mall to bargain shop for Ryan Gosling-esqe casual work clothing. 

We started off at the Gap. Where we were all immediately drawn to row of brightly colored pants. BOOM. COLORS. So we decided to get Romolo to stray from the typical denim pant and go some pop and bang. 

Turns out, Romolo looks fantastic in some colored pants. 

And though we were big fans of these azure colored bottoms, Romolo wanted something a little less bright. So we went from blue to burgundy. 

Burgundy Chinos Gap On Sale $32.89/Black Polo Gap $12.95

Which turns out to pair perfectly with this soft jersey polo. 

Blue Button-Up Gap On Sale $23.00 

And this multi-purpose light blue button-up is perfect for work and going out with the bro’s after work. Romolo also wanted some denim, but to keep it unique, we choose a pair with a tan wash. 

Tan Denim Slim Fit Pants Gap On Sale $40.00/Plaid Button Up $19.95

FACT: This color looks good with anything and can be worn in the summer or winter.  Our suggestion: when you need multiple outfits,  start with the pants.  Well fitting bottoms are the basics of a good wardrobe.  A good pair of pants will look good with casual and formal tops- which are usually easier and cheaper to shop for. 

If you’re trying to mix it up, choose denim or khakis with different washes and colors. 

Pink Checkered Button Up Gap $17.50

“Pirate” shirt  H&M  $19.99

Romolo’s final budget came out $182.50 ($17.50 under budget). That’s 2 pairs of pants and 5 shirts, folks! With his new garb, we think he’ll win “Most Stylish” at the office and “Most Handsome” with the women. 

Was Romolo happy with the work of the Closet Vomit ladies?

Awe yea.

Til Then, 

XOX Alana and Suzy